When you first run Visio Logger, you use it to create "fields" that will contain the data that you want to capture. This is easy to do, however, we are more than happy to assist you with this so that you can get an idea of the types of things that are available.

The types of data that you can capture are:

• Alphanumeric - text entry. This is data that is in your database as actual digital text. In other words, you can later do searches, filtering, and analysis on it because it is in a computer readable form. By text entry - we mean that the visitor can enter it by taping out the letters on a keyboard displayed on an electronic signature pad. Or, directly via the keyboard when running in dedicated Kiosk mode. A touchscreen monitor can also be used and visitors simply touch out the letters in the value.
• Alphanumeric - menu entry. You can define "menus" of any size or complexity that allows the user to "select" an option by taping the signature pad with the pen. You can have as many menu items as you need (you define the actual values), the system can display multiple "pages" of options during the collection of this field, showing a "Prev" and "Next" entry on the pad as appropriate.In Kiosk mode - you can define any background bitmap and specify the menu "choice" locations on that bitmap very easily. The system uses the fact that these fields have an exact value, that is, the visitor cannot misspell the value, to implement the powerful alerting system. Here - you can visually highlight the rows of data Visio Logger shows to indicate a situation staff should be aware of, and you can do this based on any one or more of these menu values as well on the duration of time the visitor has been in the building.
• Action fields. These fields are not provided as input by the visitor, they are for use by the facility to track time and activity. Anyone in the facility can see the visitor sign in information. The paper log in the lobby is now, not only electronic, but alive. With Action fields, you can now track how long visitors are within your facility and where they were at any point in time. You can also use these to record and verify what was or was not done for this visitor. At any particular "station" the individual might visit, staff at that location simply clicks a button to record the time, location, and duration (since sign-in) for that visitor. Action fields are also a key component of the unique "alerting" mechanism built into Visio Logger - since they are tracking time and duration - you can create alerts based on time, such as when a visitor spends too much time waiting to be seen.
• Handwriting and other bitmaps. You can take handwriting directly from one or many locations on the signature pad and create fields out of that. In addition to just a "signature", you could have your visitor fill in a "form" on your pad simply by writing on it with the stylus. You can break this form up into any number of fields and each is displayed in the Visio Logger data view. This type of input can also be used as a configurable alternative for the user when entering text. For example, if visitors want to simply write the information rather than tap it out on the keyboard, you can collect handwriting instead. This does not mean that Visio Logger can interpret that handwriting and create the text field from it, however, staff can read the handwriting, and fill in the associated text field. "Other bitmaps" refers to the fact that you can define bitmap fields that are "placeholders" for any image from any source. Visio Logger ships with two "integration" tools that show how this works - a Video tool that snaps a picture of the visitor, and a Scanning tool that can scan an item into the data row for each visitor. The source code for these are included, which brings the capability to provide images (bitmaps) from any source to your fingertips.
• Document fields. These fields allow you to insert one or more documents into the data rows for every visitor. Note that a template document is (optionally) provided for these, and when the visitor signs in - that template is copied and inserted into the database (there is no reliance on any complex configuration to manage documents outside of the database). Note that "documents" can refer to any "file" whatsoever. If your template document is an MS Word document - you can even populate the initial copy of it with any data that the visitor provided, such as their name and address, in a fully customizable way, that is, having this data appear exactly where you want it within your document. The display cell for these document fields contains a link that allows a user of Visio Logger anywhere to actually open that document (if the native application for it is installed on the local computer). Optionally, these "documents" can be "editable". This means that when staff opens the document and makes any changes to it - that the changes will be reflected back to the database. Also, documents can be made to "flow" from one document column to another. Document fields can be left "empty" (i.e., no template document) at initial visitor sign in time, and they can be set up as "targets" when a document is edited as above from a different document column. This sets up the concept of document change management solution where different staff at different times might make their contribution to the document.