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Sort Violations for Quick Access

OPS-COM allows administrators to customize the display order of Ticket Offence Items (violations) for quicker access, especially useful for frequently used offences. By strategically adding spaces to the beginning of offence names, you can control their sorting order on both the admin interface and handheld devices, improving efficiency for enforcement officers and data entry personnel.

When managing a long list of violation offence items, it can be time-consuming to scroll and find specific offences. The challenge is to reorder this list for quick access, ensuring the most commonly used offences appear at the top.

The system sorts lists alphanumerically. We can take advantage of the fact that a space character () comes before all alphanumeric characters in the ASCII character table. By prefixing a violation name with one or more spaces, you can force it to appear higher in the sorted list.

Example of Sorting with Spaces:

  • Zebra Offence (two spaces, sorts first)
  • Test Offence (one space, sorts second)
  • Apple Offence (no space, sorts third)
  • Bottle Offence (no space, sorts fourth)

Let's walk through a practical example of reordering a list of violations.

  1. Hover over System Configuration, then Violations, and click Manage Ticket Offence Items.
  2. In this example, we will select Private Property as the ticket category. This will display a list of violations categorized under "Private Property."
Reordering Violations - An Example

We want to reorder the list so that "Parked in No Parking Area" lists first, "Parked Blocking Fire Hydrant" lists second, and the rest of the violations list in alphabetical order after that.

  1. Modify "Parked in No Parking Area":

    • Click on Parked in No Parking Area to select it. The screen will refresh with the entry information for the violation.
    • Add a single space to the very beginning of the Violation Type Description field.
    • Click Save Violation Type.
    • Result: The list will now show " Parked in No Parking Area" (with the space) as the first item.

  2. Modify "Parked Blocking Fire Hydrant":

    • Next, select Parked Blocking Fire Hydrant.
    • Add a single space to the beginning of its Violation Type Description.
    • Save the violation type.
    • Result: The listing will change again. However, since both now have one space, " Parked Blocking Fire Hydrant" will appear before " Parked in No Parking Area" due to alphabetical sorting of the rest of the name.

  3. Adjusting Order with Multiple Spaces:

    • To ensure "Parked in No Parking Area" appears first and "Parked Blocking Fire Hydrant" second, we need to use a different number of spaces.
    • Select Parked in No Parking Area again.
    • Add a second space to the beginning of its Violation Type Description (so it has two spaces: Parked in No Parking Area).
    • Save the violation type.
    • Result: The list on the left now shows "  Parked in No Parking Area" in the first position, followed by " Parked Blocking Fire Hydrant" in the second position, and then the rest of the violations in alphabetical order.

Best Practices & Considerations

  • Consistency is Key: If you start using spaces to sort, apply the method consistently across all relevant lists (e.g., if you sort one category of offences, consider sorting others for a uniform experience).
  • Minimal Spaces: Use the fewest number of spaces necessary to achieve your desired order. For example, if you only need one item at the very top, one space is sufficient. If you need two items, one gets two spaces, the other gets one.
  • Handheld Impact: Remember that this sorting method affects the display order on both the admin interface and handheld units, directly impacting the efficiency of your enforcement officers in the field.
  • Documentation: If multiple administrators manage ticket offence items, document your sorting strategy internally to maintain consistency and prevent accidental reordering.
  • No Wildcards: This method relies on actual space characters, not wildcards (*) or other special characters that might not function as expected in sort orders.
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