Schedule Changes Email Sendout

• A new Project/ Media Order/ Task/ Personnel Booking is added to his timeline.
• A Project/ Media Order/ Task/ Personnel Booking is removed from his timeline.
• An existing Project/ Media Order/ Task/ Personnel Booking is modified on: Booking date, Booking time, Project or Media Order the Booking belongs to and/ or Booking name.
• A Binder or Container is added or changed.
• The Object Class to which the User/ Resource belongs changes.
• Other involved Objects change (see setting: Send Schedule Changes Email When Other Involved Objects In The Booking Changes).
• The Project is visible in the Web Client > Check out the Web View Limits per Project. Edit Project window > Eye menu. By default there is no Web View Limit selected.
• The event is not in the past, but in the time range set in Toolbox > Settings tab > Server Setup > Web Share Settings > Show Days Before and Show Days After.

Settings can be configured by an Advanced User with Toolbox Settings access. To enable this functionality, follow these steps:

1. Follow the steps in Pre-Requisites.
2. Enable the Schedule Changes Email Sendout option on the User/ Resource Web Profile (if you haven’t setup a User profile, please refer to the Web Permission Profile Quickstart in our Knowledge base):
   
   
   • Advanced/Web User - Web Profile: Go to Object Manager > search for the User > double-click to open the Modify User window > access the Web Profile Manager.
   • Resource Web Profile: Go to Object Manager (or Toolbox > Contacts) > search for the Resource > double-click to open window > access the Web Profile Manager.
     
     

*  Resources can receive the Schedule Changes Email even if they don’t have a Web User license, thus the Web Access in their profile is disabled.

Once in, enable the Schedule Changes Email Sendout option:

3. Enter the Toolbox > Settings > Web Share Settings > External Calendars / Schedule Changes Email Sendout / XML Export, and configure:

• Update Time: Choose whether to set it to a specific time or scroll down in the list and select an interval when emails should be automatically sent out, e.g. if selecting “Every 5 Minutes” the system will check for changes every 5 minutes and send emails only if there is a change.
  * The "Update Now button" further down allows manually deciding to send the email immediately.
  
  
• Show Days Before and Show Days After: Select how many days before and after should be listed in the email.
• Use Web User's Viewable Static Time Frame:By default on. This "Static Time Frames" option allows that Schedule Changes Emails will be sent, if "Static Viewable Timeframe" is set to the past. 

  Some farmerswife systems need to hide future events from the schedule for some users.

  This can be achieved with using the "Static Time Frames > Viewable" to be set to the past.

  But until now, this also prevented "Schedule Changes Emails" to not get sent.

  
  

  Now a new check-box setting was added, called "Use Web User's Viewable Static Time Frame" and is is located in the fw Client > Toolbox > Settings > Web Share Settings > External Calendars / Schedule Changes Email Sendout / XML ..." section. 

  This new Setting is enabled/checked by default, to ensure the standard behaviour of the "Schedule Changes Email Sendout" functionality is persevered.

  
  

  If you now un-tick this new setting "Use Web User's Viewable Static Time Frame", then another new Setting called "Static Time Frames" gets displayed. Select here the period for which the Schedule Changes Email can be send out, independent of the "Static Time Frames > Viewable" configuration. 
  

• Send Schedule Changes Email Even When Only The Event Header Was Changed: This setting is by default disabled; if enabled the email will be sent out, when:
  
  
  • The Event Header changes: Name of Project Booking/ Media Order Booking/ Task Booking/ Personnel Booking, Number of Project, Binder Name, Framework Name, Booking Name, Project Name, Project Number.
  • The Event is changed to another Project or Media Order.
  • The Object Class of the involved person changes.
  • *this setting must be set on if you want to use these two options further below: Include Booking Object Note In Header and (*from 7.1 onwards) Include Header Of Personnel Booking In Header.
    
    
• Send Schedule Changes Email Using HTML And More Info About Changes: Will show parts that changed in a Schedule Changes Email header in red and crossed out in the Deleted Event and in blue in the New Events/Request line. The Schedule Changes email template is located in: farmerswife server > html_templates > other > schedule_changes_email > schedule_changes_email.html.

• Schedule Changes Email Extra Info: Since 6.6 SP1 it is possible to add extra info to your Schedule Changes Email. When you Click on the button you can select what info should be added to the email. When the selected Values are updated/changed in the Booking, this will trigger the email and include the details about the change. Available options are: Involved and Booking Custom Fields. If Involved is selected this will list all the Involved in the email and will trigger the email when Involved is changed in the Booking. If any of your Booking Custom Fields are selected: the email will list the Booking Custom Fields and their values, and will trigger email, when the value in the selected Booking Custom Field is changed. See more details below.

• Email Footer (7.1): When set, this email footer will be added to the end of all emails with configurable templates (including Schedule Changes Email). HTML is supported in this field. For email templates, a new variable can be used to include this footer content: <VAR_EMAIL_FOOTER>. 

  Existing default templates are updated to include this variable at the end of the emails. It can be moved to any position in the template as needed.

• Send Schedule Changes Email When Other Involved Objects In The Booking Changes: This setting is by default disabled; if enabled when other involved Objects in the Booking change, the email will be sent out. This is to inform that something on the Booking that the User is involved changed, for example, he won’t be working with the Art Director or Editor or Cameraman that was orignially booked, but a different one. See more details under “Customizing the email” further down.
  
  
• Include Booking Object Note In Header: It will include the Booking Object Note of the User or Object inside of that Booking. By ticking this option it will be part of the Header. If a change of a Booking Object Note should trigger a new Schedule Changes Email the Send Schedule Changes Email When Only The Event Header Was Changed must be ticked.
• Include Header Of Personnel Booking In Header: For this new setting to work correctly the setting above: "Send Schedule Changes Email Even When Only The Event Header Was Changed" must be activated. Now anything that is added to the Header of a Personnel Booking will trigger a Schedule Changes Email.
  
• Update Cached Headers: For customers that work with the setting: Send Schedule Changes Email Even When Only The Event Header Was Changed, it is possible to prevent farmerswife to send a Schedule Changes Email if any Header information like Project name, Binder name, Booking name, Container name etc. was changed in certain specific occasions.
  
  

When a Project name is changed this will usually trigger a Schedule Changes Email for all Bookings in the time range selected in the "Show Days Before" and "Show Days After" with the above setting on. If you however need to change the Project name and don't want to trigger the Schedule Changes Email with it, click on the drop down menu next to the Update Now button > Update Cached Headers. farmerswife will update the Headers and don't send out any Schedule Changes Email. 

* Please note that any other changes done at the same time by a different User (like Binder name change, Booking name change, etc.) won't be communicated due to clicking on the "Update Cached Headers".

What is displayed in the email

The email subject shows the name of the company and the quantity of schedule changes between brackets.

The changes are displayed under three sections:

1. Deleted Events.
2. New Events.
3. Involved Changed In These Events You Are In.
   
   

Deleted Bookings are listed under Deleted Events, and new Bookings are listed under New Events.
Modified Bookings appear in both: the Deleted Events show the original details of the Booking, and the New Events show the new details.

If "Send Schedule Changes Email When Other Involved Objects In The Booking Changes" is enabled, changes on other involved Objects appear listed under section Involved Changed In These Events You Are In.
See more information below under “Customizing the email”. Each line shows:

• Booking date and time.
• Project name (Project number)/ Media Order name / Personnel name / Task name / Container name.
• Booking Object Note if enabled in Toolbox > Settings tab > Server Setup > Web Share Settings > Include Booking Object Note in Header.
• Booking Name.
• Object Class.
  
  

In this example, the artist receives an email listing the following schedule changes:

• Client Meeting was postponed half hour (it shows under Deleted Events with original time and again under New Events with new time).
• A new Booking was added onthe next day.
• An involved Object has suffered a change in a Booking the artist is involved in.
  
  
  

Add Extra Info to your Schedule Changes Email

With the new feature (available from 6.6 SP1), you can include more detailed info in your email.

The setting is available in the Toolbox > Settings > Server Setup > Web Share Settings.

Click on the "Schedule Changes Email Extra Info" and Select what details should be added to the email and at the same time trigger the email.

You can select from:

1. Involved - it will show you all Involved in the Booking 

2. Any Booking Custom Fields

3. Booking Note Field - that will show Booking Note in the Email.

In the example below: Involved and Client Attended (Booking Custom Field) are selected.

The email will as a result include:

1. Detailed info on who is involved in the Booking. When Involved is added/replaced/removed - this will trigger the email.

2. Detailed info on Booking Custom Field > in this case Client Attented Yes/No. When the value on the Selected Custom Field is updated, it will also trigger the email.

Customizing the email

The Schedule Changes email template is located in: farmerswife server > html_templates > other > schedule_changes_email > schedule_changes_email.txt.

The section "Involved Changed In These Events You Are In" is new and was added to this email template since version 6.0. Therefore, if you have customized this Schedule Changes Email template ".txt" file in the past, then you now need to manually add this new functionality by comparing the differences between your customized file and our new and updated one.

This template also contains sections related to User Booking Proposal workflow (please refer to the corresponding How To).

* IMPORTANT

• Do NOT change anything on a line that contains "DONT EDIT THIS LINE".
• If you change this file, you need to make a backup of it, so you can replace it again after an upgrade of the farmerswife Server application. On Windows, you can change the permission to "read only"; then when upgrading the WIFE Server application, simply "Ignore" that this file is set as "Read Only" during the installation process. Some clients change the language to their own mother tongue.
  
  
  
  
  

Why don’t get the Schedule Changes emails get sent out?

If for some reasons your Schedule Changes Email doesn't get sent out, check the following bullet points if all the settings are correctly taken care of:

1. Configure the outgoing Mail Server --> See the Server Setup manual.
2. The User/ Resource needs to have a valid email address in his profile.
3. The User must have the Web Permission setting on: Schedule Changes Email.
4. The Event to be notified about needs to be inside of the Time Range of the Toolbox > Settings > Server Setup > Web Share Settings > Show Days Before - Show Days After. Only future Events will be communicated!
5. The Project's Web View Limits have to be configured this way that the Project is visible in the Web. If the Project is blocked from the Web Client, no Schedule Changes Email goes out. Click on the Projects eye menu > Web View Limits to check.

Schedule Changes email behavior table

User A: User or Resource has ticked the Web Permission: User Must Accept Or Decline New Bookings.
User B: User doesn’t need to accept or decline new Bookings.

Both User have the Schedule Changes Sendout enabled in their Web Profile:

• The table shows the action and the outcome that is shown in the Schedule Changes Email to the User/ Resource. The dates shown are just an indicator of how the text in the email could look like.
• Search in this table to get a quick answer whether a certain Booking operation will trigger or not trigger a Schedule Changes Email.
• To prevent a Schedule Changes Email to be sent out, please see the explanation about the new Update Cached Headers setting in Toolbox > Settings tab > Server Setup > Web Share Settings.
  
  
  

1. Personnel Bookings

2. Project Bookings / Task Bookings / Media Order Bookings

3. Framework Bookings

Listed below are Framework Booking actions that are different from the Booking actions listed above. In general User A and B behave the same on a Project Booking as on a Framework Booking, but there are actions that are mostly used when using Framework Bookings. See below:

Behaviors to be considered:

The above commented behavior will only be achieved, if in between each step a Schedule Changes Email (SCE) is sent out automatically or manually.

Example 1: Add a Booking proposal -> SCE -> User accepts it -> Time gets changed -> only then a SCE will be sent out -> the SCE will show Deleted Request and New Request - it won't show that the Booking was accepted in between since it jumped back to an Request Status, due to the new time.

Example 2: If a Booking proposal is added, the User accepts before even getting an SCE and then the Request is deleted the Schedule Changes Email won't show any movement on that action.

Example 3: If a Booking proposal gets accepted by the User without any SCE going out yet and the time gets changed by the booker, then only the last change (Accepted Request) gets communicated.