WorkflowThe TOLIA Image Viewer is a custom document imaging add on module for TMW Suite.  It was the first component that was built as part of the TOLIA solution and applications. 

This application not only serves as the tool that images are viewed with, but it also has many of other features that were added to streamline our document imaging process.  It has vastly improved our process workflow for how all documents related to a trip are pushed through the system.

The following is a list of the key features that exist within the TOLIA Image Viewer followed by a screenshot of the application.

Features

  1. Multiple Image Formats - Can be used to view multiple image formats (e.g. TIFF, PNG, JPG, GIF, etc.).  Most documents come in as multi-page TIFFs, but we allow dragging and dropping and opening all sorts of document types.
  2. Database Backend - Documents can be uploaded to our imaging database which allows for very quick access and since documents are uploaded attached to an order number, the wealth of information that is stored in TMW is available as part of the markup of an image (e.g. information about the particular movement and all data associated with it).  I debated about storing the images in the database as binary large objects (BLOBS) or in the file system.  I ended up choosing the database, I could write an entire blog entry devoted to the pro’s and con’s of the options related to this decision point.
  3. Tagging - Documents that are opened with the image viewer can be tagged with a document type, associated with an order and uploaded to the TOLIA database all with a couple of clicks.  Once uploaded, the paperwork is automatically checked into TMWSuite and is instantly available for users and customers.
  4. Stamping - This allows us to open images such as an order confirmation and stamp right on the document a users signature, the date, our terms, etc.  You can see below a screenshot of the stamping options when clicked.  We can also append to a document additional pages for our packet of information that we send back when we sign broker agreements to haul freight.  We have a unified messaging VOIP phone system that each user has their own fax line that feeds right into their email inbox as multi-page TIFFs.  A user can open an agreement, stamp it with their signature, append our W-9 and insurance information and email or fax it back all with a few clicks.  From a workflow standpoint, this is huge.   We used to have people running around to fax machines several times for a single transaction, now it is all paperless and everyone remains seated.  I will blog in the future about what our all our VOIP call center allows us to do.
  5. Email - Rather than having to save a document that has been stamped out to the file system and then open a new email and attach it, we built the email interface right into the tool, so all a user does is click the email button and type the to address and a short message and it takes care of the rest.  This is nice that someone may fax you something to sign, you open it in the image viewer, stamp it and then you can email it back to them rather than having to fax it back and the tool facilitates all of this.
  6. One Click Integration with TMW - This is perhaps one of the most used features of the tool.  When in any TMW application such as invoicing, dispatch, etc, you can open documents for that particular order with a single click.  We leverage the custom menu and parameter passing capabilities of TMW to work with the image viewer to allow this integration, so if we are looking at order 32000 and want to look at the order confirmation, we can simply go to the custom menu and click “view confirmation” and voila, there is the order confirmation!
  7. Zooming / Rotating - And of course, since you are looking at images, the need to be able to zoom and rotate pages is built in as well.

Here is a screenshot scaled down of what the TOLIA Image Viewer looks like when looking at a document.
TOLIAImageViewer

This application is very heavily used today and will continue to evolve as time goes on.  It is currently a .NET 1.1 application and I have some big ideas for it when .NET 3.5 is completed…the capabilities the WPF provides are astonishing (yet another future blog post once I get more time to experiment with this new technology).

Next up in the TOLIA Imaging series, the TOLIA Batch Entry application.

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