Abstract: A system and method for processing electronic mail is disclosed herein. The system for processing electronic mail, comprising a computer system in electronic communication with a network, the computer system receiving and sending one or more email messages over the network, and an email client application executed by the computer system, the email client application generating on said computer system, an electronic user interface for allowing a user to process the one or more email messages, a first toolbar for allowing the user to control operation of the email client application, and a secondary toolbar including at least one macro button selectable by the user when the one or more email messages are displayed to the user in the electronic user interface, the at least one macro button having assigned thereto a user-definable macro which, when selected by the user, automatically processes the one or more email messages.

Abstract: A virtual web-based computing platform combining a particular network database hierarchy, graphical user interface, and integrated suite of computational tools accessible on demand, by which users gain access to an integrated Virtual Workspace for organizing emails, contacts, bookmarks, tasks, documents, notes, and all other relevant information. The network database hierarchy employs unique data structure and methods, allowing the user to centrally store and manage all data, regardless of type, as well as activities (actions taken and documented by the user). Nevertheless, the interface to said database offers a familiar folder/sub-folder “look and feel” using a tree data hierarchy, which gives a common, centralized and unified approach for storing, managing, displaying, and various types of data, regardless of object- and data-types.

Abstract: A process control system that automatically monitors processes and performs activities based on conditions detected during monitoring. The information needed to do the monitoring and perform activities is contained in tables in a database system. The process control system may be configured by configuring entries in the tables. A parallel state machine permits activities to be performed for the process in parallel. The parallel state machine employs a task that is represented in the database tables. The task defines a set of activities that must all be performed in order for a state transition to occur and the parallel state machine causes a process's state to change only when the activities defined in the task have all been performed. In addition, a graphical user interface is disclosed for defining tasks.

Abstract: A highly-configurable process control system that uses process records in a database system to track a process. The database system relates process records, users, and projects. User permissions to view the process records include permissions for all process records related to a project to which the user is related, all such records that the user has created, all such records that a group the user belongs to have created, all such records that have been assigned to the user, and all such records that belong to an entity to which the user is related. The process records further include user-configurable fields. User permissions for the fields are provided according to group types which are related to groups to which the users belong. Included are permissions for inserting and deleting values in the user-configurable fields which are separate from the permission to edit the values.

Abstract: A process control system that automatically monitors processes and performs activities based on conditions detected during monitoring. The information needed to do the monitoring and perform activities is contained in tables in a database system. The process control system may be configured by configuring entries in the tables. An administrative query table has records that define administrative queries. Each administrative query has associated with it a query to be executed on a table of process records that indicate statuses of the processes being monitored, a scope that defines a subset of the process records upon which the query is to be executed, a schedule from which a time of next execution of the administrative query can be computed, and an activity. The activity is a set of one or more actions.

Abstract: A process control system implemented in a database system that automatically monitors processes represented by process records in the database system. The monitoring is done by querying the process records. An administrative query table has records that define administrative queries which are repeatedly executed on the process records. Each administrative query has associated with it a query to be executed on the process records and an activity that is a set of one or more administrative actions. When an administrative query is executed, the activity is performed with regard to each of the process records of the result set. Among the administrative actions are administrative triggers. An administrative trigger specifies another administrative activity that is performed when the administrative activity to which the administrative trigger belongs is performed. The other administrative activity may perform a dynamic query.

Abstract: A process control system that automatically monitors processes and performs activities based on conditions detected during monitoring. The system includes: a server that has access to a database system and executes program code of the process control system; a table of process records in the database system, a process record indicating a current condition of a process being controlled by the system and certain ones of the process records including one or more auto numbering user-defined fields; and a portion of the program code which is executed when a process record enters a pre-defined state, whereby an auto numbering field value is generated according to a configuration of the auto numbering user-defined field and storing the generated auto number field value in the auto numbering user-defined field in the process record. The auto numbering user-defined fields and their configuration are indicated in other tables in the database system.

Abstract: Techniques used in configurable systems for providing audit trails for configuration changes. In the techniques, configuration tables in a database system are used to store configuration information. Code is associated with each of the configuration tables that causes changes in the configuration information to be recorded in configuration change tables and the audits are made by querying the configuration change tables. Audit area definition tables define two levels of subsets of the configuration tables and an audit may be limited to one of the defined subsets. An audit may also be limited to changes made by a particular person or changes made over a particular period of time. A simple GUI is used to indicate how the audit is to be limited. The preferred embodiment is implemented in a process control system.

Abstract: A process control system that automatically monitors processes and performs activities based on conditions detected during monitoring. The information needed to do the monitoring and perform activities is contained in tables in a database system. The process control system may be configured by configuring entries in the tables. An administrative query table has records that define administrative queries. Each administrative query has associated with it a query to be executed on a table of process records that indicate statuses of the processes being monitored, a scope that defines a subset of the process records upon which the query is to be executed, a schedule from which a time of next execution of the administrative query can be computed, and an activity. The activity is a set of one or more actions.

Abstract: Techniques for reconfiguring systems that are configured by modifying configuration tables in a database. Reconfiguration begins by making a copy of the production version to obtain the development version and a snapshot showing the current state of the configuration tables in the production version is made. The development version is then reconfigured and tested. Before the development version's configuration is migrated to the production version, the production version's configuration tables are compared with the snapshot to see whether the state of the production version's configuration tables has changed. If has not, the migration takes place; if it has, the production version's configuration tables have changed since the snapshot was made. In this case, a new development copy and snapshot must be made and the reconfiguration done over or if the user desires, a forced migration may be made by overwriting the production version's configuration tables with those of the development version.

Abstract: A process control system that automatically monitors processes and performs activities based on conditions detected during monitoring. The information needed to do the monitoring and perform activities is contained in tables in a database system. The process control system may be configured by configuring entries in the tables. An administrative query table has records that define administrative queries. Each administrative query has associated with it a query to be executed on a table of process records that indicate statuses of the processes being monitored, a scope that defines a subset of the process records upon which the query is to be executed, a schedule from which a time of next execution of the administrative query can be computed, and an activity. The activity is a set of one or more actions.

Abstract: A process control system that automatically monitors processes and performs activities based on conditions detected during monitoring. The information needed to do the monitoring and perform activities is contained in tables in a database system. The process control system may be configured by configuring entries in the tables. An administrative query table has records that define administrative queries. Each administrative query has associated with it a query to be executed on a table of process records that indicate statuses of the processes being monitored, a scope that defines a subset of the process records upon which the query is to be executed, a schedule from which a time of next execution of the administrative query can be computed, and an activity. The activity is a set of one or more actions.

Abstract: A process control system that automatically monitors processes and performs activities based on conditions detected during monitoring. The information needed to do the monitoring and perform activities is contained in tables in a database system. Among the features of the process control system is a parallel state machine that permits activities to be performed for the process in parallel. The parallel state machine employs a task that is represented in the database tables. The task defines a set of activities that must all be performed in order for a state transition to occur and the parallel state machine causes a process's state to change only when the activities defined in the task have all been performed. A set of reject activities may also be defined for a task. The definition of a reject activity includes a specification of an activity to be performed and a state to which a transition is to be made after the activity is performed.

Abstract: Techniques for reconfiguring systems that are configured by modifying configuration tables in a database. Reconfiguration begins by making a copy of the production version to obtain the development version and a snapshot showing the current state of the configuration tables in the production version is made. The development version is then reconfigured and tested. Before the development version's configuration is migrated to the production version, the production version's configuration tables are compared with the snapshot to see whether the state of the production version's configuration tables has changed. If has not, the migration takes place; if it has, the production version's configuration tables have changed since the snapshot was made. In this case, a new development copy and snapshot must be made and the reconfiguration done over or if the user desires, a forced migration may be made by overwriting the production version's configuration tables with those of the development version.