Task Lists and Tasks

Task lists can be used for tickler lists, appointment lists, patient lists, daily, weekly, or monthly check off lists, etc. A task list can have nested task lists or tasks within it, much like the folder/file concept.

Manage and view tasks in the Tasks area of your screen, or, in the Manage module, click Tasks.

The Tasks area options can be defined in Miscellaneous Setup. Usually the Tasks area is docked at the bottom or right of the screen, but it can also be set to not appear on an individual computer. To change docking options, right click on the splitter.  Resize the Tasks area by dragging the splitter.  Set Permissions for editing and deleting tasks in Security.

There are four buttons across the top: 
- Setup:  Assign inboxes for users.  Only users with Setup Permission have access to this feature.
- Add TaskList: Create a new task list.
- Add Task:  Create a new task.
- Block Popups:   At a user level, block popups (and chime) that appears when new tasks are added to a list you are subscribed to.  This will not block popups sent to an inbox.  This preference will be remembered as the default.  If you block popups, remember to check for new tasks under the New for User tab.

The Task tabs are useful for organization and task management.
- for 'User':  Contains task lists that the current user is subscribed to. Typically includes a user's inbox.
- New for User:   See the current users new tasks all at once.
- Open Tickets:   Keep track of tasks that need follow-up. Tasks with an object type of 'Patient' appear here until the task is marked done. This tab is only visible if 'Show open tickets for user' is checked in Miscellaneous Setup.
- Main:  All shared task lists and inboxes are created and stored here.
- Repeating (setup):  Only for setup. Task lists stored here are Repeating Task Lists.
- By Date/Week/Month: Contains automatically generated repeating task lists and tasks.

Click on a tab, and its task lists will show.  Click on a task list to see its tasks.  Any task list with new tasks is flagged with an orange checkbox, and the number of new tasks appears in parentheses. To see tasks which have been marked done, click the Show Finished Tasks checkbox, and enter a start date if desired. Task lists and tasks also have right click options to easily cut, copy, paste, edit properties, subscribe, unsubscribe, Send to Me or Go To an attached patient or appointment.

Task Lists
Task lists are a way to organize tasks. A user's inbox is a task list, but you can also setup other lists.
1. Click the Main tab
2. Click Add TaskList, or right click on an existing task list and select Edit Properties.

3. Enter the task list information:
    Description: The task list name.
    Date: Leave blank unless this is a Repeating Task List.
    Date Type: Leave blank unless this is a repeating task list.
    Is from Repeating: Indicates if this task list was generated by a repeating task list.
    Object Type:
     - Patient: Use when setting up an inbox, or if you want this task list to be available in the main Toolbar when you click To Task List.
     - Appointment: Use when you want this task list to be available in the Appointment Edit window when you click To Task List.
4.  Click OK.

Inboxes
Inboxes are a special kind of task lists that contains tasks sent directly to a specific user when you click Send To or Reply. To setup an inbox:
1. In the Main tab, create a Task List for each user, using Patient as the Object Type.
2. Click Setup in the upper left corner.

Current users appear on the left.  All inboxes setup appear on the right.
3. Click on the user, click on the inbox, then click Set. Click OK.
4. Have each user log in and subscribe to their inbox.

Subscribe to a Task List
The first tab is always a tab for the current user, and it lists task subscribed to by the user. Users should always subscribe to their inbox, and can also subscribe to shared task lists.
1. Log in to EZ2000 Plus Dental with your user name.
2. Click on the Main tab, right click on a task list, then select Subscribe.
The task list will appear in the for 'User' tab, and all nested lists and tasks will also show.

To unsubscribe from a task list, right click on the list, then click Unsubscribe.
You can only subscribe to tasks listed under the Main tab. You cannot subscribe to Repeating Task Lists.

Tasks
Tasks can be added to a task list or sent to a user inbox.
1. To add a task to a specific task list, first select the task list.
2. Click Add Task, or double click on an existing task to comment.

3. Enter or add to the task information.

New: A task starts out marked New. Click in the checkbox to unflag it and mark it as not “new”.

Done: When a task is complete, mark it as Done. Once done, a task disappears from the task list.

Entry/Finished Dates: These fields are filled in automatically, but can also be quickly set by clicking Now.

From User: The name of the user who initiated this task. To change the user, click […].

Task List: This field is filled in automatically and cannot be changed here. If a task list was selected first, the task list name appears. If this task is being sent to an inbox, it may be empty until you click Send to.

Description: Enter the task description. This Text Box supports right click options.

Notes: If this is an existing task, click Add to enter comments or notes. This is a useful tool to track a task's status as it gets sent back and forth between users. To quickly copy the text of the original task, and any notes, click Copy. 

Date/Date Type: Leave blank unless you want this task to show in a Repeating Task List.  The Is from Repeating checkbox will be marked if this is a repeating task.

Object Type: Attach a specific patient or appointment to the task.
- None: A regular task with no attachments.
- Patient: These tasks show in the Open Tickets tab. Click Change to select and attach a patient. Once the task is created and sent, you can quickly Go To the patient record.
- Appointment: These tasks are associated with an Appointment.  Click Change to select a patient, then select the appointment. Once the task is created and sent, you can quickly Go To the appointment.

4.  When all task information is entered, you have three options:
  - Click OK to send the task to the specified task list. Everyone subscribed to the task list will be notified of the new task.
  - Click Send To, then select an inbox to send the task to.
  - Click Reply to send the task to the last person who sent it.

Popups
Whenever a user is subscribed to a task list and a task is added, a popup window shows, along with a chime sound. To block popups and chime at a user level, click BlockPopups.  Popus will be blocked for all subscribed lists except for the user's inbox.  This preference will be remembered as the default on a per-user basis.  If blocked, remember to check for new tasks under the New for User tab.

Tracking New by User
In Miscellaneous Setup, there is an option to track new/viewed status by individual user. If this option is turned on, the behavior for tracking new messages changes. For any inbox, the new message count applies to the inbox user, not the currently logged on user. For all other task lists, the new message count applies to the currently logged in user only.

When the program is running in this mode, the task statuses of new/viewed are completely ignored and hidden. The only status that will be seen on any task is the one that is specific to individual user/task combinations.