Work order expert features

Calendars displayed throughout Maintenance Connection can be shared to a default calendar application such as Microsoft Outlook, or to a third party calendar program such as online applications of Outlook. This feature allows Maintenance Connection Assignments or targeted Work Orders to display on the designated calendar. Once shared, the data will update based on synchronization settings in the calendar program.

This feature only exports calendar data to a third party calendar program; no data is synchronized back from a calendar program into Maintenance Connection.

Calendars displayed on the Home Page (Work Manager and Labor Calendar), the Labor module Schedule tab and Work Order Assign tab can all be shared to a calendar application. Follow the steps below to share a calendar:

• Open the calendar to be shared. This can be the calendar of a specific Labor resource, Shop, Shift, etc.

• Click on the Share Button on the far right of the calendar displayed

• The Share Calendar dialog will appear, providing options to share the currently displayed calendar.

• To enable sharing for the displayed calendar, click the Enable Sharing for this Calendar checkbox.

The Share Calendar dialog provides the ability to share with your default calendar program, or with a third party calendar program. Share with your default calendar:

• Click the link that indicates: Click here to share this calendar with your default calendar program.
• The exact steps to complete the sharing process will vary depending on your default calendar program. The following instructions are based on Microsoft Outlook as an example.
• You may receive a warning prompting you to confirm that you wish to allow Maintenance Connection to open your calendar program and proceed. If presented with this warning, click the designated option to proceed (e.g., Allow).

• Your calendar program should open, prompting you to confirm that you wish to add this calendar and subscribe to updates. Click the option to proceed (e.g., Yes).

• The imported calendar should open and display as an "Other Calendar" or "Shared Calendar." Assignments without a designated assignment time will show at the top (as all day events). Assignments with a specific time will show at the correct time, with a duration matching the assignment hours.

• If necessary, open the calendar item to display all available information (depending on calendar view, you may only see partial information until opened).
• Once shared, your calendar will be updated from Maintenance Connection based on synchronization settings in your calendar program.

Share with a third party calendar:

• Copy the URL provided in the Share Calendar dialog.

• Now, access your third party calendar program. The exact steps will vary depending on the third party calendar program in use. The following instructions are based on the Outlook Web App.

• Select the option to add the calendar. In the Outlook Web App, right click on the Other Calendars and select Open Calendar from the list of options (Google Calendar users would select Other Calendars and choose the Add by URL option):

• A dialog will display, prompting you to paste the URL that was copied in the first bullet above. Paste the URL into the Internet calendar field, and click Open.

• The contents of the calendar should display. Assignments without a designated assignment time will show at the top (as all day events). Assignments with a specific time will show at the correct time, with a duration matching the assignment hours.

• Opening the calendar item should display all available information, including the Asset ID and Name.
• Once shared, your calendar will be updated from Maintenance Connection based on synchronization settings in your calendar program.

You can get more use out of the Calendar Sharing feature by adding Assignment Times to your Work Orders. This allows calendars to show Work Orders for specific times, rather than as an all-day event. For more information on this, check out the How to Assign a Work Order article.

The Email to Work Order Manager allows organizations to automate the creation of a Work Order through receipt of a specially formatted Email, often originating from another system. This feature is often used by organizations with automated alarm systems, prompting a Work Order to be created when an alarm is triggered. The feature can also allow individuals in locations without access to Maintenance Connection to initiate a request through an Email. Using the Email to Work Order Manager to create Work Orders from a third party system can avoid more costly custom integrations.

Email to Work Order Manager Requirements

How to Subscribe to a POP3 Server

Format of Email

Email to Work Order Manager Setup

Users can embed HTML into several different text fields in Maintenance Connection, allowing you to enhance the display of information. For example, you can modify the Task on a Procedure or Work Order to include text formatting (Color, Bold, Italic, etc.) or images. You can use it in the report Custom Expressions, in various text fields like the Reason field of the Work Order module, and in almost any Name or Description field.

Save the Work Order.

All you need is a little knowledge of HTML syntax, and you can begin enhancing your information views.