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File menu

The user interface » Gantt chart » Menu » File menu

Click on… if you want to… New The current plan is cleared completely. It is possible to keep master data. Save the former plan with the functions Save or Save as before “New” is selected in order not to lose…

Edit menu

The user interface » Gantt chart » Menu » Edit menu

Click on… if you want to… Undo Undo the latest movements in the Gantt plan. You can undo infinite times, however, only to the last time the order list has been opened or the last time a new file has been imported. The…

View menu

The user interface » Gantt chart » Menu » View menu

Click on… if you want to… Order name View order name together with the orders The order name is viewed above the order in the Gantt window. The order name is shown as a text above each operation in the Gantt plan. The…

Functions menu

The user interface » Gantt chart » Menu » Functions menu

The menu Functions contains the following options: General Settings Scheduling Strategy XML Plugin Database Plugin Textfile Plugin Manpower User management Macro->Edit Script console Settings – Scheduling strategy Select a scheduling…

Manpower menu

The user interface » Gantt chart » Menu » Manpower menu

Click on… if you want to… Show Manpower graph View the manpower graph in the bottom of the window. The manpower graph shows the manpower requirement pr. hour, day or week depending on the selected horizon. Please refer to chapter…

Multiuser menu

The user interface » Gantt chart » Menu » Multiuser menu

Click on… if you want to… Log in Open a connection to the Multiuser server. Note that if you have been working in an off-line plan any changes must be saved to a file first. Before logging in parameters must be configured in the…

Help menu

The user interface » Gantt chart » Menu » Help menu

Click on… if you want to… User’s manual View the ROB-EX online user’s manual To print the entire manual or selected areas, we recommend printing from the pdf version of the manual. You may open the PDF version of the…

Shop Floor menu

The user interface » Gantt chart » Menu » Shop Floor menu

Click on… if you want to… Start server Start the Shop Floor web server The Shop Floor web server must run in order to let the Shop Floor users log on the system. When the Web server runs the text “Shopfloor running” is…

Right click menu

The user interface » Gantt chart » Right click menu

Functions for adjusting operations and orders in the Gantt chart. Use the right mouse button to click on an operation in the plan. Selecting Select order Select all activities in the order. The function is used when all activities in an order is to be moved in…

Show or hide menu items in the right click menu

Product configuration » Enable/Disable GUI elements » Show or hide menu items in the right click menu

When the user right-clicks an operation on the Gantt chart a popup menu appears with various menu items in it. The menu items can be hidden, or the hidden ones can be shown. The “Change resource” menu item is by default visible as shown below. To hide the…

Tool bar

The user interface » Gantt chart » Tool bar

Click on… if you want to… New Create a new plan. The present plan is cleared for orders but the selected resources are preserved. It is advisable to save the former plan with the functions Save or Save as…

Product configuration

Welcome to the documentation for users/consultants performing additional configuration or development on ROB-EX clients. The documentation includes chapters on Installation FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Changing global parameters affecting GUI and business logic…

REST Server

Import and export » REST Server

Page Content Introduction Requirements Starting the REST server Test connection FAQ / Troubleshooting Introduction When enabled, the REST Server, provides the user with a REST Based Client API (a set of web-services). This allows for custom integration…

Scheduling

Scheduling orders : How to schedule or reschedule orders in ROB-EX. Scheduling strategy window: Strategies and setting available when planning in ROB-EX. Setting a default scheduling strategy : How to set the default scheduling strategy used for new…

Archiving

Options » Multiuser » Archiving

The archive functions in ROB-EX is used to remove data from ROB-EX Scheduler Client no longer needed for the planning process, but still retain the data in the ROB-EX Scheduler database. This is typically old data which cannot be deleted for different reasons. As an…

The user interface

The main window The following features are part of the main ROB-EX Scheduler window: The Gantt chart. Menu Toolbar Detail panel Short cut menu Edit operation Create express order

SortAndSchedule

Macro » SortAndSchedule

This macro command supports easy rescheduling of orders based on one or more configurable sorting fields. Starting from ROB-EX Scheduler 7.2.4, this macro will utilize the Selection context feature. In more detail the SortAndSchedule macro command will carry out the…

SplitOperationsByStorageSpace

Macro » SplitOperationsByStorageSpace

Split or move producing operations to suitable warehouse resources – where there are enough space. If a warehouse is found with enough space for the entire operation it is moved to the resource assigned to that warehouse. Otherwise the operation is splitted and…

Enable/Disable GUI elements

Product configuration » Enable/Disable GUI elements

Introduction This section describes how to customize GUI elements like buttons, text fields, and menu items in the right-click menu and the top bar in ROB-EX. You will use this for two main purposes Customize what is visible in the Detail Panel located above the…

The Attached Documents tab

Master data » Master routes » Operation list » Editing operation details » The Attached Documents tab

External documents, such as Word documents, spreadsheets, drawing, links to homepages etc. can be attached to operations in ROB-EX. Select “External documents” in the shortcut menu (Right click on an operation). A list of documents attached to the operation…

Detail panel

The user interface » Gantt chart » Detail panel

Mark an operation in the Gantt chart and see detailed information about the selected operation, order, and project The panel is activated/deactivated in the menu View. Operation Production order Project (Only with ROB-EX Project) Manpower (Only with ROB-EX…

Attached documents

Master data » Resources » Resource tree » Attached documents

External documents, such as Word documents, spreadsheets, drawings, links to homepages etc. can be attached to resources in ROB-EX. Select External documents in the shortcut menu (Right-click on an operation). A list of documents attached to the operation is shown.…

Order list window

Production orders » Order list window

The Order List window provides an overview of all production orders contained in the ROB-EX client. You get to this window by either selecting menu Edit->Order list or by clicking the order list icon in the tool bar. You may also jump to this window from other…

Gantt chart

The user interface » Gantt chart

The Gantt chart in ROB-EX Scheduler combines the graphical Gantt chart overview with tools making it easy to change and simulate operations and production orders. This is an overview of topics covered in this first section: The Gantt chart Frequently used…

Manpower graphs

Production orders » Manpower graphs

Manpower graphs shows the actual requirement for manpower pr. hour, day or week. For each operation the manpower requirement is entered. The total manpower requirement is shown in the graph in the button of the window. Use the resource button to the left in the…

Series and groups

Production orders » Series and groups

The Series function supports the grouping of operations from different orders, having the same properties, for execution in continuation of each other. A series is composed of one or more operation groups, typically one for each resource entered into the series. An…

Guide to scripting

Product configuration » Developing using the API » Guide to scripting

The following will explain the power of ROB-EX Scripting by showing how a simple script is created and executed. Overview The Scripting option allows the full ROB-EX API to be called and manipulated through the Groovy Scripting language. The Groovy language is a…

Using the ROB-EX Multiuser

Options » Multiuser » Using the ROB-EX Multiuser

This chapter describes the daily use of ROB-EX Multiuser. When the ROB-EX client is logged into the Multiuser server, the user will be connected to a specific site and will only be working on the plan of that site. It is not possible to change between different plans…

Material graphs

Master data » Materials and BOM » Material graphs

The material graphs visualize the projected stock levels, i.e. the result of all the different stock transactions: Counting Purchase Shipment BOM-line One or more material graphs can be added and each graph can be configured individually. You may choose to…

Search panel

The user interface » Search panel

The search panel offers advanced search functionality where multiple fields can be combined and various search criteria can be set up. The search panel is by default shown in simple mode – thus only one search field is visible. It’s possible to unfold it by…

Project View

Projects » Project View

Project view Show one or more projects in the project view. Switch between Project view and Gantt view. The project tree shows the contents of the selected project i.e. project milestones, production orders and subprojects. The nodes…

Tab: File

Advanced functions » General settings » Tab: File

The size of the recent file history shown at the bottom of the “File” menu. If selected the current plan is automatically saved with specified interval in minutes If ROB-EX at startup should load the same file that…

Tab: Shop Floor

Advanced functions » General settings » Tab: Shop Floor

Also visit the general introduction to ROB-EX Shopfloor. If the Shopfloor web-server should be automatically started when the ROB-EX client is started. The web-server must be running before any user can log into the Shopfloor pages. However setting up…

Commonly used Feature Containers

Product configuration » Enable/Disable GUI elements » Commonly used Feature Containers

The most common feature containers and the related dialogs where they are used which will help you to enable/disable and show/hide commonly used textfields, labels and buttons form the user interface of ROB-EX Desktop Client Feature…

Operation split and join

Production orders » Operation split and join

Use the Split operation function to split operations into two or more operations. The function is available by double clicking in the column “Split” in the operations list of the route editor selecting “Split operation” in the shortcut menu,…

Running multiple instances

Options » Multiuser » Server installation » Running multiple instances

It is supported to have several ROB-EX server instances running on the same server PC (i.e. each instance is installed to a different directory and started and stopped by each own service). This may be useful to support two isolated setups for respectively test and…

Creating resources

Getting Started » Solving my first scheduling problem » Creating resources

Start out creating all the resources you are going to plan for. In the menu select “Edit/Resource”. The following dialog Edit resource will be shown. Right click on the headline Resources in the top right corner of the resource list and select…

Creating a general calendar

Master data » Shift calendars » Creating a general calendar

A general calendar is created in the following way: Select menu Edit->Calendar to open the window “Edit resource calendar”. Select the tab “General calendar” Click the New button to the right of the list “General calendar”.…

Starting and stopping ROB-EX server

Options » Multiuser » Server installation » Starting and stopping ROB-EX server

The ROB-EX Multiuser Server is automatically started through a dedicated Windows background service. This ensures that the server program is automatically started in the event that the server PC is rebooted. Start from Windows services manager Open the Windows…

Developing using the API

Product configuration » Developing using the API

API Developers Kit The API Developers Kit will enable custom programs to be written and executed embedded into the ROB-EX client. The program or script written interacts with the ROB-EX client through a Java based API (Application Programming Interface). The API will…

The graph area

The user interface » Gantt chart » The graph area

The graph area shows different kinds of graphs, such as Workload graph Manpower graph (refer to chapter Optional modules->Manpower) Material graph (refer to chapter Optional modules->BOM) If more graphs are selected to be shown at the same time, a scroll bar is…

Warehouses

Master data » Materials and BOM » Warehouses

Warehouse locations can be used if the warehouse is spread out over multiple locations. Thus it’s possible to view the total stock level for a given material or view the level in a certain warehouse. The window to create a new warehouse is opened by the menu…

Schedule new orders

Getting Started » Solving my first scheduling problem » Schedule new orders

Production orders with status New are only visible in the Order list, not in the Gantt chart. I.e. none of the orders occupy capacity on resources as of yet. *A new production order can automatically be created as planned and thus immediately be added to the Gantt…

Create simple shift calendar

Getting Started » Solving my first scheduling problem » Create simple shift calendar

Before you are able to schedule any production orders in ROB-EX Scheduler, you will need at least a single shift calendar. For a more elaborate introduction of modeling shift calendars, refer to the chapter Editing resource calendar. For the sake of this…

General settings

Advanced functions » General settings

This document explains the different settings available in the ROB-EX planner client menu: Functions->Settings->General. Help is available on the following topics Standard File Gantt chart Graphs & windows Shopfloor Multiuser Express order Resource…

Create a resource specific calendar

Master data » Shift calendars » Create a resource specific calendar

The resource specific calendar is used to specify periods of time that deviate from the ordinary holiday, weeks and calendar specific calendars. As an example it could be planned down time like a preventive maintenance job. Changes to the resource specific calendar…

Route networks

Master data » Master routes » Route networks

The route network features allow a product to be modeled as a multi level part list. It can be thought of as a bill of material (BOM), but instead of materials it is the route that is the building block. A route network is used as template for a project, i.e. the…

CSV 2+3

Import and export » CSV integration » CSV 2+3

This chapter will explain how to interface between an external system (e.g. ERP) and ROB-EX using the CSV 2+3 integration module. It is possible to transfer data both ways. Data possible to transfer with CSV 2+3 interface Resources Resource…

Interface History Manager

Import and export » Interface History Manager

The interface history manager is used on integration clients to inform other ROB-EX Scheduler clients about the current status of the interface between ROB-EX and an external ERP system. In combination with the integration status bar, other clients will be able to…

Resource Monitor System configuration

Reporting and KPI » Resource monitor » Resource Monitor System configuration

This is a quick guide for the ROB-EX system administrator, explaining how to configure the web-server side of the ROB-EX Resource Monitor App. If not already running, configure ROB-EX Integration client to run as a service. Make sure the integration client starts…

GenerateReport

Macro » GenerateReport

This macro can silently (option) generate both HTML reports (i.e. menu File->Print HTML) as well as prints of the current resource or project gantt view (i.e. menu File->Print). Example parameters for printing HTML report Example parameters for printing…

Tab: Project and Economy

Advanced functions » General settings » Tab: Project and Economy

This module is only available with license to Project and Economy. Setting Description Distribute economy evenly across operation duration If resource calendar is used, the turnover is distributed across the hours available. The turnover…

Site configuration

Options » Multiuser » Configuration » Site configuration

As a user with administrator privileges, you will have access to the Site configuration menu item. Clicking the Site configuration menu item will display the following window: In the picture above it can be seen, that a second site has been added in addition to…

Standard Excel Import

Import and export » CSV integration » Standard Excel Import

This package comes with a ready-to-use Excel file for easy import of order data into ROB-EX. The package has the following features: A ready to use Excel sheet with build in flexibility regarding columns, naming and formatting. Copy and paste of orders directly…

Resources

Master data » Resources

Resources and resource groups may be edited by selecting menu Edit->Resources. Resources can be shown as: Normal resources (machines, employees, tools, etc.) Resource groups Resource categories (used when organizing resources and resource groups into logical…

Creating production orders

Getting Started » Solving my first scheduling problem » Creating production orders

Once master data has been created as described in the previous sections, production orders can be created and scheduled. In order to create a production order follow the steps below. Open the window “Order list” by selecting the item “Edit->Order…

Integration client

Advanced functions » Integration client

The ROB-EX Desktop Planner can as needed be installed to run as a Windows service. This is typically useful when a ROB-EX Desktop Planner needs to run unattended batch jobs like interfacing to external ERP systems, running the Shop Floor server, automatic generation…

XML

Import and export » XML

This chapter will explain how to interface between an external system (e.g. ERP) and ROB-EX using the XML integration module. It is possible to transfer data both ways. Data possible to transfer with XML interface Resources Resource calendar Products and raw…

Update existing ROB-EX system

Getting Started » Installing the client » Using the ROB-EX installer » Update existing ROB-EX system

Updating the client Download the Full Setup program to a directory on your local hard disk or file server. Next ensure that all ROB-EX Planner or ROB-EX Viewer users do not use the program, updating can only take place if all users have shut down their ROB-EX Client…

Tab: Materials

Advanced functions » General settings » Tab: Materials

Note that this tab is only available with license to the BOM module. If “No graphics” is selected then material graphs will show values but without bar graphics. If enabling graphics specify the height in pixels for each material graph…

Dashboard Quick Guide

Reporting and KPI » Dashboard App » Dashboard Quick Guide

This is a quick guide to the user interface of the App. The home screen From this screen, you can jump to different KPI areas. Orders – e.g. Scheduled Order delivery performance Projects – e.g. Scheduled Project delivery performance. Operations…

SQL integration

Import and export » SQL integration

This chapter describes the integration between an ERP system and ROB-EX using an integration database. Data are exchanged between ROB-EX and the ERP system through a neutral integration database named ‘GanttERP2’. Data possible to transfer with the…

Licensing of versions prior to 6.4

Getting Started » Starting up the client » Licensing of versions prior to 6.4

The following applies to ROB-EX version 6.2 and older versions. For version 6.4 and newer read instead Licensing version 6.4 and newer. The first time you start ROB-EX Scheduler you will be asked to register. Press the register button. You are presented with a unique…

Creating master operations

Getting Started » Solving my first scheduling problem » Creating master operations

Once shift calendars and resources has been defined, it is time to create the master operations which are needed in order to create routes. An operation in the ROB-EX Scheduler term, describes a process to perform (i.e. cut, grind, etc.) and the list of resources…

Security rule management

Options » Multiuser » Configuration » Security rule management

As a user with administrator privileges, you will have access to the Security rule management menu item. Through the security rule management display the following workflows can be executed add/edit role for a local user for a specific site add/edit role for a…

Shop Floor

Options » Shop Floor

ROB-EX Shop Floor allows the user to view the current production schedule using a standard internet browser. Table of contents Introduction Edit group Edit user Start the web server Log on the web server Setup appearance The job list Order details Operation…

Keyboard shortcuts

The user interface » Keyboard shortcuts

Generally Function Description CTRL+C Copy one or more production order First select the production order to be copied, by selecting one of the operations in the production order. Press CTRL+c Insert a copy of the production…

Adding and removing table columns

The user interface » Adding and removing table columns

Most tables in ROB-EX will allow a user to individually add or remove columns according to the user’s own preferences. In this section, we will show how to add table columns, remove table columns and specify the field name. Add table columns 1. In order to add…

Sequence Optimizer

Options » Sequencer » Sequence Optimizer

The Sequencer has a built in optimizer module. To learn more about the algorithms used by the Optimizer refer to the SequenceOptimizer macro command. The objective of the optimizer is to create an optimal sequence of operations on a single resource with respect to…

Templates

Advanced functions » Templates

With this dialog you can perform maintenance of your templates. There are 3 kinds of templates Macros (automation of often performed tasks) Table properties (e.g. what table columns to show) and View layouts (what text to show about Gantt bars). Templates in use…

Shift calendars

Master data » Shift calendars

For a quick hands-on intro the Create simple shift calendar in the “Getting started” section is recommended reading. This chapter contains the following: Introduction Examples of contributions from sub-calendars Creating a general…

Scheduling strategy

Scheduling » Scheduling strategy

Scheduling Strategy Window Unless a default scheduling strategy has been set, the Scheduling strategy window is shown each time orders are scheduled: The settings in this window define how the selected orders and operations are scheduled. Orders being scheduled …

XML minimal example

Import and export » XML » XML minimal example

This is the “Hello world” example for ROB-EX XML import, showing the minimum required information that must be supplied in order to import 2 resources and 1 production order with 2 operations into ROB-EX. Essentials of the XML document structure is…

Sequencer

Options » Sequencer

Introduction and overview Quick Start guide Setup and configuration of Sequencer Defining value profiles Syntax for defining a ValueProfile Syntax for defining a ValueProvider Lookup table value…

Shop Floor configuration

Options » Shop Floor » Shop Floor configuration

Introduction This document describes how to configure the appearance and behavior of the Shop Floor interface. Examples of how to add/remove columns, change the names and widths of the columns are illustrated. Then some more specific features are described i.e.…

Resource views

The user interface » Gantt chart » Resource views

Creating and editing views Views define what resources are currently visible in the Gantt chart and in what sequences they are shown. Users may create their own views. In ROB-EX you will find 4 built in views: Standard (CTRL + 1) The standard view shows all…

Dashboard System configuration

Reporting and KPI » Dashboard App » Dashboard System configuration

This is a quick guide for the ROB-EX system administrator, explaining how to configure the web-server side of the ROB-EX Dashboard App. If not already running, configure ROB-EX Integration client to run as a service. Make sure the integration client starts up…

Installation of Microsoft SQL Server Express

Options » Multiuser » Server installation » Installation of Microsoft SQL Server Express

This is a step by step example of installing the SQL 2005 Express Edition. Intalling a more recent versions is of cause recommended, so see this is a guide to the installation steps required. Note that the SQL Express edition has limiations. They may change over time,…

Master materials

Master data » Materials and BOM » Master materials

The Edit->Materials windows lists in table format all master materials known to the system. The standard search functionality provides the flexibility to search and filter in many different ways. Each row in the table represents a material and each column a property…

Activating a license

Getting Started » Starting up the client » Licensing version 6.4 and newer » Activating a license

The first time you start a ROB-EX Desktop Planner, a wizard will pop up, asking you to register and activate your license. The first step is to select a license type. The Floating license is the recommended and default way to deploy ROB-EX Scheduler in a multiuser…

Configuration

Options » Multiuser » Configuration

A user, with ROB-EX Administrator privileges (i.e. has an Admin role), has the possibility to configure, view, and edit different aspects of the ROB-EX Multiuser. This is done from the configuration menu of the ROB-EX Multiuser web page. Users access the ROB-EX…

Updating Talend Log4j libraries

Import and export » Interfacing using Talend Open Studio for Data Integration » Updating Talend Log4j libraries

Background To fix security issues with older Log4j libraries, follow these steps in order to update them to a new version. Important: this will update the Log4j versions of the jobs being build by Talend Open Studio (TOS), but not the underlying Log4j libraries used…

Eclipse Java IDE

Product configuration » Developing using the API » Eclipse Java IDE

Setting up the Eclipse Java IDE This description assumes that you have already activated the ROB-EX API Development Kit as described in the API Developers Kit requirements section Download and install the latest Eclipse IDE for Java Developers from – select the…

FlexRules

Product configuration » FlexRules

Introduction The purpose of FlexRules is to offer simple customization of how ROB-EX Scheduler behaves or how information is shown to the user. Currently FlexRules may be used to Create new columns (layout items) that any user may add to standard ROB-EX Scheduler…

Creating master routes

Getting Started » Solving my first scheduling problem » Creating master routes

The route defines the number and the sequence of operations needed, in order to produce a semifinished good or product. Master routes are added to a library which is reused when creating new production orders. Once a production order is created the master route is…

The Progress tab

Master data » Master routes » Operation list » Editing operation details » The Progress tab

The progress function can get its information (partial completions) by Manually entering the information in this window. A typical way to get to the tab, is by double clicking an operation in the Gantt chart. The window Edit operation is opened. For Started…

Express orders

Production orders » Express orders

This function enables your to create an order with one operation directly in the Gantt chart. You start out by dragging a rectable in the Gantt chart rigit on the resource the order should book. The width of the rectable indicate start- and end time of the order. This…

The Advanced tab

Master data » Master routes » Operation list » Editing operation details » The Advanced tab

The advanced tab allows control of less commonly used advanced options. Calendar settings Respect resource calendar If “Yes” is selected (the default) the duration of the operation will be calculated with respect to open and closed periods. If…

Editing operation details

Master data » Master routes » Operation list » Editing operation details

You may edit an operation by: double clicking on an operation in the route list (in e.g. the the Edit->Route window or from the Order list). double clicking on an operation in the Gantt chart selecting Edit operation in the right-click short cut menu The…

Bottleneck sorting

Scheduling » Bottleneck sorting

The bottleneck sort function adjusts previous and subsequent operations with respect to the selected bottleneck operation, but preserves the current start of the bottleneck operation. The function is used when operations on the bottleneck resource have been scheduled…

Time zones

Advanced functions » Time zones

Working in different time zones in Multiuser mode When logged into the Multiuser server this is how the Multiuser server will handle different users working in different time zones. It is best illustrated with an example. User A is located in Central USA in the CST…

TankPlanning

Macro » TankPlanning

This can plan and split tank operations based on warehouse capacities and normal scheduling constraints. It can also create CIP orders for each order while it schedules. For an example plan demonstrating how to use the TankPlanning features, see the section with a…

Data security

Options » Multiuser » Configuration » Data security

Data security ensures that limitations can be made on resources in the plan for users of the system running the multi-user version. Configuration of these limitations is restricted only possible for the admin users. As a use case assume that you have a production and…

Automation interface

Macro » Automation interface

The automation interface in ROB-EX allows external programs to execute predefined macros. As an example you can use the automation interface to trigger the database integration that exchange information with an external ERP system. The ROB-EX Automation interface is…

CallSQL

Macro » CallSQL

This macro will execute a single SQL call to a database – the result of the SQL call can be saved into a CSV file for further processing by other macros for example CSV Order Import or ProgressImport Example parameter configuration The configuration shown…

Production targeted HTML reports

Reporting and KPI » Production targeted HTML reports

ROB-EX Scheduler HTML reports support the generation of a number of different reports. The reports are 100% HTML-based, so you can save the reports on a file server or intranet, where readers can easily access them using a web browser. This chapter…

GanttSetup.properties file

Product configuration » Global client settings » GanttSetup.properties file

# ROB-EX property file # Copyright (c) 2011 NOVOTEK PLANNING SYSTEMS Misc # Location of Gantt log file. If not specified it will be placed in # users documents and settings area # logfile.location=C\:\\temp\\robexlog # Dateformat used for loading/saving of…

Server installation

Options » Multiuser » Server installation

This chapter explains how to install a test or production instance of ROB-EX Scheduler Multiuser Server 7.0 or later. Prerequisites Make sure the following pre-requisites are OK before proceding to install ROB-EX Scheduler Multiuser Server A Microsoft SQL server…

The user interface » Gantt chart » Menu