Latest Documentation

This section contains documentation for TrackStudio. If you have problems or questions the best place to find answers is on the web forum.

Articles

This is the must-read documentation that will provide you with the fast track to understanding and setting up TrackStudio.

TrackStudio Guide (PDF)
The TrackStudio Permissions model (PPT) This presentation explains and illustrates the workings of the TrackStudio permissions model as well as giving tips and advice.
Sample Inc status settings collated into a single spreadsheet so that you can easily see what rights are conferred on a user by each status. Also to be used to help you map the statuses that you may wish to create. (XLS)
Issue Tracker Administrator status settings as above but for the other preconfigured domain that comes with the standard install of TrackStudio (XLS)
eSolia TrackStudio Design and Setup QuickGuide by Rick Cogley (PDF)
TrackStudio User Management Benefits by Maxim Kramarenko (PDF)
Implementation of Configurable Solutions for Large User Bases by Irving Sequeira (PDF)
TrackStudio to MS Project mapping (English, PDF)
Using TrackStudio with OpenLDAP (English, PDF)

Quick Start resources

Here you will find a number of spreadsheets and scripts that are designed to help you rapidly to construct and populate your User hierarchies. Looking at the matched pairs of example CSV files and scripts will also help you understand how the CSV import mechanism works.

Note: Some of the spreadsheets contain macros and so you will be asked whether you want to enable them as you open the file.

CSV Import Maps the CSV Import Script Reference page as spreadsheet to help you with the creation of CSV import scripts (XLS)
User CSV builder a spreadsheet that will help you quickly generate User CSV Import files complete with usernames, passwords, statuses etc. (XLS)
Example simple user list that may be used as a template for importing a list of users (CSV)
Example simple user tree that may be used as a template for building your own user tree (CSV)
Simple User Import script that can be used with either of the above two CSV files (TXT)
Example complex user list that shows how user trees and custom fields can be imported (CSV)
Complex User Import script that can be used with the abovementioned CSV file (TXT)

Workflow diagrams and resources

You may find it helpful to create your own workflow diagrams. Below are diagrams of some of the workflows that are associated with the tasks an the as-installed instance of TrackStudio that you might like to use as a starting point. Also provided are maps illustrating the permissions associated with the workflows.

Issue Tracking - Issue Workflow (Visio)
Sample, Inc - Issue Lifecycle Workflow (Visio)
Issue Tracking - Issue workflow - message permissions (XLS)
Issue Tracking - Issue workflow - state-message-status map (XLS)

SQL Schema and Statements

Though being able to examine the TrackStudio database directly is not a requirement you may find that doing so makes life easier. For this reason the following files provide you with the Database Schema and some sample SQL statements that you may find useful. The SQL statements may well need to be modified to suit your own implementation/purposes.

Note: Making changes to the TrackStudio database and its contents other than via the user interface is not recommended unless you have a very high level of database experience and are confident that you fully understand the relationships and constraints within it. The consequences of any such changes are not supported by TrackStudio.

TrackStudio schema (XLS)
Count filters (SQL)
Count tasks (SQL)
Count UDFs (SQL)
Count users (SQL)
Count workflow (SQL)
Script-Owner (SQL)
task-category-workflow (SQL)
task-import filter order owner (SQL)
Task-Workflow-Message type-Resolution (SQL)
task-workflow (SQL)
Users connected to tasks (SQL)
User list (SQL)
Workflow-Message type-beforeTrigger (SQL)
Workflow-Message type-IsDefault (SQL)
Workflow-Message type-Resolution (SQL)
Workflow-Priority (SQL)

Script Library

Scripts provide the mechanism through which the behaviour of your implementation of TrackStudio can be customised. The best way in which to learn about how to implement scripts is by looking at examples of scripts that have been created by other TrackStudio users and this is why the Script Library has been created. If you have a script that you think others may find useful please send it to TrackStudio for inclusion in the Library.

Note: Whilst efforts have been made to ensure that these scripts behave as intended TrackStudio can accept no liability for any errors or omissions.

Download all scripts as a zip file here.
Custom Field Scripts
	Task
		Value
			Create multiple list	List multiple String values
			Day on which task created	Returns the day of the week on which an issue was created
			Display instructions	Used to display Instructions
			Display links	To show favorite links
			Display login id	Gets the logged-in user's login id
			Get most recent message description	Returns the description of the most recent message
			Get time from Submit to Sign off	Used to calculate the time elapsed or time until signed off
			Get value from task or workflow UDF	Gets the value of the task- or workflow-based custom field [Order Availability]
			Get value from user-based UDF	Gets the value of a user-based custom field [Address]
			List custom fields with values	List all custom fields with values for the current task
			List task attachment links	Shows the link/s to attachments for tasks
			List task members	Displays a list of users who have access to the current task except for those who are belong to company "Dummy Co."
			List task numbers	Lists tasks numbers in the array
			Months elapsed since submit	Calculates the number of months between the task submit date and the current date. It can be used to find tasks submitted this month, last month, etc.
			Number of days since last update	Returns the number of days since the last update (this field can be used to find out what tasks have been neglected for a long time)
			Parent folder name	Returns the name of the parent folder
			Set actual start	Sets the value of the actual start date as date/time on which the first "Started work" message was created.
			Sum of actual time of current task and subtasks	Calculates the sum of the actual time for all not-closed tasks
			Text of all messages of current task	Collects the text from all messages for the current task

		Lookup
			Lookup values from task list	To get a list of task names from some folder

	User
		Value

		Lookup

Trigger Scripts
	Add Message
		AFTER
			Copy task after message	Copies a task to the Knowledge Base (task #2 in this example) when user adds a message.
			Move task after message	Moves a task to the Knowledge Base (task #2 in this example) when user adds a message.

		BEFORE
			Check multiple signoff	Checks to see whether all the people who need to sign off the task have done so
			Force change of handler except qa	New handler must not be same as existing handler, except when he/she has status of "QA-Team"
			Generate ticket id	Creates an id of the following format 000##YYMM@@_****description from various task details and handler
			Prevent closing of task with open subtasks	Prevents users from closing a task that contains non-closed subtasks
			Prevent message type depending on category	Message cannot be created if Task Category is "Customer report"
			Record UDF value changes in message	Tracks custom field value changes in the message description
			Set handler to person who submitted request	User who last submitted "Request" message assigned as handler
			Set message handler to value of user UDF	Sets the handler of the message to be the user defined in the UDF.
			Set resolution to next step	Set Task resolution to next step from message resolution
			Set resolution to previous step	Set Task resolution to previous step from message resolution
			Set string UDF to value of message resolution	Takes message resolution and populates "Outcome" field
			Set value of a UDF	Sets value of UDF "Customer told" to "Yes"
			Set workflow user UDF to handler	Sets the value of the "Assigned Engineer" field to current handler

		INSTEAD OF
			Increment integer UDF	Implements the ability to vote for a task by adding a message. To use this script, create a custom field votesCounter of type Integer that will be used to count votes. Assign this trigger for a message type used to vote.

	Create Task
		AFTER
			Parse task description	Parses the task description and fills some custom fields given in the description in text form
			Populate similar tasks field	Fills in the task type UDF [See Also] with a list of tasks similar to the one being created
			Set value of user UDF to task handler	Sets the value of the "Assigned Engineer" workflow field to the the Task's handler

		BEFORE
			Force deadline entry	Complains if the Deadline task property has not been filled in for the task
			Force UDF value entry	Complains if the Exists in Production custom field value has not been filled in for the task or equals "Please Choose"
			Replace string in Task description	String that is used as placeholder is deleted before task is created.
			Require a deadline to be later than today	Checks deadline before form submission
			Set Group Handler of new task	Irrespective of handler selected by user handler is set to "controller"
			Set unique name of new task	Sets the name of the task to "[Submitter]'s task" and ensures that no other task of that name already exists at the same level.
			Validate a custom list field	Ensures that a value is selected from a list UDF
			Validate interdependent custom fields	Throws an exception if value of one UDF is "Other" and the value of another UDF is empty.

		INSTEAD OF
			Set random handler	Chooses a random handler for the task and assigns that handler to the task

	Edit Task
		AFTER

		BEFORE
			Validate budgeted time	Prevents users from saving a task with Budgeted Time less than Actual Time

		INSTEAD OF
			Log deadline changes	Creates messages of the type log for each deadline change using the Current Task -> Task... -> Edit link. Create message type log before using this trigger.

CSV Import Scripts
			Create messages	Bulk-process some task by creating a message