Exclusive Use / Identifying Users

Exclusive Use

This means what it says - if a user has taken Exclusive Use, only that user can have access to the Case. Only the first user to do so for a given session can claim Exclusive Use, and once one user has it, no-one else can get in. A user with Exclusive Use can do various things which others cannot, including:

	editing lookup picklists such as Names, Name Link Types or Item Link Types
	defining Category Labels
	operations which have a global impact on large numbers of Items, such as Parsing Names and Find and Replace
	deleting Items

This is not protected by a password - policing the use of these functions is a matter of internal regulation rather than something imposed by the software. The main aim is to ensure that thought is given before changing things which may have wide impact.

Conversely, there are two functions - the Additional Reports and the main Query Wizard - which cannot be accessed by a user with Exclusive Use. Exclusive Use is switched off automatically if you access either of these functions. In certain cases, the system will try to get Exclusive Use where it is needed and will only notify the user if it has failed to get it (i.e. because someone else is logged in).

You can switch quickly to and from Exclusive Use from the Control Panel by double-clicking on the Case name at the top. The background turns red as shown here if Exclusive Use is taken. You can also turn Exclusive Use on and off from the Case Menu on the Control Panel.

Identifying Users - who is using the Case?

Bear in mind that no-one else can access the Case if you have Exclusive Use and that no-one else can claim Exclusive Use if you are logged in. Exclusive Use should be retained only for as long as it is needed. If you are leaving your desk for some time, or not using Openlaw, it is helpful to close the Case.

Administrators and others with access to view the network can easily check who, if anyone, is logged in. An entry is created in the Case directory for each user who logs in. It shows the date and time of the login and the name of the user. These are moved to a sub-directory called Logon when the user leaves Openlaw.

If there are any such entries in the Case directory then either the named user is still logged in, or he or she has quit Openlaw by irregular means such as a system crash or network failure. The entries can therefore be used both to show who are the current users and which users may have been having problems.