Stop! Caution? Go!
Configure the DocXtools v6.1 Quick Document Health Check Button to Reflect
the Proper Shade of Document Distress…
Unlike databases or spreadsheets where “Rules of the Road” govern every function and field, the written word cultivates a more freeform experience. As such, Microsoft Word grants significant liberty in the application of each of its 1700+ features. Not surprisingly, drivers of Microsoft Word unwittingly follow their cursor and Clipboard off the road where inconsistency and a forest of formatting awaits, eager to compromise most electronic document workflows.
That’s why DocXtools was designed to readily adapt to each organizations’ best practices and changing conditions. This gives DocXtools Designers license to associate which conditions must be present to stop traffic or allow it to flow.
This tip gives the DocXtools designer license to set document speed limits for their organization – and to adjust it as patterns warn of an imminent change in conditions… Here’s how:
What’s Behind The Indicator Lights?
Each of the three states of the Quick Document Health Check is established through a configurable combination of:
- Significance of each condition present in the document
- The accumulation of multiple conditions present
- The threshold assigned to each indicator
Figure 1 – The DocXtools Quick Document Health Check Evaluation Process
Significance
Whether you’ve written your own document assessment rules, or engaged Microsystems Client Services team to help you, each rule has been assigned a level of Significance. Generally, each rule assigned to the Traffic Light category is assigned one of the following three classifications:
- Informational - indicates the presence of something for notification only
- Serious - indicates the presence of something occasionally known to cause issues
- Severe - indicates the presence of something always known to cause issues
In addition to these descriptions, Significance levels are also given a numeric value. To view or edit these values,navigate to the Start menu | All Programs | Microsystems and launch the Microsystems Administrator. When the Administrator tool has loaded, navigate to the DocXtools functional tab, right click on the Traffic Light category and select Weights…In the screen capture shown below, the Significance Description is displayed next to its corresponding Weight value:
Figure 2 – Example Weights Assigned per Significance Classification
Notice that a Significance of Severe is assigned a value of 50. Therefore, each rule assigned a Significance level of Severe that trips in a particular Quick Document Health Check accumulates another 50 points. By way of example:
- If three Severe rules trip, the accumulated value totals 150
- If three Severe rules and two Serious rules trip, the accumulated value is 170
Once DocXtools analysis engine completes its testing of the user’s document, this accumulated value is then checked against threshold values, explained in the next section.
Note: If the classification of Significance is assigned to a rule, it carries the same value as that of Informational: 1. This classification is a default assignment and is not intended to be used, rather it serves as a placeholder or base record against which further classifications and Weight assignments can be created.
What is an Evaluation Threshold?
Thresholds are defined within the DocXtools configuration settings 
that reside in the Microsystems Administrator. An evaluation threshold establishes the maximum value of an accumulated total of triggered rules. Once this maximum value is reached, the evaluation advances to the next threshold assigned.
DocXtools provides three evaluation thresholds for use with its Quick Document Health Check Accelerator:
- Level 1:Green
- Level 2:Yellow
- Level 3:Red
As distributed, the following values per threshold are assigned in Microsystems Administrator | DocXtools Settings:
Figure 3 - Default Values Assigned to Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 Thresholds Format: Threshold Value; Icon to Display; Screen Tip to Display
A Threshold in Practice
Note: The thresholds in the KPUser.config that define the colors and tooltips are different from those that control the Discover report via the Task Pane in Word. Discover Report colors and notifications are defined in the Weight Definitions > User Notification tab dialog on each category.
If Level 1 is set to a value of 20 and the Quick Document Health Check category is executed:
Symbol Check 2.png) with a tooltip of Good Document.
Symbol Warning.png) with a tooltip of Potential Issues Found.
Symbol Error 2.png ) with a tooltip of Escalate to Word Processing.
Conclusion
The assigned Significance associates numeric values (Weights) to each rule. These numeric values accumulate to determine what icon and tooltip is displayed as a result. It is important to modify thresholds to accurately report the severity of document health according your firm’s standards. Caution: it is not beneficial that thresholds of 500 are set for Level 1. This means that most documents are considered Good. On the flipside, setting a value too low can create Stop signs your document drivers won’t respect. Happy – and safe -- driving!
The Quick Document Health Check Accelerator is included with DocXtools and can be downloaded from the Customer Center.