OnTime FAQ

Errors when running details report

Sean McHugh — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:47:14 GMT

Q: When I run one of the detail reports I sometimes get an error, what's causing this and is there work-around?

A: OnTime stores all of it's large text fields as HTML and our reporting engine then parses that HTML in order format things correctly. It's uncommon but there can sometimes be characters in your large text fields that may interpreted by the reporting engine as part of that HTML or even code. The two errors that you may see in 9.1.2 are "Index was outside the bounds of the array." and "RTF parse errorecHexCharError". Our developers are aware of these and will be addressing this in a future release but in the interim there is a workaround.

Since we'll be modifying a report you'll need to make a copy of the built-in report from the Reports Manager and you'll then edit that copy.

In the reports designer make note of the sections that hold RichTextBoxes and then click on the c# editor.

Find the section of code that deals with the sections we found in the designer and comment out the line

    ((RichTextBox)rpt.Sections["GroupFooter4"].Controls["descriptionRichTextBox"]).Text = rptHelper.HtmlToText(_description);

Now input the new code that escapes out of the strings that cause you errors

     string strReturn;
     strReturn = rptHelper.HtmlToText(_description).Replace("'\\'","' \\ '");
     strReturn = rptHelper.HtmlToText(_description).Replace("\\0","\\ 0");
     strReturn = rptHelper.HtmlToText(_description).Replace("\\1","\\ 1");
     strReturn = rptHelper.HtmlToText(_description).Replace("\\2","\\ 2");
     strReturn = rptHelper.HtmlToText(_description).Replace("\\3","\\ 3");
     strReturn = rptHelper.HtmlToText(_description).Replace("\\4","\\ 4");
     strReturn = rptHelper.HtmlToText(_description).Replace("\\5","\\ 5");
     strReturn = rptHelper.HtmlToText(_description).Replace("\\6","\\ 6");
     strReturn = rptHelper.HtmlToText(_description).Replace("\\7","\\ 7");
     strReturn = rptHelper.HtmlToText(_description).Replace("\\8","\\ 8");
     strReturn = rptHelper.HtmlToText(_description).Replace("\\9","\\ 9");
     ((RichTextBox)rpt.Sections["GroupFooter4"].Controls["descriptionRichTextBox"]).Text = strReturn;
It should look like this when you're done:

Repeat for your other large text fields in your report and save this and re-run your report just to make sure everything goes smoothly and you're good to go.

Importing From FogBugz into OnTime

Sean McHugh — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:12:58 GMT

Q: I'm performing a migration from FogBugz to OnTime and was wondering if there were any scripts available for this.

A: Axosoft hasn't developed any scripts for this purpose but a member of our community did and he was kind enough to share this with us. These scripts are not Axosoft's and we don't support them but if you find them useful, feel free to stop by THIS thread and thank Brian for his trouble.

You can find the scripts HERE and you'll find the instructions that Brian provided below

There are 4 SQL scripts, one for each related area in OnTime that you would potentially run to pull data from FogBugz (Bugs,Features,Support,Tasks.) The queries are all fairly similar and change only to reflect area/category of data you want to pull. The first insert is used to narrow down query results by category (Bug=1, Feature=2, Inquiry=3) and we also used it to include or filter out specific releases (FixFor). The release filtering can be removed if not needed. The select statement on the lower half is actually selecting the data, mapping FogBugz values to valid OnTime values, with the resulting data being copied/exported into Excel using the Template.xlt file or a CSV file you create too match your query results. The following fields in that select statement you will want to customize to your existing FogBugz environment and mapping how you want them to show up in OnTime:

ixProject (project ID, we used the Project field to track our software products/projects)

ixPriority (mapped to OnTime priorities accordingly)

ixStatus (Status used for workflow routing in FogBugz but we did not map these directly to OnTime workflow items, used to determine OT status)

(the OnTime Status could also be determined/mapped by using the open/closed/resolved date fields if desired)

ixFixFor (release ID, we used the FixFor field to track the releases of our products/projects)

You will need to tweak the scripts to fit your needs. Not a lot of documentation in the scripts but hopefully this helps. One thing I will note.. When the description field is imported it loses all of the formatting, making it a pain to read but the data is at least there (o.output). We simply reformatted the more recent items as we accessed them in OnTime.

Running Internet Explorer 8 with OnTime Web and Portal 9.1.0 through 9.1.2

Sean McHugh — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:52:20 GMT

Q: I'm using OnTime Web or the Customer Portal and I've noticed a small bug in the interface, is there any way around that?

A: If you've found something that you think might be a bug, feel free to email us in support at Support@Axosoft.com and we'll be sure to take a look at it, or you can always submit a bug in OnTime through our Customer Portal HERE.

Small bugs do pop up in any application's interface depending on the browser you are using. For Internet Explorer 8 you can workaround almost all of these by clicking on the Compatibility Mode option next to the address bar.

Setting up the OnTime iPhone application

Tom Harder — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:21:20 GMT

Q. How do I setup the new OnTime iPhone application to work with my existing OnTime database?

A: For the iPhone client to function, it will require the URL path to your working installation for OnTime Web. There is no “OnTime iPhone Server” piece to install--OnTime Web is the installation that needs to be properly operating for the OnTime iPhone piece to work. The user logging into the client must also have an OnTime iPhone license activated on his/her user account.

To prepare your OnTime database for use with the OnTime iPhone client, there are several settings you should be aware of:

iPhone Access for Users

Individual users can be given access to the iPhone client. This can be done by going to “Tools>Manage Users” and editing a particular user. On the “Access Type” tab for that user, there is an option called “Can use the iPhone client”. This checkbox must be selected in order for that user to log in using the iPhone client. All users may be given/removed access to the OnTime iPhone client by selecting the “Modify user’s iPhone client access settings” button on the toolbar of the “Manage Users” window.

Note that the OnTime iPhone user access option is always enabled for the Administrator account. In any version of OnTime, the “admin” account can be used for OnTime iPhone access, even when an iPhone license has not been purchased for a database (this is a free license of the OnTime iPhone client for testing and experimentation).

iPhone server will not work with Windows Authentication

If your OnTime team is currently using Windows Authentication to login to OnTime Web, the iPhone client will not be usable. Unless you're willing to switch your team and your OnTime Web over to using the standard OnTime Authentication, we recommend not trying to use the iPhone client at this time.

We suggest logging into our Customer Portal and either creating a new Feature Request, or voting on an existing request, requesting this functionality to be considered in future versions of the iPhone client.

iPhone Client Options

There are a few options available through “Tools>System Options>iPhone Client Options” that control some of the iPhone functionality.

The first option, “Enable iPhone client access” controls whether the OnTime iPhone clients will be allowed to work with this database at all. If you do not want the iPhone app to work with your database, deselect this check box.

The following options are intended for security purposes of the OnTime iPhone client. If too many failed logins occur, the OnTime database can lock out connections to particular IP addresses. The options are:

How many minutes to lock out an IP address
How many failed attempts must occur for a lock to activate
Over how many minutes must the failed attempts occur to initiate a lock

SSL Being Required

Axosoft recommends that your web server uses an SSL certificate of your choosing to secure communications with the iPhone client. However, some companies may choose not to use the SSL certificate, or they may want to test the iPhone application before a certificate is ready. Thus, you may disable the iPhone’s requirement that an SSL certificate must be applied. This can be performed by editing the OnTime Web server’s web.config file and adjusting the “RequireIPhoneSSL” property (under the "appSettings" section) to “false” (this value is true by default).

iPhone Client Configuration

First, you can click here to launch iTunes and download the iPhone client.

Once you've installed and launched the OnTime iPhone app, you'll see the following form which will need to be filled out before you can connect to your database:

Account Name: This is simply a label that you can create to distinguish this particular OnTime connection from any others you have configured in the OnTime iPhone application. This label is arbitrary and has no effect on your connection.

URL: This is where you'll put the URL to your working OnTime Web installation. Make sure this URL is precisely the same as the one you use to access your OnTime Web account.

Username: This is where you'll put your OnTime User account username.

Password: This is where you'll put your OnTime User account password.

IIS 7: Blank UI for OnTime Web after upgrade to 9.1

Sean McHugh — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:58:21 GMT

Q: I just upgraded to OnTime 9.1 and OnTime Web is loading with the treeview, main grid, item details and mini dashboard all blank, additionally I don’t see any menu options. How do I fix this?

A: OnTime uses a third party component called component arts for most of these features and for IIS 7.0 web servers running OnTime 9.1 under an Application Pool using classic pipeline management this component will not load. You can resolve this by either configuring OnTime to use an existing Application Pool with integrated pipeline management or you can change the Application Pool that you are currently using over to integrated pipeline management.

To switch to a another Application Pool:

1) Launch Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. Select you OnTime website or virtual directory and choose the “Advanced Settings” option on the right hand side.

2) Under “Advanced Settings” click on the name of the current Application Pool to open the “Select Application Pool dialog, use the picklist here to choose an Application Pool that uses Integrated Pipeline mode.

To switch the pipeline mode of an existing Application Pool:

1) Launch Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. Select Application Pools and double-click on application pool you would like to change.

2) Change Managed pipeline mode to Integrated and make certain that “Start application pool immediately" is still checked and click on OK.

Upgrading OnTime to a Newer Version

Sean McHugh — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:45:05 GMT

Q: How do I upgrade OnTime to the latest version?

A: Upgrading OnTime to a newer version is actually a very simple task. Conceptually, it simply involves upgrading your OnTime SQL database to the new version and then updating all components that communicate with the database to the same new version. From a practical standpoint it's not much more complicated but we'll lay out some general guidelines as well as touch on some frequently asked questions.

Upgrading the database

Download the new OnTime Windows Client from Axosoft.com
Backup your database
Install the new OnTime Windows Client and connect it to the database you would like to upgrade
Once connected the Windows Client will inform you that the database is of an older version than the client and will prompt you to upgrade. After clicking yes, OnTime will walk you through an upgrade wizard, follow all steps laid out in the wizard and enter the "Admin" username and password when prompted.
If prompted for activation, click Reactivate Database (make certain that this machine has an active internet connection, if this is not possible, email Support@Axosoft.com with your key requesting XML to manually activate your database).

Upgrading the OnTime Clients

Once the database is upgraded you'll need to uninstall the existing clients and reinstall the newer clients that work with the new database. This includes:

All OnTime Windows instances
OnTime Web
OnTime VS.net plugins
Customer Portal
OnTime Services
OnTime Web Services (SDK)

The new installer for all of these are available individually and in the OnTime Professional Suite located on the Axosoft.com downloads page HERE.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does it matter what order I upgrade the OnTime Clients?
A: No, you can upgrade the clients in any order you like.

Q: How can I tell if I'm eligible for upgrade?
A: If you purchased maintenance on your key and it is still active, you may upgrade without any further cost. For more information on this contact Sales@Axosoft.com.

Q: Do I have to upgrade the database using the Windows Client?
A: No, you can upgrade the database using the Web Configuration Utility for OnTime Web as well, simply load the Configuration Utility, click Manage Database and continue with the instructions above.

Q: Are there any podcasts on upgrading?
A: Check out these Fear the Bug podcasts that we've devoted to the subject.

Tips for Upgrading to OnTime 2009

Tips for Upgrading to OnTime 2008

Installation Video Tutorial (Jump to 2 minute section on upgrading)

OnTime Silent Installation

Burndown Estimated Completion Date Says Never

Sean McHugh — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:57:47 GMT

Q: My burndown always says that the estimated completion date is never, did I set something up wrong?

A: Whenever OnTime's Burndown chart is unable to calculate a downward trend from your releases start date it will tell you that the estimated completion date is never.

The important part thing to remember here is that the burndown will calculate the downward trend from the start date of the release. This means that if you start a release today but don't add any defects with remaining estimates on the same day, your burndown will never be able to estimate a downward trend. You can see here in this screenshot that I've started my release on 4/9/2009 but haven't added any work until 4/12/2009.

I can solve this pretty easily by simply editing the release to start on the day when I added the work, in this case I'll change the start date to 4/12/2009

To edit the release start date, I'll highlight my release and clicking on edit, from there I'll simply change the start date.

Finding the releases tab

Sean McHugh — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:38:38 GMT

Q: My users can't find the releases tab, where do I give them access to this?

A: There are two reasons why your users may not see the releases tab in the treeview pane, they may not have access, or they may simply not have it turned on in their view.

To make certain that our users have access to the releases tab, we'll edit their security role by going to Tools>Manage>Security Roles and choosing their role. From here we'll scroll all the way down and look under Global Privileges>Administration>Access Releases Tree.

Once we're certain that this user has privileges to the Releases Tree, we'll have them turn on the tab in their Treeview pane in OnTime

Which OnTime client to deploy

Sean McHugh — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:27:02 GMT

Q: I'm planning my deployment of OnTime and I'm trying to decide between the Windows and Web Clients for my end users. What are the major differences, what should I consider? Where does the OnTime Remote Server play into all of this?

A: Both the Windows and the Web Client have the same core functionality and will allow users to perform the same tasks (with only a few small exceptions, more on that later), but there are things to consider when deciding which client you should use.

The OnTime Windows Client:
The Windows Client offers the most options to OnTime users. Its interface is very simple and easy to use, it runs fast on your PC and you won't need to worry about setting up and maintaining a web server for it. Keep in mind however that it was designed to access your SQL database in a LAN environment. If you have a distributed team located in different parts of the country or even different parts of the world, you may notice that pulling SQL data from Florida to your desktop in California over VPN is not quite as quick as you'd like it to be. You'll also want to take into account administration for a large user base. If you have a couple hundred machines to install OnTime to, this can be a major consideration, a good place to start would be THIS Faq post and THIS podcast, but you could also look at deploying the OnTime Web Client.

The OnTime Web Client:
The Web Client has almost as many features as OnTime Windows and runs in a browser. The interface is very similar to the Windows Client, it runs fast on most modern browsers and is ideal for situations where bandwidth from the server to the end-user is at a premium. We usually recommend installing OnTime to a webserver on the same gigabit LAN as the SQL server but this is not required. Since the end user doesn't need a direct connection to the SQL server, the question of SQL security never comes up. OnTime Web is also much easier to distribute to large teams since you only need to install it to one Web Server rather than multiple workstations. The place where OnTime Web truly shines however is using it for distributed teams as OnTime Web uses much less bandwidth between the Server environment and the End User environment than the Windows Client.

Differences between the two:
There are a few differences between the two clients in terms of what's available. OnTime Web Users will not be able to use the Source Control Management plugins and will also be unable to create custom reports.

The Remote Server:
So let's say you really like the Windows Client but you've been relocated out of state and your IT department doesn't like the thought of allowing the SQL server to be exposed to the internet. You can use VPN, but you may not be a fan of the performance you'll see out of that as your still using a SQL connection designed for a LAN environment. In this situation we recommend the Remote Server. The Remote Server is a web interface that OnTime Windows can use to relay data to and from the SQL server without actually connecting to the SQL server itself. The Remote Server will compress the data before transport making a more efficient use of your bandwidth.The Remote Server is handy for enterprise environments where the SQL server cannot be accessed by the end-user's PC at all.One thing to keep in mind is that the Remote Server will not allow you to create custom reports as the report designer requires a separate SQL connection of its own, you'll also want to remember that even though the Remote Server compresses data before sending it to the client, the Web Client is still most effective when bandwidth to the end user is a concern.

OnTime tools that require the Administrator security role

Sean McHugh — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:17:30 GMT

Q: I created a security role that has every privilege but I still can't perform some tasks unless logged in with the 'Administrator' security role. Is there a comprehensive list of tasks I'll need this security role for?

A: While most tasks that can be performed in OnTime are configurable under a security role, there a few that are tied directly to the 'Administrator' role. These are:
Managing Security Roles - This is used for adding or removing privileges from a security role, applying security roles is tied to the "Edit User" privelege that you can assign to other roles. This option is located under Tools>Manage>Security Roles

The Lock Manager - This is used for clearing item locks. This tool is located under Help>Lock Manager
The Exception Viewer - This is for viewing any exceptions that might occur within OnTime. This tool is located under Help>Exception Viewer
The OnTime Metrics tool - This is used for viewing database information about OnTime and performing some database maintenance. For a full rundown of the Metrics tool, check out THIS podcast. This tool is located under Help>OnTime Metrics.
On a trial database, the Administrator security role will also have the option to convert OnTime to Express licensing for testing purposes. If you already have a purchased key, this option is not available.

SQL Server Authentication Vs Integrated Windows Authentication for SQL

Sean McHugh — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:56:01 GMT

Q: OnTime allows me to use two methods to authenticate to its SQL backend, Windows Integrated Authentication or SQL Server Authentication. Which does OnTime recommend?

A: Before we talk about which option we recommend and why, let's talk about what kind of access we'll need. OnTime requires data_reader and data_writer access to the OnTime database at a minimum for a client to work, dbo access if the end user will be creating custom fields or custom reports, and various other privileges if the end-user will be using OnTime for backing up the database, restoring it to a previous version, creating the database in the first place or any of several database administration tasks that can be done through OnTime.

That being said, while we have no official recommendation, we typically try to lean folks to using a a single named SQL user rather than Integrated Authentication as most administrators would not want even their lowest level OnTime user to have data_reader and data_writer access to the OnTime database.

A good example of this would be an OnTime user using Integrated SQL authentication may be able to download SQL management studio or some other application to connect to the SQL database itself. This user would be able to authenticate (using his Integrated Authentication) to the database and manipulate data directly.

Instead we usually recommend using a named SQL user, this way when OnTime is setup, an authorized user (such as the company's IT guy) can install OnTime, set up the database and connect to OnTime. Once that original connection is made, OnTime will store that info encrypted in the OnTime.Config file stored in the user's documents folder (usually "C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Local Settings\Application Data\Axosoft\OnTime Windows\9.0"). With the connection info stored in the OnTime.Config file the user has no way of learning the password to the SQL database. Additionally, if we need to distribute OnTime to a wide user base you can configure one OnTime client to the database, and then distribute the OnTime.Config file to our users.

Another option would be to use the OnTime Remote server. For more info on the remote server check out THIS podcast.

It should also be noted that some OnTime clients will require named user authentication to SQL, such as the OnTime services, the OnTime Web Client, Customer Portal, and the OnTime SDK. This is because these application typically tend to run under a system identity. A good example would be OnTime Web, which typically runs in an un-modified app-pool will identify itself as Network Service, you'll usually want to avoid giving system identities integrated access to SQL.

To conclude, we generally recommend using SQL Server Authentication for OnTime's database connection. Keep in mind that this is only a recommendation however, we provide the option so that you can use whichever method works best for your organization.
[Please visit the site to access the poll]

OnTime Web redirecting to Registration.aspx

Sean McHugh — Fri, 22 May 2009 21:10:41 GMT

Q: I just installed OnTime Web Edition, but whenever I browse there I'm redirected to Registration.aspx, am I missing a setting?

A: OnTime will redirect you to Registration.Aspx for one of two reasons.

OnTime cannot find the OnTime.Config file in the web directory
OnTime cannot connect to it's SQL database

To resolve this we'll open up the OnTime Web Configuration Utility on the Web Server, located under Start Menu>All Programs>Axosoft>OnTime 2009>OnTime Web Configuration>OnTime 2009 Web Configuration.

From here we'll make certain that OnTime is looking in the right location for it's OnTime.Config file, for OnTime Web this should be the actual file path of the website itself. This would most commonly be "c:\inetpub\wwwroot\\OnTime2009Web" for a default installation. Once we're certain that we're pointing to the right location for the OnTime.config file, we'll click on Load Settings.

The next thing we'll want to do is make certain that OnTime Web has the correct credentials to connect to it's SQL database. To do this, we'll click on Manage Database (Note: you'll need to click "Load Settings" before this button will be available) From here you'll provide the location of the SQL Server, the credentials you'll be providing to the SQL Server, and the actual name of the database (note: you can create a new OnTime database from here as well, however I usually recommend doing that through the OnTime Windows Client). Once all the information is provided and we've tested the connection, we'll click on "Open Database" and then "Save Settings" in the Web Configuration Utility.

Once those two steps are complete, reset IIS, clear your cache and browse to OnTime Web again.

If you have any questions over anything covered above, feel free to email Axosoft Support at Support@Axosoft.com.

The OnTime Lock Manager

Sean McHugh — Fri, 22 May 2009 21:01:31 GMT

Q: I'm attempting to edit an item in OnTime but I'm receiving a message stating that the item is locked by another user, is there any way that I can clear that lock?

A: When a user edits an item in OnTime, the item is locked until that user is finished with his/her edit. While these locks generally clear themselves when the edit dialog is closed and will eventually time out if for some reason it didn't, as a user with the administrator security role, we can clear these locks manually. To do this we'll go to Help>Lock Manager

From the lock manager we can view all the active locks within OnTime and kill any lock simply by highlighting it and clicking the red X in the top left corner.

Enter key is double spacing/new paragraph in large text fields

Sean McHugh — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:53:27 GMT

Q: When I'm editing a large text field and I hit the enter key, OnTime skips two lines. Is there any way to change this?

A: By Default, OnTime uses HTML to store rich text and the html it uses for a new line (from the [Enter] key) is a paragraph tag <p/>. We can change this behavior for the enter key under Tools>System Options.

By changing this setting from <p/> to <br/> we'll get a simple line break instead of a new paragraph. If you don't want to change this setting but still need a new line instead of a new paragraph, you can simply hold down the shift-key and hit enter.

The OnTime Email Queue

Sean McHugh — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:40:05 GMT

Q: What is the Email Queue? Do I need to use it?

A: OnTime Professional users can use the OnTime Email Queue which enables OnTime to send all emails from a central location. This not only enables OnTime to use alerts, but it can also make life much simpler for your network admin.

Outgoing Email without the Email Queue.
If the Email Queue is not enabled in OnTime (under Tools>Manage>Email Notifications>Use Email Queue) then your OnTime client will always connect to the SMTP server to send any outgoing emails. This can become a problem if you have a large number of OnTime Windows clients as each client will establish it's own connection to the SMTP server and can quickly overrun it.

Outgoing Email with the Email Queue.
When the Email Queue is enabled, email will be stored in a special table in the OnTime database, the OnTime EmailQueue Service will scan this table and send any emails it finds to the SMTP server, this gives us several distinct advantages:

Email can be attempted multiple times. If the SMTP server is being restarted or is otherwise unavailable the email queue can attempt to send multiple times, the number of attempts can be set under Tools>Manage>Email Notifications>Maximum number of attempts to send an email. If all attempts fail, OnTime will store the email until the OnTime administrator resets the attempt count to resend it or deletes it from the email queue.

Single connection between the SMTP server and OnTime. Since all outgoing email will be going through the email queue, you'll be able to configure your firewalls to limit access to the SMTP server.

Sending Alert Emails. For a full run-down on the difference between alerts and notifications, check out THIS podcast, but for our purposes here, know that alerts allow us to create automatic emails based on more advanced logic than standard notifications. Sending alert emails will require two services however, the first one is the OnTime Alert Service, installed at the same time as the Email Queue Service. The Alert Service scans the database looking for conditions that trigger alerts, it then creates emails and places them in the Email Queue. Once the emails are in the Queue, the Email Queue Service will need to be running in order to forward them along to the SMTP server.

Administrating the OnTime Email Queue
You can check the OnTime Email Queue for failed email by using the OnTime Metrics tool. You can also turn off the Email Queue service and simply use this function to test email without actually sending email (this is handy for test environments).

In the OnTime Windows, logged in with the Administrator Security Role, click on Help>OnTime Metrics. Enter in your SQL credentials and load the OnTime Metrics Tool.

Click on Email Queue, from here you can multi-select emails and reset the attempt count to resend or simply delete them if you'd rather they not be sent.

You can also clear the entire Email Queue at once by going to Cleanup from the Metrics tool and choosing Email Queue, this will remove all emails that have reached the max number of send attempts.

SQL log file growth affecting OnTime performance

Sean McHugh — Fri, 15 May 2009 00:10:55 GMT

Q: OnTime is running slow, my server specs are above the recommend specs and I've watched all of the Fear The Bug Podcasts on performance located HERE, HERE and HERE, is there anything else that I should look at?

A: In some instances where the database is not managed properly the log file can grow so large that it affects the performance of OnTime, in some extreme cases we've even seen this cause timeouts. This can be resolved by simply shrinking the Log File in SQL. While this is an operation normally performed by your Database Administrator and is usually even scripted to be performed automatically, we do offer an option for shrinking the log file through the OnTime Metrics Tool.

In the OnTime Windows, logged in with the Administrator Security Role, click on Help>OnTime Metrics. Enter in your SQL credentials and load the OnTime Metrics Tool.
Click on the Cleanup Menu>SQL>Shrink Log File.

Consult your Database Administrator before shrinking the log file as SQL Administration is a complex subject and we've just scratched the surface here.

Here's a link that covers the subject a little bit more in-depth: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/873235

Configuring the Web.Config file for the OnTimeSDK (WebServices)

Sean McHugh — Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:10 GMT

Q: I'm just getting started with the OnTime SDK but none of my code seems to work. Did I miss something when installing the SDK?

A: Once the OnTime SDK is installed to your webserver you'll need to configure it. If we open up the Web.Config file in SDK's filepath we'll find a tag called appSettings, you'll need to configure some settings in here before we can start writing code. The section in your Web.Config file should look something like this.

The first thing we'll need to set up here will be the connection string that the SDK will use to talk to the OnTime database. This should be old hat for most developers but a good example of this string would be:
"server=myserver\sqlexpress;database=OnTimeDB;uid=sa;pwd=SuperPwd;"

The second thing we'll work with is the SecurityToken, this is a GUID that the SDK will use for security so that nobody else builds code to interact with the OnTime SDK. For info on generating a GUID check out THIS MSDN entry.

Once we put that GUID in the Web.Config, we can use it in our code to let the SDK know that we have rights to call this webservice. In the screenshot below I'm simply adding a project via the SDK using that GUID.

The last bit that we'll configure is for the Web Services user, any changes made by the SDK will show up as the user defined here, by default this is set to User ID 1 which is the Admin user.

MicroSoft Visual SourceSafe

Sean McHugh — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:14:06 GMT

Q: I'm trying to configure the Microsoft Visual Sourcesafe plugin for OnTime, do you have any specific instructions for this?

A: You betcha! Here's what you'll need.

Visual SourceSafe Checklist:

A working Vault server
OnTime installed client-side
The command-line SourceSafe client for windows
The GUI SourceSafe client for windows
An active connection between the SourceSafe Database and your SourceSafe Client
A local folder that you want to be your working directory

Your OnTime Administrator is going to need to change a couple things.
1) Enable your SCM Files under Tools>System Options>Details Tab Settings.
2) Ensure that your users have the appropriate privileges to use SCM for each Item Type. *Note, SCM is not available for incidents*

Here the steps you'll need to follow
1) Open up the SourceSafe Visual Client, click on file>Set Working Folder, Choose an appropriate working folder. Also be certain to checkin and checkout the SourceSafe folder you are working with at least once through SourceSafe before continuing.
2) From OnTime highlight a project in OnTime and then click on the Projects menu, then go to Manage Source Control.
3) Fill out all fields under SourceSafe Connection Information.
    a. SourceSafe Command-Line Client: The location of ss.exe
    b. User Name: Your SourceSafe Username
    c. Password: Your SourceSafe Password
    d. SourceSafe GUI Client: The location of ssexp.exe
    e. Location of srcsafe.ini: The location of your SourceSafe Database
    f. Timeout = Default is 15 seconds which should be good unless you have network issues or a huge repository, then you can increase this.
    g. Enable Logging = You'll usually turn this on, it's helpful if you run into problems. The log is kept in the same location as your OnTime.config.
4) Set your Default Folder to a Project folder and not the Root of the Database.

One last thing
SCM settings work at the project level and inherit downward, this is especially helpful if you have a giant repository, you can set up SCM settings for one project to only use one SourceSafe Project per OnTime Project, this way you are not loading your entire repository every time you need to check in a file.

Storing Attachments in the database or Storing the path.

Sean McHugh — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:26:54 GMT

Q. I've seen that there are two methods for storing attachments in OnTime, which one should I use?

A. By Default your users can choose their own storage type when creating attachments, but as the OnTime Administrator you can choose to disable one type or the other. The setting for this is located under Tools>System Options>Attachments. There are Pros and Cons to consider when deciding whether to store an attachment in the OnTime database or simply store the path of the file.

Storing Files in the OnTime database. When you attach a file to an item or project in OnTime, you can store the file directly in the OnTime database a couple advantages to this might be...

Easier access to files - No need to grant access to file shares to individual users or groups, if the user has rights to view the attachments in OnTime they can get to the files.
Easier backup - Files are backed up when the OnTime database is backed up.

A couple things to keep in mind...

When you are editing an item that's stored in the database, you'll need to save it locally and then re-upload the file to OnTime.
If you'll be storing especially large files in OnTime such as uncompressed photoshop images or video files, this can cause your OnTime database to balloon in size and can affect performance.

You can also store a file location in OnTime, a couple advantages to this approach are.

More effective for large files - Keeps your database trim and there is no need to upload large files.
No need to save the file locally before uploading to OnTime.
Another layer of security - If a user has access to the releases tab of an item, they'll be able to see all of attachments, but if they don't have access to the file's path, they won't be able to open or view it.

A few things to keep in mind...

When attaching a file to OnTime as a path, the file is not stored in the database, so backing up the file will need to be done separately.
Users accessing files that are stored as a path will not only need access in OnTime to view the attachment but also access to the network path.
Attachments that are stored in this matter will need to be attached as the full UNC path, in other words OnTime can't use c:\files\image.jpg as this path wouldn't be available to other users, you would need to store the path as a full UNC path such as \\fileserver\files\image.jpg

Using Windows Authentication for your OnTime Web Users

Tom Harder — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:56:42 GMT

You may already know that you can configure your OnTime Users to be automatically logged into OnTime using their current Windows domain\profile credentials. This allows them to simply launch the OnTime Windows application and be logged in automatically, without needing to supply any kind of username/password credentials.

When using the OnTime Windows client there are no additonal steps needed beyond configuring the User accounts to use Windows Authentication. But in order to use Windows Authentication within the OnTime Web client, you(or your web server administrator) must complete the following steps:

For IIS 5.1 or 6.0

1) First, on the web server where the OnTime Web is installed, launch IIS.

2) Then, right-click the OnTime Web virtual directory in IIS and open the 'Properties'.

3) In the OnTime Web's properties, select the 'Directory Security' tab, and click the topmost 'Edit' button under the 'Anonymous access and authentication control' section.

4) On the 'Authentication Methods' screen, you'll need to uncheck 'Anonymous Access' and check the option labeled 'Integrated Windows Authentication'.

5) Save your changes and reset IIS.

For IIS 7

1) First, on the web server where the OnTime Web is installed, launch IIS.

2) Then, single-select the OnTime Web virtual directory on the left hand side of the screen.

3) Double-click the 'Authentication' icon on the right hand pane.

4) From the 'Authentication' screen which appears, simply disable the 'Anonymous Access' option, and enable the 'Windows Authentication' option.

5) Save your changes and reset IIS.

After following those steps, Windows Authentication should now work for OnTime Web. When using IE 7 to browse to your OnTime Web directory your Users' Windows credentials will be automatically passed through to OnTime, and an attempt will be made to match them up with a User account in your OnTime database. If no match is made they'll be redirected to the standard OnTime 'login.aspx' page, and they'll have the opportunity to login in with other credentials. If using FireFox or Chrome, they'll be prompted with a standard Windows Domain login prompt in order to gather their credentials for OnTime.

Send any questions you may have regarding this FAQ to support@axosoft.com.

Can I perform a silent installation of OnTime Windows?

Tom Harder — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:36:07 GMT

Q. Can I perform a silent installation of OnTime Windows?

A. Yes you can! The installer we use for OnTime2009WindowsSetup.exe can be run with a "/S" suffix parameter in order to install OnTime silently.

For instance, by pulling up a command prompt in Windows and running the following command, you can install OnTime silently on the local machine:

c:\...\ontime2009windowsSetup.exe /S

Also, the "/D" parameter allows you to override the default installation directory and specify your own installation path. (usage: /D=C:\Path\To\Installation)

For instance, you could run the following command to install OnTime in an alternative directory:

c:\...\ontime2009windowsSetup.exe /D=C:\BestSoftwareEver\

These paramaters will only silently install the OnTime in a directory of your choosing, so you'll still need to connect the newly installed OnTime application to your OnTime database. Thankfully, there's a way you can configure this for your users so they don't need to make this connection themselves.

First, you'll need to have a copy of OnTime installed on at least one machine, and it will need to be connected to your OnTime database. The encrypted connection string to your database is saved within the 'OnTime.config' file on that local machine under "C:\Documents and Settings\{USER}\Local Settings\Application Data\Axosoft\OnTime Windows\9.0\".

Then, you can copy that 'OnTime.config' file from your installation to the corresponding directory on your user's machine. This will allow the to connect without having to configure the connection to your SQL Server themselves.

I'm sure you can begin to imagine how using this knowledge inside batch files or other scripts can help you install OnTime silently to your OnTime Windows Users. While we cannot offer specific examples or best practices for unassisted installations, I'm confident that the information in this FAQ will give you the information you need to decide upon the best deployment of OnTime in your network environment.

As usual, send any questions or comments about this FAQ to support@axoaoft.com.

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Removing fields from within copied reports in the OnTime 2009 report designer

Tom Harder — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:42:55 GMT

This FAQ is aimed at advanced OnTime 2009 users who use the integrated Data Dynamic's Active Reports report designer to customize reports. It's designed for OnTime Admins who have some experience modifying the built in reports within OnTime and are familiar with the Active Reports designer.

If you've ever edited a copy of one of our built-in reports within OnTime 2007 or 2008, you know you can remove data columns from the report layout fairly easily by simply removing the Textbox in which the data is linked to. Even if there was C# script associated with the textbox, the Active Report designer would handle the script and not produce an error.

We've updated the Data Dynamic's Active Reports designer in OnTime 2009, and that situation will now produce an error. If you remove a data-related field from the Layout view of a report you must also go into the C# script and remove any associated script which refers to the removed field.

For instance, If you remove the 'Start Date' data textbox from the 'Defect List' report Layout, you must also remove any reference to that particular textbox in the C# script portion of the report. Once all of the referential script has been removed, the error will no longer occur.

If a data-related textbox has no C# script associated with in in the script portion of the report, no other steps are needed.

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Unable to activate OnTime 2009! My product key is not valid!

Tom Harder — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:31:30 GMT

Q: I've just upgraded a previous version of OnTime to OnTime 2009, but when I get to the activation screen I see the message 'Your key does not appear to be valid for this version'. I know I have current Maintenance on my OnTime product key, so what's the problem!?!?!

A: If you're certain that you have current Maintenance on your OnTime product key, there may be a simple explanation and resolution to this problem.

Occasionally there's a problem with the initial connection from your OnTime installer to our activation server, in which you may get an error telling you that your key appears to be invalid for the new version.

The solution is simple: Try clicking the 'Activate Database' button again to allow OnTime another attempt at reaching our activation server.

In almost all cases this will allow your local installation of OnTime to contact our activation server and verify your product key, thus allowing you to use OnTime 2009.

Yet, if you're unsure whether you have Maintenance on your key, we highly recommend contacting us at 1.800.653.0024 to verify your current Maintenance status before upgrading.

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Modifying or translating the resource strings in OnTime

Dan Suceava — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:46:57 GMT

If you are looking to modify certain strings in the OnTime UI, or if you want to translate the strings to another language, follow these steps to modify the resource file to your needs:

copy the Axosoft.OnTimeResources.dll file from the OnTime folder into a new folder
run the VS.NET command prompt from Start Menu -> Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 -> Visual Studio Tools -> Visual Studio 2008 Command Prompt
at the command prompt run 'ildasm'
in ildasm go to File -> Open and select the copy of the Axosoft.OnTimeResources.dll file
now select File -> Dump to disassemble the dll
type in 'resources' for the name of the file
4 files will be created in your folder

resources.il
resources.res
Axosoft.OnTimeResources.Images.resources
Axosoft.OnTimeResources.Strings.resources

the file containing all the string resources is the Axosoft.OnTimeResources.Strings.resources
edit this file with a resource editor - either the binary editor in VS.NET or some other resource editor you can download

for simplicity, I download a free editor from http://www.topshareware.com/Resource-.NET-2.0-download-58815.htm

modify or translate the strings as needed and save the file
go back to the command prompt and change the directory so you are in the folder with the resource files
generate a strong name key by running sn.exe

sn -k key.snk

now reassemble the resource dll using ilasm

ilasm /DLL /OUTPUT=Axosoft.OnTimeResources.dll /KEY=key.snk /resource:resources.res resources.il

you will now have a new version of the Axosoft.OnTimeResources.dll file
copy this file back to the OnTime folder where you originally copied it from
now when you run OnTime you will see the new strings

NOTE that this will replace the English version (the default language) with the file you generate.

OnTime FAQ

Errors when running details report

Importing From FogBugz into OnTime

Running Internet Explorer 8 with OnTime Web and Portal 9.1.0 through 9.1.2

Setting up the OnTime iPhone application

iPhone Access for Users

iPhone server will not work with Windows Authentication

iPhone Client Options

SSL Being Required

iPhone Client Configuration

IIS 7: Blank UI for OnTime Web after upgrade to 9.1

Upgrading OnTime to a Newer Version

Burndown Estimated Completion Date Says Never

Finding the releases tab

Which OnTime client to deploy

OnTime tools that require the Administrator security role

SQL Server Authentication Vs Integrated Windows Authentication for SQL

Top Faq and Forum Posts

OnTime Web redirecting to Registration.aspx

The OnTime Lock Manager

Enter key is double spacing/new paragraph in large text fields

The OnTime Email Queue

SQL log file growth affecting OnTime performance

Configuring the Web.Config file for the OnTimeSDK (WebServices)

MicroSoft Visual SourceSafe

Storing Attachments in the database or Storing the path.

Using Windows Authentication for your OnTime Web Users

Can I perform a silent installation of OnTime Windows?

Removing fields from within copied reports in the OnTime 2009 report designer

Unable to activate OnTime 2009! My product key is not valid!

Modifying or translating the resource strings in OnTime