Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions about Auto Close Idle(ACI):

1. I was trying ACI and it works when running in a full desktop, but not when running under a single published application. Is there a way to make it work under Citrix?
2. I was just testing ACI with Notepad, but ACI doesn't seem to see it.
3. I was trying ACI with Navision, but ACI doesn't seem to see it. Is there a specific settings that I need to change?
4. Do I need to change any shortcuts or modify the program configuration in anyway?
5. Can I manage the users from any workstation?
6. Do I have to install ACI Manager on the same computer as the database server?
7. What TCP/IP port does ACI use?
8. Does it work over the Internet or behind a firewall?
9. What happens when the user is working on another program while keeping the application in question in the background?
10. When the user moves the mouse over the application, will it be considered active?
11. Will it use a database session?
12. Can ACI monitor multiple programs at the same time?
13. Does ACI work with Navision native database? Navision with MS SQL?
14. What Navision versions does it support?
15. Will it corrupt my database?
16. Will it close Navision in all cases?
17. Some users don't want their application closed. Is this possible?
18. Does ACI Client run standalone?
19. Does ACI support multiple languages?
20. I have too many users. Is there an easy way to manage them?
21. How ACI is licensed?
22. There is a feature I want to be implemented in ACI. Can you do it?

1. I was trying ACI and it works when running in a full desktop, but not when running under a single published application. Is there a way to make it work under Citrix?
   Yes. You need to edit the published application shortcut and prefix it with the following:
   
   "C:\Program Files\Auto Close Idle Client\ACIClient.exe" /R
   
   If the operating system is 64-Bit, use the following instead:
   
   "C:\Program Files (x86)\Auto Close Idle Client\ACIClient.exe" /R
   
   This will start ACI Client as the target application, and ACI Client would start the target application that you specify after /R command line option. Make sure that there is a space after "/R" above. The same applies if you are using ACI with an initial application under terminal services without Citrix. See "Terminal Services in Single Application Mode" under "Installing ACI Client" in ACI Help→Contents for details.
    
2. I was just testing ACI with Notepad, but ACI doesn't seem to see it.
   If you are using a 64-Bit operating system, then Notepad is a 64-Bit application, and ACI currently doesn't support 64-Bit applications. However, it can monitor 32-Bit application running under a 64-Bit operating system. Currently most applications are 32-Bit and we will add 64-Bit support in the future based on demand. To see if an application is 32 or 64 bits, start Task Manager, and check the Processes tab. 32-Bit processes have "*32" at the end of the file name. If the application that you plan to use ACI with is 64-Bit, please contact us and provide the name of the application that you plan to use ACI with.
    
3. I was trying ACI with Navision, but ACI doesn't seem to see it. Is there a specific settings that I need to change?
   This happens when the Application Title is not set up correctly. It's case sensitive, so use "Navision" or "NAV" instead of "navision". Also, using the word "Navision" only, for example, could unintentionally monitor a program like "Navision User Guide.pdf - Acrobat Reader". It’s best to set it to "Microsoft Navision Attain" or "- Microsoft Navision Attain" if you are using Navision 3.60, or set it to "Microsoft Business Solutions-Navision" or "- Microsoft Business Solutions-Navision" if you are using Navision 3.70. In later version 5.0 and after, use "Microsoft Dynamics NAV". If you have an older version you may use "Navision Financials". This all depends on the window title shown when you start Navision.
   
   After setting the title, you can look in the App Title column in ACI Manager to see which application ACI Clients are actually monitoring, by default this is refreshed every 10 seconds.
    
4. Do I need to change any shortcuts or modify the monitored program configuration in anyway?
   No, unless you are using Citrix(See Q1 above). ACI will auto detect the application presence based on the window title or part of the executable path. It doesn't matter if the application was already running before you ran ACIClient or not. ACIClient runs after you finish the setup program and restarts with Windows so there is no need to create a startup shortcut for ACI.
    
5. Can I manage the users from any workstation?
   No, currently you can only manage the users from where you installed ACI Manager. In the upcoming version 4.0, you will be able to manage the users from any workstation. Sine the software includes free updates, you get that update when it's released. A beta version is available upon request.
    
6. Do I have to install ACI Manager on the same computer as the database server?
   No. You can install ACI Manager on any computer you like that has Windows 95 OSR2 or above. However, make sure that you only install one copy of ACI Manager on you LAN, otherwise you may not see all users.
    
7. What TCP/IP port does ACI use?
   It uses TCP/IP port 9400 by default, which can be changed to any port by editing an INI file.
    
8. Does it work over the Internet or behind a firewall?
   Yes. ACI Client can automatically detect the server if it's on the same LAN using broadcast packets. When ACI Client is behind a router, you can specify the IP Address and port number to use in an INI file. See "Setting up ACI Client to work from behind a router" under "Installing ACI Client" in ACI Help→Contents for details.
    
9. What happens when the user is working on another program while keeping the application in question in the background?
   Any application other than the monitored application is ignored. If the idle time limit is enabled for the user and is reached, ACI will close the application.
    
10. When the user moves the mouse over the application, will it be considered active?
    No, moving the mouse over the application is ignored. Only keyboard and mouse clicks on the target application are considered when determining the idle time.
     
11. Will it use a database session?
    No. ACI does not connect to your database server in anyway.
     
12. Can ACI monitor multiple programs at the same time?
    No. Most of our users usually use ACI with a single application. If you want to monitor another application, you can get another copy of ACI, and change the TCP/IP port in the INI file in each installation. Please contact us for more details...
     
13. Does ACI work with Navision native database? Navision with MS SQL?
    Yes. It works with both.
     
14. What Navision versions does it support?
    It supports all versions, this includes Navision Financials, Navision Attain, and NAV.
     
15. Will it corrupt my database?
    No. ACI will simulate closing the application as any user does, by clicking on the close button on the upper right of the application's window. It will never terminate the task which usually leads to data loss or corruption. In the case of Navision, it will click Cancel at every pop window as well.
     
16. Will it close Navision in all cases?
    No. It will not close Navision when there is a popup a window as a result of the C/Side command CONFIRM(). This command shows a message to the user and 2 buttons: Yes or No, without cancel. Examples include "Delete Customer?", "Do you want to update the sales lines?". It's a bad idea for ACI to answer all yes or all no to these dialogs. If any of these dialogs appear, you can respond to them by using "Remote Control" functionality. This allows you to see the user's screen and use your keyboard and mouse to interact with the application remotely. However, in most cases the user usually responds to these dialogs quickly.
     
17. Some users don't want their application closed. Is this possible?
    Yes. You can set both "Auto Close" and "Allow Close by Others" to "No" to certain users. In this way ACI acts in a "Read only" mode. You can see how long these users have been idle, but they will not be closed automatically. You can still close the application used by these users by right clicking on a user and select "Close this app".
     
18. Does ACI Client run standalone?
    Because ACI was designed to be centrally managed, the client cannot run in standalone mode.
     
19. Does ACI support multiple languages?
    Not at this time. However, it works with non-English versions of Navision. The user interface is currently available in English only. We are planning on translating the client side to other languages, however, the server side or ACI Manager will remain in English.
     
20. I have too many users. Is there an easy way to manage them?
    You can assign users to groups by selecting multiple users and type the group name at the options at the bottom of ACI Manager main window. Later, when you click on "Group" column heading, users will be sorted by groups and then you can easily select these users and change their settings. It's not necessary for all users in the same group to have the same settings, just select some users and change only those users' settings, even if these users belong to different groups. Also, ACI Manager lets you sort by any column, just click on any column heading to sort by that column. This gives you more flexibility in managing your users. When you click on "Idle Time so far" heading, users will be sorted by how idle they have been. The most idle user will be at the top. When that user starts using the program, he or she will drop to the bottom of the list. This makes it easy to decide when to close idle users.
     
21. How ACI is licensed?
    ACI license allows unlimited number of clients and one server installation(ACI Manager copy) plus unlimited free updates. Click here for details.
     
22. There is a feature I want to be implemented in ACI. Can you do it?
    Please feel free to contact us, and use "Suggest a feature". We review all requests and based on your feedback we prioritize these requests.

Note: Navision® is a registered trademark of Navision A/S; which was acquired by Microsoft in 2002. We are not affiliated with Navision A/S or Microsoft in anyway.

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