Zortec Software Basics

There are a number of fundamental processes and concepts in Zortec software that you should know before you begin using the software. The processes and concepts are outlined here.

Accessing the Zortec software


For Unix sites:

To access Zortec software, double click on the Zortec icon on the desktop, which will open up an application called Term.

A login prompt will appear.  Make sure your caps lock is OFF. 

Type your user name as assigned by Zortec or your system administrator and press enter.

Wait for the password prompt and type your password as assigned by Zortec or your system administrator and press enter.

If you typed either the login name or the password incorrectly, the login prompt will appear again.  Repeat the above steps until the log in is successful.

Once you are successfully logged into the software, a copyright notice will appear.  Press enter to go to the next screen.

Turn your caps lock ON; which must be on when you are using the Zortec software.

A menu of Zortec software options will appear on your screen.  The menu options that appear depend on which Zortec applications that you use or need access to.

In all of the Zortec software, there are two ways to select a menu option: 

Use your up and down arrow keys to highlight the desired menu option and press enter.

Type the option number beside the desired menu option and press enter.

 

For Zwin sites:

To access Zortec software, double click on the Zortec icon on the desktop, which will open up a login screen.  

Type your user name as assigned by Zortec or your system administrator and press enter.

Then type your password as assigned by Zortec or your system administrator and press enter. If you typed either the login name or the password incorrectly, the cursor will return to the user name field.  Repeat the above steps until the log in is successful.

Once you are successfully logged into the software, a copyright notice will appear.  Press enter to go to the next screen.

Turn your caps lock ON; which must be on when you are using the Zortec software.

A menu of Zortec software options will appear on your screen.  The menu options that appear depend on which Zortec applications that you use or need access to.

In all of the Zortec software, there are two ways to select a menu option: 

Use your up and down arrow keys to highlight the desired menu option and press enter.

Type the option number beside the desired menu option and press enter.

 

Logging Out of the Software

For Unix Sites

When you are finished using the software or at the end of the day, you need to log out of the software.

The proper method for logging out is:

Press escape until you get to the main menu.

Press escape one more time and you will get a message that says “Do you really wish to sign off?” 

Type Y and press enter.

Depending on how the Term software is configured, the Term window may automatically close.  If it does not automatically close, click the X in the top right corner of the Term window to close it.

Once the Term window is closed, you have successfully logged out of the Zortec software.

It is very important that you exit the software properly.

 

For Zwin Sites:

When you are finished using the software or at the end of the day, you need to log out of the software.

The proper method for logging out is:

Press escape until you get to the main menu.

Press escape one more time and you will get a message that says “Do you really wish to sign off?” 

Type Y and press enter.

You have successfully logged out of the Zortec software. It is very important that you exit the software properly

Do Not click the X in the top right corner of the window to close it.

 

Function Keys  

Key                 Description

F1                    Scroll forward

F2                    Scroll backward

F3                    Masking, Hot Keys or Renumbering (depending on the Module)

F4 or F5            Available Screens or Duplicating record (depending on the Module)

F8                    Complete the process without going to any of the other screens.

F9                    Accept screen/save changes.  In inquiry, moves cursor to message line and allows you to
choose another screen

F10                  On Line Documentation

Enter                Accept field and move cursor to next field

Tab                  Move cursor to next column on screen

Escape             Abort process or back up to previous menu or screen

Arrow Keys        Move cursor

Up Arrow           Moves the cursor back to the previous field

Home               When in hot keys, return to original location or break to top of program

Control CC        Unix only Cancel an unwanted process or unlock a terminal (use with Caution!)

 

Escape

Esc, the "escape" key, serves two similar purposes. If you are in the middle of a process or a record, Esc will abort the process or discard the changes you have made to the record and return you to the previous step or level of the software. If you are not in the middle of a process or a record, Esc will take you back to the previous step or level of the software. This means that you can always use Esc to return to earlier levels or to the "top" of a program.


Next and Previous - F1 and F2

F1 serves three related functions throughout the Zortec software. In each case F2 serves the opposite function. F1 is used for Next, Page Down, and Increment. F2 is used for Previous, Page Up, and Decrement.

Next:  Switch to the next item in a sequence (ex.: next account).

F1 - Page Down: Display the next page of a list of items.  Increment: Increase a number or date by 1.

Previous: Switch to the previous item in a sequence (ex.: previous account). 

F2 - Page Up:  Display the previous page of a list of items. Decrement: Decrease a number or date by 1.

If these keys are not functional at that point in the software, nothing will happen.

 

Finishing a Process - F8

If there is only one screen in a record or process, the record is permanently changed or the process is completed when you complete the display. But in multi-screen records and processes, there is one more step to completion. You can complete a process by pressing F8. Suppose you are changing a record that appears on six screens and that you want to make just one change to one field on the first screen. When you have made the necessary change, you can press F8 to complete the process without going to any of the other screens. The data on the other screens will remain just as it is. A multi-screen record or process is not made permanent until it is completed in this way.

 

Completing a Display or Screen - F9

The computer does not take in the data you enter at the instant you type it. You might think of the process in this way: the computer "stores" your data on the display until you tell it that the data is correct and ready to be taken in more permanently. You can change the data on a display as much as you want until you tell the computer to accept the whole display. There are two ways to tell the computer to take in your data. One way is to complete and leave the last field of the display. When you do this, the computer will take in the full display of data. You can also tell the computer to take in the data by pressing F9. This tells the computer to accept the data on the display. Some displays are divided into smaller "windows" or logical areas. When this is the case, the computer will take in the data in the current logical area or window and advance the cursor.

 

Displays

Zortec software appears on your computer monitor as a number of displays. Display refers to the structure or layout of the image on your monitor. Each time the structure or design of the image changes, a different display has been put on your monitor. The data within a display may change, but we speak of a different display only when the structure or design of the image changes.

 

There are seven key pieces of information presented on the top line of a display. From left to right, they are:

System Name: This is the name of your organization or governmental body.

Line Number: In this field the computer displays the number of the connecting wire or communications port that your terminal uses to communicate with the computer. To the computer, this is the name of your terminal.

Date:  The current date displayed in six-digit U.S. format: Month/Day/Year.

Time:  The current time displayed in 24-hour format.

User Name:  Your user name: the name you use to log on to the computer.

Revision Number:  This is the number assigned to the generation of “Zortec software” you are using.

Program Number: This is the identifying number of the program that you are currently running.

Revision Number and Program Number are very important for identifying the exact piece of “Zortec software” you are using. If you ever need to call the Zortec Technical Support Center for help, be sure to have these two numbers ready for the consultant who will help you.

Screens

A screen is a kind of display. When the different kinds of information that is necessary or available in a record, file, or account will not all fit in one display, the information is presented in a number of screens. In Inquiry mode of any Zortec module, for example, there are a number of different displays that will show you information about that module. We call these displays the Inquiry screens. We refer to them both by number and by name. For example, Work Order Inquiry Screen 1 is the General Information screen. When referring to the same display, we might say that it is Work Order Inquiry Screen 1: General Information.

 

Command Area: The Bottom of the Display

The bottom part of the display is the command area. “Zortec software” uses this area to display information that you need at a specific point in the program you are using. This information may include prompts to tell you about special functions assigned to the F-keys as well as Messages, Questions, and Warnings to guide you through the program.

 Special error messages will appear in the command area when necessary. “Zortec software” also uses the command area as a place to take in information and commands from you. The program will prompt you for a response when necessary.

   

Fields and the Cursor

Nearly every display in “Zortec software” includes a number of fields. A field is a place in the display, marked by parentheses ( ) or brackets [ ], where the computer displays data or asks you for input. When a marked-off area is divided into parts, each segment is a single field. The area at the bottom right corner of the display where the cursor ( __) appears is also a field, the Enter Screen # field.

The cursor is the character on your monitor that tells you "where you are" in the display. Depending on the kind of computer monitor or terminal you are using, the cursor may appear as a highlighted underline character, a blinking underline character, a highlighted block, or a blinking block.  When you type something on your keyboard, it will appear in the display at the cursor. You can only enter information into a display at a point where the cursor appears, and the cursor will almost always appear within a field.

Entering Data  

To enter data into a field, simply type it in: it will appear at the cursor. If you make a mistake while you are typing, you can back up to the error using backspace key. Then just type over the error.  If there is already data in the field you are filling, be sure to clear out any of the old data that you don't want. For instance, if a field says "(BROWN)" and you enter "BLUE", the field will then say "(BLUEN)". To clear out unwanted characters, you can press Space until you reach the end of the field or you can press End once, which will wipe out all of the data to the right of the cursor in a field.

Leaving a Field

If the data you have entered does not fill the field completely, you will need to leave the field manually. You can advance the cursor manually by pressing Enter. In some fields, it is necessary to advance the cursor manually by pressing Enter even if your data fills the field completely. These fields are identified on screen by brackets "<  >". In other fields, called auto-return fields, the cursor will advance automatically when it reaches the end of the field. These fields are enclosed by parentheses "(  )".This makes data entry faster and easier.

Moving from Field to Field

When you leave a field after entering data, the cursor goes to the next field of the display. In general, the sequence of fields in a display runs from the top left of the display to the bottom right. But suppose you want to back up to an earlier field. You can use the arrow keys to move from field to field

Menus

Access to all Zortec system options and screens is controlled by Menus. A menu displays a list of all options available for selection. For each option listed on a menu, a number is displayed next to it. This is called the "Selection Number". To choose any option listed on a menu, you only need to type the "selection number" in the "Option: (  )" entry field and then press enter. The screen or sub-menu for the selected option will be displayed. To return to a previous menu, just press escape.

The Zortec systems may use several "layers" of menus.  For most Zortec systems, three menu-levels is the maximum for access to any system option/screen.

Pointers ( --> )

In some displays you will see a pointer ( --> ) located in the left-hand margin of a list. This pointer is for you to use to select the item you want from the list. Use the arrow keys to move the pointer to the item you want, and then press enter to select that item.

If the item you want does not appear on the display, it may be higher or lower on the whole list of items. Use F1 to see the next page of items, F2 to see the previous page. When your item appears on the display, select it using the arrow keys.
   

Contacting the Zortec Support Center

If you have a problem with “Zortec software” and cannot resolve it using your documentation and other on-site resources, the Zortec Support Center is there to help you. Before calling the Support Center , have as much of the following information at hand as possible:

1.      The System Name from the top line of the display.

2.      The Line Number from the top line of the display.

3.      The Revision Number from the top line of the display.

4.      The Program Number from the top line of the display.

5.      The best notes that you can prepare to describe exactly what the problem is and exactly how you came to that point in the software.

Should you need help call the Zortec Support Number (800-439-4504) or email your request for help.