Staff and User Codes Utilities - hmislk/hmis GitHub Wiki

This guide explains three administrative utilities that help ensure Staff and WebUser records have consistent identifying codes. These actions run from the Admin Functions page and update data in bulk.

Overview

  • Add WebUser Codes (from Username): Sets missing WebUser codes using each user’s username.
  • Add Staff Codes: Copies each WebUser’s code to their linked Staff when Staff code is empty.
  • Copy Staff Code → Staff StaffCode: Copies each Staff’s existing code into the separate StaffCode field when StaffCode is empty.

When to Use

  • After user imports or migrations where codes were not populated.
  • When Staff records exist without codes but their linked WebUsers have codes.
  • When legacy data uses code but UI or reports expect staffCode.

How to Navigate

  1. Open the application.
  2. Menu → Administration → Manage Metadata → Manage Metadata Page.
  3. In the left panel, open “System Administrator Functions”.
  4. Click “Admin Functions” to open the Admin Functions page.
  5. Select the “Staff” tab.

Actions and Buttons

All actions appear in the Staff tab as table rows with a Name, Description, Action button, and Output column.

  1. Add WebUser Codes (from Username)

    • Button: “Add WebUser Codes”
    • What it does: For active WebUsers with an empty Code but a non-empty Username, assigns the Username as the Code.
    • Typical use: Run first to ensure all WebUsers have a code before syncing to Staff.

  2. Add Staff Codes

    • Button: “Add Staff Codes”
    • What it does: For WebUsers linked to a Staff member where Staff Code is empty, copies the WebUser’s Code to Staff Code.
    • Typical use: Run after “Add WebUser Codes” to propagate codes from users to staff.

  3. Copy Staff Code → Staff StaffCode

    • Button: “Copy to StaffCode”
    • What it does: For Staff with an empty StaffCode but a non-empty Code, copies Code into StaffCode.
    • Typical use: Run last to ensure the staffCode field (commonly shown in UIs/reports) is populated.

Understanding Messages and Output

  • Success banner: Displays a message like “Updated web user codes: N” or “Updated staff codes: N”.
  • Output column: Shows the last action’s summary (e.g., total updated records).
  • No change: If N = 0, there were no matching records to update.

Recommended Order

  1. Add WebUser Codes (from Username)
  2. Add Staff Codes
  3. Copy Staff Code → Staff StaffCode

Running in this order ensures data flows from Username → WebUser Code → Staff Code → Staff StaffCode.

Best Practices

  • Run during off-peak hours if you expect many updates.
  • Review counts in the Output column after each action.
  • Re-run an action if new users/staff were added since the last run.
  • Communicate the change to staff who depend on codes for searches and reports.

Troubleshooting

  • “Nothing updated (0)”: Data already compliant or no records match the criteria.
  • Staff missing link to WebUser: “Add Staff Codes” updates only when WebUser is linked to Staff.
  • Confusing results: Run actions in the recommended order and re-check Output counts.
  • Permissions: If you cannot see the Admin Functions page, contact a system administrator.

Configuration (User Impact)

  • These actions do not change user roles or privileges.
  • Codes become visible in various screens and reports where staffCode is displayed.

FAQ

Q: Is this reversible? A: Changes are saved immediately. To revert, edit codes manually via user/staff management pages.

Q: Will existing codes be overwritten? A: No. Each action only updates empty fields (WebUser Code, Staff Code, or Staff StaffCode).

Q: Can I run these more than once? A: Yes. Re-running simply updates any newly added empty fields.

Q: Who should run these actions? A: System administrators or authorized staff responsible for data consistency.

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