Automated Unlocking

Locked tickets can be unlocked automatically by the system. This feature might be useful if an agent has locked tickets that need to be processed, but the agent can't work on this tickets because the agent is on holiday, for example. The automated unlock feature unlocks tickets after a given time to ensure that no locked tickets will be forgotten and other agents can process these tickets.

The unlock time for tickets can be specified in the settings for every queue. The module bin/UnlockTickets.pl, which should be executed periodically via a cron job, performs the automated unlocking of tickets. Tickets are unlocked only during the hours set by the TimeWorkingHours configuration parameter. During days specified in TimeVacationDays and TimeVacationDaysOneTime no tickets are unlocked automaticlaly.

Notifications on unlocked tickets are send out only to those agents that have the queue with the unlocked tickets set in "My queues" and that have activated the notification on unlocked tickets in their personal preferences .

Inside the following table are the unlock cycles versus the OTRS versions are shown.

Table 8.1. Unlock Properties

"Unlock" Properties 2.0.x 2.1.1 - 2.1.5 2.1.6 - 2.1.x 2.2.x 2.3.x
A ticket will be "unlocked", if...

a) for the regarding queue is a unlock time defined.

b) if the unlock time is up for the regarding queue.

c) if the ticket is "locked" from a agent.

d) if the Ticket state is a "open" type. If the ticket is in state "pending", the "unlock" time set out.

x x x x x
The "unlock" time will reset, if a agent add a new external article to the ticket. Inside the OTRS standard product external article are all articel depending on the article type "email-external", "phone", "fax", "sms", or "note-ext". - - x x x
The "unlock" time will reset, if a ticket getting "locked" from a agent. Just in this moment the escalation time (defined inside the queue settings) run, as long as the Ticket has a "open" state type. If the ticket has a "pending" state, the "unlock" time set out. x x x x x
The "unlock" time will reset, if a agent add a new external article to the ticket (for example a "email article" or a "phone note"). - - x x x
The "unlock" time will reset, if a customer add a new article to the ticket (for example depending on a "FollowUp") and if the last article is written from a agent. - - x x x