ServiceDesk 4.8.5 Update 09/05/16

In a number of contexts, folks have wanted to automate (or at least semi-automate) the process of emailing a PDF document. 

An example situation is when emailing a parts-order request to a parts vendor.  A PDF document can be configured as a "form" that has all relevant request information, and asks your vendor to fill-in boxes to indicate how he is fulfilling your request (e.g., is he shipping, back-ordering, did he find the part is NLA, etc.).  Similarly, you may email a PDF document that works as a status inquiry on prior-ordered parts.  Back in the old days (before SD-Mobile) some companies also liked to email their technicians a PDF image of each job-ticket/invoice on the current day's roster -- this worked as their very method of dispatching to their techs, typically with intent that each tech should print the set of tickets via his home computer. 

Anyhow, there is a bit of technological hurdle in making these processes occur.  In general, it's easy to create a PDF document.  You simply install any from among dozens of free PDF "printers."  These install like a regular printer driver (the piece of software you install in Windows to control a standard physical printer), but, instead of connecting to a piece of actual hardware (and to produce paper output), their output is instead a PDF file.  Thus, when you want to make a PDF document from any Windows application, you simply use its facility to print, then choose an installed PDF printer (from among the standard Windows list of printers, once you have one there) as the target print-to location. 

The hurdle exists because you want ServiceDesk to automate creation of an email and you likewise want it to simultaneously attach a PDF file to that email.  ServiceDesk can create an email for you just fine.  It can send input to a PDF printer just fine.  However, it can't attach the file that's produced by the PDF printer to the email unless it knows what file (i.e., location and name) that PDF printer produced.  That's the difficulty. 

We solved it years ago by finding a particular PDF printer that allows an application (like ServiceDesk) to make a request directly to it, specifically specifying the particular file that it should produce.  With this ability, ServiceDesk can direct the PDF printer to create its output with a particular name and location, then find the result there and attach it to your email. 

The name of the program we found to do this is pdfFactory.  It's maker sells it for $50 per install.  Until now, when you first went to do one of the types of emailing that has depended on that product, you'd be prompted to go to the maker's website and download it.  Now we fixed that.  You don't have to buy pdfFactory any more.   

We now provide you with a Rossware-branded PDF printer.  We call it the Rossware PDF-Writer, and the right to use it is inclusive to your ServiceDesk purchase and/or support. 

From this version forward, instead of being prompted to install pdfFactory when first wanting to initiate a relevant action, you will instead be prompted to download and install the Rossware PDF-Writer (and you'll save $50; yahoo!). 

If you already have pdfFactory installed and you want to switch to use of the Rossware PDF-Writer (yes, we do believe it's better), or if you simply wish to install the Rossware PDF-Writer because it's a darned good PDF printer and sometimes you want to print to a PDF document, you may directly download it here. 

New PartsProcess Date-Filters

We had a request to be able to filter by appointment date when working in the current-PartsProcess form (aka "F8" form).  So, we added it:

The operation is straightforward, but please note items will not show unless they are connected to a job that has a pending appointment (and also, of course, where the date is not excluded by the filter).