Basic operations

Updating, sorting and entering information is part of the basic operation of TMS. This includes using calendars and clocks for selecting dates and times, selecting items from drop-down lists and sorting tables into ascending or descending order. The basic operation of these features is explained here.

Entering text

To enter text, click in the field to highlight it (with a blue border) and type directly into the field. In this example, three text fields are displayed for entering text. The Surname field is highlighted:

Click <Tab> or <Shift><Tab> to move between fields.

Select a date

When you are required to record a date, for example when booking an absence, there is usually more than one way of doing so. The date can be typed directly into a date field in one of the following formats: dd/mm/yyyy or d/m/yy but it is usually easier to use the calendar, to the right of the date field:

Click on the button to display a calendar for a month:

The calendar will display the current month, unless a date has been selected previously, in which case the calendar will display the month of the previously selected entry.

If the date you need to enter is from a different month, use the arrows at the top of the calendar to move to the required month. Alternatively, click on the month at the top of the calendar to display the 12 months in a grid:

Similarly, if the date you need to enter is from a different year, click on the year at the top of the grid of months to display 12 years in a grid or use the arrows at the top of the months grid.

When you have selected the correct year and month, click on the required day to select it. The selected date is displayed in the date field.

Note: you can click the  Today  button to display the present date in the date field.

Select a time

When you are required to record a time, for example when you are recording a clocking, there is usually more than one way of doing so. The lower field in the example below is a time field:

You can type the time directly into the time field using one of the following formats: hh:mm or hh.hm. Alternatively, click in the time field and use the arrows to the right to increase or decrease the time. Depending on where you click in the field, either the hours or minutes are changed.

You can also use the clock if it is displayed. Click on the clock icon to the right of the time field to display a list of times:

Click on a value to select it. The list closes and the selected time is displayed in the time field. If the actual time you require falls between the time increments — 60 minutes in the example — you can select a value from the list and then edit it if necessary.

Note: you can click the  Now  button to display the present time in the time field.

Note: the date and time selection lists will have a different appearance depending on what browser you use, so yours may be different from the above examples.

Drop-down lists

While using the system, you will often need to make a selection from a list of possible options. When an arrow button appears to the right of a field name, you need to click the arrow to display the list. For example, when booking an absence the Absence code field is a drop-down list:

Move your cursor down the list and click on an item to select it. You can also navigate the items in a list by using the up and down arrows on your keyboard or the <Tab> key. Entering the first letter of the list item will move the cursor to the item. The name of the selected item will be displayed on the button. Move the cursor away from the list to close it.

Check-boxes

Where there is a simple yes/no choice for a particular setting or option you may be presented with a check-box. For example, the following check-boxes are available for modifying the display of the Recent clockings screen.

A check-box is selected or cleared by clicking it. The example shows one check-box selected as identified by the tick.

Sorting a table

When a table is present in a feature, you have the option to sort the information into alphabetical order, time order, date order and so on. Two arrow buttons will appear next to the column names, clicking them will sort the column into ascending or descending order. For example, your Documents appear in a table:

Currently, it is sorted by Name in ascending order as shown with the bold up facing arrow next to the column name. Clicking on the arrow will change it to descending order:

You can change between sorting orders by clicking again. Additionally, you can sort the information in a table for any column name into ascending or descending order by clicking the arrows next to them.

Searching within a table

When a table is present in a feature, you have the option to truncate the information displayed by using the search box available in the top-right corner of a table. For example:

As you type in your search criteria, the table will be filtered automatically to display the information that matches your criteria.

Responsive web pages

Whether you are viewing TMS from a mobile, tablet or PC, the pages will reformat automatically to fit your browser or device. For example, the Absence profile page:

Mobile device

In the mobile view, the Header pane is shorter with a new icon that contains the Employee ID, switch login and help icon in a drop down list. For example:

In mobile view, the close action from the left-hand pane is available in the bottom pane along with the navigational quick links. Additional quick links are available from a push-up list  For example:

Drag and drop

It is possible to move values between certain cells. For example, the value displayed in an Hours code column on the Anomalies page can be moved to a different column on the same row:

Click in an hours code cell and hold down the mouse button. A shadow of the tag value will be displayed:

Dragging the value means the shadow tag will follow the cursor. Release the mouse button when the cursor is aligned over the centre of the new cell. The value is removed from the original cell and added to the new cell. In the example below, the early leaving (E) hours code value is moved into the basic hours (BH) hours code cell:

If you drag a value to a cell which already contains a value they will be added together.

Note: if you attempt to align the edge of the shadow with the edge of the new cell the drag and drop will be unsuccessful.