Overview: This guide covers the primary tools and actions for navigating your HowNow knowledge base, including search result interactions, viewing options, and essential tools for managing documents.
Interacting with Search Results: The Right-Click Menu
When you right-click on a document or multiple documents in the search results grid, a context menu appears. The options available depend on your employee privileges and the type of document selected.
General Document Actions
Open in Copy Mode: Opens Excel and PDF documents in the same HowNow instance. This allows you to copy information from one document to another.
Profile: Displays the detailed properties of the selected document. Editing these details requires sufficient privileges.
Assign Current Status: Makes the document the "current" version, visible to all users. This option is only available if you have sufficient privileges.
Remove Current Status: Reverts the document to a non-current status. This option is only available if you have sufficient privileges.
Paste (Ctrl+V): Adds a document from your clipboard to HowNow, launching the new file wizard.
Select All (Ctrl+A): Selects all documents in the current search results list.
Deselect All (Ctrl+D, ESC, or Clear button): Clears all current selections in the results list.
Delete: Moves the selected document(s) to the Recycle Bin.
"Actions" Submenu
New: Opens the New Profile Wizard to add a new document to the knowledge database.
Duplicate: Opens the Duplicate Item Profile dialog. This creates an exact copy of a document, except for the title, which you will define. The new document's file name will match its new title. This is useful for creating new documents similar to existing ones.
Edit: Allows you to modify the document.
If the document has a "current" status, a new edition will be created.
If the document is not "current," you will be prompted to create a new edition.
This option is only available if you have sufficient privileges.
Revision note: Opens the Revision Note Details dialog, allowing you to add a note to the document's history.
Print: Prints the document directly without opening it first.
Export: Allows you to export the selected file(s) to a chosen folder.
Release File Locks: If a file is locked (e.g., in use by another process), this option releases the lock, making the file available.
"List Actions" Submenu
Add to favourites: Adds the document to your personal Favourites list for quick access.
Remove from favourites: Removes the document from your Favourites list.
Add to News List: Adds the document to the News List of specified users or teams.
Remove from News List: Removes the document from your News List or from everyone's News List (depending on privileges).
Mark News as Read: When viewing "My News," this marks the document as read and offers the option to remove it from or keep it on the News List.
Add to Review List: Adds the document to the review list of selected users (only users designated as reviewers can be selected).
Remove from Review List: Removes the document from your review list or everyone's review list (depending on privileges).
Emailing Documents ("Email As" Options)
This allows you to send selected documents via email in various formats:
File Attachment: Attaches each selected document as a separate file.
Zip File Attachment: Compresses all selected documents into a single .zip file attachment.
PDF File Attachment: Converts selected documents to PDF format and attaches them individually.
HowNow Smart Link:
Best Practice for Internal Sharing: Emails a direct link to the document(s) within HowNow. This avoids creating duplicate files and version control issues within your office.
HowNow Smart Link URL: Provides a URL link for use with third-party software (e.g., Carbon).
Combined PDF File Attachment: Merges multiple selected PDF documents into a single PDF file attachment. (Source files must already be in PDF format).
Copying Documents to Clipboard ("Copy to Clipboard" Options)
This allows you to copy selected documents to your Windows Clipboard in various formats:
File Attachment: Copies separate files to the clipboard.
Zip File Attachment: Copies individual files stored in a single .zip file to the clipboard.
PDF File Attachment: Copies individual files as PDFs to the clipboard.
HowNow Smart Link: Copies a direct link to the document(s) within HowNow for internal use.
HowNow Smart Link URL: Copies a URL link for use with third-party software (e.g., Carbon).
Combined PDF File Attachment: Merges selected PDF files into a single PDF file on the clipboard. (Source files must already be in PDF format).
Navigating Knowledge with the Ribbon
The ribbon at the top of the Knowledge screen provides tools to control your view and filter search results.
View Menu
Control how much information is displayed for each document in the search results:
Minimum Details: Shows only the Title of each document. Best if you are very familiar with your content.
Standard Details: Shows the Title and Description. This is the default setting.
Full Details: Shows the Title, Description, and Keywords. Contact your HowNow Administrator to add keywords to a document.
Filtering Search Results
Use these drop-down menus to refine your search results:
Display Filter
All: No filter applied.
My News: Shows News Items added for you by an administrator.
All News: (Administrators only) Displays all news items.
My Favourites: Shows documents you've added to your Favourites list.
My History: Lists documents you have recently opened.
My Review: (Designated content reviewers only) Shows documents awaiting your review.
All Review: (Administrators or content administrators only) Displays all documents on any review list.
Last Accessed: Lists documents with the date and time they were last accessed.
Content Filter
All: No filter applied (shows content from all Content Modules).
[Specific Module Name]: Select a module to display only content from that module (e.g., HowNow Accountants, or your firm's custom content).
Note for Administrators: Your HowNow Administrator can also filter by a specific Content Update number related to a Content Module using the scroll box next to the Content drop-down.
Administrator Filters
These filters are typically available only to HowNow Administrators or users with specific permissions:
Status:
Active: Shows only active documents.
Inactive Only: Shows only documents marked as inactive (hidden from standard users). Inactive documents might be temporarily irrelevant but potentially useful later.
All: Shows both active and inactive documents.
Editions: Standard users see only Current Editions. Administrators, Reviewers, and Authors can view:
All: All editions of documents.
Current: Only the current edition.
Current + New: The current edition plus any higher numbered (newer) editions.
Highest: The highest numbered edition only.
Pre-Current: All non-current editions earlier than the current one.
Post-Current: All editions higher (newer) than the current one.
Approval Status: (HowNow Administrators) Filter documents based on their stage in the review process.
Visibility Filter
Use the Visibility drop-down to view documents assigned to specific Teams. You will only see Teams you are a member of.
Tools Menu
Recycle Bin: Access deleted documents. Your HowNow Administrator can retrieve incorrectly deleted documents from here. Ensure other filters are cleared to see all deleted items.
Import:
Files in a Folder: Enables batch import of templates or other files.
Excel Export: Exports your current search results list to an Excel file. You'll be prompted to choose a save location and name the file.
Version Notification:
A yellow bar appears when HowNow updates to a new version, providing a link to Release Notes. Click 'X' to dismiss.
A grey bar appears to notify you when a new version is available.
Search Bar Functions
The search bar includes a free-text search area and five buttons:
Store current filters: Saves your current filter settings and search terms.
Recall current filters: Applies your previously stored filter settings. (Works with Date Range searches up to 5 years).
Clear current filters: Resets filters to your default settings.
Clear the search text only: Removes text from the search input field.
Refresh the search: Re-runs the current search.
Note: Stored filters may be reset by Business Fitness during new version releases. The Recall and Store buttons will be greyed out if no filter is set.
Understanding Document Access: Read-Only by Default
HowNow opens Knowledge documents in a read-only format by default. This allows users to:
Enter details into forms.
Complete checklists.
Save these modified documents with a different file name.
This protects the original master versions of documents from accidental changes.
Editing Master Documents:
Your HowNow Administrator or a Content Administrator can edit master document versions.
The Administrator can also designate specific documents to open in an editable format (not read-only). This is useful for documents like shared logs or ledgers where data entry into the master version is required.
If your organization uses the Records module, a document can be flagged to Automatically File. This prompts you to save the document to a record location each time it's opened.
Status Bar Notifications
The Status Bar at the bottom of the HowNow screen may display notices in bold red text regarding News and/or Review Items when you log in.
You can click these notifications to go directly to your News and Review lists.
Alternatively, use the Display drop-down in the ribbon to access these lists.