Contacts - Customizing

LegalServer has a built-in set of processes, forms, and profiles for maintaining contacts. LegalServer also provides configuration tools that allow an agency to create its own dynamic processes, forms, and profile.

For sites that are already using dynamic objects, administrators maintain those objects on the Admin > Processes, Forms, and Profiles page, changing the module to "Contact".

Converting from Static to Dynamic Contacts

The following sections outline the steps to create a basic set of dynamic objects. References to links assume you are on the Admin / Processes, Forms, and Profiles page, and have changed the Module type to "Contact".

Create a Form

Click the "New Contact Create Form" link. Name the form, mark it active, and select to add a continue button. For Process Types, select at least "Contact Create". If this form will also be used to edit contacts, also select "Contact Aux".

A basic form might have the following elements:

NB: The "Organization Affiliation" block does not work on the first step of a create process, so do not put it on this form. If you want to use it, put it on a separate auxiliary form.

Create a Profile Page

This is the page that will display a contact's information. The design of this page will vary depending on the information an agency collects for contacts. A typical contact profile is a tab block that organizes the information into a series of tabs.

Click the "New Contact Tabblock" link. Name the tab block, mark it active, do not add a continue button, and mark it as not half-width. An example tab block might have the following elements enabled:

Click the "New Contact Profile" link. Name the profile, mark it active, and drag the tab block created above into the Enabled Elements section.

Below the Side/Action Elements section, click the Add button next to "Side Bar" to add a Side Bar element. In that element's options, select "Actions". A typical setup might have the following settings:

In the example, the dynamic process for editing a contact is enabled, as well as several static links.

For sites using the old interface, administrators must put the Actions element in the Side Menu subsection (instead of the Action Menu subsection).

Create Processes

Click the "New Contact Create Process" link. Name the process something like "Add New Contact" (this is the link text), mark it complete and active, and mark it to show on the module static profile (the main Contacts page). Enable the create form created above and continue. Select the new dynamic profile for the Followup Profile. An active contact create process immediately replaces the static create link on the Actions menu of the Contacts section front.

Click the "New Contact Aux Process" link. Name the process something like "Edit Contact" (this is the link text), mark it complete and active. Enable the data entry form created above to use the same form to add and edit, or a seperate edit form if one exists.

Administrators can optionally replace one or both of the static auxiliary processes for Add Note and Add Organization Affiliation. To do so, create an auxiliary form for each ("New Contact Aux Form"), then create a process ("New Contact Aux Process").

Enable the Dynamic Contact Create Process

Go to the Admin > Process Settings page. Scroll down to the "Default Contact Creation Dynamic Process" and select the dynamic process created above.

Set User Role Permissions on the Processes (Optional)

Administrators should review the create process and any auxiliary processes created and set user role permissions appropriately if any of those links should be restricted.

Issues and Notes

* Existing contact records created with the static process are not displayed by an active dynamic profile. Only newly created contacts will use a new dynamic profile. Email support@legalserver.org about having existing contact records pointed at your new dynamic profile.

* List view elements for Communication Log and Addresses are not yet available.

* There is currently no Actions menu option available for the static "User Profile" link. (Ref: LS-37111)