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Difference between revisions of "Smartphone App"

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==Introduction ==
+
{{TrackAbout Module
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TrackAbout's smartphone app for iOS and Android enables users to perform a variety of asset tracking operations.
+
|Module Description=TrackAbout's smartphone app for iOS and Android enables users to perform a variety of asset tracking operations.
 +
|Supported In=TAMobile Android, TAMobile iOS
 +
|Business Process=Asset Management, Production, Distribution, Supply Chain
 +
}}
 +
[[Category:TrackAbout Module]]
  
−
== Requirements ==
+
        <h2>TrackAbout Mobile 7 Smartphone App (TAM7)</h2>
−
The app is intended only for existing customers of TrackAbout. Call your sales contact for more details.
+
        <h2>Hardware Purchasing Recommendations</h2>
 +
        <p>See [[Smartphone Hardware Purchasing Recommendations]]</p>
 +
        <h2>Features</h2>
 +
        <h3>Geolocation</h3>
 +
        <ul>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p>Capture device GPS information during scanning. This GPS data will be displayed in a map view on the website when reviewing Record details. Location Services should be enabled on the device. See [[Smartphone Geolocation]] for details.</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
        </ul>
 +
        <h3>Supported Action Types</h3>
 +
        <ul>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Add New/Register Asset</b> — Initialize new assets or edit existing assets in TrackAbout</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Add New/Register Container/Pallet</b> — Initialize new containers/pallets in TrackAbout</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Add New/Register Bulk Tank</b> — Initialize new bulk tanks in TrackAbout</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Analyze/Analysis</b> -— Record measurements of individual gas components</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Asset Search</b> — Search for assets by tag and view asset details and history</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p>[[Branch Transfer Send and Receive|Branch Transfer Send/Receive]] — Transfer assets between locations in two steps</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Close Product Lot</b> — Update the status of product lots to closed</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Collect Many Signatures/Sign Later</b> — Allows collecting signatures for multiple deliveries to the same location at once, after the last delivery.</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Create Order</b> — Order creation, with the ability to add line items to the order by scanning existing assets (to look up their product code)</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Customer Audit</b> — Count all assets found on customer premise</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Delivery</b> — Delivery of assets, including not-scanned and hard good/consumable support</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Dynamic forms</b> — Collect custom data on any record*</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Empty Container/Pallet</b> — Removes all items from a container/pallet</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Fill</b> — Record the filling of assets</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Fill for Customer</b> — Fills assets at a customer's site, without bringing the assets back in-house</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Find Inventory</b> — Lookup assets on the go by product code or location</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Generic Action</b> — Part of the Dynamic Workflow module, this action allows clients to create custom workflows</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Inspection Scan/Sort Asset</b> — Sort individual assets when no container is needed or available.</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Load and Unload Truck</b> — Track assets loaded onto and unload off trucks, including not-scanned and hard good/consumable support</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Locate</b> — Set location of assets to internal branch locations</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Maintenance</b> — Record maintenance on assets</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Make Pack</b> — Combine several assets together into a single "pack" and begin tracking the pack by a new barcode, preserving information about the combined assets</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Material Consolidation</b> — Record materials used for filling a container</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p>'''[[TAM7 Photo Feature|Photo Capture]]''' — Capture pictures as part of Deliver, Flag for/Send to Maintenance, and Generic actions.</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p>'''[[Internal Inventory Audit|Physical Inventory]]''' — Conduct internal inventory audits.</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Print Lot Labels</b> - Allows printing of lot labels from the device via a compatible printer</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Receive from Vendor</b> — Record assets obtained from a vendor</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Reclassify Assets</b> — Change service of assets</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Register Bundle</b> — Combine several assets together into a single "bundle" and begin tracking the bundle by a new barcode, without recording information about the combined assets</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Remove from Lot</b> — Clear the lot number from assets</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Replace Barcode</b> — Replace worn or missing barcodes while retaining asset history and traceability</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Reserve for Order</b> — Assign specific assets to an order</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Return Assets</b> — Similar to Delivery action, but allows returns only</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Send/Flag to Maintenance</b> — Indicate an asset requires maintenance</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Sort Container/Build Pallet</b> — Add assets to a container/pallet in preparation for Filling, Delivery, Maintenance and Interbranch Transfer</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Sort Trip Load/Picking</b> — Prepare an order for delivery</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><b>Unmake Pack</b> — Dissociate uniquely tracked assets from a pack</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p><i>Customer Portal</i> (formerly Follow-On Tracking):</p>
 +
                <ul>
 +
                    <li>
 +
                        <p><b>Asset Search</b> — Search for assets by tag and view asset details and history</p>
 +
                    </li>
 +
                    <li>
 +
                        <p><b>Move Asset</b> — Tracks customer movement of assets between their internal locations</p>
 +
                    </li>
 +
                    <li>
 +
                        <p><b>Record Weight/Volume</b> — Sets an asset volume or weight depending on asset type</p>
 +
                    </li>
 +
                    <li>
 +
                        <p><b>Set Volume</b> — Allows your customer to set assets' volume</p>
 +
                    </li>
 +
                </ul>
 +
            </li>
 +
        </ul>
 +
        <h2>Provisioning the Smartphone Module</h2>
 +
        <p>The Smartphone module needs to be provisioned and enabled in your instance. Contact TrackAbout Sales for pricing and details.</p>
 +
        <p>Once provisioned, the Support Team will enable and configure the module for your instance.</p>
 +
        <h2>Roles, Permissions and User Setup for Smartphone</h2>
 +
        <p>[[Mobile Roles|Mobile Roles Setup]] — Mobile Roles must be configured in your environment before the app can be used. The new role MUST have "Smartphone and Tablet" checked or selected.</p>
 +
        <p>[[Internal Users|Setup Internal Users]] — For each new smartphone user: </p>
 +
        <ul>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p>Check the box TAMobile Android/iOS</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
            <li>
 +
                <p>Assign the TAMobile Rugged and TAMobile Desktop role and save the page.</p>
 +
            </li>
 +
        </ul>
 +
        <h2>Where To Download the App</h2>
 +
        <p>TrackAbout Mobile 7 is available from the [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/trackabout/id530125664 App Store on iPhone and iPad], and the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.trackabout.mono Google Play Store on Android] mobile devices. Just search for "TrackAbout".</p>
  
−
==Pricing==
+
        <p>
−
The smartphone app is billed on the basis of a count of active devices per month. At the end of each billing period, TrackAbout calculates how many active, unique devices were in use within a given customer account and time period.
+
[[File:Badge appstore-lrg.png|center]]
 +
[[File:Android app on google play.png|center]]
  
−
An active device is a device on which a user logs into the TrackAbout app.
+
        </p>
−
 
+
        <p class="note">If you use Mobile Device Management for deploying apps, you can download the latest version of the Android app as an APK [https://apkshare.z20.web.core.windows.net/ here].</p>
−
If a user logs in on two distinct devices on the same day, this counts as two active devices.
+
        <h2>Smartphone Vendor-Specific Help</h2>
−
 
+
        <p>See [[Smartphone Vendor-Specific Help|Smartphone Vendor-Specific]] Help for notes about configuring smartphone devices from specific hardware vendors.</p>
−
Reinstalling the app on a device and then logging in again can cause us to count the same device as a second active device. If you feel you are being billed unfairly for active devices, please contact Support.
+
        <h2>Offline Mode</h2>
−
 
+
        <p>Field workers often lose network connectivity due to lack of signal. The app handles this transparently to the user.</p>
−
'''Pricing:''' $15 per device per month.
+
        <p>If the app does not have network connectivity, it saves records locally until the device is back online. The user will be shown a notification that unsaved records are being retained locally.</p>
−
 
+
        <p>Once the device is back online, the app sends data automatically without user intervention.</p>
−
== Features ==
+
        <h2>Enabling Integrated Scanning Hardware</h2>
−
 
+
        <p>Some rugged devices have dedicated, integrated scanning hardware. Enabling these is usually a two-step process.</p>
−
===General ===
+
        <p>Step 1 is to configure the scanning hardware using the vendor's built-in app. [[Smartphone Vendor-Specific Help|See Smartphone Vendor-Specific Help]] for details</p>
−
* Geolocation - capture device GPS information during scanning. This GPS data will be displayed in a map view on the website when reviewing Record details.  
+
        <p>Step 2 is to teach the app that a dedicated scanner should be used instead of using the built-in camera for scanning.</p>
−
 
+
        <div class="indenty">
−
===Core Tracking - Internal Users ===
+
            <p>The user must do a "Scan Check" and use the hardware scanner successfully. These are the steps.</p>
−
* Add New - basic add new of assets
+
            <ul>
−
* Asset Search - search for assets by tag and view asset details and history
+
                <li>
−
* Customer Audit - count all assets found on customer premise
+
                    <p>Log into the TrackAbout app</p>
−
* Fill - record the filling of assets
+
                </li>
−
* Load and Unload Truck - track assets loaded onto and unload off trucks, including not-scanned support
+
                <li>
−
* Locate - set location of assets to internal branch locations
+
                    <p>Go to Settings</p>
−
* Delivery - basic delivery of assets, including not-scanned support
+
                </li>
−
* Dynamic forms - collect custom data on any record*
+
                <li>
−
* Maintenance - record maintenance on assets
+
                    <p>Click "Check barcode scanning" under 'Scan Check'</p>
−
* Receive from Vendor - record assets obtained from a vendor
+
                </li>
−
* Reclassify Assets - change service of assets
+
                <li>
−
* Replace Barcode - replace worn or missing barcodes while retaining asset history and traceability
+
                    <p>When you see "Use this screen to test the scanning capability of your device," scan a barcode using the hardware scanner (don't select orange scan box to bring up camera). The barcode scanned will appear on the screen.</p>
−
 
+
                </li>
−
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Dynamic Forms currently supports Textboxes, Dates, Checkboxes, Dropdowns, and Labels.
+
                <li>
−
 
+
                    <p>Click back and a new option appears, "Preferred Scan Method".</p>
−
=== Follow On Tracking (FOT) Users ===
+
                </li>
−
The app supports several Follow-On Tracking mobile actions:
+
                <li>
−
*Asset Search - search for assets by tag and view asset details and history
+
                    <p>Ensure "Preferred Scan Method" is set to "Hardware Scanner"</p>
−
*Move Asset - tracks customer movement of assets between their internal locations
+
                </li>
−
*Record Weight/Volume - sets an asset volume or weight depending on asset type
+
            </ul>
−
 
+
        </div>
−
== Apple iOS Devices ==
+
        <h2>Enabling the Hardware RFID scanner in the TrackAbout Mobile</h2>
−
=== iOS App Download ===
+
        <ul>
−
[[File:badge_appstore-lrg.png|link=https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/trackabout/id530125664?mt=8&uo=4]]
+
            <li>
−
 
+
                <p>Log into the TrackAbout app</p>
−
===iOS Version Support Policy===
+
            </li>
−
''Updated December 16, 2015. This policy will be reviewed quarterly to ensure customers' needs are being met.''
+
            <li>
−
 
+
                <p>Go to Settings</p>
−
Apple releases new major versions of iOS (e.g. iOS 7 to iOS 8) each year. See [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_iOS Wikipedia History of iOS] for the exact schedule.
+
            </li>
−
 
+
            <li>
−
TrackAbout must choose how far back to support major versions of iOS. As time passes, it becomes increasingly expensive and eventually impossible to continue supporting apps on old versions of iOS. Apple forces the hand of developers by dropping support for older versions of iOS from their developer tools.
+
                <p>Click "RFID settings"</p>
−
 
+
            </li>
−
iPhones and iPads are consumer technology, and the pace of change in the consumer space is rapid. Whereas rugged enterprise devices are typically expected to have a useful service life of 5 years, consumer technology generally has a life-span of 2 years, 3 at the most.
+
            <li>
−
 
+
                <p>Click "RFID device"</p>
−
TrackAbout is sensitive to the needs of its customers and does not wish to unduly prohibit use of the app by paying customers who haven't yet or cannot update their devices to the latest version of iOS.
+
            </li>
−
 
+
            <li>
−
Therefore, TrackAbout's iOS Version Support Policy balances these competing realities by:<br/>
+
                <p>Select your RFID device from the list and click on "Save"</p>
−
* Supporting the last two major releases (back to the most recent dot version of the older OS). For example, if iOS 8.3 is the latest version, TrackAbout supports iOS 8.X and iOS 7.1, which was the highest version in the 7.x series.
+
            </li>
−
* Prompting users periodically to upgrade from within the TrackAbout app when a newer iOS version is available.
+
            <li>
−
* Increasing TrackAbout's minimum requirements 6 months after Apple releases a new OS. New versions of iOS typically reach greater than 80% adoption within 6 months of release.
+
                <p>Test scanning an RFID tag, and set the global power level</p>
−
 
+
            </li>
−
====Operating System====
+
            <li>
−
*iOS version 8.4.1 or higher
+
                <p>If your device also has an integrated hardware barcode scanner please ensure you follow the steps above to setup the hardware barcode scanner as well</p>
−
*No longer supported as off March 2016: iOS version 7.1
+
            </li>
−
 
+
        </ul>
−
====iPhone====
+
        <h2>Printing</h2>
−
* iPhone 6
+
        <p>If you have TrackAbout's POD module, you can pair your devices with a TrackAbout certified printer. Check our [[TrackAbout Certified Devices|certified devices]] page to see which printers are supported and contact support@trackabout.com to get set up.</p>
−
* iPhone 5
+
        <div>
−
 
+
            <h2>App Upgrade Reminder</h2>
−
See [http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3939 Identifying iPhone Models]
+
            <p>When a new version of the app is published in the app stores, the TrackAbout app will prompt users to upgrade.</p>
−
 
+
            <p>One week after release, users will receive a message once every day reminding them to upgrade.</p>
−
====iPad====
+
            <p>We always encourage ensuring users are using the very latest version of the app.</p>
−
* iPad Air 2
+
            <h2>Login Session Duration</h2>
−
* iPad mini 3
+
            <p>Users will remain logged in for 30 days.</p>
−
* iPad Air
+
            <p>After 30 days, the user will be logged out and asked to re-enter their credentials.</p>
−
* iPad mini 2
+
        </div>
−
* iPad (4th generation)
+
        <div>
−
* iPad mini
+
            <h2>In-App Settings</h2>
−
* iPad (3rd generation)
+
            <p>
−
 
+
            [[File:Image323.png|center]]
−
See [http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5452 Identifying iPad Models]
+
            </p>
−
 
+
            <p>Access Settings from the app's main menu. </p>
−
''The TrackAbout application will work on iPad, but the design is not currently optimized to take advantage of the larger tablet screen.''
+
            <p class="FieldNames">Preferences </p>
−
 
+
            <div class="indenty">
−
====iPod Touch====
+
                <p><b>Font Size</b> — Sets the size of text in the app: Normal, Large, or Extra Large. </p>
−
* iPod Touch 5th gen
+
                <p><b>Vibrate on Scan</b> — When checked, your device vibrate when it scans. </p>
−
 
+
                <p><b>Require Wi-Fi for photo uploads</b> — When checked, photos will only be uploaded to TrackAbout when your device is connected to Wi-Fi.</p>
−
See [http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1353 Identifying iPod Models]
+
            </div>
−
 
+
            <p class="FieldNames">Scan Check</p>
−
== Android Devices ==
+
            <div class="indenty">
−
===Android App Download===
+
                <p><b>Check barcode scanning</b> — Lets you do a test scan.</p>
−
[[File:android_app_on_google_play.png|link=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.trackabout.mono]]
+
                <p><b>Data Wedge settings</b> — Additional settings.</p>
−
 
+
                <p><b>RFID settings</b> — Configure the app for scanning RFID tags instead of barcodes.</p>
−
===Android Version Support Policy===
+
            </div>
−
''Updated December 16, 2015. This policy will be reviewed quarterly to ensure customers' needs are being met.''
+
            <p class="FieldNames">Server</p>
−
 
+
            <div class="indenty">
−
Google increments the major version number of Android (e.g. Android 4.0 to Android 5.0) every 2-3 years. There is not a set schedule for major releases.
+
                <p><b>Environment</b> — The environment the app logs into, either Production (www.trackabout.com) or Test (test.trackabout.com). </p>
−
 
+
            </div>
−
Google increments the minor version number of Android (e.g. Android 4.3 to 4.4, or 5.0 to 5.1) several times per year. The number of changes in a minor release has varied greatly.
+
            <p class="FieldNames">Version </p>
−
 
+
            <div class="indenty">
−
Android major and minor releases are not predictable and therefore are not a good factor for TrackAbout to base its own Android version support policy. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history Wikipedia's Android Version History] for detailed timeline of Android's version history.
+
                <p>The version of the app. Make sure that you have the latest version of the app downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play stores depending on your device. Updating to the latest version of the app may resolve any issues or problems you may be experiencing with the app.</p>
−
 
+
            </div>
−
Google has an unwritten policy that states that its manufacturers ''should'' provide Android updates up to 18 months from a device's introduction date. However, some manufacturers (such as HTC) have been known to not follow this policy.
+
        </div>
−
 
+
        <div>
−
Different device manufacturers (Samsung, HTC, LG, etc) update their devices at different speeds. Traditionally, manufacturers have been slow to update devices, and have been known to abandon specific devices before 18 months. This leads to many more distinct active versions of Android than iOS.
+
            <h2>Things To Know about the TrackAbout Mobile 7 for Smartphones</h2>
−
 
+
            <p style="font-weight: bold;">Searching within Lists</p>
−
Android phones and tablets are generally a consumer technology, and the pace of change in the consumer space is rapid. Whereas rugged enterprise devices are typically expected to have a useful service life of 5 years, consumer technology generally has a life-span of 2 years. There are a few rugged Android devices, and they tend to be a few Android versions behind at their release, putting them more in line with traditional rugged enterprise devices. TrackAbout expects more rugged Android devices in the future, and fewer based on Microsoft's technology.
+
            <p>Several screens contain long lists of information. When a search box is offered, here's how it works:</p>
−
 
+
            <ul>
−
TrackAbout is sensitive to the needs of its customers and does not wish to unduly prohibit use of the app by paying customers who haven't yet or cannot update their devices to the latest version of Android.
+
                <li>
−
 
+
                    <p>If there are 200 items or less, we show them all.</p>
−
TrackAbout's Android Version Support Policy balances the competing realities by:
+
                </li>
−
* Supporting Android versions that have 10% or greater market share according to [https://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html Google's monthly statistics].
+
                <li>
−
* Supporting rugged Android devices on a case-by-case basis and for as long as we reasonably can. Rugged device Android versions tend to lag consumer device versions and do not generally receive updates. It has been our experience that software development tooling changes and makes it prohibitively expensive to support old versions of Android.
+
                    <p>If there are more than 200 items in the list, you have to search to get results</p>
−
 
+
                </li>
−
===Android Version Compatibility===
+
                <li>
−
* Android version 4.1 or higher
+
                    <p>The search starts after typing 2 or more characters</p>
−
* A rear-facing camera with 2 megapixels or greater
+
                </li>
−
* Minimum 1 GB RAM
+
                <li>
−
 
+
                    <p>The way results are displayed can differ by type of data, but the general logic is:</p>
−
===Known-Bad Devices===
+
                </li>
−
* Samsung Galaxy Note 4 - Our test device had severe camera auto-focus problems that made scanning very frustrating. There are [https://www.google.com/search?q=note+4+autofocus+fix widely reported problems with auto-focus on the Note 4]. We attempted modifying "Metering Modes" under camera settings, trying Matrix or Spot settings, but it did not help.
+
                <li>
−
 
+
                    <p>Search results contain all items whose Name are contained in the search terms. We also do a fuzzy match, so if the letters of the search terms appear in order, we match that. Searching for "OX100" would match "Oxygen 100". "OX100" would also match "One Box of 10 screws and 50 bolts" (because O X 1 0 0 shows up in that order in that phrase).</p>
−
====Currently Supported Rugged Android Devices====
+
                </li>
−
* Zebra/Motorola TC55 (Android 4.1)
+
                <li>
−
 
+
                    <p>Some searches, such as Customer, and Location, search additional fields, such as ID/Number, Name, or Description. Priority is given to the primary identifier, usually Name or ID/Number and the additional fields are secondary in priority.</p>
−
== App Settings ==
+
                </li>
−
[[File:TrackAbout App Settings Screen.jpeg|thumbnail|right]]
+
                <li>
−
On the main screen of the app tap "Settings"
+
                    <p>First, we show items whose Number ("MId" in techie terms) starts with the search term, sorted alphabetically. These are things like Customer Number, Location ID, Product Code Name.</p>
−
;Server
+
                </li>
−
:Hostname
+
                <li>
−
::For production environment use: <code>www.trackabout.com</code>
+
                    <p>Then we show items with display names (Customer Name, Location Name, etc) that contain the search term, sorted alphabetically.</p>
−
::For test environment use: <code>test.trackabout.com</code>
+
                </li>
−
:Port: <code>443</code>
+
                <li>
−
:Use SSL Encryption should be on or checked
+
                    <p>Product code searches use a slightly different logic:</p>
−
 
+
                </li>
−
;Feedback
+
                <li>
−
:If your device allows vibration you can choose to enable or disable this setting.
+
                    <p>Whole terms are matched,</p>
−
 
+
                </li>
−
;About
+
                <li>
−
:Make sure that you have the latest version of the app downloaded from the iTunes or Google Play stores depending on your device.  Updating to the latest version of the app may resolve any issues or problems you may be experiencing with the app.
+
                    <p>All fields are searched, including Product Code name, description, Asset Category name, Asset Group name, and Asset Type name.</p>
−
 
+
                </li>
−
== AWS Setup ==
+
                <li>
−
The Smartphone app needs to be enabled in your instance. Call your sales contact for more pricing and details.
+
                    <p>Terms may be in any order</p>
−
#The Support Team will enable the Smartphone in your instance.
+
                </li>
−
#Mobile Roles Setup: Create and setup Mobile roles. Be sure to select the correct role purpose. The new role MUST select "Smartphone and Tablet"
+
                <li>
−
#Setup Internal Users
+
                    <p>For example, searching for "ox med" would match "oxygen medical" in the name (or any field) as well as "medical oxygen" in any field. It would also match a product whose Category name is "medical" and Product Code name contains "ox".</p>
−
##For each user requiring access, check the box '''TAMobile Android/iOS'''
+
                </li>
−
##Also assign the '''TAMobile Rugged and TAMobile Desktop''' role and save
+
            </ul>
−
 
+
        </div>
−
==FAQ==
 
−
=== Off-Line Mode ===
 
−
The App handles off-line connectivity transparently. If the App does not have wifi or cellular access, it saves the record(s) until the device is back online. The user will notice an App notification that unsaved records are saved locally until they can be pushed. Once the device is back on-line, the Apps retries automatically and saves the records without any user intervention.
 
−
 
 
−
===Upgrade Nag===
 
−
Once a new version of the App has been released to the stores, the App will prompt users to upgrade after a week. After a week, they will start getting that message once a day until they upgrade
 
−
 
 
−
== Tips & Tricks ==
 
−
===iOS===
 
−
==== Screen capture====
 
−
* To capture screen in iOS device, hold the '''Home''' and '''Power''' buttons simultaneously. The snapshot will be saved in the Pictures.
 
−
 
 
−
===Android===
 
−
==== Screen capture====
 
−
Screen capture exist natively but depends on the device manufacture
 
−
* Samsung Galaxy S3: Press and hold the Power button and the Home button at the same time
 
−
* Most others: Simultaneously press Volume Down + Power for 1 second
 

Latest revision as of 12:15, 22 March 2023


TrackAbout Module
Module Name: Smartphone App
Short Description TrackAbout's smartphone app for iOS and Android enables users to perform a variety of asset tracking operations.
Supported In: TAMobile Android, TAMobile iOS
Business Process: Asset Management, Production, Distribution, Supply Chain
← Back to list

TrackAbout Mobile 7 Smartphone App (TAM7)

Hardware Purchasing Recommendations

See Smartphone Hardware Purchasing Recommendations

Features

Geolocation

  • Capture device GPS information during scanning. This GPS data will be displayed in a map view on the website when reviewing Record details. Location Services should be enabled on the device. See Smartphone Geolocation for details.

Supported Action Types

  • Add New/Register Asset — Initialize new assets or edit existing assets in TrackAbout

  • Add New/Register Container/Pallet — Initialize new containers/pallets in TrackAbout

  • Add New/Register Bulk Tank — Initialize new bulk tanks in TrackAbout

  • Analyze/Analysis -— Record measurements of individual gas components

  • Asset Search — Search for assets by tag and view asset details and history

  • Branch Transfer Send/Receive — Transfer assets between locations in two steps

  • Close Product Lot — Update the status of product lots to closed

  • Collect Many Signatures/Sign Later — Allows collecting signatures for multiple deliveries to the same location at once, after the last delivery.

  • Create Order — Order creation, with the ability to add line items to the order by scanning existing assets (to look up their product code)

  • Customer Audit — Count all assets found on customer premise

  • Delivery — Delivery of assets, including not-scanned and hard good/consumable support

  • Dynamic forms — Collect custom data on any record*

  • Empty Container/Pallet — Removes all items from a container/pallet

  • Fill — Record the filling of assets

  • Fill for Customer — Fills assets at a customer's site, without bringing the assets back in-house

  • Find Inventory — Lookup assets on the go by product code or location

  • Generic Action — Part of the Dynamic Workflow module, this action allows clients to create custom workflows

  • Inspection Scan/Sort Asset — Sort individual assets when no container is needed or available.

  • Load and Unload Truck — Track assets loaded onto and unload off trucks, including not-scanned and hard good/consumable support

  • Locate — Set location of assets to internal branch locations

  • Maintenance — Record maintenance on assets

  • Make Pack — Combine several assets together into a single "pack" and begin tracking the pack by a new barcode, preserving information about the combined assets

  • Material Consolidation — Record materials used for filling a container

  • Photo Capture — Capture pictures as part of Deliver, Flag for/Send to Maintenance, and Generic actions.

  • Physical Inventory — Conduct internal inventory audits.

  • Print Lot Labels - Allows printing of lot labels from the device via a compatible printer

  • Receive from Vendor — Record assets obtained from a vendor

  • Reclassify Assets — Change service of assets

  • Register Bundle — Combine several assets together into a single "bundle" and begin tracking the bundle by a new barcode, without recording information about the combined assets

  • Remove from Lot — Clear the lot number from assets

  • Replace Barcode — Replace worn or missing barcodes while retaining asset history and traceability

  • Reserve for Order — Assign specific assets to an order

  • Return Assets — Similar to Delivery action, but allows returns only

  • Send/Flag to Maintenance — Indicate an asset requires maintenance

  • Sort Container/Build Pallet — Add assets to a container/pallet in preparation for Filling, Delivery, Maintenance and Interbranch Transfer

  • Sort Trip Load/Picking — Prepare an order for delivery

  • Unmake Pack — Dissociate uniquely tracked assets from a pack

  • Customer Portal (formerly Follow-On Tracking):

    • Asset Search — Search for assets by tag and view asset details and history

    • Move Asset — Tracks customer movement of assets between their internal locations

    • Record Weight/Volume — Sets an asset volume or weight depending on asset type

    • Set Volume — Allows your customer to set assets' volume

Provisioning the Smartphone Module

The Smartphone module needs to be provisioned and enabled in your instance. Contact TrackAbout Sales for pricing and details.

Once provisioned, the Support Team will enable and configure the module for your instance.

Roles, Permissions and User Setup for Smartphone

Mobile Roles Setup — Mobile Roles must be configured in your environment before the app can be used. The new role MUST have "Smartphone and Tablet" checked or selected.

Setup Internal Users — For each new smartphone user:

  • Check the box TAMobile Android/iOS

  • Assign the TAMobile Rugged and TAMobile Desktop role and save the page.

Where To Download the App

TrackAbout Mobile 7 is available from the App Store on iPhone and iPad, and the Google Play Store on Android mobile devices. Just search for "TrackAbout".

Badge appstore-lrg.png
Android app on google play.png

If you use Mobile Device Management for deploying apps, you can download the latest version of the Android app as an APK here.

Smartphone Vendor-Specific Help

See Smartphone Vendor-Specific Help for notes about configuring smartphone devices from specific hardware vendors.

Offline Mode

Field workers often lose network connectivity due to lack of signal. The app handles this transparently to the user.

If the app does not have network connectivity, it saves records locally until the device is back online. The user will be shown a notification that unsaved records are being retained locally.

Once the device is back online, the app sends data automatically without user intervention.

Enabling Integrated Scanning Hardware

Some rugged devices have dedicated, integrated scanning hardware. Enabling these is usually a two-step process.

Step 1 is to configure the scanning hardware using the vendor's built-in app. See Smartphone Vendor-Specific Help for details

Step 2 is to teach the app that a dedicated scanner should be used instead of using the built-in camera for scanning.

The user must do a "Scan Check" and use the hardware scanner successfully. These are the steps.

  • Log into the TrackAbout app

  • Go to Settings

  • Click "Check barcode scanning" under 'Scan Check'

  • When you see "Use this screen to test the scanning capability of your device," scan a barcode using the hardware scanner (don't select orange scan box to bring up camera). The barcode scanned will appear on the screen.

  • Click back and a new option appears, "Preferred Scan Method".

  • Ensure "Preferred Scan Method" is set to "Hardware Scanner"

Enabling the Hardware RFID scanner in the TrackAbout Mobile

  • Log into the TrackAbout app

  • Go to Settings

  • Click "RFID settings"

  • Click "RFID device"

  • Select your RFID device from the list and click on "Save"

  • Test scanning an RFID tag, and set the global power level

  • If your device also has an integrated hardware barcode scanner please ensure you follow the steps above to setup the hardware barcode scanner as well

Printing

If you have TrackAbout's POD module, you can pair your devices with a TrackAbout certified printer. Check our certified devices page to see which printers are supported and contact support@trackabout.com to get set up.

App Upgrade Reminder

When a new version of the app is published in the app stores, the TrackAbout app will prompt users to upgrade.

One week after release, users will receive a message once every day reminding them to upgrade.

We always encourage ensuring users are using the very latest version of the app.

Login Session Duration

Users will remain logged in for 30 days.

After 30 days, the user will be logged out and asked to re-enter their credentials.

In-App Settings

Image323.png

Access Settings from the app's main menu.

Preferences

Font Size — Sets the size of text in the app: Normal, Large, or Extra Large.

Vibrate on Scan — When checked, your device vibrate when it scans.

Require Wi-Fi for photo uploads — When checked, photos will only be uploaded to TrackAbout when your device is connected to Wi-Fi.

Scan Check

Check barcode scanning — Lets you do a test scan.

Data Wedge settings — Additional settings.

RFID settings — Configure the app for scanning RFID tags instead of barcodes.

Server

Environment — The environment the app logs into, either Production (www.trackabout.com) or Test (test.trackabout.com).

Version

The version of the app. Make sure that you have the latest version of the app downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play stores depending on your device. Updating to the latest version of the app may resolve any issues or problems you may be experiencing with the app.

Things To Know about the TrackAbout Mobile 7 for Smartphones

Searching within Lists

Several screens contain long lists of information. When a search box is offered, here's how it works:

  • If there are 200 items or less, we show them all.

  • If there are more than 200 items in the list, you have to search to get results

  • The search starts after typing 2 or more characters

  • The way results are displayed can differ by type of data, but the general logic is:

  • Search results contain all items whose Name are contained in the search terms. We also do a fuzzy match, so if the letters of the search terms appear in order, we match that. Searching for "OX100" would match "Oxygen 100". "OX100" would also match "One Box of 10 screws and 50 bolts" (because O X 1 0 0 shows up in that order in that phrase).

  • Some searches, such as Customer, and Location, search additional fields, such as ID/Number, Name, or Description. Priority is given to the primary identifier, usually Name or ID/Number and the additional fields are secondary in priority.

  • First, we show items whose Number ("MId" in techie terms) starts with the search term, sorted alphabetically. These are things like Customer Number, Location ID, Product Code Name.

  • Then we show items with display names (Customer Name, Location Name, etc) that contain the search term, sorted alphabetically.

  • Product code searches use a slightly different logic:

  • Whole terms are matched,

  • All fields are searched, including Product Code name, description, Asset Category name, Asset Group name, and Asset Type name.

  • Terms may be in any order

  • For example, searching for "ox med" would match "oxygen medical" in the name (or any field) as well as "medical oxygen" in any field. It would also match a product whose Category name is "medical" and Product Code name contains "ox".

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