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New Features in RT - November 2005

Below is a list of new Request Tracker features introduced in November 2005.

New ticket update screen

A new ticket update screen has been developed, called the Call Center Update page, that can be set as the default update screen on a per-user basis. The new screen includes:

  • Two-column format for easy viewing
  • An MIT directory lookup feature
  • Queue custom fields, if any have been configured
  • A Reply/Comment section with a check box to specify whether or not to send email
  • The ticket history
  • A Save Changes button at the top of the screen, as well as the bottom

New Simple Search screen

A simple search screen has been added and can be accessed either by clicking on it in the left navigation bar, or setting it as the default search screen on a per-user basis. The screen lets you search on:

  • Ticket number
  • Requestor name
  • Requestor email
  • Requestor phone number
  • A preset range of creation dates: last 2 days, last 7 days, last 30 days, 30-60 days ago, last 60 days, 60 to 90 days ago, last 90 days, last six months, last year.
  • Status
  • Queue
  • Ticket content (i.e., search on text within the ticket history)

Enhancements to the left navigation bar

The following enhancements have been made to the left navigation bar:

Simple Search link: This link is available from the left navigation bar as a sub-link under Ticket Search, or it can be set on a per-user basis, under Preferences, as the default screen when clicking on Ticket Search.

New Ticket link: There's now a New Ticket link which goes to your default ticket screen and also uses the default queue; both can be set in Preferences.

Custom links on the left navigation bar: Queue administrators can add their own links to the left navigation bar to specific web pages, on a per-group basis, by entering them in the Additional Menu links box under Configuration>Groups>group_name.

Improvements to ownership of a ticket

If you click Take to take ownership of a ticket, a link called Release displays which you can click to relinquish ownership of a ticket.

Ownership of a ticket can also "lock" the ticket so that other consultants cannot make changes until the ticket is released. This feature is customizable on a per-queue basis. Additional access control configuration is required for this feature; please contact tooltime at mit.edu if you are interested.

User customizations

A number of customizations have been added that can be made on a per user-basis. These can be set by clicking Preferences in the left navigation bar.

  • Setting default ticket screen: Users can choose the Default ticket display, Side-by-side Page or Call Center Update Page to be their default ticket screen.
  • Setting default search screen: The Simple Search screen can be set as the default search screen when clicking on ticket Search in the left navigation bar.
  • Setting default working queue: Consultants can choose the queue that the use most when creating tickets. The New ticket In and Quick ticket Creation will default to these queues.
  • Filter History Entries: By default, RT records a history entry for every action taken on a ticket. If you want to display only Ticket creation, Replies, Comments, Email sent and Status changes in the History, choose Yes for Filter History Entries.
  • Update notification: If you want email notification sent to yourself each time you modify a ticket, choose Yes to Notify Yourself on your Own Updates.
  • Quick Search queues: You can choose which queues you want to display in the Quick Search section of the home page. To choose more than one queue, hold down the <shift> key for items next to each other, or the <command> key (Mac) or <Ctrl> key (Windows) for non-contiguous items.
  • Open Links in new browser window: You can set RT to open Home, Search, New Ticket, and any custom links in the left navigation bar in a new browser window. Opening new tickets in a new browser window also works for both Quick Ticket Creation and New Ticket In.
  • Immediate/deferred creation of tickets: You can choose whether the New Ticket and Quick Ticket Creation links create a ticket immediately and send you to your preferred ticket screen, or send you to the standard Ticket Create screen, allowing you to enter more ticket details before creating the ticket.

Queue and Group customizations (queue administrators only)

Queue

The following customizations can be made on a per-queue basis by going to Configuration>queue>queue_name:

  • Default email distribution: The default email distribution for Replies and Comments can be set so that recipients are not checked, i.e., they will not receive email by default. This is useful for queues where consultants typically need to enter Replies or Comments without email being sent.
  • Use Starts date for Freeze Until date: For Queues that need to put tickets on hold until a specific date is reached (also called "Freezing a ticket" in Casetracker) queue administrators can make use of the RT Starts Date by choosing Yes for Use Starts date for Freeze Until date. This configures RT to remove the date value entered upon reaching it.
  • Taking ownership of tickets to prevent modifications: By default, when you take ownership of a ticket, it merely indicates an Owner, but other consultants can still modify the ticket. For queues that need to specify owners as a method of preventing others from modifying the ticket, choose Yes to Use Owner to lock tickets. (Note: This customization requires additional configurations in order to work. Contact tooltime@mit.edu if you want to use this feature.)
  • Specify From: in email: By default, when Replies or Comments are sent from RT, the From: field includes the name of the consultant who entered it. Queue administrators can choose one of the following three options for the From: field:
    • Sender's full name
    • Queue name
    • Queue reply address
  • Change owner of ticket: Queue administrators have permission levels to change the owner of tickets in their queues from one consultant to another. (Consultants' permission levels can only take ownership of a ticket or assign it to Nobody.)
  • Creation of custom fields: Queue administrators can now create their own custom fields by going to Configuration>Queues>Queue_name then clicking on Ticket Custom Fields or Transaction Custom Fields and then New Custom Field.
  • Adding consultants: Previously, queue administrators could only add consultants who were on the Users list. Queue administrators can now enter any Kerberos username in addition to choosing from the list.
Group

Queue administrators can now make some customizations that will be available for any groups associated with their queue(s) by going to Configuration>Groups>group_name:

  • Custom links on the left navigation bar: Queue administrators can add their own links to the left navigation bar to specific web pages by entering them in the Additional Menu links box.
  • Predefined Cc: recipients: For Replies and Comments, queue administrators can specify usernames, in the Predefined Cc: Recipients box. When consultants click on Reply or Comment, the Reply/Comment screen will contain a list of the predefined Cc: recipients which can be clicked to add to the Cc: field.

New Subject line syntax options for RT email

By default, the subject line for sending email to a ticket in RT at MIT is [help.mit.edu #xxxx] where xxxx is the ticket number. You can now send email to an RT ticket by using any of the following subject line syntaxes:

  • [help.mit.edu #xxxx]
  • RT #xxxx
  • RT xxxx
  • ticket: xxxx
  • ticket: #xxxx

Notes:

  • These specifications are case-insensitive:
    • Ticket: 153633
    • ticket: 153633
  • You can place a colon (:) and/or a pound sign (#) before the ticket number:
    • RT: 12787
    • RT #121276
    • RT :#128787
  • "RT" and "ticket" are synonymous:
    • RT: 121212
    • Ticket: 121212