In order to keep track of equipment and supplies ordered by the Department of Computer Sciences, PReq creates a ticket for each request and tracks that ticket from the time it is created until the equipment or supplies arrive. Each ticket has a set of information associated with it, such as the ticket's status, the log of communications about the ticket, and the users associated with the ticket.
The preferred way to create a PReq ticket, to order equipment or supplies, is to fill out the web-based order form.
Another way is to run the "preq" command while logged into a department Unix machine. If you are running X, it will create a window which allows you to enter the information about the request. If you are not running X, it will invoke an editor (based on your EDITOR environment variable) with a form to fill out.
To check the status of a ticket, once it has been created, you can use one of the web-based forms.
To communicate with the staff about a ticket, send mail to preq@cs. Staff members may need to check with you while dealing with the request, or you may need to add additional information. The best way to ensure that all of this information gets logged is to send mail to req@cs.utexas.edu. Any mail messages sent to this address (and properly formatted, which is described below) will be passed on to the staff as well as the users associated with a ticket and will be logged with the ticket.
To ensure that the tracking software knows which ticket mail is associated with (as well as which queue, since it can handle more than one), the subject line of your message should contain the following string:
[PRnumber]
where the number is the ticket number that was assigned when you created the ticket. The format should be exactly as shown; the square braces separate the marker from the rest of the subject line, the string PR indicates the purchase request queue, and the number specifies the ticket. Without all of the information, the software will not be able to correctly log the message.
The easiest way to ensure the subject line is formatted correctly is to reply to the confirmation note originally sent out or to any mail that the shop staff sends.
Another alternative for adding additional information about a ticket is a web-based form located at the bottom of that ticket's page. Use the Show a ticket form or follow the link from the list of tickets generated by the Search form above.