Octopus Options on Demand

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Table of contents

Introduction

By default Octopus comes with a variety of options configured to meet the needs of most environments. Many of these options can be modified directly in Octopus.

But as each company / service has its needs, constraints and requirements, we also have several options that are available, but that can not be configured directly in Octopus.

In this article, we propose to list the hidden Octopus options that could be useful. This list will of course be updated as new options are added, so we recommand visiting this page often. 

To request one of these options, the authorized Octopus administrator must make a request to our Service Desk with the Configuration / Data Modification template. 

We will need the following information : 

  • The name of the environment
    • It can be found in Tools > Display installation kit address.
  • The name and/or number of the team
  • The name of the option

 

What you need to know

The options presented in the table are all configurable by team, except when indicated.

Visual Support

To better explain the option in question, we sometimes add visual support:

Click the icon to see the picture

Click the icon to see the video

 

Resolution of variables in a task from a form

Allows you to specify whether variables of type Expression are resolved at the creation of a request.
By default, they are resolved at the creation of the query. 

It is also possible that they are resolved on activation of the task.

  • Option name
    • Incident.CreateTasksForNewSRFromTemplate.ShouldResolveFieldExpressions

General Options

Description

Modify the Default Source of Requests

When a request is created directly in Octopus, by default, the source is Telephone. This choice can be modified  for another as needed.

It is also possible to leave the field empty by default, to force the Octopus user to make a choice when creating the request.

  • Option name
    • Sources.UseDefaultValue
    • To modify the default value, we add a choice.
    • To force a choice by default, we leave empty. 

Open the Internal Annoncement in Another Window

Because sometimes the messages are long or you want to keep them easily accessible, you can change the behavior of the internal annoncement to open in a separate window.

  • Option name
    • InternalAnnouncement.ShowInNewWindow

Attached files hosted by Octopus

Option that allows you to access the team's attached files from the Web. 

Warning! This option does not work with local environments. 

As this option has its own separate process, to enable this option, the authorized Octopus administrator must complete a I need to... > Hosted files.

  • Option name
    • Attachment.Storage.Enabled

External support

For many companies, the services offered are intended not only for internal employees, but also for external people. 

To learn how this option works, see external support article
 

WARNING: This option affects all teams.

  • Option name (will affect all teams)
    • ExternalSupportMode.Enabled

Add a #ProviderReq. field for requests

Allows you to add the Supplier Request Number field to an Incident or Service Request. 

This is a text field. 

 

  • Option name
    • Incident.SupplierIncidentID.Enabled

Modify the Hours of the Deployment Calendar

By default, the week view of the deployment calendar displays deployments from 7:00 to 00:00. But it is possible to change these hours as needed.

  • Option names
    • DeploymentCalendar.StartTime
    • DeploymentCalendar.EndTime

Valid Approval Responses for Email

By default, when a reply to an approval is received by email, Octopus accepts Yes, No, Oui, Non as an answer. But in some contexts we want to add other valid answers, such as OK, Alright.

In addition to the option, note the answers to add.

  • Option names
    • For positive response MailIntegration.PositiveApprovalResponses
    • For negative response MailIntegration.NegativeApprovalResponses

Download the Database - GetDBApp

It is possible to manually download a copy of the Octopus database or automate the download.

To find out more, see the GetDBApp: Downloading the Octopus database automatically article. 

WARNING: This option affects all teams.

  • Option name
    • CanObtainLastDBBackup

Add the Contact Field to Your Requests

Requests often drag on because the user is a difficult person to reach. Either he works on night or overnight shifts, weekends or is medical staff or travels frequently. 

Many times in these cases, there is another person who is aware of the request and could answer for the user.

Adding the Contact field allows to put this person's name in the request and indicates that this is the person to reach for the request.

  • Option name
    • Incident.Contact.Visible

Adding the content of the internal procedure in the Detailed description field

By default, when a query is created and it has an internal procedure, the Procedure link must be used to consult it.

An option is available to display the procedure in the Detailed description field as well as being visible through the Procedure link.

* If the request comes from the web portal or no form is mandatory, the internal procedure is not copied, but the form description is retained.

 

  • Option name
    • Incident.CopyInternalProcedureToFullDescription.Enabled

Parent-Child Incident - keep the CI involved in the child incident

By default, when a child request is linked to a parent request, the child's CI is replaced by the parent's CI.

In some contexts, we sometimes want to keep track of the child CI and therefore not have it replaced by the parent CI. An option is available to avoid this synchronization. 

 

  • Option name
    • Incident.ChildRequestPreserveCI

Create from ... for incident/SR

An option is provided to facilitate the creation of a query from another one to avoid re-entering information by copying some information from the source query. 

However, the copy does not include attachments or tasks, other than those already included in an SR type. 

The choice of fields to be copied must be made to implement this option from this Excel file.

 

  • Option name
    • ESI.Octopus.PlugIns.CreateIncidentFrom

Additional information when choosing a user

When searching for a user in Octopus, some information helps to distinguish between different people. For example, the name of their site, department, their Windows username, etc. 

Some information is there by default, but it is possible to add, remove or change the order in which they appear. 

To find out how these options work, see the article Additional information when choosing a user

 

WARNING: This option affects all teams.

  • Option name
    • WebUI.UserDropdown.InfoFormat (portail Web)
    • WinUI.UserDropdown.InfoFormat (client Windows)
       

Access management

GDA in Octopus is much more than a simple option. It is a project in itself that requires the support of an Octopus specialist to set it up. 

For more information on what can be done with Access Management in Octopus, see the article Automated Access Management Solution - Reference Document

Any request for Access Management is subject to an evaluation in order to prepare a submission for the project. It is therefore necessary to already have a plan in mind of what is to be implemented and to have planned to make a budget request. 

  • Option name
    • GDA

Use of multiple criteria to establish impact and urgency

By default, the Impact and Emergency fields are drop-down lists.

But it is possible to establish the impact and/or urgency from several pre-established criteria.

Warning: for the implementation, this may require assist from an Octopus specialist

 

  • Option name 
    • ESI.Octopus.PlugIns.PriorityDerivation 

Une fois l'option activée, la configuration se fait directement dans les données de références. 

Control assignment to resolution and reopening

Although it is recommended to reassign a resolved request to the Service Center, in some cases and especially in non-IT teams, it may be interesting to return the incident or the resolved service request to the resolution group.

Two options are available to control assignment upon resolution and reopening
 

  • Disable automatic reassignment to service center upon resolution. By default, resolved incidents/SRs are automatically assigned to Service Center. By disabling the option, the assignment remains to the same group, that is, to the group that resolved the request. In both cases, the assignee will be removed from the field.
     
  • Upon reopening, enable automatic reassignment to the assignee who resolved it. By default, reopened incidents/SRs are not reassigned to the assignee. By enabling this option, the request will be reassigned to the person who resolved it, if the assignee is part of the assignment group. (Generally, this option will be used in combination with the previous one.)

  • Option name 
    • Incident.ServiceDeskResolutionAssignement.Enabled
    • Incident.Reopen.AssignToResolutionAssignee.Enabled
       

Maintain relationships between users and CIs after users are deactivated

By default, when a user is disabled, their relationship with CI's is removed.

But in some contexts we need to keep the relationships. This option preserves the relationship between CIs when the user is disabled.

 

  • Option name
    • User.Deactivation.DeleteCIRelationships.Enabled

Software managed or not by default

When used with a WMIUpdater synchronization, Octopus considers that the softwares found by WMIUpdater is either managed or unmanaged.

By default, they are managed and added to the list of software in the Configurations module. And every new CI found at the next WMIUpdater sync will be added to this list.

There is an option to reverse this behavior and make softwares detected by WMI considered unmanaged.

 

  • Option name
    • WMI.Software.IsManagedByDefault

Search by the name of the Manufacturer and the Model of a CI 

Particularly useful in Facilities Management or GBM teams, this option allows you to add the possibility to search by the name of the Manufacturer and the Model of a CI.

 

  • Option name
    • CIQuickSearch - ManufacturerModel

Choosing a status other than Retired when a CI is no longer detected by ADSI

When ADSI synchronization is used to scan computers, the system automatically sets PCs that are no longer present in AD to the Retired status. In some contexts, the process may require that the status of the CI be different when it is no longer in AD. 

There is an option to designate a status other than Retired, such as Recycled for example.

 

  • Option name
    • ADSIUpdater.RetiringCIStatusID
      Specify the name of the status to use, when enabling this option

Delay reminder deadlines for approvals

There are two types of reminders for approvals: 

  • Reminder to the approver, when already assigned
  • Required approver reminder, sent to the approver group to prompt a person to take charge of the approval.

 

In both cases, the recall is sent 48 hours after the first notification of approval and continues every 48 hours thereafter, until the approval is completed.

To make a change to both options, specify the name of the option to be changed and the desired time frame.

 

Delegate approvals


Allows you to specify whether the user can view the 'Delegates his approvals to' property in his Web portal profile at any time, without having to have an approval task assigned.  

 

  • Option name
    • WebUI.EditProfile.DelegateApprovalTo.AlwaysVisible
       

Add a Note Section to Printed Requests

Sometimes in building management teams, workers must print requests and work on paper.

An option (plugin) is available to add a section at the bottom of the printed request, where the worker can enter his notes.

In addition, there is a second option which adds the CI note, when it exists, to the printed  request.

  • Option name
    • FacilitiesManagement.IncidentReportExtension
    • IncidentReport.PrintCINote.Plugin
      • To have the CI note printed

 

Options Related to the Web Portal

Description

User Profile Modification on the Web Portal

WARNING: This option affects all teams.

By default when a user goes into his profile on the Web Portal, a number of fields can be seen and changed. 

It is possible to block the modification of certain fields. 

It is also possible to display the approval delegation fields at any time.

And to make visible and editable some other fields.

 

For more information see the Additional information in the selection of a user article.  

  • Option names
    • WebUI.EditProfile.ContactInformation.ReadOnly 
    • WebUI.EditProfile.DelegateApprovalTo.AlwaysVisible 
    • WebUI.EditProfile.Site.Visible 
    • WebUI.EditProfile.Departement.Visible
    • WebUI.EditProfile.Local.Visible 
    • WebUI.EditProfile.JobTitle.Visible 
    • WebUI.EditProfile.Pager.Visible
    • WebUI.EditProfile.ProfessionalEmail.Visible
    • WebUI.EditProfile.PersonalEmail.ReadOnly
    • WebUI.EditProfile.BusinessPhone.Visible
    • WebUI.EditProfile.DelegateApprovalTo.ReadOnly
    • WebUI.EditProfile.UnavailabilityDates.Visible

Activation of tiles on the portal

To facilitate the organization of requests on the portal it is possible to use tiles with an image to represent the categories of requests and teams, when there is more than one on the portal. 

See the article Web Portal - Setting up the modern mode for details of how it works. 

  

  • Option name
    • WebUI.Incident.BriefDescription.UsePrefix.Enabled
       

Add or Remove the [Web] Prefix to the Request Subject

In certain environments when a request is created from the Web Portal, [Web] is added to the beginning of the subject.

For example: [Web] I lost my cell phone.

  But this prefix can be removed.

  • Option name
    • WebUI.Incident.BriefDescription.UsePrefix.Enabled

Link CI's to user

Prevents displaying the option to link CI to user upon an incident creation is created. 

  • Option name
    • Incident.showLinkCIMessage

Resolution date display

It is now possible to display the resolution date in request list and requests form on the Web portal.

  • Option name
    • WebUI.RequestList.ResolutionDateVisible

Register to this service

It is possible to invite external collaborators or suppliers to Register for the service in order to create their account and then allow them to access the web portal and make service requests or communicate essential information to an Octopus team.
 

WARNING: This option affects all teams.

For more details, click here

 

Report an incident anonymously 

The web portal can be the gateway for reporting incidents anonymously, or for users who do not have an Octopus account and whose identity is not required.

For more details, click here

External authentication available in hybrid mode (ADFS or Azure AD / Username and password)

It is now possible to invite external collaborators or suppliers to make service requests or communicate essential information to an Octopus team.

The Web portal must be configured with SSO authentication to allow the hybrid login mode.
This mode enables certain "external" users who are not present in the customer's identity federator (ADFS or Azure AD) to authenticate on the web portal with a username and password.
 

WARNING: This option affects all teams.

  • Option name
    • Claims.IsExternalLoginAllowed


​For more information on Identity Federation, see the article here
 

Filters for displaying CIs on the portal

When a user has to select a CI from on the Web portal, by default, they are presented with the CI(s) associated with it. But it is possible to present the choices in different ways.  

  • User CI
    • Defaut option
  • Site CI
    • If site selection is mandatory, the CIs of the selected site are displayed
    • If site selection is not mandatory, the CIs of the user's site are displayed
  • Departement CI
    • Corresponds to the exact deparltement level of the user
    • Do not consider parent or child departements

To change the default seclection, request the next option indicating the desired option.  

  • Option name
    • WebUI.CreateRequest.CIList.Source

Displays the Due Date field in the web portal

It is now possible to display the resolution date in request list and requests form on the Web portal.

  • Option name
    • WebUI.RequestList.ResolutionDateVisible

Displays the priority in the web portal

It is possible to display the priority in the request list and in the request on the web portal. 

  • Option name
    • WebUI.RequestList.PriorityVisible

Modify the number of CIs displayed in the search results

When you create a new incident and perform a search on the CI, you can specify to display X number of CIs. 
* Caution: A too large a number can affect the page display delay, so we suggest limiting the number, e.g. 25.
 

WARNING: This option affects all teams.

  • Option name
    • WebUI.CreateRequest.FindCI.MaxResult

Display the name of the assigned


Control whether or not assignee of the request is visible in the Web portal and add the column Assigned to.
  • Option name
    • WebUI.Incident.Assignee.Visible  

Send e-mail upon request creation via Web Portal

This option sends the creation confirmation to the requester even if the incident/SR was submitted via the Web portal. However, if the requester is a technician for the team where the request was created, this option will have no effect.
 

For confidential requests, only the requester will receive a confirmation email.
 

  • Option name
    • Notification.IncidentCreated.CreateEvenIfCurrentUser

Deactivate the Automated Site Derivation

When a request is submitted from the Web Portal and the site is mandatory for a service, the requester must confirm the site before selecting a request.

If the requester leaves the site presented to him by default, in this case his own, and continues his request but adds a user from another site, the system will automatically derive the site of the request to the site of the user who was added.

An option allows to keep the site initially selected when a site is mandatory for a service.

  • Option name
    • Incident.WebUI.SiteDerivationDisabled

Reopen a request on Web portal

Allow the reopening of a request on the web portal. 

 

  • Option name
    • WebUI.ReopenRequest.Enabled

Discreet Section for Confidential Requests

A confidential request will always only be visible to the requester from the Web portal. But in some context, we want to add even more discretion to these requests.

The following option adds a section at the bottom of the screen for confidential requests from all teams which is collapsed by default.

 


WARNING: This option affects all teams.

  • Option name
    • WebUI.Filter.Confidential.Visible

 

Options Related to Assignment

Description

Resolve on Behalf of the Assigned Octopus User

By default when a person resolves a request, the resolution activity will be associated with the user who did the action.

But in some contexts, mainly for the building management department, the person who enters data into Octopus is not the person who did the work.

It is therefore possible to associate the resolution of the request with the person assigned to the request rather than the one making the data entry.

  • Option name
    • Incident.DeriveResolvedByAssignee 

Automatic Assignment by Site

This option is very often used with the Building Management service, but it can be useful in other contexts as well.

We configure where a type of request should go according to the site and then Octopus will assign the request based on that choice.

Note that the automatic assignment based to the site associates a group, but not a specific Octopus user.

  • Option name
    • SiteAssignment.Enabled

 

 

Options Related to Service Targets

Description

Enabling Service Targets for Initial Response Delay

By default, service targets (SLAs) in Octopus are intended to look at the resolution of incidents and service requests.

But for those who follow these closely it's possible to also activate the initial response SLA. 

  • Option name
    • ResponseSLA.Activated 

Once activated, the configuration is done directly in the reference data.

Exclude Lunch from the SLA

By default, if the hours of a service are from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, there are 8 business hours, as there is generally minimum staff to provide service during the lunch break.

But for contexts where all people eat at the same time and the service is not available, we can exclude lunch hours from business hours.

  • Option names
    • BusinessHours.Lunch.IsExcluded
    • BusinessHours.Lunch.StartTime
    • BusinessHours.Lunch.EndTime

Add the start and end time for this option. 

Include Weekends to Calculate SLA

By default, business days are from Monday to Friday.

But it is possible to add Saturdays and Sundays to the work week.

  • Option name
    • BusinessHours.IncludeWeekEnd

 

Options Related to CIs

Description

Keep Links Between CIs After the Retirement

By default, when a CI is removed, its links to other CIs are cleared.

But in some contexts we need to keep the link active. This option keeps the links between CI during the retirement.

  • Option name
    • ConfigurationItem.Deactivation.DeleteCIRelationships.Enabled

Link the Request Site to the CI or the User

By default, when creating a request, the request site is associated with the CI site when there is one and if there is no CI, to the user's site.

But it is possible to associate the site of the request with the site of the user at all times.

  • Option name
    • Incident.Site.DerivationMode

Ignore the Criticality of the CI

By default, when creating an incident, the criticality of the CI will be derived towards the Impact field.

But it is possible to remove this link.

  • Option name
    • Incident.Impact.DeriveFromCIImpact.Enabled

 

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