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Department Scoped Preferences Administrator Guide

Dr M H B Ariyaratne edited this page Jul 15, 2026 · 1 revision

Department Preferences — Administrator Guide

Quick Start

As a department head or administrator, you can customize HMIS features for your department by managing department preferences. This guide walks you through accessing and modifying these settings.

Prerequisites

  • Your user account must have the Admin privilege
  • You must be assigned to a specific department (e.g., Pharmacy, Nursing, Finance)

Accessing Department Preferences

Step 1: Log In

Log in to HMIS with your department admin credentials.

Step 2: Navigate to Department Preferences

Menu Path: Administration → Department Preferences

Or go directly to: http://localhost:9090/rh/faces/admin/department_preferences

Step 3: Verify Your Department

At the top of the page, you will see:

Department Preferences — [Your Department Name]

This confirms you are managing preferences for your own department only. You cannot modify another department's preferences from this page.

Managing Preferences

Enabling a Preference

  1. Locate the preference you want to enable (e.g., "Allow Disposal Issue to Same Department")
  2. Check the checkbox next to the preference
  3. Click the Save button
  4. You will see: "Department preferences saved successfully"

Effect: The preference takes effect immediately. Staff in your department will now see updated behavior.

Disabling a Preference

  1. Locate the enabled preference
  2. Uncheck the checkbox
  3. Click Save
  4. Confirm the change has taken effect by refreshing pages or re-logging in

Resetting to Defaults

  1. Click the Reset to Defaults button
  2. Confirm the popup message: "Reset all preferences to system defaults?"
  3. All preferences return to their default (disabled/false) state
  4. Click Save to apply

Available Preferences

Pharmacy Department

Allow Disposal Issue to Same Department

What it does:

  • When enabled: Your pharmacy staff can create disposal issue bills within the pharmacy department itself (same source and destination)
  • When disabled (default): Your pharmacy staff can only create disposal issues to other departments

Why enable it?

  • If your department needs to track internal waste/disposal for auditing
  • If you manage multiple sub-sections and want internal transfer tracking

Why keep it disabled?

  • Stricter control — all disposals must go to a central waste management department
  • Simpler audit trails — all disposal issues show external movement

Impact on Staff:

  • If enabled, the error "Cannot Make an Issue to the Same Department" will not appear when selecting their own department
  • If disabled, they will see the error and must select a different department

Troubleshooting

"You are not authorized to access this page"

Problem: You see this message when trying to access Department Preferences.

Solution: Your user account must have the Admin privilege. Contact your system administrator to request this privilege.

Changes Don't Take Effect

Problem: I checked a preference and clicked Save, but staff still see the old behavior.

Solution:

  1. Verify the Save button completed (look for "saved successfully" message)
  2. Ask staff to log out and log back in to refresh their session
  3. Clear browser cache and reload the page
  4. If still not working, contact your system administrator

Can't See Department Preferences in Menu

Problem: The "Department Preferences" menu item doesn't appear.

Solution:

  • This page only appears for users with Admin privilege assigned to a specific department
  • Check that your account has Admin privilege
  • Check that your user account is assigned to a department (not institution-wide)

Important Notes

  • Department-Only Management: You can only modify preferences for your own department
  • Immediate Effect: Most preferences take effect immediately, though staff may need to refresh their browser
  • No System-Wide Changes: Your preferences never affect other departments or the institution as a whole
  • Reversible: All settings can be changed or reset to defaults at any time

Related Topics


Questions? Contact your system administrator or refer to the Department Preferences Overview.

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