[USPS-Webmasters] On-line Roster

[Dan Bartell]

Thank you Twila,
Actually I have been making significant changes to the installation and 
roster uploads as the result of conversations in Orlando.  The 
documentation is not completely up to date but I will change it shortly.

I figured out how to make a UNIX installation script run from on online 
page.  Now you have a one step installation or installation update.  You 
don't need ftp and you don't need a logon the usps server.

Simply go to www.usps.org/national/tools and find your squadron or district 
record.  If you have not installed the roster software, you will see a link 
called "Install" in the roster section.  Click on it and the roster files 
will be installed for you.  If you have installed the roster you will see a 
link called "Update".  You can modify the installation as you desire 
including removing the entire file set and roster directory.  If you don't 
have a logon the files will be installed in a special directory which you 
can access via a link from your web page.  If you don't have a web page you 
can access that directory via a direct link of 
www.usps.org/rosters/"squadron name".  Yes!  You don't even need a web page 
to use this.

The update capability is in place even if you used the old and fairly 
painful manual installation.

Note I have added a remember your password field on the squadron/district 
maintenance page so you only need to enter your squadron/district password 
once.  Means you don't have to look it up every time you want to change 
something.

Works with a cookie.  For the security conscious.  Cookies are only shared 
between your computer and the USPS server during a session.  If someone 
wanted to steal your password they would have to catch you in a session 
with the server and intercept it.  That could happen if you had a keyboard 
recording pest on your PC but I am not sure that they aren't after much 
bigger fish like your ATM card PIN. Right now the cookies aren't encrypted 
but I will be doing that shortly.

For a roster upload, you no longer have to remember what fields to 
upload.  Simply click "TA" (Tag All fields) on the export page and save the 
file.  To upload the roster go to www.usps.org/national/tools and find your 
squadron or district record and then click on "Upload & Check Format of 
roster files".  The page displayed has a form which lets you browse your PC 
and find the file you created.  The clicking on upload will upload the file 
and extract the specific data needed for the roster.  That's it.

You still have a couple of steps to do either the install or the upload but 
it is a vastly easier.

Just a FYI, what I am working on:

Add another email link to receive updates to the online roster made by 
squadron members.  This is coupled with adding the capability to enter only 
a member number in the IT Contact and Public Contact name fields of your 
squadron/district record and having them populated automatically from the 
online roster.  This will eliminate a need to update phone and email 
addresses when you make changes to them.

Add the ability to generate and download a squadron/district phone and or 
email directory.  This means you don't need to download and print a full 
directory if all you are interested in are phone numbers and email addresses.

Add the ability to keep squadron personal phone numbers and email addresses 
which are not uploaded to the USPS national computer.  This is actually a 
very hot topic.  Many people do not want to have their phone number or 
email address available on that computer.  This would provide the 
capability to store this data in one place in an easy update facility.

Encrypt the data stored on these files.

Should keep me busy for a couple of days.  :-)

Anyone with more of a wish list let me know.
Regards,
Dan
>usps-webmasters@usps.org
At 16:54 1/30/2005, you wrote:
>I just finished loading the on-line roster to the RRPS web page.  It is a 
>step by step procedure and not hard.  Uploading not difficult.  I 
>reccomend to all squadrons.  Will attack the district next. As new 
>district computer chair in April will hold a meeting at our conference on 
>this and DB2000.
>
>Dan's information was very good.
>
>Twila
>RRPS website
>