Events
You may be asking yourself; what is an Event? In HoudiniESQ, an Event is any task performed in relation to a contact or matter which can be tracked via the Calendar.
Important: Events need to be tied to Matters within the DFEH system. Ensure that eachEvent created is associated with a Matter.
Click the Events|Task tab within the Matter window, and then click the Add Event (+) icon.
The New Event Window has the following parts:
Date - Includes the date of the event, including time and duration.
Stopwatch - The duration can also be set with the stop watch function. This will continue to count down for the duration of the event and will round to the nearest 15 minute increment.
Staff - Allows you to choose which staff member the event belongs to. This field is required. The Staff member selected will be added as an Attendee.
Calendar - Allows you to select which Calendar this event belongs to. By default it is added to the Work calendar.
Task - Allows you to choose which type of event (Case Review, Discussion, etc.) This field is required.
Status - Set billing status of event
Private - Toggle private on/off. If an event is set to private, no one else can access or view the event other than the owner.
Matter – Entering a search string in the Matter field allows you to search for Matters to associate with the event.
Contact - Entering a search string in the Contact field allows you to search for Contacts to associate with the event. You can also choose to add a contact.
Notify – Informs the owner if any changes are made by other Staff to this Event.
Once you have filled out the information about the New Event, click Save. The New Event will now be visible in your Calendar.
You can also choose to navigate the other tabs at the bottom of the Edit New Event Window.
These tabs include:
Detail - Allows you to input detail about your event. This is selected by default.
Forms - Allows you to access and add forms for the Event.
Attendees - You can designate attendees for the event from the Staff list. Clicking on this tab will bring up a list view.
Clicking the Add (+) icon will allow you to add Staff from the drop-down box that appears. Click “Save” to add the Staff member.
Action Items - This is the To Do list associated with the Event. To Do list items are automatically copied to staff members that they are assigned to. Clicking on this tab will bring up a list view with all To Dos associated with this Event. You can create a new one with the Add (+) icon. Clicking it will bring up the “Todo” window.
Docs - You can attach any file already in the document repository to the Event. This works similarly to the process associated with attaching Documents to a Matter. Consult the “Matter Documents” section of this guide for more information.
Notes - You can write any number of notes specific to the event.
Batch Entry of Events
The Event quick entry form is used to enter one or more billable items associated with a Matter.
The Event Quick Entry form is made up of three parts.
1. The Regarding Field. You must enter the Matter Reference that your entries will be associated with.
2. The Task area. The Task area is where you specify the details of the billable item.
3. The Event List area. This is a list of all unbilled Event/Task for the selected Matter (area #1)
Note: In the current version of HoudiniESQ, you must ALWAYS define your Task before entering a Matter, unless the Task has a defined rate. Otherwise, the undefined task rate will OVERRIDE the Matter Rate.
1. Select an Event/Task you wish to create from the drop down. If it is a new Event/Task is not listed then add it by clicking the [+] button to the right of the drop down.
2. Enter the duration of the Event/Task. You may enter using fractional time e.g. .25 or you may enter actual time e.g. :15. The difference is a dot (.) vs. a colon (:) when specifying the duration.
3. Optionally enter any notes regarding this Event.
To associate your Event/Task with a Matter, start typing a Matter-Reference. As you type, a list will appear with the most likely candidates. Select from the list when it appears.
When you make your selection you will notice that the Event List will display any open Event/Task associated with this Matter. (red box)
Repeats and Alerts
You can choose to set any number of alerts about the event at the times specified. Clicking on this tab will bring up a new frame in the Event|Tasks window.
To add a new Alert, you can click the “Add New Alert (+)” button on the right. This will use the currently listed date and time of the Event as a base time for the alert. You can specify a time in minutes, hours or days before or after the event to send out the alert, and whether to include all attendees with the checkbox.
On the left hand side, you can specify whether we want to Repeat this event with the checkbox. You can select the interval with the radio buttons, and how frequently within that interval you want the Alert to be repeated. In addition, you can specify how many times you want the Repeated Alert to occur, either via Occurrences or Date.
You can also enter text to be displayed with your Alert using the Optional Text field.
