For more RT solver information (basic), please see this article: Request Tracker (RT) issue solver documentation - basic

Included in this article:

Re-opening a ticket

1. Click on Basics (from the top of the ticket display screen OR in the Basics section of the screen)

2. Beside Status, choose open

3. Click on the Save Changes button at the bottom of the screen

OR

1. From the ticket screen, choose Actions > Re-open from the top right

2. Enter any comments if necessary (optional)

3. Click on the Update Ticket button

When the ticket has been reopened the requestor will not be notified via email.

Changing ticket status

While displaying the ticket, click on the Actions menu and choose:

• Resolve, Re-open, Stall, Open It, etc.

  • Click Update Ticket (some status changes such as 'Open It' will happen automatically and not require you to click 'Update Ticket')

An alternate way to change status (this way is required to move a ticket from Stalled to Resolved):

• Click on the Basics link at the top of the ticket

  • Beside Status choose the status you would like (e.g. 'resolved')

  • Click the Save Changes button

The status of a new ticket will change to open when the ticket owner submits a reply (correspondence) on the ticket unless the ticket owner is also the requestor.

Searching

There are several different ways to search for ticket information.

• Use the Search... box in the top right of your screen:

  • When you know the ticket number, or

  • To quickly search for a string in the subject line of tickets

• Use the Simple Search to quickly search subject lines, queues, etc. (see below for details)

• Use the New Search (a.k.a. Query Builder) to build your own query (see below for details)

Search notes

• Full 'content' searches will take a few seconds to produce results

• Attachments will not be searched

• Number of tickets found and tickets actually displayed may not match

  • The number of tickets found (displayed at the top as Found 104 tickets) may not match the number of tickets displayed on the screen. You will only see the tickets you have privileges to see, but the system will tell you the total number of tickets found in the database that match your criteria. If you need access to a ticket you cannot see, email helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca for assistance

Simple Search AND 'Search...' box at the top right of the screen

A Simple Search will only show tickets with an active status (i.e. new, open, or stalled) unless a status is specified in the search.

1. Click on the Search menu and choose Tickets/Simple Search; search by:

   • Ticket number: enter ticket number and click ‘Search’

   • Subject search: enter subject:"search criteria" and click  ‘Search’

   • Queue search: enter queue name (e.g. rt-help) or or queue:"queue name" and click ‘Search’

   • Owner: type name of a privileged user and click ‘Search’ to see open/new/stalled tickets owned by that user

   • Content search: enter fulltext:word (e.g. fulltext:printer) and click ‘Search’

     • fulltext searches cannot be combined with subject search or other text searches

     • fulltext searches can be combined with a status, queues (e.g. fulltext:printer open)

2. Combo searches:

   • testing jsmith – will result in tickets with ‘testing’ in subject that are owned by jsmith

   • rt-help new – will result in tickets in the ‘rt-help’ queue that have a status of new

   • fulltext:network open – will result in open tickets that have ‘network’ in the ticket content somewhere

New Search (a.k.a. Query Builder)

1. To build your own query choose Search/Tickets/New Search

2. Choose the relevant criteria:

   • Note about searching on Status:

     • If you need to choose a Status, choose the status you are searching for in the default section of the drop-down list

     • If you choose the queue you want to search first (beside Queue - is - ) and click Add these terms, then only the default statuses will be listed beside the Status option

3. Click Add these terms and search to see the results of your search

Tips to simplify searching

1. From your Home screen (a.k.a RT at a glance), click on the queue you want to search first (in the Quick Search section on the right side of your screen)

2. Then click the Edit Search link at the top of the page

3. You will then be in the Query Builder, and the search will be started for you:

   1. A queue will be chosen

   2. Statuses will be set to new or open or stalled

   3. You can then add additional criteria and click Add these terms to see the complete set of search criteria in the Current Search section of the page

4. Finally, click Add these terms and search, to see the results of your search

Open

Advanced searches and searching custom fields

1. Click on Search/Tickets/New Search. Below is the default search screen. Without a queue specified, only default criteria fields are shown:
   
   

   Open

   

    

2. Select a queue, and click Add these terms. The additional custom fields for that specific queue are added to the form:

Here is a close up the additional custom fields (for the queue chosen):

New fields can be added to the search in the same way as the default criteria options.

1. Click Add these terms and view the search criteria on the top right under Current search

2. You can click the Advanced link at the top right and directly edit the code for your search

3. Once you are happy with your search criteria, click Add these terms and search to view the results of your search

Search Results: Sort Order and Columns (fields)

The results of the search can be adjusted by modifying the options at the bottom of the search builder page.

Saving a search

Once you have created a search, you can save it for future use.

1. If you are viewing the search results, click on the Edit Search link at the top to return to the Query Builder screen

2. Review the search criteria in the Current search box at the top right

3. Under Saved searches, beside Description:, enter a name for your saved search

4. Beside Privacy, you can choose to save the search just for yourself (My saved searches) or for an RT group you belong to (Groupname's saved searches)

5. Click the Save  button to save the search

Loading a saved search

1. Search/Tickets/New Search

2. Under Saved searches, beside Load saved search:, choose the search from the drop-down list

3. Click Load

4. Click Add these terms and Search

Searching articles

The Articles Knowledge Base feature is being piloted. If you are interested in this, please submit a ticket to the Request System.

1. To search for an article, click the Articles menu

2. From this page you can search all classes using the search box on the right, or click on a class to open and search within that class

• The search results page contains three areas: Search results, Advanced search, and Saved searches. The search results table lists articles that match the specified criteria.

• The Advanced search sections contains additional filters and options to refine the results

• The Advanced search also allows for date based searches and searches based on ticket numbers and topics

• The last section is Saved searches. Frequently used searches can be saved and loaded from this area

• Saved article searches can be added to the RT home ('RT at a glance') or a custom dashboard

How to search for an article while responding to a Ticket

1. To search for an article when replying or commenting on a ticket, enter the search times in the Search for Articles matching input box shown below and hit enter. Matching articles will be displayed above the content area (in pink)
   
   

    

2. Click on Go beside the article title to add the content of the article to the response window.
   
   
   

   
   
   If you know the article number, you can type the number into the field labelled Include Article. You can also select an article from the drop-down list of articles. The contents of the article will be added to the Reply or Content area:
   
   
   

    

3. Edit the Reply or Content area as needed

Attaching files

To attach a file, click the Browse button beside the Attach: text box in the top section and navigate to the desired file. To attach an additional file, click Add More Files and click Browse again.

Click on the Update Ticket button (you may have to scroll down to see this button).

Linking a ticket

If there is a dependency between tickets they can be linked. You can define dependencies between tickets by making a ticket (e.g. ticket #100111) dependent on another ticket (e.g. ticket #100112):

1. Open the ticket (e.g. ticket #100111) and click on the Links link

2. Type in the ticket number this request should depend on (e.g. ticket #100112)

3. Click Save Changes

Now ticket #100112 will have to be resolved before ticket #100111 can be resolved.

Merging a ticket

1. Click on the Links button

2. Under the Merge tab type in the ticket number that you wish to merge into

3. Click Save Changes

Recurring tickets

To create a repeating ticket, use the 'Recurrence' option available when using the 'New ticket in' form for Issue Solvers. The recurrence option is not available through the forms in the Self Service area. 

1. To set up a repeating ticket, click 'New ticket in'

2. Then click the Enable Recurrence check box and fill out the schedule for the new tickets

• New tickets are created when you initially save the recurrence

• The new tickets are populated with the subject and initial content of the original ticket

Concurrent active tickets

The Concurrent active tickets number determines how many tickets can be in active status for a recurrence at any time. A value of 1 means one ticket at a time can be active. New tickets will not be created until the current active ticket is resolved or set to some other inactive status.

Ticket lead time (days)

The ticket lead time determines how far in advance of a ticket's Due date you want the ticket to be created. For example, if you create a weekly recurrence scheduled on Mondays and set the lead time to 7 days, each Monday a ticket will be created with the Starts date set to that Monday and Due date of the following Monday.

Change recurrence

If you need to change the recurrence, make the changes on the original ticket. To help you find this initial ticket, which may have been resolved long ago, a custom field is created on each ticket in the recurrence with a link called 'Original Ticket'.

1. Find the original ticket that created the recurrence

   1. It will be in the 'Original Ticket' custom field​

   2. Or type the original ticket number, if known, in the search box at the top right of the window
      
      

       

2. Scroll down in the original ticket and click on the Recurrence tab directly as it is a link to the edit recurrence form:
    

3. Make the changes to the Recurrence:
   
   

4. Click Save Changes

Range of recurrence – start date

You can set a Start date for a new recurrence. If you don't, it defaults to the day you create the recurrence.

Canceling recurrences

Find the original ticket:

1. Find the original ticket that created the recurrence (it will be in the 'Original Ticket' custom field)

2. Go to the original ticket in the recurrence and type the original ticket number in the search box at the top right of the window

3. Scroll down in the original ticket and click on the Recurrence tab: 

To cancel:

1. Uncheck the Enable Recurrence check box, or

2. Set ending conditions on the recurrence with either a set number of recurrences or an end date

Dashboards

Dashboards allow you to compile multiple custom saved searches that you have created.

1. Under the Home menu choose New Dashboard

2. Beside the Name field type in a name for the dashboard

   1. From the Privacy menu choose My Dashboards to save the dashboard for yourself. To save this dashboard for an RT group you belong to, choose that group from the Privacy menu instead

3. Click the Create button

4. Click the Content link from the top of the screen

5. Choose saved searches from the Body menu and click on the arrow icon to add them to your dashboard. Repeat this under Sidebar for any additional items you would like to appear in the sidebar of your dashboard (if any)

To email your dashboard to yourself or others

1. Click Subscription from the toolbar

2. Beside Frequency, choose the best option for how often the dashboard will be emailed to you/others

3. Beside Hour, choose the time that it should be mailed

4. Beside Rows, choose the number of rows you want displayed in the email from the search(es).

5. Beside Recipient, leave it blank if it should be mailed to you; if it should be mailed to someone else, type their email address in. You can send subscriptions to multiple recipients by separating the email addresses with commas (ie: ltomalty@uwaterloo.ca, javoskam@uwaterloo.ca)

6. Click Subscribe to save your subscription

To add the dashboard to your Home menu

1. Choose Home then Update This Menu to see the new dashboards in the Home menu

2. Click on the dashboard in the left box and click on the arrow to move it to your Home menu

3. You will then be able to view the contents of the dashboard by choosing it from your Home menu

Preferences/settings

1. Click Logged in as [username], Settings, then Preferences

2. In the General section, you can determine your Default queue by selecting it from the drop-down menu

3. In the Locale section, you can modify the Date format

4. In the Mail section: Email Delivery you can control how you get mail from RT (e.g. one email per transaction/reply/comment (Individual messages) or Daily digests, etc.)

5. In the Ticket Display section, you can set Notify me of unread messages (when you open a ticket)

Ticket history - display order

1. In the Ticket Display section you can set Show oldest history first -ticket history ordering (default is set to show the newest history)

Turn on WYSIWYG editor

1. From the menu choose Logged in as yourusername/Settings/Preferences

2. Under the Ticket composition section, beside WYSIWYG message composer select Yes

3. Click the Save Change button at the bottom of the screen

4. This tool is useful for formatting text when replying or commenting; click on the small arrow/triangle at the top of the edit window to display/hide the edit button

Watching a queue

A Watcher is someone who is interested in a ticket. You'll find this option under the People tab when looking at a ticket. A watcher of a ticket normally gets email copies of all the replies to the ticket.

There are two types of watchers:

• Requestor: the person or people who asked for something to get done; the ticket's reason for being

• Cc: someone who should get copies of any replies that go to the requestor e.g. the requestor's boss

  • This person will see the email but doesn't necessarily have the right to work on the ticket

To add a new watcher

1. Choose the type and the email address

See this Knowledge Base article for more information:  Watching Request Tracker (RT) tickets that belong to someone else  

Custom fields

Custom fields can be set up for individual queues. They will appear in each of your Tickets' Basics section and will allow you to categorize and classify tickets in your queue.

You can also use this area to set Keywords, such as Closure. To set up keywords for your queue, send a request to helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca.

Example: Closure keyword

Use the Closure keyword after a request you own is complete:

1. Open the ticket and click on the Custom Fields link

2. Beside Closure, choose Completed (you may have to scroll up to see this)

3. Click on the Save Changes button

Sending an email request directly into a queue

Send an email to rt-queuename@rt.uwaterloo.ca to put a request directly into a queue.

Using a mobile device to access RT

It is possible to access RT from your mobile device. What RT functions you will be able to use on your mobile device can vary depending on the device browser. 

Using the mobile version of RT

1. Log in to Request Tracker on your mobile device

2. When you first access RT from your mobile device it will open the limited mobile version

3. Simply log in and search for the ticket you are interested in

4. Click on Home to go to the home screen

5. Within a ticket click on History to see all details

Using the full version of RT on your mobile device

1. Log in to Request Tracker on your mobile device

2. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and choose Not using a mobile browser?

3. Use RT as you normally would

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