Last updated:
06/19/2006
Topics:
Correct Web PAN display problems in Netscape and other browsers
"Back" and "Refresh" Buttons
I don't have any navigation links in the upper right of my PPS window.
Sorting Web-PANs (by Employee, Date, Preparer, Status or Type)
There are extra characters ( ) in the Full Accounting Unit in Web-PANs
The font is too small or too hard to read
I keep getting bumped back to the login screen
I don't get anywhere when I click on the link for Web-PPS
Printing Web-PANs
"Home Department" -vs- "Department"
FLSA text on Web-PANs
Web-PPS is insanely slow right now
Correct Web PAN display problems in Netscape and other browsers
Users who access web PANs mainly through Netscape browsers, although some other browsers may also be affected, experienced a display problem when viewing PANs.
The display problem results in the following:
1. In the appointment and distribution section of a web PAN, the html symbol ' ' is embedded in the FAU display, as follows:
7 680533  20000  2
2. When data is added to, or changed in, a field, instead of displaying <<none>> or <<99/99/99>> in the original data position, the PAN often displays:
<<none>> or <<99/99/99>>
Fo for more information on this error, also see: There are extra characters ( ) in the Full Accounting Unit in Web-PANs
A PPS Release 1660 addresses this problem of bad formatting in the Full Accounting Unit (FAU), and in the indicator of data previously contained in a field, when viewing web PANs.
This release was installed on 08/31/05. The display problem will be corrected for any PANs generated as from 09/01/05. Existing PANs will continue to display incorrectly in the affected browsers for as long as they remain in the PAN database.
The "Back" and "Refresh" buttons on your browser do not work correctly (if at all) in web-PPS. You must navigate using the available links within the PPS screens. Even if it SEEMS like these buttons are working, they really aren't, and you'll start to notice problems.
I don't have any navigation links in the upper right of my PPS window:
There should ALWAYS be navigation links in the upper right of your PPS window. At the very least, there will be a "logout" link, and probably a "Main Menu" link. Other links will appear, as well, based on the function that you are using.
If you cannot see these links, something is wrong. There are a couple of possibilities:
- If any of the PPS text or images are cut off on the right side of your browser window, your browser window is too small. Re-size
your browser window (usually by grabbing the lower, right corner of the
window with the mouse and pulling it to the right) until you can see the
navigation links in the upper right.
- If you don't see the blue "Payroll Personnel System UC Santa Cruz Production" logo in the upper left corner of your window, along with other header information at the top of the page, you are probably using a browser that is not compatible with web-PPS for your operating system. This is most common with Internet Explorer on the Mac, though it can occur with other configurations, as well. If this is the problem, try using a different browser. You may have to ask your computing coordinator to install one for you.
Sorting Web-PANs (by Employee, Date, Preparer, Status or Type):
The web interface allows you to sort PANs by Status, Type, Employee, Date, and Preparer. Each time you leave and then return to your inbox or to the Notification Selection Results, the PANs revert to the default sort (most recent to least recent). You have to re-sort the PANs each time.
In certain browsers, re-sorting the PANs simply calls a previous sort out of memory - the PAN list that you are viewing is not actually being resorted. This can be very confusing and disconcerting, because your browser is displaying old information. PANs that you just read might show up as unread; pans that you deleted from your inbox might seem to re-appear, etc.
It is important to realize that this problem exists so you can recognize it if it happens to you.
This problem has been reported to UCOP, though we do not have a fix yet. The only real solution at this time is to try different browsers in the hope that one of them won't do this (e.g. Netscape 7.0 and higher on the PC and Netscape & Safari on the Mac seem to sort correctly).
Finally, if you want to see a "clean," updated version of your inbox, it usually (but not always!) works to log out, close your browser, and start over.
There are extra characters ( ) in the Full Accounting Unit in Web-PANs:
In some browsers, extra characters are inserted where spaces would normally appear, such as between the different numbers in the full accounting unit of PANs. The incorrect formatting looks like this:
7 403120  19900 WWSP 2
Whenever you see the characters " ," just know that that is supposed to be a space.
Explanation: " " is the way to code for a space on web pages. It looks like what is happening is that the semicolon was left off of the end of the code, and therefore some browsers display the actual characters ' ' instead of creating a space. This display problem seems more common in Netscape than in other browsers, but it can happen in all browsers.
Also see for more details on the problem and solution: Correct Web PAN display problems in Netscape and other browsers
The font is too small or too hard to read:
This problem is primarily reported by people running Netscape on a Mac.
The simplest solution is to try using Internet Explorer when accessing PPS on the web. Internet Explorer seems to be better supported by web-PPS than Netscape, in general. However, Internet Explorer can be guilty of the display problem described above under the I don't have any navigation links in the upper right of my PPS window section, so this may or may not be a work-able solution
We have learned that web-PPS is designed to be viewed at a resolution of 800x600. Many modern monitors run at a higher resolution, so you can try changing tour monitor settings to 800x600. The problem with this is that the change affects your entire display, not just your browser, so this may or may not be an acceptable solution.
Many browsers allow you to increase the font size under "Preferences." This would be worth a try if your browser has this option.
Sometimes simply resizing your browser window will also resize the text being displayed.
I keep getting bumped back to the login screen
This isn't so much of a "helpful hint" as an acknowledgement that this happens. At seemingly random times, web-PPS bumps users out to the login screen. You have to log in again to continue your session. Sometimes when you log back in, you will be taken right back to where you were when you were bumped out. Sometimes, you will be taken to the main menu and will have to start again.
We haven't been able to find any pattern to this behavior. It is generally a good idea to close your browser window and re-open it before you log back in, however this doesn't guarantee that you won't be bumped out again, and closing your browser widow will lose your place for sure.
I don't get anywhere when I click on the link for Web-PPS
Try copying and pasting the text of the link into your browser. The URL should begin with "http" and end with "pp7". If that still doesn't work, try typing the URL directly into your browser. If you still can't get in, contact the PPS Office.
After you have successfully reached the PPS Web Logon page, bookmark it in your browser so you can access PPS on the web easily.
Problem: The top of the PAN, including employee name, doesn't print.
Solution: There is now a "Printer-Friendly Format" button in the upper right of web-PANs. Click this button to be taken to a view of the PAN that is speically formatted for printing. If you can't see this button, you may be experiencing a browser compatibility problem. See "I don't have any navigation links in the upper right of my PPS window," above.
Explanation: What does and doesn't print seems to vary by browser version. For example, Netscape 4.79 on the PC doesn't print anything above the "comments" section of a web-PAN. Internet Explorer 6.0 and Netscape 7.0 on the PC both print the PAN header on one page, the "Employee and Preparer Information" section, which includes employee name, on a second page, and the rest of the PAN on the 3rd+ pages. It is reasonable to assume that there are similar variations on Mac browsers, as well. UCOP created the "Printer-Friendly Format" feature to get around all of these variables.
"Home Department" -vs- "Department":
Home Department: An employee's Home Department is displayed once near the top of a web-PAN, immediately below the "General Information" section header.
Department: Each appointment lists the department associated with that appointment.The "Department" field lists the name of the department associated with the appointment. The "Department Code" field lists the six-digit distribution department code (the level-4 org code) for the department.
After Web PAN was installed, the weekend of May 31, 2003, an error was reported on the text of the FLSA code in the PAN detail. An FLSA code of 0 incorrectly displayed "exempt", and an FLSA code of 1 incorrectly displayed "non-exempt".
A release has been installed to fix this error. As of 06/12/03, the text for FLSA codes on web PANs is displaying correctly.
It is important to note that contents of PANs are "manufactured" at the time an update is performed, not assembled at viewing time, and therefore installation of this release will not fix the errors in historical PANs.
This means that PANs generated from 06/02/03 through 06/11/03 will continue to display erroneous text. Please keep this in mind as you review Web PANs.
PANs viewed via CICS do not have this problem, the text is appropriately displayed.
Web-PPS is insanely slow right now
Unfortunately, web-PPS is subject to all of the shortcomings that any web interface has. It will be slow at times and fast at other times, depending on what kind of data you are accessing, how much data you are accessing, and how many people are using the system. Web-PPS can be slow even if PPS, itself, is not, simply because it is being accessed via the internet. PAN reviewers probably experience the bulk of the slowness problems, though simply switching records or functions in inquiry has been known to be very slow at times.
A few things you can do to try to speed up web-PAN are:
- Keep your inbox as small as possible
- Select only a subset of your inbox - This takes a minute to do, since you have to go to your complete inbox initially, but once you select a subset of your inbox, you return to that subset each time, not to your complete inbox, so this can greatly speed things up for people with large inboxes. You can always change the subset you are using, too.
- NEVER use the "Back" button on your browser. Only use the links provided within Web-PPS.
If nothing works, and Web-PPS is un-workably slow, use CICS instead. It may not be as easy to look at and use, but it is usually much faster than PPS on the web - especially when the web is having problems.
Last Updated: 12/01/2006
Maintained by: PPS Office