ISG Blog

The Salvation Army is an international movement and a global organisation.  As such it has a number of policies and regulations set by International Headquarters to assist the various territories in implementing their localised policies and procedures.  This includes Orders and Regulations, Guidelines and Reference materials.

Historically this was only accessible through the old Lotus Notes client, but recently IHQ have upgraded this to a new system called Notes Transformer.  It is important to note this system is solely for IHQ applications for now.

Notes Transformer can be accessed through your web browser.  This includes Orders and Regulations, IHQ Applications, Guidelines and Reference applications.  Further IHQ based applications will be added to this in the future. 

The URL is transformer.salvationarmy.org. ISG have added the link to the ISG Supportal My Links page, TSA Intranet Quick Links Menu and your salvationarmy.org.nz bookmarks in Chrome browser

When you get to the login page, click on the “Login with Microsoft” button.

 When you get into the system you won’t have any applications bookmarked. Click the “Bookmark an Application” button to add the applications you want to access.  You will only see the applications you have access to.
 

Click the check boxes to select the applications you want to add to your dashboard, or click “All” at the top, then scroll down to click “Save Changes” at the bottom. This will add a link to each of the applications to your dashboard.  These will be remembered next time you log in.
 

If you know the specific application title, you can filter the dashboard by using the “Filter” field
 

Otherwise you can use the “Search…” field found on top left corner of window, using keywords for searching through all applications you have access to.

Welcome to the first of a series of topical Tips and Tricks from ISG. 

 We will initially concentrate on Office 365 with the aim of providing you with ideas, shortcuts and tips on making the best of Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams.

Here's a few notes from Google on how to use Google Keep.

Hope it's useful to you. Just another app readily available for you to use within the TSA environment.

There is a fantastic app available from The Salvation Army! The Whole World Mobilising encourages people associated with the Army, or who simply follow Jesus, to make a difference. As an app it lets you take practical steps to reveal God's love wherever you are.

The official app for The Salvation Army’s Whole World Mobilising Campaign. The Whole World Mobilising app and website will provide real-time updates on mobilisation activities, practical coaching, community and global prayer. Track all your activities on a live global map. Celebrate the work being done all around the world by downloading the app and participating in the campaign.

Read more about the app on the international Salvation Army website (here), or download it from here. 

Google Sheets is an app that lets you create and manage spreadsheets, even those created in Microsoft Excel. It is available with your @salvationarmy.org.nz account and with Google Drive PLUS there is an app for your phone (or tablet) making it possible to work wherever you are (which *may* be a good thing).

Google Sheets is very similar to Microsoft Excel, but may appear to be missing some features. Most of the time they just are in a different place or have a different name. Sometimes there are features missing because Google Sheets is a lot younger than Microsoft Office.

Google are committed to Google Sheets (and the entire G-Suite platform - a competitor to Microsoft Office) and are constantly updating all of the apps. Google Sheets is no different and not that long ago they added number of features. We think the most helpful of these new features is rotate text.

Check out the updates and all about rotate text here: GoogleSheets/Updates 

Sometimes photos don't look as you imagined they would when you're snapping them. It is something I find with most of my photos and I'm always looking for a way to have the picture in my head be the one that is actually taken.

Snapseed is an app for editing photos that makes it quick to adjust light, contrast, colours, etc. You can also add a range of different effects and tune the intensity. This means that in a minute a photo can go from this:

to this:

Do you regularly get given business cards and want an easier what to add them into your contacts? Well there is an app for that! Cam Card app lets you take a photo of a business card and it extracts the name, company, number(s), email addresses, etc from the card and populates a new contact for you!

It also lets you send your card to people, manage contacts and do several other contact related tasks. So it is more than just a tool to capture contact information from a business card.

If you have a smartphone you've most likely got Google Maps. It is one of the most useful apps on your smartphone and is good for more than just finding your way to places you don't normally go. It will actively suggest different routes to get you to your destination more quickly so could be incredibly helpful on your morning commute!

Here are two short articles that provide some excellent ways to get the most out of Google Maps on your phone:

1. Google Maps Ultimate Guide
2. Top 10 Tips & Tricks for Google Maps

Enjoy your week!

To be honest I haven't ever lost my phone, but there have been times I've been unable to locate it when I want it! Yes I know there are lots of find my phone apps but they need to be installed and setup before you get separated from your phone (so go do that now)!

Well now you just need your computer and Google. Simply type find my phone into the search box (or the address box if you use Chrome) and look what happens:

Clicking on the allow button sets Google off on a hunt and after a few seconds it should respond as follows:

Simply click on one of the options to keep your device in control.

We've already talked about one app that lets you handwrite on your phone instead of typing (MyScript Stylus), but today we're featuring on from Google. Called Google Handwriting Input (clever name) it lets you write like you do on paper and it translates it into typed text. 

This works better on larger screen devices as you can scribble a couple of words at a time without running out of space on the smaller screen of some phones. It also saves time if you struggle with typing (which can be exasperated on a mobile device). 

Check out the app here.

From our list of useful apps comes another ... First Aid. Why? Because chances are if you're ever in a situation that requires first aid you will have your phone AND this is specifically a NZ app.

The app is organised into sections so you can learn, prepare, and even complete tests to assess how much you know. The idea is that rather than just being a reference book when you need to know some first aid you'll actually learn some basics before being in that situation. Then should you be in a situation requiring first aid then you're better prepared and have a reference guide.

Click here to find out more about the app and install it.   

We thought it timely to remind all users who have a smartphone on the TSA mobile plan that one of the good applications to load on your smart phone is Lotus Traveler. We do have a tip sheet with some brief instructions on how to load it, but to assist you we have provided below the steps you need to follow to get this operational:

1. Open the internet browser on your phone.
2. In the address bar enter type “traveler.sarmy.net.nz”.
3. Use your lotus notes logon (e.g. FirstName [space] LastName, i.e. ‘Joe Blogg’) and then your current lotus notes password.
4. Then select ‘Sign In’.
5. On next screen, select ‘Configure your Android’.  A download of Lotus Traveler should begin downloading.
6. Once download is complete, select it to install it.  Depending on your current settings your phone may get this message “Install Blocked: For Security your device is to block installation of applications not obtained from Google Play.”
7. Go to settings and then tick the box to allow unknown sources of apps to install.
8. On the following screens simply select ‘Next’, then select ‘Install’, then select ‘Open’, and lastly ‘Accept’
9. Enter your Lotus Notes Credentials First Name – Last Name and pass word and click next.
10. Select Activate
11. Choose between your phones internal or removable memory and then select finish.
12. Select Ok in the next screen.  Your phone will now sync with the server and set itself with your data.  This may take a few minutes.

As with your normal Lotus Notes account you have to change your password every 90 days / 3 months. Every time you change your Lotus Notes password you also need to change the password on your mobile phone.

To do this you need open the actual Lotus Traveler icon on your phone.  Once done you will get options on the bottom of screen.  Open the settings menu, then to update your Lotus Notes password select ‘Account’.

To select items like notification sounds and other settings select ‘Applications’.

To download the tip sheet simply go 'Department and Services' on Intranet menu, and select ISG Tip Sheets.

Our grateful thanks to Anthony McFarlane for his assistance in the writing of this blog entry.

If you are wanting someone to have access for the first time to any database that you may use at your centre, then this is a very easy process and may not require you to contact ISG for action.

It pays to note that some of TSA Lotus Notes applications/databases are open to any staff member, and some are set up with security access that requires prior approval by the relevant line managers, so you will need to ensure that the person has access to this and if not, a request is sent through to ISG.  

However, giving them the link to the application is a simple process and you can do this yourself by emailing them a link for their workspace. 

Go to your workspace and select the required application.  Then right click on it, and highlight 'Application' , then 'Copy as Link'.

You can now paste the copied link into an email and send it to the appropriate person. The link will look like a small book icon.

They simply need to click on the icon and the link will be automatically added to their workspace.  If they have not been granted access, then when they click on the link Notes will give them an error message stating they are not authorised access.  If this happens, then get the centre manager to send through a request for access to ISG.

Did you know you can search My Details for any TSA employee who has a Lotus Notes account?  And when you find them you will find all the information you need on them.  Full name, the centre they work at, their line manager, relevant phone numbers and address.

And all this is at your finger tips.  We have posted about how to find this through a smart phone (see Searching for a number?).  Today we show you how to find it using your web browser.

Log in to My Details on the QuickLink menu.  On the top far right corner of the window you will see a search field as per the picture below:

Simply search by first name, or surname, or centre name, or job title and My Details will provide you with a list of whomever matches your search criteria.  By selecting the name (highlighted in blue) this will open up the individual's details and give you all the information you are looking for.

I use this all the time, and I would encourage you to do the same.

There are times when you will need to provide access to your mail file to others in the office (eg.  your assistant, when you are on leave for an extended period and someone is looking after your role, etc).

So this blog entry is to assist you with doing exactly this.  Often we will receive a request for this in ISG, and we thought it may be easier if you learned how to do this yourself, which would then make the process quicker for you, and ISG is then given more time to work on the various other jobs we get.

So here are the steps to follow to do just that:

First you need to open your mailbox. Once there select ‘Preferences’ from the More options button. 

Click the ‘Access and Delegation’ tab. 

This allows you to add/remove users who can access your mail, and change what access they have. 

If you are giving someone access for the first time they will need a link to access your mailbox. The easiest way to do this is to email them a link for their workspace. 

To do this simply right click your mailbox (on your workspace) and select application – copy as link. 

You can now paste the copied link into an email and send it to the appropriate person. 

They simply need to click on the icon and the link will be automatically added to their workspace and it will also open the Inbox/Calendar on their screen.

Have you ever been looking at something on your screen and wanted to see it on your phone? Did you know that instead of laboriously typing the URL in (usually 2 or 3 times before you get it right) you can simply click a button and send it to your phone automatically?

Chrome to Phone does exactly this. Click a button in your browser and in seconds it appears on your phone! As the name implies it does rely on Chrome (browser) and an extension that needs to be installed. There is also the app on your Android phone, but they're fairly simple installations and the logon is simply your Google account.

Do you like to know how many text messages you've sent and how much data you've used on your phone? If you have an Android handset then dodol can help. It needs some configuration but can help you keep track of how much you've used.

Watch this video to see how dodol works.

For those of you needing to refer to Orders & Regulations we have updated the application that allows you to view all of these from a single page. All of the orders & regulations we now about are (that are generally available) are accessible from this application.

The application is available for use from your Notes client and iNotes (web mail). Please be aware that there are some orders & regulations that IHQ do NOT allow to be viewed from a web browser. This means some can only be viewed from a Notes client.