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New Features in RT

Below is a list of features and bug fixes that are part of RT 3.4. These features were introduced on Patriots Day weekend, April 2005.

Login methods have been switched

If you go to https://help.mit.edu/ you can log in using certificates. If you go to https://help.mit.edu:444/ you can log in via your username and password. This allows for the shorter URL for certificates login, the more commonly used method.

Changes to the RT home page

New ticket lists

The default ticket listings (Top highest Priority Tickets and Top Ten Unowned Tickets) have been replaced by the two new ticket sections:

  • Saved Searches: A list of searches you and other consultants in your queue have created and saved using Query Builder search screen
  • Standard Searches: A list of commonly used searches, that have been created and made available for all queues.
Quick Ticket Creation

A Requestor text box has been added to Quick Ticket Creation for consultants who create tickets on behalf of clients. Also, when you click Create, it takes you to the Ticket screen where you can enter ticket information, rather than remain on the Home page.

Example of RT home page

Spamscreening has been added (applies to Queue administrators only)

Queue Administrators can set a spamscreening scoring level for their queues. This should help reduce submissions to their queues that constitute spam. Any submissions that meet the threshold are discarded.

Go to Configuration>Queues>your-queue name and enter a number for Spam Threshold. The scoring is the same as defined for the the MIT Spamscreen service.

Searching/results bug fixes and new feature

Custom field searching works: Any custom fields you've created are available in the Query Builder search screen and can be used as part of your search criteria.

Next and Previous links work: When navigating a search results list, the Next and Previous links in the left navigation bar remain constant, i.e., they don't disappear randomly.

Paging through search results lists works: If you have more than one page worth of results, they will display when you click on the Next Page link at the bottom of the screen.

Exporting results: There are now two ways to export results to an Excel spreadsheet.

  • Spreadsheet (all), the original method, exports the full set of ticket fields in the results.
  • Spreadsheet (display ticket fields) exports only the fields you specify to display when creating the search.

New Ticket Display

A new side-by-side ticket screen has been added that replaces the default screen. This new screen lets you update tickets – the previous side-by-side screen was display only.

Example of side-by-side ticket display

User can choose between the regular ticket screen or side-by-side ticket screen as their default ticket display screen and set it in Preferences.

  1. Go to Preferences and choose from the Default Ticket Page dropdown list.
  2. Click Save Preferences.

Hiding and showing Ticket history entries

Ticket history entries and are now collapsible/expandable - individually or all at once.

  • Click on minus button to hide a history entry
  • Click on plus button to show a history entry.
  • Click on the Expand/collapse all... in the History section title bar to hide or show all history entries.

(Note: Only the content is hidden. The history entry transaction titles remain.)

Default queue for New Ticket In...

When you choose New Ticket In... at the top of the screen, the queue you chose remains selected when you change screens and for the remainder of the session.

Reply/Comment screen redesigned

The ticket reply screen has been completely redesigned:

Example of the Reply/Comment screen

  • The list of recipients, and the ability to add or remove them, has been moved to the top of the screen.
  • Removing recipients for a particular Reply no longer removes them from receiving future replies, as is the default behavior in RT. If you want to remove people completely from a ticket, use the People screen.
  • Ancillary fields, e.g., Status, have been moved to the right.

Additions to the People screen

The People screen now lets you add and remove people for replies and comments in addition to adding and removing people from the ticket.

Example of the People Screen

This can be useful for Queues that have Cc's or Admin Cc's assigned to all tickets for the queue and you want to remove them from individual tickets.

Custom field changes (applies to Queue Administrators only)

Custom fields that you create can now be attached to more than one queue. Additionally, Custom fields can be applied in four ways:

Tickets: The original method of applying custom fields where values are stored with ticket data.

Ticket transactions: Custom field values that relate to a ticket transaction. For example, you can create a custom field for Replies and Comments entered that indicates the nature of contact with a client, e.g., "email" or "client visited us."

Users: Custom fields that apply to RT users. For example, you can create a custom field that lets your consultants set a default ticket display when going into the Preferences screen.

Groups: Custom fields that apply to Groups.

Changes in Terminology

Tickets, in the left navigation bar, is now called Ticket Search.

The status type, Stalled, is now called Waiting.