DM Software Associates Student Lettings System
DM Software Associates, run by Martin Kelley, is a development company based in Leeds, UK. Martin has been a long term user of Visual DataFlex, developing Windows desktop applications and in support of these has created something of a speciality in the use of the VDF Web Application Server to create an extremely effective remote data file updating/ synchronization system using Web Services.
A property management system for Student Property Letting Agents (PMS) is their latest VDF Windows application – this is the main view of the application. (Please note that the link is to a live site, so please don’t make test bookings!)
PMS includes many very attractive and functional features, courtesy of VDF’s ability to use advanced Windows presentation controls – this is the Property Finder.
When it became obvious that this would need a Web presence, Martin looked into the VDF based web site content managed website system (CMS), Electos. In Martin’s words
| "What a surprise we got! Electos is truly brilliant, and because it uses native VDF tables, we were able to rapidly build exciting new features into our PMS system and easily tailor the Electos studio to fit in with our application." |
The Key features that Martin needed were
Changing the "Language"
Electos is not obviously related to the needs of Letting Agents, being oriented towards selling products, not making bookings. In its standard form it would be unacceptable to a letting agent, in terms of the terminology used. e.g.: product number, price etc. Many developers would have moved on at that point, but Martin has a track record of thinking out of the box!
Electos is designed to be multi-lingual, and while Letting Agent terminology is still “English”, the multi-language provisions allowed for the simple creation of a new “language” in Electos, defined as ”English(Letting Agents)”. So, all the needed terminology changes, Rent instead of Price, Address instead of Product Number, Property Portfolio instead of Webshop, etc, were instantly promulgated throughout Electos Studio. This totally changed the look of the studio, and Martin realised that as a developer he now had a whole new set of opportunities to exploit in moving Electos well beyond a “one purpose” web shop system.
Electos Studio - “Price” becomes “Weekly Rent”, Product” becomes “Property Description”
Property List – “Price” becomes “Weekly Rent”
Note the Map link. As part of the create web site procedure, a link to Microsoft’s Multi-map website is created, using the postcode from the PMS data for that property. This is very important to the web site content, as it shows the viewer exactly where the property is. It saves a lot of manual work as the user would have to first find the link on multimap, and then create the link in the relative property in the Electos studio, adding an image etc.. A long job, prone to (serious error) where there may be hundreds of properties to edit!
Viewings are submitted as a familiar “check out” process
Updating Electos Data
Having dealt with adapting Electos, the next question became that of how to update Electos data on the remote server from a local VDF application.
Using VDF developed Web Services messaging, Martin has set up a web application which sends web service requests from PMS (the VDF Desktop application) to the Electos web site, in order to modify the tables. eg: Change the rent; Move the property from the Available category to the Fully Let category; etc, and also in the opposite direction, to download any viewings. At the same time the client also has all the benefits of a content management system at his disposal to handle the regular descriptive web pages – but without the need to manage every “product” record on an individual basis.
Global PMS System data management – applies changes to Electos remotely held data as well as in the local application files.
The techniques Martin uses could be adapted by any VDF developer, for any type of VDF business application where the client has a web site. Martin says “The possibilities are endless, as are the opportunities to add enormous value to your VDF applications.”
The Electos and Web App Server based synchronization application is being hosted by Asckey Data Services Ltd, who already host an earlier synchronization application. Chris Hibbert, Asckey’s marketing manager says
| “Not only is the VDF Application a very comprehensive and attractively presented one, but Martin’s work in creating Electos websites on demand and updating Electos data from a VDF application is hugely innovative, and an excellent example for other developers. All the more so in that Martin found he was able to do this with no assistance from Data Access as authors of Electos, and did not even need the development version of Electos to implement his needs. ”. |
Nick Nikijuluw, MD of Data Access Europe concurs. After seeing Martin’s presentation to the UK VDF SIG he commented:-
| “Your solution was elegant and efficient, optimally using VDF capabilities, and I am very pleased you shared that with your fellow UK VDF Developers”. |
Self Service Help Desk
Just to complete the picture, PMS has an accompanying repairs help desk system, also built with Visual DataFlex Web App Server.
This also posts information, in this case repair requests, back to the PMS system which provides a task management system to handle property repairs.
Case History by Asckey Data Services , UK Channel Partner for Data Access Europe.
www.asckey.co,
enquiries@asckey.com
Tel +44 (0) 8701 634466
The PMS Websites are hosted by Asckey Data Services Ltd. For more on our web site and web application hosting services, please visit our Hosting Web Site
DM Software's Student lets system is an innovative integration of a Visual DataFlex applicaiton with the Visual DataFlex Web Application server powered Electos CMS
Tel: 0845 2707747
enquiries@asckey.com