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Custom Utilities and In-house Applications

Access Custom Utilities (In-house applications) by using Millennium Explorer Tools > Custom Utilities. Setup and Utilities are listed.
Click Setup to add the name of an in-house application to the list, delete the name of an application from the list, or edit the details (such as location) of an application that is already listed. Only the system administrator can access the Custom Utilities Set Up page and maintain this list.
Click Utilities to access the list of in-house applications that can be launched from within Abila Millennium. All Abila Millennium users can access this list.

In-house applications are specific to your organization, exist to handle some situation that is not handled by the routine functions of the Abila Millennium software, and 'execute' outside of the Abila Millennium interface. Examples of in-house applications include custom utilities that have been written by either Abila or a third party, and custom modifications of an Abila Millennium standard utility.

The Abila Millennium Custom Utilities page provides access to your site-specific, in-house applications from within the Abila Millennium interface itself. So, although these applications typically perform their functions outside of the Abila Millennium software, they can be accessed and launched from within Abila Millennium.

Important! Do not utilize the Custom Utilities > Utilities Page to access those standard Abila Millennium utilities that must be launched from the IIS machine. See Utilities, Cautionary Notes, for more details.

• If your site-specific, in-house application has an installation program, then the installation program must be executed on the user's local machine (the client machine) before the user can successfully launch and use the application.
• The directory and folder containing the application must be shared and accessible from the user's local machine.
• Firefox will not open UNC paths correctly unless a Locallink extension is added on to the Firefox browser.

To add a Locallink extension to the Firefox browser:

1. Download the Locallink extension at: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/281
2. Install the Locallink extension.
3. Restart Firefox.

Once the Locallink extension has been installed, Firefox users will use the following steps to launch or otherwise access an application:

1. Right-click the application's name.
2. Pass the mouse pointer over the Open Link in local Context context menu item.
3. Click any one of the Open Link in local Context options.
4. Click Save File. A Downloads dialog box will open; the dialog box contains the application.
5. Click Open to start the application.

Custom Utilities Set Up Page

Add an Application to the List

1. Log on as the system administrator and navigate to the Custom Utilities > Setup page.
2. Select Insert from the Custom Utilities section header Edit button; alternatively, you may select Insert from the context menu accessed via any one of the Edit buttons located to the left of an existing application name.
3. Enter a name for the application. The name must be unique, no longer than 120 characters in length, and should consist of alpha-numeric characters or underscores only. Other character types MAY work, but we recommend alpha-numeric characters and the underscore only.

4. Enter the path to the application. The path can be a UNC path or a URL, no longer than 250 characters in length. If the application has an extension, the path must include the extension.

   For example, your site has a program which exports biographical information to a text file. The name of the export is BioExport.exe and it resides in the Export Tools folder in the Abila Millennium directory on a machine named Alpha. The correct UNC path for this application would be \\Alpha\ Abila Millennium\Export Tools\BioExport.exe.

5. Enter a description for the application. This free-text description can be up to 2000 characters in length.
6. Click Insert. An entry for the application is inserted into the utility_settings system table. The Custom Utilities > Setup page will display the name of the application, its path, and description. The name of the application is a hyperlink so that you can test the application without having to leave the Custom Utilities > Set Up page. The Custom Utilities > Utilities page will display the name of the application and its description. The name is a hyperlink so that Abila Millennium users may access, or launch, the application from within Abila Millennium.

Edit an Application on the List

1. Log on as the system administrator and navigate to the Custom Utilities > Setup page.
2. Select Update from the context menu accessed via the Edit button located to the left of the name of the application that you want to update.

3. Make your desired changes to the path and/or to the description, and click Update.

   You cannot make any changes to the name of the application. If changes must be made to the application name, you must delete the application from the list and insert a new one.

   Note: You are not making any changes to the application itself.

Delete an Application from the List

1. Log on as the system administrator and navigate to the Custom Utilities > Setup page.

2. Select Delete from the context menu accessed via the Edit button located to the left of the name of the application that you want to delete. The application will be immediately removed from the Custom Utilities > Setup and Custom Utilities > Utilities pages, and from the utility_settings system table. You will not have the opportunity to confirm the delete.

   Note: You are not deleting the application. You are only removing the access to the application from within the Abila Millennium interface.

Custom Utilities Utilities Page

To Launch an External Application from within Abila Millennium

1. Log on as any Abila Millennium user and navigate to the Custom Utilities > Utilities page. The display area will show an index listing of the names and descriptions of all of the applications (programs or URLs) that have been set up for access from within Abila Millennium.
2. Scroll, or use the alphabetical index displayed at the top of the page, to locate the name of the desired application. The name of the application is a hyperlink. Click the hyperlink to launch or otherwise access the in-house application. Firefox users must add a Locallink extension before launching an application. See the prerequisites, above.

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