AMX NSS-VOTE User Manual

instruction manual

i!-VotingManager

integration!Solutions

Software Warranty Agreement

GRANT OF LICENSE. AMX Corporation grants to you the right to use the enclosed i!-VotingManager software pro- gram (the SOFTWARE) on a single central processing unit (CPU). This license is for object code only and does not convey any rights to use of the source code.

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LIMITED WARRANTY

LIMITED WARRANTY. AMX Corporation warrants that the SOFTWARE will perform substantially in accordance with the accompanying written materials for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of receipt. Any implied warranties on the SOFTWARE and hardware are limited to ninety (90) days and one (1) year, respectively. Some states/countries do not allow limitations on duration of an implied warranty, so the above limitation may not apply to you.

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that you may either (a) make one copy of the SOFTWARE solely for backup or archi-

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. In no event shall AMX Corporation be liable for any damages

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If you acquired this product in the United States, this Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Texas. Should you have any questions concerning this Agreement, or if you desire to contact AMX for any reason, please

write: AMX Corporation, 3000 Research Drive, Richardson, TX 75082.

Table of Contents

Introduction ...............................................................................................................1

Supported Operating Systems .......................................................................................... 1

Minimum PC Requirements .............................................................................................. 2

Installing i!-VotingManager................................................................................................ 2

User Interface Layout ........................................................................................................ 3

Using i!-VotingManager ...........................................................................................9

Program Preferences ........................................................................................................ 9

NetLinx Connection ......................................................................................................... 10

Connection ............................................................................................................................. 10

Advanced ............................................................................................................................... 11

i!-Voting Agenda Editor ................................................................................................... 12

Topic Options ......................................................................................................................... 13

Agenda Editor Components ................................................................................................... 15

i!-Voting Agenda Results Viewer..................................................................................... 17

Appendix .................................................................................................................19

!-VotingManager

Table of Contents

i!-VotingManager

Introduction

i!-VotingManager™ is a PC based software for use with the Platinum Solution NSS-VOTE™.

i!-VotingManager is designed to create and edit i!-Voting voting topic agendas. It is also designed

to view, export, and archive i!-Voting agenda results.

i!-VotingManager is comprised of two main components: the i!-Voting Agenda Editor and the

i!-Voting Agenda Results Viewer.

 i!-Voting Agenda Editor: This component allows you to easily create and manage

multiple agenda files and download these agendas to your i!-Voting system. You can

create or edit these files offline, and then simply connect to your i!-Voting NetLinx

system and download the new or updated agenda files to the system. You can also retrieve

existing i!-Voting agenda files from the i!-Voting system back to your PC.

 i!-Voting Agenda Results Viewer: This component allows you to view, export and

archive i!-Voting agenda results from the i!-Voting system. After a voting session is

completed, the results of the session are recorded to an i!-Voting agenda result file. To

view the file:

Introduction

1. Connect to the i!-Voting NetLinx system.

2. Select from the existing result files.

3. Retrieve the file.

After retrieving the file, you can print the results, save them to the PC for archival purposes, or

export the results to one of the supported formats from i!-VotingManager.

Supported Operating Systems

 Windows 95

 Windows NT 4.0

64 MB of installed memory)

 Windows 2000

(minimum requirement); 300 MHZ or faster recommended, with 96 MB of installed

memory.)

 Windows ME

300 MHZ or faster recommended, with 96 MB of installed memory.)

 Windows XP

300 MHZ or faster recommended, with 128 MB of installed memory.)

/98® (with at least 48 MB of installed memory)

Workstation or Server (service pack 6 B or greater, with at least

Professional or Server (running on a Pentium 266 MHZ processor

(running on a Pentium 266 MHZ processor (minimum requirement);

i!-VotingManager

Introduction

Minimum PC Requirements

 Windows-compatible mouse (or other pointing device)

 At least 15 MB of free disk space (150 MB recommended)

 SVGA monitor, with a minimum screen resolution of 800 x 600

 A Network adapter

 A Sound Card

Installing i!-VotingManager

1. In Explorer, double-click i!-VotingManagerSetup.exe from the directory window where you

downloaded the i!-VotingManager install program.

2. After reading the License Agreement, select I Agree and Next to proceed.

3. The Welcome To i!-VotingManager Setup dialog opens, reminding you to close all Windows

programs before going any further. Click Next to proceed.

4. In the i!-VotingManager Select Components dialog, select which example programs you would

like to install.

5. In the Select i!-VotingManager Install Location dialog, use the Browse button to navigate to a

directory other than the default install directory, if desired. Click Next.

6. In the i!-VotingManager Shortcut Creation dialog, select Install Shortcut Icons for the

installed components on your desktop, if desired.

7. Click Next in the Start i!-VotingManager Installation dialog to install the selected components.

8. The program prompts you to restart your system to complete the installation.

Continued

i!-VotingManager

User Interface Layout

FIG. 1 displays the the graphical user interface (GUI) for i!-VotingManager.

FIG. 1 i!-VotingManager User Interface

Introduction

1. i!-VotingManager Components Selection: Click the tab of the component you wish to use

(i!-Voting Agenda Editor or i!-Voting Agenda Results Viewer).

2. i!-VotingManager Menu:

 FILE

 Open i!-Voting Agenda File – Opens existing agenda file.

 Open i!-Voting Results File – Opens existing results file.

 Close – Closes open file.

 Append i!-Voting Agenda File – Appends topics from an existing agenda file to

current open agenda.

 Save – Saves open file.

 Print – Prints current file.

 Recent i!-Voting Agenda Files – Opens agenda file from recent list.

 Recent i!-Voting Results Files – Opens results file from recent list.

 Minimize i!-VotingManger – Minimizes i!-VotingManager program window.

 Exit i!-Voting Manager – Exits i!-VotingManager software.

 EDIT

i!-VotingManager

 Cut – Cuts current selection.

 Copy – Copies current selection.

 Paste – Pastes clipboard contents.

 Program Preferences – Opens program preferences dialog.

Continued

Introduction

 VIEW

 i!-Voting Agenda Editor – Views Agenda Editor.

 i!-Voting Agenda Result – Views Agenda Results Viewer.

 TOOLS

 Spell Check – Launches spell check utility.

 Thesaurus – Launches thesaurus utility.

 Topic Wizard – Launches the Topic Wizard dialog.

Continued

FIG. 2 Topic Wizard

 Percentages in Quorum Value – Switches quorum value method to percentage.

 Numbers in Quorum Value – Switches quorum value method to numbers.

i!-VotingManager

 CONNECTION

 Connect to NetLinx – Connects to the i!-Voting NetLinx System.

 Disconnect from NetLinx – Disconnects from the i!-Voting NetLinx System.

 NetLinx Connection Settings – Opens NetLinx connection settings dialog.

 Retrieve Agenda/Results File from i!-Voting – Uploads an existing agenda or results

file from the i!-Voting System.

Introduction

FIG. 3 Retrieve Agenda

FIG. 4 Retrieve Results

i!-VotingManager

Introduction

 Send Agenda/Results File to i!-Voting – Downloads an agenda or results file to the

i!-Voting System.

FIG. 5 Send Agenda

 Launch Web Browser to i!-Voting System – Launches a Web browser to the

i!-Voting NetLinx Master.

 HELP

 i!-VotingManager Help – Opens i!-VotingManager help file.

 About i!-VotingManager – Views the i!-VotingManager About dialog.

FIG. 6 About i!-VotingManager

3. i!-VotingManager Status Bar:

 Status Message – Display of program status messages.

 Quorum Value Method Status – Display of current quorum value method.

 NetLinx Connection Status – Current NetLinx connection status.

i!-VotingManager

4. i!-Voting Agenda Editor:

 User interface to edit/create voting agenda files

5. Agenda Editor Toolbar:

Introduction

 Open



Save

Export



Send to NetLinx

Download from NetLinx



Delete Selected Topic(s)



Cut

Copy



Paste



Opens Agenda file.

Closes Agenda file.

Saves Agenda file.

Exports Agenda to File.

Sends Agenda file to NetLinx.

Downloads Agenda file from NetLinx.

Prints Agenda topics.

Deletes selected Agenda topics.

Cuts selected Agenda topic cells.

Copies selected Agenda topic cells.

Pastes selected Agenda topic cells.

Move Selected Topic(s) Up



Move Selected Topic(s) Down

Spell Check



Thesaurus

Topic Wizard



6. Agenda Title:

 Enter/edits Agenda title.

7. Agenda Message:

 Enter/edits Agenda welcome message.

8. Top i c Gr i d:

 Grid view to edit/create/manage vote topics.

Moves selected Agenda topic Up.

Moves selected Agenda topic Down.

Spell checks selected Agenda topics.

Looks up word in Thesaurus.

Launches Topic Wizard.

i!-VotingManager

Introduction

9. i!-Voting Agenda Results:

 User interface to view Agenda results file.

10. i!-Voting Agenda Results Toolbar:

 Open



Save

Retrieve from NetLinx



Export

11. i!-Voting Results: Rich Text Viewer:

 Formatted rich text view of results file.

Opens Agenda file.

Closes Agenda file.

Saves Agenda file.

Retrieves Agenda file from NetLinx.

Exports Results file.

i!-VotingManager

Using i!-VotingManager

Program Preferences

The program preferences dialog is divided in to three sections:

 GENERAL tab: Changes the agenda editor grid colors and font settings. Also, you can

define the maximum number of voting stations in your i!-Voting system.

Using i!-VotingManager

FIG. 7 General

 VISIBLE OPTIONS tab: Selects or de-selects which topic options you want to be

available on the main agenda editor grid interface.

FIG. 8 Visible Options

i!-VotingManager

Using i!-VotingManager

 DEFAULT OPTIONS tab: Specifies the default topic options that are applied when a

new topic is created from the main agenda editor grid interface. If the value of the topic

option is set to “SYSTEM”, when the topic is loaded in the i!-Voting system, the default

body topic option will be applied to that topic option.

FIG. 9 Default Options

NetLinx Connection

The NetLinx Connection dialog is divided into two sections:

 Connection

 Advanced

Connection

Continued

FIG. 10 NetLinx Connection

The Connection tab of the NetLinx Connection dialog contains the Connection Mode and

Connection Settings.

i!-VotingManager

Using i!-VotingManager

The NetLinx Connection Mode selects the desired connection method to connect to your i!-Voting

system.

NetLinx Connection Modes

NETLINX TO HOST (Listen) The i!-Voting NetLinx Master initiates the connection to your PC. To use this

mode, the IP address of your PC needs to be in the NetLinx Master’s URL list. (Please see the Appendix section on page 19)

HOST TO NETLINX (Connect) Your PC initiates the connection to the i!-Voting NetLinx Master. In this mode

you need to enter the IP address of host name of the NetLinx Master. This is the recommended method for use with the i!-Voting system.

NO CONNECTION This mode does not allow i!-VotingManager to communicate with the

i!-Voting NetLinx Master.

The NetLinx System Settings are listed in the following table.

NetLinx System Settings

IP Address IP Address or host name of the i!-Voting NetLinx Master.

IP Port IP port for ICSP communications (Default: 1319).

Device i!-VotingManager PCLink device (Default: 8001).

Port i!-VotingManager PCLink port (read only).

System i!-VotingManager PCLink system (read only)

If the authentication requirement is enabled on the NetLinx master, you need to set I!-

VotingManager to look for and use authentication. If you do not provide authentication to a security

enabled master the connection will fail. To set the authentication:

1. Place a check next to Authentication Required. This enables the username password fields.

2. Enter a username and corresponding password already established with the target master.

The username and password fields remain populated.

For more information on setting authentication at the master level, consult the documentation for

your NetLinx master.

Advanced

The NetLinx Advanced dialog is divided into two sections:

 Auto Connect – This option is visible when the NetLinx connection mode is set to

HOST TO NETLINX. i!-VotingManager attempts to auto connect to the i!-Voting

NetLinx system when this option is selected.

 NetLinx Connection Log File – This option is visible when the NetLinx connection

mode is Not set to NO CONNECTION. i!-VotingManager creates a log file on the PC

with PCLink connection details when this option is enabled.

i!-VotingManager

Continued

Using i!-VotingManager

FIG. 11 NetLinx Advanced

i!-Voting Agenda Editor

The i!-Voting Agenda Editor is designed to quickly and easily create and edit voting agendas for

use with the i!-Voting system. These files can be created and edited offline. The actual connection

to the i!-Voting NetLinx Master is only required to send or retrieve the files. The user interface is

designed as a spreadsheet to easily view, edit, move, or delete agenda vote topics.

 Each vote topic is created on a new row of the grid interface.

 Each column of the grid interface specifies the specific topic options per topic.

Continued

FIG. 12 i!-Voting Agenda Editor

i!-VotingManager

Using i!-VotingManager

Topic Options that are set to the value “<System>” inherit the i!-Voting default body options of the voting body that executes this agenda.

Topic Options

The Topic Options are listed in the following table.

Topic Options

Topic Text The actual vote topic presented to the voting members.

Default Vote This option specifies the default-selected vote for each voting station.

HOTKEY

Allow Abstain This option allows voting stations to submit an abstain vote.

HOTKEY

Allow Excuse This option allows voting stations to submit an excuse vote.

HOTKEY

Vote Attendance This option allows voting stations to submit an excuse vote.

HOTKEY

Pass Requirement The vote tally must meet the selected requirement to pass the topic.

HOTKEY

Require Quorum This vote requires quorum rules to be applied to this vote topic.

HOTKEY

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

None

Ye s

Abstain

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Enabled

Disabled

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Enabled

Disabled

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Enabled

Disabled

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Majority

2/3 Majority

Unanimous

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Enabled

Disabled

i!-VotingManager

Using i!-VotingManager

Topic Options (Cont.)

Quorum Value This option specifies the quorum value or percentage required to pass a

Vote Time Enabled This option enable/disables the voting timer for this vote topic.

Vote Timer Time This option specifies the voting timer start time for this topic, and is only used if

Warning Timer Enabled Enable/disables the voting timer warning time option for this topic.

Warning Timer Time This option specifies the time at which the warning takes effect, and is only

Close Vote Method This option selects the method for closing the vote session for this topic.

Display Totals This option displays the totals of the vote results. As each vote is locked, the

Display Percentages This option displays the calculated percentages of the vote results. As each

quorum enabled topic. This option is only used if the Require Quorum option is enabled.

HOTKEY

the voting timer is enabled.

HOTKEY

N/A

HOTKEY

used if the voting timer and vote warning timer are enabled.

HOTKEY

N/A

HOTKEY

totals are displayed if the Display Results in Progress is enabled.

HOTKEY

vote is locked, the updated percentages are displayed if the Display Results in Progress is enabled

HOTKEY

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Enabled

Disabled

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Enabled

Disabled

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Enter the Time in MM:SS

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Enabled

Disabled

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Enter the Time in MM:SS

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Manual

Last Vote

Timer

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Enabled

Disabled

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Enabled

Disabled

i!-VotingManager

Using i!-VotingManager

Topic Options (Cont.)

Display Names This option displays the vote cast be each member to the i!-Voting console. As

each vote is locked, the totals are displayed if the Display Results in Progress is enabled.

HOTKEY

Display Results in Progress This option displays the voting results as each station vote is locked.

HOTKEY

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Enabled

Disabled

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Enabled

Disabled

Agenda Editor Components

The following table lists the Agenda Editor components:

Agenda Editor Components

AGENDA T ITLE Specifies the Agenda title, or name displayed in the i!-Voting system.

AGENDA MESSAGE Specifies the Agenda welcome message displayed in the i!-Voting system. If

this field is left blank, then the i!-Voting body default message is used.

OPEN Opens an existing i!-Voting agenda file (*.vaf).

CLOSE Closes any open agenda files.

SAVE Saves the current listed topics to a voting agenda file (*.vaf).

EXPORT Export the current i!-Voting Agenda topics to one of the following formats:

.RTF - Rich Text Format, enhanced formatted text file.

.TXT - Text File, basic text file

.LOG - same as text file.

.XML - Extensible Markup Language file

SEND Sends the current voting agenda file to the i!-Voting NetLinx system. If the

selected voting body is password protected, you are prompted to enter the correct password. i!-VotingManager saves each entered voting body password until disconnecting from the i!-Voting System.

RETRIEVE Retrieves an existing voting agenda file from the i!-Voting NetLinx system. If the

selected voting body is password protected, you are prompted to enter the correct password. i!-VotingManager saves each entered voting body password until disconnecting from the i!-Voting System.

PRINT Prints the current listed voting topics from the grid interface. If no cells are

DELETE TOPIC(S) To delete a topic the entire row must be selected. You can delete multiple

CUT Upon selecting CUT, if 1 or more cells in the grid interface are selected, then

selected in the grid interface, then the all of the visible cells are printed. If cells, columns, and/or rows are selected, then i!-VotingManager only prints the selected cells.

topics by selecting multiple rows before selecting delete.

Note: Pressing the DELETE key on the keyboard can also preform this function.

the current selected cells are copied to the topic clipboard, and the existing values are returned to default values. If no cells are selected, then the current selected text is cut and placed in the Windows

clipboard.

i!-VotingManager

Using i!-VotingManager

Agenda Editor Components (Cont.)

COPY Upon selecting COPY, if 1 or more cells in the grid interface are selected, then

PA ST E Upon selecting PAS TE , if 1 or more cells in the grid interface are selected and

MOVE TOPIC(S) UP You can select 1 or more topic rows and move them up in the grid interface.

MOVE TOPIC(S) DOWN You can select 1 or more topic rows and move them down in the grid interface.

SPELL CHECK A utility to check spelling is provided. If topic rows are selected, then the spell

THESAURUS A utility to check for synonyms is provided. If a particular word is highlighted in

TOPIC W IZARD The topic wizard is a tool that allows you to add/edit topics in a simple

the current selected cells are copied to the topic clipboard, and the existing values remain intact. If no cells are selected, then the current selected text is copied to the Windows clipboard.

data is currently in the topic clipboard, then the topic clipboard attempts to copy itself to the grid interface. If order to PASTE the topic clipboard, the starting cell (top left) must be in the same column position as where the data was copied or cut from. The topic clipboard cannot paste if the columns do no line up. If no cells are selected then the current Windows clipboard attempts to paste to any text field.

This tool is used to re-order the position of topic in the agenda.

check attempts to check the selected topics only. If no topic rows are selected, the spell check utility starts at the top of the grid interface and continues over each topic until it reaches the last topic in the grid interface.

a topic cell, then the thesaurus looks up that word. If one of the suggested replacements is selected, it replaces the selected word. However, if no word is highlighted then the thesaurus prompts for a word to be manually entered. After a replacement is selected, it places it in the Windows clipboard.

one-topic view interface. The topic text and each of the topic options can be modified in this wizard. The wizard also has a scroll bar allowing you to navigate through each of the topics without having to use the grid interface.

i!-VotingManager

i!-Voting Agenda Results Viewer

Using i!-VotingManager

FIG. 13 i!-Voting Agenda Results Main

The following table lists the Agenda Results Viewer components:

Agenda Results Viewer

OPEN Opens an existing voting result file (*.vrf).

CLOSE Closes any open voting result files.

SAVE Saves the current voting results file. (*.vrf)

RETRIEVE Retrieves an existing voting results file from the i!-Voting NetLinx system. If the

selected voting body is password protected, you are prompted to enter the correct password. i!-VotingManager saves each entered voting body password until disconnecting from the i!-Voting System.

PRINT Prints the current voting result file.

EXPORT Exports the current voting result file to one of the following formats:

• RTF – Rich Text File, enhanced formatted text file.

• TXT – Text File, basic text file.

• LOG – same as text file.

• XML – Extensible Markup Language file.

i!-VotingManager

Using i!-VotingManager

FIG. 14 Retrieve Results

Upon attempting to RETRIEVE a voting result file, the software prompts you to delete the file from the i!-Voting NetLinx Master. It is a good idea to remove the file from the i!-Voting system, as i!-VotingManager is intended to retrieve these files for archival purposes. Keeping the file system of the i!-Voting NetLinx Master clean of unessential files aids in system performance and ease of use.

i!-VotingManager

Appendix

To add host entries to the NetLinx URL list:

1. Open a terminal session (via TELNET or SERIAL) to the NetLinx Master.

2. Type “echo on”, and press the ENTER button.

3. Type “url list” , and press the ENTER button.

If no URL’s are in your NetLinx Master, it returns the following response:

“No URLs in the URL connection list”

To add a URL:

1. Type “set url”, and press the ENTER button.