Question

Tips and tricks for the Voyager clients.  

Answer

The tips and features described in this section apply to multiple Voyager modules. Searching tips apply to all modules.

1. F1 gives immediate help online.
2. The symbol for right truncation during searching is a question mark (?). It can be used in any module. For example, to choose a vendor in Acquisitions you could enter “vendor name” “equals” “?” in the three boxes of the search grid. To search for vendors whose name begins with “b”, the “search for” box should contain b?.
3. It is very helpful in the long run if local library standards are developed for all free form data entry fields. This includes bib and holdings public notes, vendor names and addresses, publication pattern enumeration, patron information, course reserves, item enumeration/chronology, etc.
4. The drop-down menus often provide additional options not available through icons.
5. Use the ALT Key + the underlined letter or the indicated function key to move quickly through menu options. For instance, in a bibliographic record in Cataloging, pressing F2 is the same selecting Edit→Show MARC Values from the menu bar with a mouse.
6. When looking for a list of options (calendar, charge, discharge, etc), press the right mouse key from any section of a window (reserve item or reserve links) or from a field within a window. This often gives a drop-down menu of available options.
7. In certain fields such as Fines/Fee Type (Circulation, Post Fines/Fees), Place of Publication (Cataloging, 008 field), Patron Group (Circulation, Patron Registration) and Search For (any staff search module in the Non-Keyword tab), you can type the first letter of your response instead of using the pull-down menu. Typing the first letter takes you to that portion of the pull down list.
8. If a module stops responding after switching windows, press ALT and TAB at the same time. This retrieves any hidden window that needs acknowledgment. 
9. If an application has stopped responding, it can be closed through the Windows Task Menu. To retrieve this menu, press CTRL + ALT + DEL, which provides the selection list of available programs. When the task menu is retrieved, select the option to ‘end task’. 
10. Press ALT+PRINT SCRN to take a snapshot of your PC’s screen like the Copy command. Then Paste the screen into a word processing program like MS Word to print or to save the screenshot. This can be especially helpful for documenting set-up details or decisions such as Preferences.

Additional Information

See also:

• Voyager Cataloging: Tips and Tricks
• Which Voyager Circulation preferences reset upon logout, or persist until changed?

• Article last edited: 02-Nov-2020