This tutorial takes about 30 minutes and is intended for all users of Ketura. It covers:
- Finding your way around Ketura;
- Using multiple browser tabs;
- Working with tables;
- Using forms.
This tutorial can be followed with or without the example database, but you need to be logged on as a user who has work journal entries. If you are using the example database, ensure that you are logged on as Eric Samet, a partner at XYZ (the fictional firm used for the example database). Eric’s log on user id is ‘es’, and the password for his account is the same as the password for the ‘admin’ account that was provided during the installation of the Ketura server. If you are currently logged on as another user, use the Log Off link in the top-right corner of the page to return to the log on page.
Finding your way around
Because you interact with Ketura using a web browser, finding your way around is very similar to navigating a typical website. A few points are worth noting:
- Ketura is divided up into several main areas. The quickest way to reach the main page of each of these areas is to use one of the global navigation tabs (Home, Projects, Contacts, Users and System), near the top of every page.
- Just above the global navigation tabs is a navigation trail. This always shows you where you are in the system. If the navigation trail shows several steps, all but the last act as links to the relevant pages.
- In the top-right corner of each page, there is a Log Off link. This is useful if you want to log off from Ketura and then log on as someone else. Otherwise, it isn’t generally necessary to log off.
- Every tab on every page of Ketura has an Explain >> link at the top, within the tab. An explanation will appear instantly when you click an Explain >> link, describing the purpose of the tab and its contents. The explanation will also contain important background information, together with instructions for using any controls within the tab.
- Just below the Log Off link, there are further links. Often, there are links to perform various actions, such as creating a new issue. Every page also has a Help link to a page that contains all the help from the various Explain >> block help text on the page. This is useful if you want to print out all the help for a particular page.
- As you move around the system, the sidebar to the right of the page will show links to the last few Recent pages that you have visited. These links are a convenient way to return to a page that you have recently viewed.
Don’t use your browser’s Back button with Ketura, unless explicitly instructed to do so. Using the Back button can be confusing as you can end up viewing out-of-date pages and forms with old data. Whenever possible, use Ketura navigation features such as the navigation trail at the top of each page, the Recent pages list in the sidebar and the global navigation tabs.
Using multiple browser tabs
Most modern web browsers enable you to open several pages at once, in different tabs. It is typically possible to open a new link in a tab, for example, by holding down the Ctrl key (on Windows) or Apple key (on a Mac) while clicking the link. This is an especially valuable technique when working with Ketura, enabling you to work quickly back-and-forth with multiple items.
Working with tables
Tables are used in Ketura to display various information and to allow actions to be performed on items listed.
A table is split into several pages if it contains too many items. You can move between pages, or to the first or last page, by using the navigation buttons (>, <, |< and >|) that appear above the table. The number of the page currently being viewed is shown to the right of the navigation buttons, together with the total number of pages in the table.
Showing all the rows in a table at once
If the table contains fewer than about 1,500 rows, it is usually possible to show all the rows at once, instead of in pages.
To display all the table data at once:
- Click the All table navigation button.
To display the table data in pages again:
- Click the View Paged table navigation button.
Reducing the number of items shown by a table
Some tables have additional filter controls above them. These are used to show only a subset of available items. One common set of filter controls is that used to show only those items relevant to a particular period of time.
For example, to restrict the display of work journal entries to those starting or ending within a particular period:
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If you are not already viewing your Home Page, click the global Home navigation tab, near the top-left of the page.
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Select the Work journal tab.
Then, either
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Select one of the time periods (Today, Yesterday, This month, etc).
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After the page has refreshed, notice that only those work journal entries for the chosen period are shown.
Or
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Click the … button next to the From date.
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In the pop-up calendar that appears, click the date of the start of the period. You might need to change the year of the calendar using the two navigation buttons in the top-left of the calendar.
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Click the … button next to the To date and choose the date of the end of the period.
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Click the Apply button to the right of the date fields.
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After the page has refreshed, notice that only those work journal entries between the chosen dates are shown.
Sorting tables
The items in many tables can be sorted by clicking on one of the column headings. The columns by which you can sort have the column heading shown as a link (indicated in most web browsers by blue or purple text). The column by which the table is currently sorted has an arrow immediately after the column heading. Clicking the column heading for a second time will reverse the sort order.
An up arrow by the column name indicates that the table items are sorted in ascending order; a down arrow indicates sorting in descending order.
Performing actions on selected items in a table
Tables sometimes have selection checkboxes in the right-most column. When a checkbox is checked, the corresponding table row is highlighted with a blue background. Checking the checkbox in the selection column’s heading selects all the rows in the table.
One or more buttons might be shown below a table, making it possible to perform actions upon the table. An action button that requires a selection to be made will be enabled only once you have selected at least one row in the table. Some buttons, however, are always enabled. For example, the New Entry button on the work journal table is always enabled as this action is independent of selecting items in the work journal.
To see the above in action: 
- If you are not already viewing your Home Page, click the global Home tab to go to it.
- Select the Work journal tab to show your work journal.
- Ensure that the For period drop-down list box is showing Latest entries.
- Select two work journal entries using the selection boxes in the right most column of the work journal table. Notice that the selected table items are highlighted in blue.
- Observe that the Delete button has been enabled. If you wanted to delete the selected work journal entries, you could now click that button.
Making changes to information shown in tables
Some tables are used purely to show information. Others, however, contain entry fields that, as well as showing the current value of an item, make it possible for that value to be altered. The work journal on the Home Page is an example of such a table; it makes it possible to update multiple work journal entries at a time.
Once you have made changes to information shown in a table, you would typically click the Apply button beneath the table to save your changes. Depending on which table you are using, different buttons might be shown.
The buttons underneath a table might sometimes be disabled, meaning that it is not presently possible to perform the related action. Nothing will happen if you click on a disabled button. Buttons can be disabled for a number of reasons:
- The Apply button will be disabled until changes have been made to the information in the table. Once a change has been made, the button will be enabled. The same is true for the Reset button, which is used to abandon any changes you have made.
- Buttons that act on selected items, such as the Delete button below the work journal table, are enabled only when at least one item has been selected using the selection checkboxes in the right-most table column.
- A button will be disabled if you do not have permission to perform the relevant action.
Alternative ways to access information in tables
To enable easy transfer of information from Ketura to other applications, Ketura offers the facility to save table data in XML or CSV format files. In the first row of most tables on the right-hand side are two links named XML and CSV. Clicking on either of these links will download the table data in the appropriate format.
If you have an application installed on your computer that can understand the data being downloaded (for example, Microsoft Excel, which can open CSV files), your browser will probably ask whether you want to open the file you are downloading in that application. This makes it extremely easy, for example, to view a table’s data in Microsoft Excel, simply by clicking the CSV link and telling the browser to open the downloaded file with Excel.
To try viewing XML and CSV data:
- Check that you are viewing your Home Page. If not, click the global Home navigation tab, near the top-left of the page.
- Select the Work journal tab.
- Follow the XML link at the top-right corner of the work journal table. Depending on your browser, you will either be shown the XML data within the browser, or be prompted to download an XML file to your computer.
- If you are now viewing the XML file within your browser, click your browser’s Back button to return to Ketura. You won’t need to do this if your browser downloaded the XML file. (Normally, when using Ketura, you should avoid using the Back button, but this is a special case as, if you are seeing the XML file in your browser, you have actually left Ketura itself and need to return to it.)
- Follow the CSV link in the top-right corner of the table. Depending on your browser, you will either be shown the CSV data within the browser, be prompted to download the CSV file to your computer, or be asked whether to open the CSV file with an application (such as Microsoft Excel).
Using forms to update information
Ketura presents some information as a form. One example of a form is the Details tab of an issue page (shown in the screenshot to the right).
As well as presenting information, forms often make it possible for that information to be updated. Forms, therefore, typically consist of one or more controls (such as entry fields and drop-down list boxes), with a row of buttons at the bottom. Which buttons are present will depend on the form, but most forms have an Apply button, which saves any changes you have made, and also a Reset button, which abandons the changes you have made but not yet applied.
Form buttons can be disabled for a number of reasons:
- The Apply button will be disabled until changes have been made to the information in the form.
- The Apply button will also be disabled if a required form fields has not been completed. Required fields are identified by a red asterisk following the field name.