Tip 2 Using Skype within Powerviews Print

Using Skype within Powerviews:
As new technologies pave the way to faster, more user friendly business solutions, it is natural for these alternate methods to reduce cost of implementation and operation. Such examples include telephony and VoIP. One of the more pronounced players in this arena isSkype. Time Matters 9.0 allows for direct dialing from within a contact record using the form view Powerview. The following steps outline the augmentation of the default form view file to allow for direct dialing through the Skype application that is installed on the client PC.

The following are assumed:
1. The reader has a working knowledge of HTML.
2. The end user wishes to replace the direct dial telephonic feature with Skype.
3. The affected user has an operational Skype account and the Skype application is installed on their computer.
4. You are using Time Matters version 9.0.

The level of difficulty for this operation is MEDIUM. The implementation can be performed by knowledgeable users if they are comfortable editing Web pages using HTML and navigating their system files.

Steps:
1. Make a backup of your current Powerview file. In this case we are using:  D:\TMW9\data\files\template\powerview\Contact\Form View(C).htm. Your file path is install specific and may differ from what is shown here.

2. Open D:\TMW9\data\files\template\powerview\Contact\Form View(C).htm in any suitable HTML editing software. We chose to use Microsoft Express Web 2 for our application but any editing software will do. You can even use Notepad as it will allow for text changes just as the function specific applications do.

3. Find the line: <td><a class="jump" href="tm:DIAL;SYSID={CON:SYSID};PHONE={CON:11}" title="Dial this number">{CON:PHONE1}</a></td>

4. Change it to read: <!--<td><a class="jump" href="tm:DIAL;SYSID={CON:SYSID};PHONE={CON:11}" title="Dial this number">{CON:PHONE1}</a></td> -->
<td><a class="jump" href="tm:LAUNCH;FILE=skype:+1{CON:PHONE1}?call" title="Dial with Skype">{CON:PHONE1}</a></td>

5. Save your newly edited file as D:\TMW9\data\files\template\powerview\Contact\Form View(C).htm

6. Close Time Matters and re-launch the application.

NOTE: You may also want to replace the entries for PHONE2 and PHONE3 if you wish to dial using the
Skypesoftware. If either of these is a FAX entry then the default dialer function will probably be preferred.