ACT!Alert

How Does ACT!Alert Work?

When you set up ACT!Alert for a database, you will be prompted to select the ACT!Alert field. ACT!Alert will display an alert message when you scroll to contacts that have data in the field you select.

For example, if a database has a field called User 1, you can run the ACT!Alert Configuration Wizard and set User 1 to be an alert field. Once done, whenever you scroll to a contact that has a value in the User 1 field, an alert message will appear that contains the data from that field.

Installing ACT!Alert

1. Once you have acquired the "ACT!Alert install.exe" from www.actaddons.com, double-click on the file to run the install wizard.
2. You will be prompted to select the desired install location. We suggest that you install ACT!Alert to the default location of C:\Program Files\ACT! Database Services\ACTAlert.
3. Click the Next button to continue.
4. Click the Install button to agree to the license agreement, and start the installation process.
5. Click the Finish button when the process is complete.

Setting up ACT!Alert

1. To run ACT!Alert, click Start, pointing to Programs, then to ACT! Database Services, and choose ACT!Alert Configuration. This will launch the first screen of the ACT!Alert configuration Wizard.
   
2. Click Next to start the Configuration Wizard. You will be notified if the ACT!Alert icons already appear on your toolbar or Tools menu.
   
3. Select where you want the ACT!Alert icon to appear, then click Next.
   Note: If the icon is already on the toolbar the Toolbar check book will be checked. Unchecking this box will cause the ACT!Alert icon to be removed. The same is true for the Tools menu item.
   
4. Click Browse then select an ACT! database.
   
5. Click OK, log in to the database if prompted, and click Next.
   Note: You are not required to select a database on this screen. If you wish to modify the menu and toolbar configuration without configuring a database, you can click Next without selecting a database. If you do this, skip to step 7 below, but you must configure a database before ACT!Alert will run. If you double-click the file name box, the last database that was opened in ACT! will be selected and opened.
   
6. You will be asked to choose the field in your database where you want an alert to appear. Select a field from the list, then click Next.
   Note: If ACT!Alert is already configured for that database, this screen will indicate which field is currently configured. You can remove ACT!Alert configuration by selecting 'Delete Configuration' from the list of fields.
   
7. Review your settings, then click Finish to apply the settings. Click Back to make changes or Cancel to end without making any changes.

If you run ACT!Alert and ACT! is not running, ACT! will launch automatically. You will still be required to log in to the ACT! database and dismiss any reminders before ACT!Alert can function.

If you run ACT!Alert and it is not configured to be used with the currently opened database, you will be asked if you wish to create a configuration file. (Watch for the blinking ACT!Alert icon on the Taskbar in Windows--on the bar with your Start button.) If you choose No to the prompt to set up a configuration file, ACT!Alert will close. If you choose Yes, a dialog box will open, prompting you to select a field.

Select the field that you wish to be the ACT!Alert field for that database, then click OK.

Using ACT!Alert

Once ACT!Alert is configured for a database, you must launch the ACT!Alert program each time you launch ACT!. If you've placed the ACT!Alert icon on the toolbar or as a menu item, you can launch it from there; or run ACT!Alert from the ACT! Database Services program group under Start/Programs. You can also set up ACT!Alert to run each time ACT! starts by following the steps in this document: How to setup ACT!Alert to run every time ACT! starts (Document ID #200152494024).

Note: You will not receive an alert if you are viewing your contact(s) from the Contact List view.

Once you have moved to a contact with data in the ACT!Alert field (configured earlier), the ACT!Alert dialog box will appear.

• To dismiss the ACT!Alert message, click the OK button without checking a box or just move to another contact in the database. ACT!Alert is still running, and you will continue to receive ACT!Alert messages when moving to other contacts.
• To close the ACT!Alert program and stop it from running, click the "X" in the upper right-hand corner of the alert window. Note: If you close ACT!Alert by clicking on the "X" in the upper corner you will no longer receive ACT!Alert messages until you run ACT!Alert again. To turn it back on, click the ACT!Alert icon on the toolbar or run ACT!Alert from the ACT! Database Services program group under your Start Menu.
• To edit the data in the field, check the Allow Editing box and modify the data from the alert window. Click OK to commit the changes. You can type in up to 254 characters, but only the number of characters that fit in the Alert field will be saved.
• If you wish to clear the alert, check both Allow Editing and Clear Alert boxes and click OK. The data in the alert field will be erased and the alert cleared.

FAQs

Q. How do I add or remove the ACT!Alert icon to the Toolbar or Tools menu?

A. Run the ACT!Alert configuration Wizard to add or remove the ACT!Alert icon to the Toolbar or Tools Menu. Click the Start button, point to Programs, then ACT! Database Services then ACTAlertCFG.

Q. How do I remove the ACT!Alert icon from the Toolbar or Tools menu if I have uninstalled ACT!Alert?

A. Reinstall ACT!Alert and run the Configuration Wizard, or find the file called ACTCMD.INI which should be located in your ACT! folder. Rename this file to ACTCMD.OLD (or other name) to remove all custom commands on the ACT! Toolbar or Tools menu that were created by software applications.

Q. How do I use ACT!Alert on a networked database?

A. The settings for ACTAlert are database specific, meaning you set up a database once, any ACT!Alert that opens that database will use the same alert field. However, you must install and run the ACT!Alert program on each computer that you wish to receive alert message on.

Q. How do I add the ACT!Alert icon to a different toolbar or tools menu?

A. You must create a custom command, then you can add the custom command to any toolbar or menu you choose. For help with this see our knowledge base document #2001112121310.

Q. My ACT!Alert icon has disappeared from my toolbar.

A. Run the ACT!Alert Configuration Wizard and re-add it to the toolbar.

Q. I've added the toolbar and menu items but I don't see them. Why?

A. You must exit ACT! then restart it for custom toolbar and menu items to appear. If you have done this, try running the Configuration Wizard again. Try reinstalling ACT!Alert and running the Configuration Wizard again.

Q. Can I get ACT!Alert to alert on multiple fields.

A. No.

Q. Can different users alert on multiple fields.

A. No.

Q. My alert is not coming up and I have configured ACT!Alert for the database.

A. First, make sure ACT!Alert running? Click on the ACT!Alert icon and try again. If necessary run through the above steps 1-6. Second, make sure there is data in that contact's Alert field? Use the Configuration Wizard to detect the settings for your database, then go to ACT! and make sure that there is data in the alert field. Third, when moving from one contact to another using keyboard shortcuts, the ACT!Alert messages will not display. To make ACT!Alert messages appear when scrolling between contacts using keyboard shortcuts follow the steps in our knowledge base document #200164125431.

Q. How do I check to see if ACT!Alert is already running?

A. To check to see if ACT!Alert is running you can hit contol-alt-delete simultaneously and look for the ACT!Alert icon in the list of currently running applications. (on some operating systems you must click Task Manager to see the list of applications.)

Q. How do I close ACT!Alert?

A. When you receive an ACT!Alert message you can close ACT!Alert (and no longer receive alert messages) by clicking the X in the upper right corner of the Alert message box. Or, you can hit contol-alt-delete simultaneously and look for the ACT!Alert icon in the list of currently running applications. (On some operating systems you must click Task Manager to see the list of applications.) Click on the ACT!Alert icon in the Task Manager list, then click End Task.

Other Products by Sage Software

Account Number Wizard —Automatically create ID numbers for contacts based on dropdown lists and values that appear in fields.
ACT!Alert —Quickly attach editable POPUP messages to contacts in your ACT! Database
ACT! Database Deduplication Wizard —This wizard will merge duplicate contacts in your database.
Attachment Migration Wizard —Change the path of attachments stored within ACT!.
Touched Wizard —Create a group of contacts that have had any of their data modified in a timeframe you select.
Untouched Wizard —Create a group of contacts that have not had any types of records modified based on a timeframe you select.

Technical Support Information
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