User Message Box steps

This group collects any step concerned with presenting information to users on the remote clients in different types of message boxes. This group of steps is applicable to Windows, MacOS, and Linux systems.

Advanced Message Box

This step displays an advanced message box to the user. An advanced message box is a dialog box that appears on the display asking for confirmation from the user.

Parameter	Description
Validation Button Label	Defines the text to be displayed on the confirmation button in the dialog box, such as for example OK or Yes .
Cancel Button Label	Defines the text to be displayed on the cancel button in the dialog box, such as for example Cancel or No . This button does not appear in the final message box if the text field is left empty.
Full Screen	Check this box if the message box is to be displayed in full screen mode.
Message Title	Defines the title string to display at the top of the dialog box.
Message Text	Enter into this field the main text displayed to be displayed in the dialog box.
Always display in foreground	Defines if the window is to be displayed always in the foreground, that is, every other window called is not positioned on top of the window but stays behind it.
Timeout (sec)	Defines the time to wait in seconds for the user to confirm or cancel. If the user does not react within this timeframe, the window is automatically validated and closed.
Success after timeout	Check this box if the step is to be executed after the defined timeout passed without user action (this is the same as if the user clicked the validation button). If the box remains unchecked the step is not executed (this is the same as if the user clicked the cancel button).
Success if no one is logged on to device	Check this box if the step is to be executed if no user is logged on to the device (this is the same as if the user clicked the validation button). If the box remains unchecked the step is not executed (this is the same as if the user clicked the cancel button).
Action if Screen Saving	Select from this dropdown box the way the step is to behave if the screen saver is active: Wait for End of Screen Saver : do nothing until the screen saver is ended and the user takes action Success : execute the step without waiting (this is the same as if the user clicked the validation button). Failure : Do not execute the step (this is the same as if the user clicked the cancel button).

Advanced Message Box With Image

This step displays an advanced message box with a customizable background image to the user. An advanced message box is a dialog box that appears on the display asking for confirmation from the user.

Parameter	Description
Validation Button Label	Defines the text to be displayed on the confirmation button in the dialog box, such as for example OK or *Yes* .
Cancel Button Label	Defines the text to be displayed on the cancel button in the dialog box, such as for example *Cancel* or No . This button does not appear in the final message box if the text field is left empty.
Local Image File Path (bmp only)	Enter into this field the path to the image file which must be of type .bmp. If the image cannot be found, that is, because it is of another type, or it is too small, the default BMC Client Management image is used. If the image is too large it is cropped to fit the window. The default size of the BMC Client Management image is 460x310 pixels.
Message Title	Defines the title string to display at the top of the dialog box.
Message Text	Enter into this field the main text to be displayed in the dialog box.
Success after timeout	Check this box if the step is to be executed after the defined timeout has passed without a user action. If unchecked the step is not executed or the action is cancelled.
Success if no one is logged on to device	Check this box if the step should be executed when no user is logged onto the device. If unchecked, the step is not executed or the action is cancelled.
Success if the device is in screen saver mode	Select from this dropdown box the way the step is to behave if the screen saver is active: Wait for End of Screen Saver : do nothing until the screen saver is ended and the user takes action Success : execute the step without waiting (this is the same as if the user clicked the validation button). Failure : Do not execute the step (this is the same as if the user clicked the cancel button).
Timeout (sec)	Defines the time to wait in seconds for the user to confirm or cancel. If the user does not react within this timeframe, the window is automatically validated and closed.
Always display in foreground	Defines if the window is to be displayed always in the foreground, that is, every other window called is not positioned on top of the window but stays behind it.

Close Information Dialog

This step allows you to close the information dialog that appeared for the Display Information Dialog step.

No parameters need to be defined for this step.

Display Information Dialog

This step displays an information message in form of a dialog box without a button. Reexecuting the step allows you to update the displayed message. This dialog must be closed again with the Close Information Dialog step.

Parameter	Description
Message Text	Enter the text of the message box here, for example, The software program xyz is installed on your computer. Do you want to proceed with the installation now?

Localized Message Box

This step allows you to display the contents of a message box in the language of the local operating system language. You may define four different target languages, for any other language the specified default message will be displayed.

Parameter	Description
Text Button 1	Enter the localized button text of the message box.
Text Button 2	Enter the localized button text of the message box.
Text Button 3	Enter the localized button text of the message box.
Text Button 4	Enter the localized button text of the message box.
Default Button Text	Enter the default text to appear on the button of the message box, that is displayed if the local operating system is not one of those defined below.
Default Message Title	Enter the default title of the message box, that is displayed if the local operating system is not one of those defined below.
Default Text	Enter into this field the default message text of the message box, that is displayed if the local operating system is not one of those defined below.
Language 1	Select the language for which the text specified in the following three fields is defined. The language selected here encompasses all 'versions' of the language, such as selecting English includes British English, American English, New Zealand English, etc.
Language 2	Select the language for which the text specified in the following three fields is defined. The language selected here encompasses all 'versions' of the language, such as selecting English includes British English, American English, New Zealand English, etc.
Language 3	Select the language for which the text specified in the following three fields is defined. The language selected here encompasses all 'versions' of the language, such as selecting English includes British English, American English, New Zealand English, etc.
Language 4	Select the language for which the text specified in the following three fields is defined. The language selected here encompasses all versions of the language, such as selecting English includes British English, American English, New Zealand English, etc.
Text 1	Enter the localized message text of the message box.
Text 2	Enter the localized message text of the message box.
Text 3	Enter the localized message text of the message box.
Text 4	Enter the localized message text of the message box.
Title Message 1	Enter the localized message title of the message box.
Title Message 2	Enter the localized message title of the message box.
Title Message 3	Enter the localized message title of the message box.
Title Message 4	Enter the localized message title of the message box.

Questionnaire

This step involves creating a questionnaire for end-users to share their opinions and feedback on the services they use. A survey is designed to distribute questionnaires to end-users, while also enabling the visualization and export of the collected data.

As an administrator, by using this feature you can:

Customize questionnaires for a targeted group of users.
Simplify and optimize the process of collecting, analyzing, and managing user feedback.
Collect responses to attribute evaluation scores.
Export collected data in CSV, HTML, and XML formats.

To configure and deploy a questionnaire

Create an operational rule.
In the User Message Box folder, select Questionnaire and add it.

In the step configuration window, enter the details in the corresponding fields:

Field	Description
Title	This field defines the title that will be displayed at the top of the dialog box.
Introduction message	This field defines the introductory message of the questionnaire.
Rating label	This field defines the text that will be displayed above the score rating bar.
Maximum rating level	This field defines the range of the rating score, with a default value of 5. The range can vary from 3 to 10. Any other value will be ignored and the default of 5 will be applied.
Commentary	This field defines the text that will be displayed above the commentary area. If the box is not checked or the field is empty, the commentary area will not be displayed on the end user dialog box.
Submit button	This field defines the text that will be displayed on the confirmation button in the dialog box, such as for example Submit or Send.
Cancel button	This field defines the text that will be displayed on the cancel button in the dialog box, such as for example Cancel. This button will not appear in the final message box if the text field is left empty or if this option is not activated.
Hide identity of questionnaire respondents	This option defines whether or not information about the end user's identity is included in the questionnaire results. This means that if this option is enabled, neither the name, nor the first name, nor the identifier of the person will be displayed in the questionnaire results.

Add the questionnaire step to the operational rule.

You can now associate the operational rule with a population for deploying your questionnaire. The collected data will be automatically uploaded to the master.

Operational Rule Execution and Data Collection ProcessEnrollment

Once the operational rule is executed on a computer, a dialog box appears.

The dialog box contains:

The title of the survey.
The introductory message of the questionnaire.
The clickable area to retrieve the evaluation score.
An optional text field to collect user feedback.

Once the user clicks the Send, the BMC Client Management agent is responsible for uploading the collected data to the master.

To access questionnaire results

To access the results of the deployed questionnaires, in the administration console navigate to Home > Global Settings > Questionnaires.

Once the first result is uploaded, a questionnaire object is generated in the database. If it doesn't appear, click the refresh button on the questionnaire node. The questionnaire object will be named after the operational rule that created it. Click on the node associated with your questionnaire to view it. The right pane displays the results of the questionnaire with the following parameters and values.

The global title of the questionnaire (name of the operational rule)
The number of participants
The average score
The number of refusals (when a user clicks on cancel, if the option is activated)
The introductory message of the questionnaire for a given step
A graph of the distribution of scores
A paginated results table with the display of available columns depending on the parameters of the questionnaire step

The results are paginated, and you can sort them based on certain sortable columns that appear, such as scores and names.

Important

A questionnaire object can include multiple questionnaire-type steps, allowing for several questions within a single object. In this case, your questionnaire view will display tabs, each corresponding to a step associated with your operational rule. If you prefer to have just one questionnaire object for a questionnaire-type step, restrict it to a single operational rule and one questionnaire-type step.

Example screens

To save a view from a questionnaire object

You can save the data collected by the master via the console and process it with external solutions. Navigate to File > Save view.

A dialog box appears to export the data in three formats, such as CSV, HTML, and XML. You can select the path of the export folder, the file name, and the output format.

All the data will be exported, not just the data shown in the current view’s pagination.

To exporting data from a questionnaire object

From the questionnaire view, you can export all the data for a questionnaire. This helps to process data in another application or for direct use in an editor such as MS Excel.

Click Export Data and select the path where you want to export these results.

To maintain data consistency

To maintain consistency between a questionnaire's parameters and its results, once a questionnaire is deployed, its parameters can no longer be modified without affecting the data stored in the database.

If you choose to proceed, a confirmation window will alert you that continuing will result in the deletion of all records, and any ongoing submissions with the previous parameters will be disregarded.

You will need to redeploy the rule to obtain new results.

To delete a questionnaire

To delete a questionnaire object, you must first delete the operational rule that contains it.

Send Customized Form

This step creates a form to update the custom inventory of the local target client. Once the rule is executed, a browser window opens on the target, in which a form with several fields is to be filled by the local user.

The form has two buttons, OK to confirm the filled in form and Later to postpone the filling in of the values. Once the form is completed and confirmed the custom inventory .xml file is updated with the new information. This newly added information will be added to the custom inventory in the Console and the agent interface pages at the next update. The fields are prefilled in for a personal information form.

Parameter	Description
Validation Button Label	Defines the text to be displayed on the confirmation button in the dialog box, such as for example OK or Yes .
Cancel Button Label	Defines the text to be displayed on the cancel button in the dialog box, such as for example Later . This button does not appear in the final message box if the text field is left empty.
Labels of Custom Inventory Fields	Contains the semi-colon separated list of field names as which they appears in the custom inventory. Make sure that the order and the number of the fields is the same as in the Form Fields above. for example, Field List: Name;FirstName;Phone, these are the 'internal' references to the new fields, Labels: Family Name;First Name;Office Phone Number, this is the text as which the fields appears in the HCHL form and under the custom inventory node.
Footer Text	This free text field is below the list of fields to be filled in and may contain additional information.
Form Field Data Type	Contains the semi-colon separated list of the data types of the fields defined above to be filled into the form. Possible values are string, integer, combo:string, combo:integer and boolean . For example, string;integer;boolean;combo:string for the above listed form fields of Name;Age;Driving License;Mobile Phone Operator .
Default Field Values	Allows you to define default values for the form fields that is displayed to be selected via a drop down list. The entry default values are separated by commas (,), the default values for each field are separated by a semi-colon (;).
Form Fields	Contains the semi-colon separated list of fields of the form to be filled in, for example, Name;Age;Driving License;Mobile Phone Operator .
Title	Enter the title of the form into this field, for example, Custom Inventory - Local Information .
Header Text	A short textual explication for the local regarding the fields of the form below.
Insert a logo	Check this box if the background of the title is to show a logo. The default logo is the BMC Client Management logo, but the logo may be customized. It is located in directory <InstallationDirectory>/master/ui/custom/common/images . The 'logo' consists of two files logo.gif and text.jpg which are put next to each other. To customize modify the contents of the files but do NOT modify the names.
Retry Interval (min)	The retry interval defines the interval at which the step is to effect its retries in minutes.

User Acknowledgement via Advanced Message Box

This step allows the user to acknowledge information on his screen. If the timeout for the last try expires, this has the same effect as if OK was clicked.nNote: If you want to add another step after this one, the Stop on failed step condition must be set for this step.

Parameter	Description
Message Title	Enter the title of the message box into this field, for example, Installation.
Message Text	Enter the text of the message box here, for example, The software program xyz is installed on your computer. Do you want to proceed with the installation now?
Validation Button Label	Define the label of the validation button, such as OK to indicate to the operational rule to proceed with its execution.
Cancel Button Label	Define the label of the cancel button, such as Later , to indicate not now, proceed later.
Number of Retries	Defines how often the user has the choice to postpone the announced operation.
Retry Interval (min)	Defines the interval in minutes at which the user is presented with this user message box.
Always display in foreground	Defines if the window is to be displayed always in the foreground, that is, every other window called is not positioned on top of the window but stays behind it.
Full Screen	Check this box if the message box is to be displayed in full screen mode.
Timeout (sec)	Defines the time to wait in seconds for the user to confirm or cancel. If the user does not react within this timeframe, the window is automatically validated and closed.
Success after timeout	Check this box if the step is to be executed after the defined timeout passed without user action (this is the same as if the user clicked the validation button). If the box remains unchecked the step is not executed (this is the same as if the user clicked the cancel button).
Success if no one is logged on to device	Check this box if the step is to be executed if no user is logged on to the device (this is the same as if the user clicked the validation button). If the box remains unchecked the step is not executed (this is the same as if the user clicked the cancel button).
Action if Screen Saving	Select from this dropdown box the way the step is to behave if the screen saver is active: Wait for End of Screen Saver : do nothing until the screen saver is ended and the user takes action Success : execute the step without waiting (this is the same as if the user clicked the validation button). Failure : Do not execute the step (this is the same as if the user clicked the cancel button).

User Acknowledgement

This step sends a message box to the local client which informs the user of actions that will be taken on his/her device and provide him/her with the possibility to postpone these operations until he/she has taken the steps necessary to save all current work. A situation in which this step is useful is before a remote software installation, for instance.

Parameter	Description
Title	Enter a title for the window and the message below, such as Application Installation .
Message	Enter here the message to the user to inform him of what is undertaken on his machine.
Number of Retries	Defines how often the user has the choice to postpone the announced operation.
Retry Interval (min)	Defines the interval in minutes at which the user is presented with this user message box.

User Acknowledgement via Message Box

This step creates a message box on the target device. The purpose is to allow the end user to acknowledge information. The end user can accept or delay the operation; however, the user cannot completely cancel the operation. After the specified number of retries and retry intervals, the execution will be forced.nNote: If you want to add another step after this one, the Stop on failed step condition must be set for this step.

Parameter	Description
Validation Button Label	Define the label of the validation button, such as OK to indicate to the operational rule to proceed with its execution.
Cancel Button Label	Define the label of the cancel button, such as Later , to indicate not now, proceed later.
Message Title	Enter the title of the message box into this field, for example, Installation.
Message Text	Enter the text of the message box here, for example, The software program xyz is installed on your computer. Do you want to proceed with the installation now?
Number of Retries	Defines how often the user has the choice to postpone the announced operation.
Retry Interval (min)	Defines the interval in minutes at which the user is presented with this user message box.

User Message Box

This step displays a message box to the user on the target devices. A message dialog box is a small box that appears on the display screen to give you information or to warn you about a potentially damaging operation.

For example, it might warn you that the system is deleting one or more files. Unlike normal dialog boxes, message boxes do not require any user input. However, you need to acknowledge the alert box by pressing the Enter key or clicking a mouse button to make it go away. The functions of this Chilli module enable you to create such boxes.

Parameter	Description
Button Text	Defines the text to be displayed on the single button in the dialog box.
Message Title	Defines the title string to display at the top of the dialog box.
Message Text	Enter into this field the main text displayed to be displayed in the dialog box.
Success if no one is logged on to device	Check this box if the step is to be executed if no user is logged on to the device (this is the same as if the user clicked the validation button). If the box remains unchecked the step is not executed (this is the same as if the user clicked the cancel button).
Action if Screen Saving	Select from this dropdown box the way the step is to behave if the screen saver is active: Wait for End of Screen Saver : do nothing until the screen saver is ended and the user takes action Success : execute the step without waiting (this is the same as if the user clicked the validation button). Failure : Do not execute the step (this is the same as if the user clicked the cancel button).