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Help - Tools Distribution Page


PLEASE NOTE: All files in the RBA Distribution Tool are provided by GSA.
For assistance with a tool, please contact the owner of the tool in question.

The GSA has requested the addition of a repository for regional custom utilities and tools to help meet their business requirements outside of the Regional Business Application (RBA) and other GSA-supported applications and systems. Upon successful login, all GSA users will see a link on the IT-Solutions homepage titled “RBA Tools Distribution” under the “Directory” heading. Figure 1 below displays this link.

Figure 1: The RBA Tools Distribution Link

The RBA Tools Distribution page will have two user roles:
1. User – GSA users registered in the RBA may access the RBA Tools Distribution page and download any tools that have been posted to the page.
2. Admin – This is an admin role that allows specified GSA employees to post approved tools to the RBA Tools Distribution page. Admin users will also be able to view and download the tools, except they will have the additional ability to edit and add tools to the site.

As a User clicking on the link the RBA Tools Distribution page opens, as shown in Figure 2 below.

RBA Tools Distribution - User Page

Figure 2: The RBA Tools Distribution User Page

The RBA Tools Distribution page will contain the following elements:

1. Terms of Use link – Clicking on this link will open a new page with the RBA Tools Terms of Use. The RBA Tools Terms of Use will state the following disclaimer:

  • The software and links provided through this page are provided to the GSA RBA user community in an effort to share best practices and locally created tools.
  • The tools are provided “as is” with no additional training or support from the RBA Helpdesk. The exception would be any tools developed by the RBA team.
    1. RBA Tools table – A table will display all of the posted tools. Each table row represents a different tool. The table columns are as follows:
  • Name – The name of the tool is a link that allows users to download the tool from the site. Following the name link, the tool’s file type will be displayed in parentheses. The file type is not a link but serves as brief description of the type of tool available for download.
  • Version – Each tool must have a version number. The version number is manually specified by the admin user upon upload, however, the version number should increment with each new version of the tool posted. The version number may include numbers and characters.
  • Description – A short description that briefly describes the tool.
  • Read Me – Located within the Description cell, following the description, is a link to the Read Me text provided. Each tool must have corresponding “Read Me” text to provide users with a detailed description and instructions to use.
  • Owner – This is the name of the owner of the tool. The owner name is an email link that upon click will automatically launch the user’s default mail application with the email of the owner in the “To” line. The owner’s email is available for users to email questions and provide feedback to the owner.
    1. Search –Search for Tools by Name, Owner or Description. If all three fields are empty the page will display all of the posted tools.

    RBA Tools Distribution - Admin Page

    GSA employees given the RBA Tools Admin role will see a slightly different RBA Tools Distribution page when they click on the “RBA Tools Distribution” link within the Directory section.

    The admin page allows the admin user to post, or upload, approved utilities, tools, and links. The screenshot below shows the RBA Tools Distribution Admin page.



    Figure 4 RBA Tools Distribution Admin Page

    Admin – Add a Tool

    In addition to updating existing tools, admin users may upload new tools by clicking on the “Add a Tool” button. The Add a Tool button will open the “Add a Tool” page, as shown in the screenshot below.

    Figure 5 Admin - Add a Tool

    The Add a Tool page allows admin users to add an approved tool to the RBA Tools Distribution page by entering the appropriate information into the required fields. The following fields are required to submit the form:

  • Name – The tool’s name should be descriptive, brief, and unique. The name will serve as the link to download the file or URL.
  • Version – The version number of the tool. The version number should increment with each new version of the tool posted, though the version numbering is entirely up to the owner/admin user. The version number may include numbers and characters.
  • Description – A short description that briefly describes the tool. The description will be displayed in the tools table to all users with access to the RBA Tools Distribution page.
  • Owner’s Name – The name of the owner of the tool. The owner’s name will be tagged with a mailto: link to the owner’s email.
  • Owner’s Email – The owner’s email address. The email address must be valid and follow standard email address format.
  • Upload ‘Read Me’ File – The read me file is used to provide detailed information to the user, such as:
  • Detailed description of the tool
  • Version information, creation date, etc.
  • System requirements
  • Instructions on how to use the tool
  • FAQ
  • Contact information to send questions/feedback to the owner
    - The admin user may use the Browse button to locate the read me file location on their computer. Upon form submission the read me file will be uploaded along with the actual tool. The read me file must be a text file (.txt).
  • Upload Tool - Choose your hosted or local file – The admin user must specify either a:
  • URL – the user can specify a website link to add such as https://web1.itss.gsa.gov/Login, or
  • Local file – the user can click on Browse to browse their computer to locate the file they wish to upload. Admin users may upload Excel spreadsheets (.xls files), Word documents (.doc files), MS Access databases (.mdb files), etc. However, standard file upload restrictions still apply and files may not exceed 3 MB.

    All form fields are mandatory and must be filled to submit the form. The following form buttons are available at the bottom of the form:
  • Submit – Clicking the submit button validates all form field values and submits the form. If validation fails, the user will be notified with server-side validations providing field validation feedback in red text next to the field requiring modification.
  • Cancel – Clicking the cancel button returns the user back to the Tools list without saving any changes.

    Admin – Edit a Tool

    The RBA Tools Distribution Admin Page displays all of the posted tools. Additionally, each tool has an Edit button located in the last column. Clicking on the Edit button will open the “Edit a Tool” page as described below.



    Figure 6 Admin: Edit a Tool

    Upon clicking the Edit button of a corresponding tool, the tools current data will populate in the Edit a Tool form. The admin user can edit any of the fields:

  • Name
  • Version
  • Description
  • Owner’s Name
  • Owner’s Email
  • Upload ‘Read Me’ File – The admin user can upload a new read file.
  • Upload Tool – URL or Local – The admin user can upload an updated version of the tool.
  • Delete Tool? – The admin user can only delete an existing tool within the Edit a Tool form. The admin user can click the checkbox and click Submit to delete the tool. A soft validation warning will verify with the user if they want to delete the tool.

    The following form buttons are available at the bottom of the Edit a Tool form:
  • Submit – Clicking the submit button validates all form field values and submits the form. If validation fails, the user will be notified with server-side validations providing field validation feedback in red text next to the field requiring modification.
  • Cancel – Clicking the cancel button returns the user back to the Tools list without saving any changes.