XSOL: What's New in InOrder

Maintaining / Changing Flows

• Enhanced context “hover” menu- Flow nodes can now also be added top-down via the hover menu as well as left-right.
• Flow Node Captions - Process Flow Nodes now have a larger space for editing their captions in the process designer to accommodate larger names and improve usability whilst editing.

Visualisation

• Overview Processes - The Enterprise, trading Entities and Process Groups can now specify an Overview Process to be included on the corresponding output page, greatly enhancing navigation through the output.

Deployment

• Navigation Menu - The left-hand navigation menu of the Multi-page HTML output now defaults to collapsed on opening enhancing usability for large models.
• Page Headers - Icons for the Enterprise, Trading Entities, Process and Role Groups are now included in their page headers in the Multi-page HTML output
• ASPX Converter – Some usability enhancements have been made to the ASPX Converter program.

Getting Started

• Gridlines and snap-to-grid on by default – Gridline display and the snap-to-grid functionality is now on by default. This will help new (and even experienced) users build tidy and consistent flows with little or no effort.
• Process Start nodes automatically populated – Upon entering a new process the Process Start node will be automatically created and optimally placed for the designer. This completely removes one required step and immediately the designer can begin capturing the process. This combined with the new context hover menu greatly increases the designer’s speed to productivity.
• New context “hover” menu – A new context menu has been created that “hovers” to the right of process flow nodes. A process designer can simply select the desired next flow node and it will be automatically created, placed and linked to the selected flow node. This greatly improves the designer’s productivity and the product’s ease of use.

Maintaining / Changing Flows

• Auto-insert flow nodes – Dropping a new flow node selected from the ribbon bar on an existing link will automatically break the link, insert the new flow node and then re-link the items. This greatly increases the speed with which designers can add new “steps” to an existing flow.
• Insert horizontal / vertical space – New function to automatically insert either horizontal or vertical space to an existing flow diagram has been added. It is accessible from the right-click options menu and greatly enhances a designer’s ability to modify large flow diagrams.

Visualisation

• Enhanced Annotation nodes – Existing Annotation node functionality has been enhanced through adding a Caption property that can optionally be displayed as a heading on the Annotation node. Additionally, a property to optionally show the border has also been added. Default settings can be specified at the application and model level and then inherited or overridden for specific Annotation nodes.

Deployment

• Improved default deployment settings – The existing default Section Selection and Order & Additional Options settings for the default Deployment Layouts have been changed to improve output content and reduce the need for customisation for most users.
• New default style sheets – The default style sheets for the HTML and MS Word output types have been revised incorporating a completely new look and a number of usability enhancements. This coupled with the new default deployment setting provide a substantially enhanced result “out of the box”.

Other Key enhancements

• 64-Bit – XSOL InOrder is now a 64-bit Application increasing performance on modern hardware
• UI – Updated User Interface aligning with latest Microsoft Office standards
• Command Search – Added ribbon tab area search capability
• Over 50 other minor changes, enhancements and fixes

Process Design

• Nested Process Groups – new functionality to allow you to “nest” process groups within other process groups. This allows designers greater flexibility in how their processes are organised and enhances navigation and understanding for end-users.
• Milestone Flow Nodes – added new “Milestone” process flow node. Added primarily to support process synchronization, a Milestone flow node can be used in process flow to identify milestones that have been reached in the process. It can also be used just to partition the process into distinct parts.
• Wait Flow Nodes – added new “Wait” process flow node. Added primarilyto support process synchronization, a Wait flow node can be used to show where a process is to wait either for a process it has started to reach a particular milestone (including process completion) or for a milestone in another process that was not initiated by the process. The wait flow node allows for multiple outcomes and also has a timeout exception.

General Features

• Ability to display only User Notes in the Property Sheet and “hide” all the other properties.
• Added “Where Used” functionality for user notes.

Process Design

• Copy Navigation Links between flows – Enabled the Copy/Paste of Navigation Links between flow types.
• Navigate to linked Process – Added navigation shortcut to the linked processes from Process Link right-click menu.

Deployment

• Deployment uses .NET – Changed Deployment to use .Net as the XSL processor rather than MSXML 4/6.
• Deployment Performance – Improvements to Deployment performance
• Overview Processes – Overview processes are now excluded from role filtering.

General Features

• High DPI Displays – Enabled support for MSWord user notes on High DPI displays.
• Save Performance – Major improvements to model load and saving time (particularly for large models).
• MSXML 6 Support – Added support for MSXML 6 and removed dependency on MSXML 4.

XSOL InOrder 6 uses pictures to improve the way employees engage in their day-to-day work and to give them access to the relevant parts of an XSOL operational model. Process Overviews give context to individual processes, enabling users to better understand how what they do fits into the organization’s business. They comprise composite user defined images sourced from suitable visual material, e.g. floor layouts, illustrations of facilities, or photographs, with ‘hot zone’ areas or items on the image that link to anything in an XSOL operational model, or to external items on a local document server or on the Web.

The theme for InOrder 6 is bringing the digital world and the real world together.

Process Design

• Overview Process Property – Property to specify a process as being an overview enabling overview specific formatting in outputs.
• Navigation Link Nodes – New navigation link nodes provide the ability to add “hotspot” links to your flow diagrams. Links can be to model components or to external URLs.
• Process Link Nodes – New process link nodes provide the ability to link to existing processes as part of your process flows and/or on Overview processes.
• Image Nodes – New image nodes provide the ability to add image nodes to flow diagrams.
• Background Images – Ability to specify background images for flow diagrams at the model level or for individual processes.
• Colour Stage & Task backgrounds – Ability to specify default background colours for Stages and Tasks.
• Conditionally Colour Stage & Task backgrounds – Ability to conditionally colour backgrounds for Stages and Tasks based on a Select One note.
• Duplicate Role/Task Instance creation – Ability to use the existing Role / Task when adding Roles/Tasks that already exist.
• Navigate to Initiated Process – Ability to navigate directly to the process designer of the initiated process from process initiation tasks.

Deployment

• Overview Process exclusion in Deployment Layouts – Options to automatically include/exclude Overview Processes from relevant output formats.
• HTML Multi-page Output with Stages on separate pages – New layout option to generate HTML Multi-page Output with each Stage on a separate page.
• Multiple Hyperlinks on flow diagrams – Support for multiple Hyperlink notes accessible directly from flow diagrams.
• Redundant content headers removed – Process Content and Stage Content headers with no content in their section are no longer displayed.
• Streamlined HTML Outputs – HTML outputs have been streamlined resulting in considerably smaller files sizes.

General Features

• User Interface – Updated User Interface aligning with MS Office 2016.
• Model Package Images – Images can be added to your model, maintained, and reused throughout the model.
• Delete unused Roles / Tasks – New functions to automatically delete all unused Roles and/or Tasks.
• Support Role/Task Groups in Re-use Pane – Support for viewing Roles by Role Group, Processes by Process Group and Task by Task Group and Task Type added to re-use pane.
• Automatic Joint Insertion – Automatic insertion of Joint nodes and relinking of flow links.
• Access available icons from model icons – Ability to access the set of available icons from the model icon selection window.
• Base URL editor – New editor for assistance with adding Base URLs.
• Enhanced URL entry – New/enhanced editors to enable easier URL creation.
• Over 100 new features, minor changes, enhancements and fixes.

General Features

• Word Notes – Word notes are no longer saved as HTML in the model package allowing more word functions (e.g. shapes) to be consistently used without changes to their presentation between entering them and outputting documentation.
• Model Information – All model meta information (Title, subject, author etc. - See the File -> Info tab to edit) can now be output to either the cover page or its own model information section as part of the html and word deployed outputs.

General Features

• Chinese Notes and Output – Flow diagrams, property inspector and output generation updated to support input and display of Chinese characters.
• Flow Sorting – New function to apply flow-order sorting to all processes/stages in a model in a single operation (Accessible in the File -> Info Tab).
• Word Output – Word outputs may now be saved as .docx.
• Large Models – Load times on large models have been improved.

General Features

• Inter Entity Process Linking – Allowing the connection of processes within separate Enterprise / Trading Entities via enhanced Initiate Process Tasks.
• Hyperlink User Notes Target – A new property allowing hyperlinks to open inside the same frame or as a separate tab in a browser.
• Annotation Sizing – Addition of Width and Height properties to Annotation Nodes.
• Swim Lane Resizing – There is no longer a width limit on dragging resize operations.
• Word Tabular Refresh – Updated to show Non-XSOL Task Targets, Recognise Overview processes and enable 5.0 layout option additions.

General Features

• User Interface – Updated User Interface aligning with Office 2013 products including new File menu.
• Additional Icons – Addition of over 250 new icons to the Application Package for use in Process design.
• New User Note types – Arithmetic, Hyperlink, Select One, and Time Span.
• Flow Diagram Hyperlinking – Link to external documentation or websites from flow diagrams.
• User Note Groups – Ability to group user notes and to format them in outputs as a table.
• Notes on Flow Diagrams – Ability to display selected user note values on flow diagrams
• Note Colour Coding – "Select One" user notes support colour coding for their values to highlight entries.
• Unassigned Groups – Can now be renamed and the unassigned status can be assigned to any available group.
• Initial Role Assignments – A model setting to allow a default caption for the initial Role Assignments level within each Stage.
• Start / Stop Defaults – New model default values available for Process & Stage Start / Stop nodes.
• Property Sheet – Now preserves the state of expanded/collapsed sections.

Analytics

• Aggregation – Ability to aggregate note values in the XSOL process model hierarchy for Arithmetic, Select One, Scientific and Time Span notes.
• Categorisation of Aggregated Values – Aggregated Note values can be categorised by a chosen Select One note.
• Aggregation Overrides – Ability to manually override aggregated note values.
• Note Colour Coding – Categorised aggregated values use the select one colour coding to represent values as a mini bar chart.
• Aggregation Recalculation – Allow recalculation of aggregated nodes keeping or removing overridden values.

Publication and Deployment

• Notes Matrix Reports – New deployment types allowing drill down through processes and note groups in both HTML and spread sheet formats.
• Note Filtering – Filters now also allow selection of user notes to appears in outputs for each individual Filter.
• Role Filtering – If you filter by role then those roles are highlighted on flow diagrams in the outputs.
• Note Colour Coding – Colour coding for note values flows through to the notes matrix report outputs.
• Task and Task Instance Notes – By default where both Task Instance and Task Parent Notes are populated the Instance Notes will over-write the Parents Notes rather than both being output.
• Filter and Layout Descriptions – Filters and layouts now allow a description which is shown when selecting deployment options.
• Updated Word Defaults – Modified Process Model (MS Word) default template styles.
• Single Process Filter Integration – When generating output for a single process only the Note and Role information specified for the last selected Output Filter is merged in the generation for the chose process.
• New Header Rows – Display of all flow nodes and notes associated with them in Tree Designer & output headers.
• Turn Off Header Rows – Ability to turn off All header row text elements if they have no notes associated with them.

Spellchecker

• Multi-language Checks – Spellchecker redesigned and now able to undertake checks using multiple languages simultaneously.
• New Default Dictionaries – Addition of English-American, English-Australian and English-new Zealand dictionaries as defaults.

General Features

• Stage Errors – Stages on Process Flow diagrams now show errors relating to their child entities
• Foreign Decimals – User notes now support foreign language decimal characters

Publication and Deployment

• Filter Behaviour – Filters have been modified so that existing Filters are not accidentally updated by new model content
• Less Standard Text – Standard text in Process names and Entity sections simplified
• 2 Hyperlink Styles – Hyperlink styles in the HTML outputs have been split into two to allow better definition of link colours
• Outcome Descriptor Style – New outcome descriptor style now independent of Task styles

General Features

• Back to Stage Link – A back to Stage Flow button has been added to all Task lines in the HTML document outputs
• Item Hints – Hovering over items in the GUI now shows their full name if the column is not wide enough to display it
• Error Viewing – Errors upon objects are now shown in the Properties Sheet lower pane
• Overview Text Turn-off – With the addition of a binary note named “Overview Process” in a model and the setting of a positive value on a Process (usually an Overview Process) the Stage textual rows are removed from the documentation

Publication and Deployment

• Extended Excel Layout Section selection – Selection of specific document sections within the MS Excel Model Hierarchy documentation format is now supported
• HTML Section Naming – HTML Custom Sections have been given a new naming structure in the HTML output folder making it possible to link to a Custom Section page

General Features

• Updated shortcuts – All keyboard shortcuts and Alt Keys have been updated and rationalised.
• InOrder has been modified to work with the new XSOL Template Feed Editor – New category label for model metadata and new button to generate unique ids.

Publication and Deployment

• New HTML Documentation Style – The HTML documentation now has an updated look. The old css stylesheet is still available in the Document Template folder along with four other new variants suitable for the latest versions of Internet Explorer and Firefox
• Role Groups in Outputs – Role Groups have been added into the Roles section of all document outputs
• New Task Note Layout Options – 3 new layout options to enable differing visual representations for Parent Task and Task Instance user notes.
• Updated bullets – Bullets in HTML documentation now use images .
• Extra Output linking – Output descriptor linking expanded to work with Tasks, Conditions, Decisions

General Features

• Python Removed – Removal of dependency on ActiveState’s Active Python within XSOL InOrder
• Note Warning Message – New warning message when user exits Notes window using x button

Publication and Deployment

• Improved Task Linking – Clicking on a process initiation task takes you directly to that process if no user notes have been defined on the task.
• HTML Flow Border Style – New CSS styles to control borders for process and stage flows independently.
• Document Generation Corrupt Note Warning – Warning messages when documentation generated with missing corrupt notes.

General Features

• 64 Bit – Full support for 64bit machines
• Customer Specific Model Samples Area – Definition and creation of user specific model template repository area enabled
• Maximisable Notes – Word User Notes editor has been made maximisable
• Search results can be renamed without having to navigate to the item

Navigation

• View Reset – Addition of a View Reset function to return window appearance to its default
• Process Group copy/paste enabled

Process Design

• Enhanced drag selection in flow diagram editor
• Ctrl-A select all capability in flow diagrams
• Multi-Role/Task Drag & drop – Enabling of multi-Role and Task selection from Existing Roles and Existing Task windows and drag/drop of multiples onto flow diagrams

Publication and Deployment

• Excel Roles Report – New Excel Roles Matrix Report documentation output
• Collapsible Process and Role Group functionality added to HTML and Excel Roles Reports.
• Role Totals – Total values added for Role and Process Group Role assignments in HTML and Excel Roles Reports
• Updated Roles Section – Improved visibility and organisation of Escalation, Access and Override text in Process and Roles sections of all document outputs.
• Flow Text Descriptors – Addition of flow outcome text descriptors in document output for Condition and Decisions
• Roles Section Reorder – Reordering of Roles section to mirror the order of Process and Stages in the Process sections
• Speed Improvement – Significant improvement in Document Generation times – especially for large models.
• Activation of relative hyper-linking in Multi-page HTML Website documentation output

General Features

• New file format (*.eslx) – this format now includes all custom icons and user note images stored inside the model file
• Model Samples – Installed and online functional how-to and example process models are provided with the product
• Spell Checker – Check the spelling of an individual item, group of items or the whole model, add to a custom dictionary and choose the dictionary to use
• Model Search – search for text within captions and non-Word notes and be able to quickly navigate to the exact location using the search results
• Dynamic Check Entities – Live updated check errors screen with drill-down functionality to the error location
• Default User Notes – Set definable default note values and templates to be shown in all instances of a particular note
• Enterprise & Trading Entity Logos – Set logos to be used for the title pages of your Enterprise and Trading Entities
• Expanded Icon Visibility – Select icons for the Enterprise, Trading Entity, Processes and Roles
• Metadata – Add descriptive information to the model to be used in Windows Search and when interrogating the *.eslx file

User Interface

• Updated User Interface – Fully updated GUI including “Office 2007 style” ribbons, enhanced navigation, dockable and collapsible “windows” and the combination of the Process Tree-designer and Process Flow-designer
• Standard Mode – All XSOL Automation features and properties are hidden simplifying the user experience
• Drill Downs – Navigate to objects from "Where used" window, Incomplete Entities window, and other Lookups and Tree Views

Process Design

• New Standard Icons – Improved standard Icons and separated Process Start / Stop and Stage Start / Stop nodes
• Expanded Icon Library – Hundreds of new installed custom icons to choose from
• Individual Task Selection – Individual buttons allow Tasks of a specific type to be added
• Roles Selection in Flow – Roles can be assigned to Stages from the Process Flow designer
• New Roles on Flow Format – Role text visible on the flow diagrams has been simplifyed and improved
• Fit To Page – Process Flow can be automatically fitted to page
• Automatic Flow Sorting – Tree view Stages and Tasks can be automatically sorted to match the Flow order
• New Colour Displays – Colour Display on colour selection drop-downs plus ability to define and save custom colours in annotations and swim lanes
• Node Positioning – Flow node ‘bring to front’ and ‘send to back’ ability in Process Flow designer
• Swim Lane Orientation – User-definable default Swim Lane orientation
• Escalations on Flow – Escalation Level existence now represented in Process Flow
• Change Node Type – Ability to switch Joint/All/Any nodes between the different types
• Expanded Tree View Addition – Ability to add Conditions and Decisions in the tree view
• New Decision Designer – Separate decision node designer with pre-defined outcomes plus the ability to change the outcome a link is bound to
• Node Multi-Add – Ability to Add multiple flow nodes of the same type by pressing the shift key when selecting the node type and then clicking as many times as you want
• Keyboard Node Shift – Ability to move nodes using the keyboard using Ctrl and shift keys for slow/fast movement with auto-repeat
• Email Properties – Send Email task properties (To, Subject, Body) appear in the documentation output

Publication and Deployment

• Roles Report – New HTML document format producing a tabular matrix of Role responsibilties
• New Templates – Modified Default Word and HTML templates
• Enhanced Document Navigation – HTML Go Back to flow buttons at Stage ends
• Stylesheet Selection – HTML style sheet selection in HTML Documentation Layouts
• Title Page Sections – Design your own Title Page custom section capability within Documentation Layouts
• Single Process Generation – Ability to generate documentation for a single process
• Condition Text Hide – Option to Hide Condition texts in documentation outputs
• Read Only Defaults – Default documentation Filter and Layouts made ‘read only’
• Sharepoint Template Locations – SharePoint Integration for Documentation Templates and Layouts