Coming soon – major expansion of the process log

In earlier versions of Goobi, we initially introduced a ‘wiki’ field for each process. The main purpose of this field was to allow users to enter comments about a process that could be read by other users working on the same process at a later stage. Soon after, this function was extended so that the field could log various message types (e.g. from external systems) as well as storing information entered by users. In this way, the wiki field became a sort of logbook that provided reliable information about changes to a process.

We have made a number of significant changes to this feature in Goobi 3.0. As a result of modifications to the internal data structure of the log entries, there is no longer a limit on the length of individual messages. Each message is now precisely standardised and shown with the date and the user. Also, for each instance of Goobi, it will be possible to configure specific adaptations that permit additional information fields for each message. There will be an option, for example, to record further details that may be useful for document revision purposes alongside the actual message. With up to three additional fields (each of which can be given a title of the customer’s choice), members of the project team will be able to enter useful information in a more structured form.

Thanks to the new infrastructure for recording and storing information in the process log, it will no longer be necessary to display all information for all Goobi users. For example, internal system reports will be hidden by default and if required can be displayed by selecting the relevant menu options. Goobi operators will therefore be able to keep a more comprehensive record of changes to each process while avoiding information overload. The process log will display only those messages that are relevant to the user.

Creating a more dynamic system for displaying different message types gave us as developers the scope to log a great deal more information about status changes within the workflow. With the advent of Goobi 3.0, changes to individual workflow steps, automatic script calls and workflow interventions by the administrator will be logged much more intensively and stored in the process log. Thanks to these new developments, it will be possible to accurately trace the source of any unwanted changes and use the information to avoid future errors.

If a user chooses to display all the internal log reports for a process, Goobi will provide an option to show them across the full screen without a scroll bar. This feature will make working with the expanded process log much more user-friendly, especially when examining complex processes.

The additional process log features described above will be available to all users (together with a host of other new functions) in Goobi 3.0. Provisional launch date for Goobi 3.0: July 2017.