Getting Started
Logging In
To get started with PAC go to https://pac.s4c.cymru. To login you will need your username and password (as supplied by S4C or the production company you are working for).
Enter your username and password and click the 'Login' button. If your account details are valid the login process will continue. If there is an issue with your login you will be returned to the login page where further information will be supplied.
Note
Please remember that passwords are case sensitive. This is a change that was introduced with this new version of PAC to improve the security of the system.
Warning
If you don't have user credentials, you probably shouldn't be here and you should note that all failed login attempts are logged along with any attempt to access a part of the system you are not authorised to access.
As part of the login process, the system will generate a report showing the deliverable items you have rights to that are overdue, due in the next 30 days or that have been refused by S4C staff.
To continue the login process, you should scroll to the bottom of the page and click the button marked Continue. If you would like to view this report again, it is available from the navigation tree via an option titled Company Deliverables (More information...).
Session Timeout
Once logged in, if you do not use the system for a certain period of time, your session will expire and force you to login again. When this happens, the following screen will be displayed.
Site Activity
Whenever PAC is waiting for a response from the server, an animated S4C logo will be displayed. This serves to provide feedback to you, the user, that something is happening and it obscures the on-screen controls preventing multiple activations.
Note
There is one place a spinner is not displayed. This is the tree view, which instead displays the text "Loading navigation tree, please wait...".
Warning
Whilst many operations are quite quick, some can take a while. The initial login for example takes some time as the query used to generate the list of overdue liquidated damages is quite complex and takes a while to run, even if there is nothing outstanding, so please give the site a little time to respond before reaching for the refresh button thinking it's not working.
Navigation
To navigate within PAC you are provided with a tree view located on the left hand side of the page. This is how it's likely to look when you have just logged in.
Navigation is achieved by opening and closing folders and clicking links within the tree.
Opening and Closing Folders
To open a folder, click the icon next to it. This also serves as an indication the folder contains other items. Once opened, the items contained will be displayed and the icon will be changed to which can be clicked to close the folder.
Selecting Items
Items that can be selected to view a page will have their text labels underlined.
This next screenshot shows the treeview with the nodes for "I28919 Life and Times of An Old Bint", "I28919/005" (episode 5) and "405 Prog Del Form" open.
The tree view will only allow you to open one folder at a given level, so in this example if we were to open the folder for the series "I28894 Cyw 14 - Awyr Iach", the folder for "I28919 Life and Times of An Old Bint" would be closed.
Documentation Conventions
Navigation that consists of multiple steps will be shown as follows.
Step 1 > Step 2 > Step 3
In this example, the user should select the item defined by 'Step 1' followed by 'Step 2' and finally 'Step 3', noting that the items described the various steps may only be revealed by prior steps.
Data Loss Prevention
Where ever possible, attempts have been made to stop you losing work as a result of navigating away from a form that contains unsaved changes. Unfortunately these efforts are somewhat limited due to how the browsers handle navigation events internally. In most cases you will be prompted with a default popup message from your browser. Shown below is the one provided by Google Chrome.
Once you start navigating away from a form, all we can do is trigger that popup dialog. In some other cases however we are able to do more and you will be prompted with a different message.
General Operation
Field Titles
Field titles in bold indicate mandatory fields that contain data which must be provided.
Save Button
When using the various forms within the system, the 'Save' button will only become enabled when something has been changed. If you make a mistake or get called away and are unsure what may have changed, you can simply load the required form again by selecting it in the navigation tree. If in fact you have made changes, you will be prompted by the browser as to whether you want to leave the page and potentially lose the changes you have made.
Complete Button
When a particular form (deliverable item) can be completed, the 'Complete' button will become enabled. Clicking it will ask the user to confirm they wish to complete the form. If they do, the form will be submitted with their details and it will be marked as complete. Completed items are moved to the archive section.
Warning
Completed items will be reviewed by S4C staff and could be refused. If this occurs, they will be shown as 'Refused' in the deliverables lists and will be moved from the archive back to the live commissions area allowing them to be updated as required.
Top Button
For large pages, if you scroll down, a Top button will become visible. Clicking this will scroll back to the top of the page. This can be seen in the screenshot below.
Common Icons
| Icon | Purpose |
|---|---|
 | Select the record - Typically used in a table to allow the user to select the current record (for example, it is used to select artists, contributors and users for further operation) |
 | Delete the record - Typically used in a table where the user has the option of deleting the related record (for example, removing a freelance users rights from a particular series or programme) |
 | Edit the record - Typically used in a table to select the related record for editing (for example, updating a particular artists details or for updating a users details or changing their password) |
Data Validation
The data contained in the various forms is validated at different stages as required by the forms themselves. In some cases individual fields are validated as they are edited and some validate the whole form when the 'Save' button is clicked.
Validation failures are reported to the user in the following ways.
- Popup alerts that tell the user what is wrong
- Red borders around fields that are incorrect
- Messages that are displayed when the user hovers the mouse cursor over the field or that are displayed next to the field (usually underneath or to the right)
- A combination of these methods
Here is an example from the user maintenance form showing the borders and messages.
Table Row Background Colours
The rows of the various tables in the system now feature alternating colours in an attempt to make them easier to read.
| Standard | Alternate | These colours are used for most rows in tables |
| Warning | Alternate | These colours are used to highlight things that may require your attention (refused deliverables for example) |
| Complete | Alternate | There colours are used to highlights things that are complete |
| Highlight | These colours are used to highlight the current row. For these purposes, the current row is the one under the mouse cursor | |
Getting Help
This help is available by clicking the On-line Help link in the banner. Most pages also support pressing F1, which where possible, will take you directly to the section most appropriate to where you pressed F1.
Operating Language
By default you will have a language set for you during the creation of your user. To change the default language you will need to speak with the company responsible for your account. You can however change the language presented to you, for the duration of your session (or until you switch back) using the language selector in the banner.
Located just below the help link, it simply states which language it is using at the moment and gives you the option of switching to the other language.
Example - Operating in English
English - Newid i'r Gymraeg
Clicking the link which reads Newid i'r Gymraeg would switch to Welsh.
Note
As stated this change applies for the duration of the session or until you change it. You should also be aware that to facilitate the switch, you are returned to the page that is loaded immediately after you logged in, unfortunately due to how the system works this is unavoidable.