Use the backslash key ( \ ) above the keyboard's Enter key to activate the command line. The command line will appear at the top middle of the screen and have a flashing cursor for typing in the command line.
There is a plus sign above a minus sign which allows users to change the size of the command line. The plus sign makes the line bigger to increase the font and the minus sign makes it smaller.
Next is a lowercase 'i' in a circle, which opens a list of all of the commands with the proper format and examples of how to use them. If the user's group has permission to see the Alias, they can click on the tab to see them. The Dispatch Cheat Sheet also has places where the alias information can be added.
Next button is the Move button which allows users to move the command line. Clicking the button turns a lighter blue. Users can now drag the command line anywhere on the screen they want to use it. Clicking the button again takes it back to the default location.
The last button is used to create additional command lines. The line can be moved around as needed and Users can have as many command lines as they wish. They might have different command lines for individual calls indicated by the call number on the left side of the command line. Users can use a period in place of the call number in this case.
The extra command lines can be closed by clicking on the X at the far right of the command line. Users can close all of the command lines by using Ctrl \. The backslash button can be used to bring all of the command lines back in the same location as they were left. The backslash button can also be used to move between the multiple command lines and to bring focus to the command line.
All of our command line entries start with the command type followed by the unit or call number.
A semicolon is used to piggyback commands when a user wants to use multiple commands at the same time. An example is if a user wants to dispatch a unit on a call and put them on scene at the same time. The command string would be DU S13; US ON S13
Users can bring up prior commands by using the up and down arrows to see the last 50 entries. Commands can be reused by hitting the enter key or updated prior to hitting enter,
Let's look at the first command in the list, creating a New Call using the command line. There are subcommands to put information into the proper location on the call indicated by a "-'. The same letter might be used for different values depending on the command, so we suggest using the Dispatch Cheat Sheet to use the right subcommands for each command. One example you will see is the -A used for an address in the New Call command but is used for Area on other commands.
Open the command list again and click on the "Show Aliases" at the top right of the box. If you don't see the "Show Aliases," it is because the admin decided not to assign the right to assign Alias to your group. This feature allows users to create an Alias to our commands to match what the agency was using in their system before activating SOMA. There are a few rules to changing the commands:
1. SOMA commands still work even if there is an alias created. Because of this you can't use a SOMA command for anything else other than its intended purpose. For example, the SOMA command for Dispatch Unit is DU and your agency makes an alias command of D. DU cannot be used for an alias in your agency.
2. Select "Start Only" for most commands, so it only applies when the command is at the start of a command-line entry. An exception would be if changing the optional designators of '-" to another symbol such as a "/" which would not be at the start of the command.
3. Do not leave an incomplete line as it will cause issues. Click the trash can if the line is no longer needed.
NOTE: Admin may want to restrict permission to edit the aliases as it’s very easy to accidentally delete them.
Suggested Aliases
SOMA suggests using aliases for unit statuses to cut down on key strokes. For example, using the status of US ER puts a unit en route but it can be aliased to ER oe E to save time.
Keyboard Hotkeys
The hotkeys are located in preferences under “Keyboard Settings” and at the bottom on the back page of the Dispatch Cheat Sheet. All of the hotkeys use the ALT key on the keyboard to focus on different functions.
The commands are as followed:
ALT F Swaps Calls (Don’t think this one works)
Alt T goes to the field to add comments to the active call.
ALT L Add entry to Location Information
ALT P Add entry toPersons/Places Involvements
ALT V Add entry to Vehicles
ALT H Add entry to Property
ALT A Common Names (Don’t think this one works)
ALT M Opens the Messages Drawer
ALT U Opens the Units Drawer
ALT B Refresh RapidSOS
ALT S opens the Swap Calls Drawer to see all of the current calls so users can join, Clear or Merge the call.
Note: We have created a Command-Line (CL) Dispatch Cheat Sheet which will be provided to your agency so users can see all of the commands and any Alias created.