Basic functions in the F2 Manager app

The following sections describe how to use the F2 Manager app for meetings and case management. The app consists of four basic functions that are each described in the corresponding sections:

Several of the functions enable document editing.

The F2 Manager app contains a quick guide describing the app’s functions. To open the quick guide, tap Notifications. From here, select Settings image25 and then Show guide.

The meeting planner

The meeting planner contains the cases, records, and documents transferred to the app in connection with meetings, projects, cases, etc. The materials are available during the time period in which they are relevant for a specific meeting or case, and they are sorted chronologically after the meeting schedule.

Using the meeting planner, the materials can be reviewed and processed, e.g. by adding annotations and notes. Everything is continuously synchronised with F2 Desktop, so the risk of losing any work is minimal.

Meeting overview

The front page of the meeting planner provides an overview of meetings and their associated documents. The documents are organised in a calendar and list view. Meetings and associated documents can be opened from both views.

The calendar view

The meeting planner’s calendar view shows:

  • Appointments from the user’s other calendars (1). Tap the calendar selection button image26 to view the appointments. The availability of this function depends on the iPad’s configuration.

  • Planned meetings for the selected day in the calendar (2).

  • A description of the selected meeting (3).

  • The records of the selected meeting, i.e. its agenda (4).

  • A toggle for switching to list view (5).

meeting planner calendar view
Figure 1. The meeting planner’s calendar view

The list view

The meeting planner’s list view shows:

  • A filter for filtering relevant meetings (1).

  • All meetings in the selected period (2).

  • A description of the selected meeting (3).

  • The records of the selected meeting, i.e. its agenda (4).

  • A toggle for switching to calendar view (5).

meeting planner list view
Figure 2. The meeting planner’s list view

The list can be filtered by the following parameters:

  • Title: Search for agenda items, meeting title or appendix title.

  • Meeting type: Select one or more meeting types.

  • Period: Specify a time period to view in the list of meetings.

Meetings and the meeting view

F2 operates with two different types of meetings: ad hoc meetings, and meetings that are created using the F2 Meetings add-on module (documentation available in Danish). Both types appear in F2 Manager in the same view.

An ad hoc meeting is transferred to F2 Manager when a case is synchronised to the iPad from F2 Desktop.

A meeting organised with the F2 Meetings add-on module is created in F2 Desktop. Contrary to ad hoc meetings, which are automatically transferred when a case is synchronised to F2 Manager, F2 Meetings is used to create and organise meetings in F2 Desktop independent of F2 Manager.

While the two meeting types have a number of differences, they are also similar in several ways.

The meeting view

The meeting planner’s meeting view shows:

  • Agenda (records) (1): Shows the agenda items for the selected meeting.

  • List of appendices (2): Shows the list of appendices related to the selected agenda item.

  • Chats related to the selected agenda item (3): Shows existing chats and allows new chats to be added to the selected agenda item.

meeting planner meeting view
Figure 3. The meeting planner’s meeting view

On the agenda for meetings organised using F2 Meetings, a padlock icon is displayed next to each agenda item. This padlock is either open image33 or closed image34.

  • If the padlock is open, the agenda item and its appendices are not final and can still be edited.

  • If the padlock is locked, the agenda item and its appendices are final and CANNOT be changed.

For these meetings, a snowflake image35 may be displayed next to the agenda items. This indicates that the appendix has been copied into the case and has been “frozen” on to the meeting.

It is possible to annotate the record document and appendix for each agenda item. The possibilities and procedures are described in the Working with documents section.

Access to annotated documents in F2 Desktop

When annotations are made in F2 Manager’s meeting planner, the annotated documents are located on the F2 server just like all other data. This means that annotated documents can be accessed from both the user’s iPad and from F2 Desktop. However, it should be noted that annotations are only saved and transferred to F2 Desktop after tapping OK in annotation mode.

Users with limited access can annotate documents in F2 Manager’s meeting planner. Users with limited access are created by an administrator with the “User administrator” privilege.

F2 automatically collects all annotated documents on one case entitled “F2 Manager archive for [Username]”. This is done regardless of the documents' original case attachment. This case contains all the records with documents annotated by the user in PDF format. F2 creates a record for every record on the case that has an annotated document. If one of the original records has several annotated documents attached, they are all saved on the same record as shown in the figure below.

manager archive case
Figure 4. Annotated documents on the same record

By default, only the user who made the annotations can access the “F2 Manager archive for [Username]” case and its annotated documents, because their access level is automatically set to “Involved” and case access is restricted to the user. The annotations are thereby kept private and cannot be found by others. As with other records in F2 it is still possible to share the records with other users, e.g. by changing the access level or by chatting the record to another user.

The automatic access restriction on the case can be disabled through a configuration. The records on the case will retain the "Involved" access level.

Show grouped

Tap Show grouped in the meeting planner’s meeting view to change the view mode. This will organise all related elements into groups based on the agenda items.

image37
Figure 5. The ”Show grouped” function

Agenda items are bolded while associated attachments appear in a smaller, non-bolded font.

Chats are italicised and located below any attachments. To add a new chat to an agenda item, tap the message icon.

image38
Figure 6. Show grouped in the meeting view

Ratings in F2 Manager

The user responsible for the meeting can set it up so that participants can rate the agenda items in F2 Manager as long as they have access to the records. Depending on the meeting’s setup, the ratings may be visible to the meeting participants.

Meetings set up to display ratings have a toggle rating mode icon that allows switching between regular and rating view mode.

In the rating view mode, you have the following options:

  • Access agenda items selected for assessment (1).

  • Select a rating (2).

  • View others' assessments of an agenda item (3).

meeting planner rating view
Figure 7. Rating an agenda item in the meeting planner’s meeting view

Approvals

Active approvals can be processed in F2 Manager if the F2 Approvals add-on module is installed.

Tap Approvals on the bottom ribbon to view a list of all transferred approvals. This may be different for installations with the F2 Gateway Approvals add-on. If the user is a gated approver, the gatekeeper decides which approvals are transferred to F2 Manager. Some approvals may not be transferred to F2 Manager even though the user is an approver or copy recipient on the current step of the approval. For more information on gateway approvals, contact cBrain.

An approval appears in a user’s list for one of three reasons:

  • The user has been set as an approver on one of the approval’s steps (1). These approvals appear at the top of the list. See the figure below.

  • The user has been set as a copy recipient on the approval (2). This means the approval is only for orientation or comments. The approval’s title is toned down in the approval list.

  • The user has received a chat on a record that contains an approval (3). The approval is then solely intended for orientation. The approval’s title is therefore also toned down in the approval list.

approvals list
Figure 8. The approval view

Records with approvals are sorted after the following criteria:

  • For approval with me/For my orientation

  • Urgent/normal

  • Deadline.

For example, this means that approvals in which the user is involved and that are urgent with a forthcoming deadline will always appear at the top of the approval list.

If the user is a gated approver, the gatekeeper is able to edit the order in which the approvals appear.

The approval’s title is formatted depending on the approval’s status as described in the table below.

Format Example Description

Normal

image96

For approval

The approval is to be processed by me.

Red

image97

The approval is to be processed by me and is marked as “Urgent”.

Italics

image98

For orientation

The approval has already been processed by me, but has not yet been sent to a server - typically because the iPad is offline.

Grey

image99

The approval is only visible to me because I:

  • am involved in a chat on the record.

  • have been set as a copy recipient on the approval.

In both cases, I cannot process the approval.

Faded red

image100

The approval is only visible to me because I am either involved in a chat on the approval or I have been set as a copy recipient on an approval that is marked as “Urgent” in my unit. I cannot process the approval.

Processing approvals

Approvals can be processed directly from F2 Manager. The approval’s documents, including appendices, can be read, commented, and annotated if necessary.

When opening an approval, the record and approval documents are shown as one combined document. This view can be configured so they appear as two separate documents. The configuration is performed in cooperation with cBrain.

The annotated document is saved as a PDF and attached to the approval record, so other approvers can easily access the user’s feedback.

An approval record can only contain one F2 Manager PDF. This means that an annotation risks being overwritten if more than one user makes annotations on F2 Manager. The PDF file name always indicates the first annotating user, but not any subsequent users.

The figure below shows how an approval is further processed in F2 Manager. If the user is set as approver, they can approve or return the approval, with a comment if necessary. Tap Process in the menu bar and either approve or return the approval.

image42
Figure 9. Processing approvals

As a copy recipient on an approval (copy orientation)

If a user is set as a copy recipient on an approval on a record, the user can mark the approval as “Seen” and add a comment in F2 Manager when the approval appears on their approval list.

This procedure basically works in the same way as when processing approvals. The only difference is that the approval can only be commented on (1) and marked as “Seen” by tapping Mark seen (2) instead of being approved or returned. If “Notify responsible” is selected (3) the approval is shown in the responsible user’s inbox, notifying them that the approval was seen and perhaps commented on. Tap Save and close (4) to save a comment without sending it or adding it to the approval log.

process approval copy recipient
Figure 10. Processing an approval as a copy recipient

Copy orientations disappear after 30 days by default. This can be adjusted by a configuration performed in cooperation with cBrain.

As a chat participant on an approval (chat orientation)

If a user receives a chat on a record that contains an approval, the approval appears in the user’s approval list. The user can remove the approval in F2 Manager by tapping Remove. See the figure below.

image45
Figure 11. The “Remove” function

The approval will reappear on the user’s list of approvals if new chat messages are sent.

By default, F2 Manager removes approvals that were chatted to the user after the final approval. It can be configured so approvals received through chats remain on the iPad even when they have been finally approved. With this configuration, approvals remain on the iPad for a limited number of days by default. This is typically set to seven days.

The configuration is performed in cooperation with cBrain.

Approval history

In F2 Manager approvals that have been processed by the user within the past five days can be searched for and viewed. This allows users to have an overview of recent approvals. Open the approval history by tapping History at the top of the approval list in F2 Manager.

Approvals displayed in the approval history are accessed the same way as the active approvals in the approval list, allowing for easy access to information regarding a given approval.

The number of days included in the history log can be configured. The synchronisation time may increase as a consequence of the increased amount of data. The configuration is performed in cooperation with cBrain.

image47
Figure 12. The location of the approval history

Managing synchronisation problems

Synchronisation conflicts may occur when managing approvals. There are several reasons for this. Normally it is because a user has performed changes in F2 Desktop while F2 Manager was offline.

For example, if F2 Manager was offline while a user processed an approval, and the approval was processed in F2 Desktop as well, a synchronisation conflict occurs in F2 Manager once the user is back online. This is because the approval cannot be sent from F2 Manager as it has already been approved or returned by another user in F2 Desktop.

In managing these situations, the F2 Manager app was designed so the app user is confronted with as few of the issues as possible.

If synchronisation problems occur, F2 Manager shows a message saying, “The element could not synchronise with F2” under the notification for the affected element. The user or their colleagues can then manage the problem in the office where a solution is easier to find.

On installations with the F2 Gateway Approvals add-on, synchronisation issues are communicated directly to the gatekeeper.

Bookmarks

Bookmarks are used as an easy method of accessing a given document in the meeting planner again at a later time.

To add a bookmark, select the document in the meeting planner and tap the star icon image49 in the upper right corner. The bookmark can be saved with a title, a description, and a date. By default the bookmark is given the same title as the document and the current date.

bookmarks list
Figure 13. The bookmark list
Only material in F2 Manager’s meeting planner can be bookmarked.

The list of bookmarks is accessed from the ribbon at the bottom of F2 Manager. The list shows the user’s bookmarks listed chronologically, sorted by the saved date.

It is possible to perform searches in the bookmark list. This is done from the upper left corner in the “Search” field. Searches can be performed on both titles and comments in the bookmark list.

image52
Figure 14. Searching in the bookmark list

To edit a bookmark, go to the bookmarked document in the meeting planner and tap the star icon image54. The bookmark’s title, description and date can then be edited.

Access the bookmarked document from the meeting planner, or select the bookmark in the bookmark list and tap the navigation icon image55 in the upper right corner to navigate to the document in the meeting planner.

Bookmarks can be deleted from the bookmark list. Go to the bookmark list and place a finger on the bookmark to be deleted. Swipe left, and the delete function appears in the right side of the bookmark list. Delete the bookmark by tapping the delete function image56.

Notifications

Access the notification list by tapping Notifications in the bottom ribbon of F2 Manager. The list shows all updates along with the user’s unread elements such as chats and records for approval.

From here, you can also send device logs to cBrain.

image57
Figure 15. Unread notifications

Synchronisation status

Notifications also contain information about an element’s (such as an approval’s) synchronisation status. If issues occur during the synchronisation of an element, this is evident from the notification overview. Tap Sync status at the top of the screen to view the synchronisation status list. See the figure below.

image60
Figure 16. The synchronisation status

An action that cannot be synchronised can be cancelled by tapping the information icon image58 and selecting Drop action. The action can be postponed by selecting Try again later.

Push notifications

F2 Manager supports push notifications. This means a user receives ongoing messages about new activities and updates regarding F2 Manager. Push notifications are received when:

  • A new ad hoc meeting or a meeting created using the add-on module F2 Meetings is ready to be synchronised to the user’s iPad.

    There are some exceptions to this. For example, if the end time of a meeting is changed while the meeting is inactive.

  • A record with an approval reaches the step where the user has been set as either approver or copy recipient.

  • The user has received a chat on a record that contains an approval.

  • The user has received a chat on an agenda item on a synchronised meeting.

  • A meeting time is changed for an active meeting.

Push notifications are displayed with a title. The record title is also included for notifications regarding chats and notes. See the figure below.

image61
Figure 17. Push notifications on F2 Manager

Send log file

You can submit a log file to cBrain if an error has occurred on your F2 Manager. Tap Notifications at the bottom of the screen and then on the settings icon image25 in the top left corner. In the menu, tap Send device log.

notifications settings send log
Figure 18. Send device log from Notifications

A dialogue opens where you describe the reason why you are submitting a log. Tap Send to send the log to cBrain.

send log
Figure 19. Send log