I ran across a rather simple problem today that I did not find a lot of simple documentation to explain so here is my simple example to hopefully help whoever might stumble upon this same question.

The Scenario:

I have a simple controller that posts data to an API, at the conclusion it hands back the newly inserted item so I can display it to my user.  However the action to add the item is not the same action that displays the newly inserted item.  The problem is how do I hand off the newly inserted item to the other action handler.

The Solution:

Pretty simple in the long run using the “RedirectToAction” method.  In the end it looks a lot like this:

return RedirectToAction("Get", new RouteValueDictionary() { { "id", response.Id } });

I simply tell the method where to go and create a simple value dictionary object with my single Guid to pass on and lookup the object.  All in all pretty simple and you can even build up the dictionary to add other objects if you needed to.

Brent

I had a couple of requests regarding this from the Intuitive ERP user group so I figured I would throw it in to a blog and make it easier for people to reference.

The Situation:

Our accounting friends want to be able to control the general ledger very closely in an attempt to keep from having to deal with lots of clean-up and problems down the road.  One of the ways they do this is by restricting the dates in which transactions can be entered into Intuitive.  Essentially if the date is not within the allowable range the transaction cannot be entered.

The Problem:

Normally the date restriction is set to restrict to the current month or quarter depending on the organization, regardless at times someone in the finance department may forget to update the end date to push it out to the next month or quarter and that’s when major problems come up.  If the date is not updated on the next business day the system pretty much grinds to a halt as no transactions such as work order release, purchase order release, work order clock on and off, etc. all stop.

The Solution:

Pretty simple fix here, we simply created a SQL Server Agent Job in the IT world that executes monthly to go out and push that end date out to the end of the next month.  Essentially automating the task for the finance group so no one has to remember to do it.  In addition we added strict error logic to the job so if anything fails it will notify a set group of users automatically via e-mail.  This is all configured via SQL Server Mail.

The Code:

You can download the SQL Agent Job script here: http://brntpb.st/A2hlld.  One note: we utilize multiple Intuitive databases so we create multiple steps in the job to update each individual database.  This is perfect for a multiple company or multi-site model.

Enjoy!

-Brent

So I recently read a headline and article (http://brntpb.st/zVainJ) that made me laugh.  On the one hand I applaud any worker, in this case government researchers and scientists, who file complaints on organizations, both public and private, for doing things they shouldn’t be.  However there is a simple rule in any business:

Do Not Use Your Work Computer For Personal Activities!

All large organizations either monitor activity because they can or because they are required to by law for legal reasons.  If you want to use your personal e-mail at work just be aware that they most likely can read everything you send let alone take screenshots of your computer periodically as well.  There is no assumption of privacy on the computers or networks of your workplace… ever!

Use your smartphone on the PUBLIC 3G or 4G signal if you really want privacy as even company provided Wi-Fi access can be monitored as if it were your own computer.  I’m not saying the FDA was in the right here, but regardless as sensible professionals please remember your work computer is for work, and not personal activity.  You never know who is watching.

-Brent

Many business travelers will tell you never to check a bag.  This is typically a true concept for simple trips or very short trips.  But this is typically only true for domestic flights.  It's simply too much work when traveling internationally to worry about bags.  After all you only get one carry on and a personal item.  For my female friends this means a backpack and a purse and that's it!

If you do travel internationally just a little bit of wisdom, especially if you are using different airlines throughout your trip:

- Make sure so hold on to your bag check tag.

This is the little receipt looking paper that you will get from the gate agent when you check your bag.  Make sure to hold on to this receipt, if you lose it they may not be able to find your bag when you make another connection.

Either way, hold on to that tag and don't be too afraid to check, on longer flights it is totally worth the worry-free experience.

Safe travels!

-Brent

So I was going to use the normal route of sending a file to a colleague today.  Normally I either attach a file to an Outlook E-Mail or use the Windows context menu (Right-Click) to send the file as an e-mail attachment.  I went with the context menu route today and found a feature I am not used to seeing… Skype!

Needless to say my colleague was also on Skype.  Once I clicked on the Skype option it opened the normal Skype window where I could select the contact to send the file to.

Once I selected the contact it sent a normal File Transfer Request via Skype to my contact.

Pretty easy, and cool!

-Brent