The following controls are used across the whole browser interface and operate in a similar way wherever they are found. This article is broken down between output forms (record lists), and input forms (single record).
Output forms.
Typically, when you click a link on the main navigation in Synergist, a list of records is displayed in an output form:
All lists have these controls - the views dropdown, a search box, the filters button and an A-Z filter
Views.
This button allows you to switch between pre-defined views, each representing a different selection of records based on different filters. Depending on your access rights you may be able to save new / delete existing views from this menu as well.
Search.
This text entry field allows you to search for key words. Normally the name / code / description of the records in your current selection is searched. Type in the search term and click the magnifying glass. Note that this searches the entire selection, not just those records displayed on the currently viewed page - if your selection is 1000 jobs, but your view settings display these in pages of 50, the search is performed on all 1000 jobs.
Filter.
This button opens a modal window in front of the list with controls to allow you to refine the currently displayed selection based on new selection criteria. These controls are arranged into a concertina that can be collapsed / expanded to show controls in different categories. Once you have made your new selections click the apply filter button to return to the list, with the new selection criteria applied. This new selection criteria can now be saved as a view via the views button, if available.
A-Z.
A-Z controls are common to most lists and allow quick filtering of the displayed data based on the first letter of the name of the records being displayed - client name, supplier name, contact name etc. Most lists also have an export facility to output the selected records as a text file.
Next to each record displayed in a list is a checkbox. Checking this "selects" the record without opening it in its input form; other actions, if available, can be executed on these selected records. The number of records you have selected is displayed in a bar immediately below the list in a new actions bar:
Many lists have actions available to them that are specific to that list and so are not made available via dedicated buttons. The actions available in this bar will operate on all the items you have ticked to select on the list.
New.
Most lists allow creation of new records via a New button. If a list does not have a New button, then that means that the record type in question has a dedicated create process elsewhere. For example the jobs list has a new button but the phases list does not. Phases must be created from within a job, so you are not allowed to create a phase directly from the phases list
Delete.
Delete the selected record(s), if allowed.
Select All.
Above the list is a checkbox which will select all records in the selection. Just like searching (see above) this is not just the records displayed on the current page, it is all records in the selection. Take care using this in conjunction with the delete action!
Pagination.
At the bottom of each list form is a control to set the number of records per page to be displayed, and next to it an indication of which records from the total selection are being displayed. To navigate through the selection use the forward / back buttons also at the bottom of the list.
Sorting.
Column headings in list forms can normally be used to sort the selection, a second click on the column heading will reverse the sort order. The entire selection is sorted, not just the records displayed on the current page.
Record-specific controls.
Some lists have unique controls that are assigned to dedicated buttons. These list-specific features are located between the views button and the search box. The job list is an example of this:
This list has three different formats, the plain list, which is the default, the billing plan list and the gantt view. The gantt format requires selection of one or more jobs in the list to use.
Input forms.
Clicking on a record in a list opens that record in its input form. Each input form is different, displaying the fields relevant to the record in question, but there is still some commonality of design used.
On a complex input form like a job, or a client, there is too much information to display on a single scrolling page. In this situation the fields on the record are grouped together into separate pages, and each page appears as a tab within the input form. The names and uses of these tabs is determined by the record being displayed, but navigating from tab to tab is simply done by clicking on each tab as required.
If any printed outputs are available for the record being viewed, these will be available from a menu accessed via a print button. If there are any actions that are specific to the record type being displayed, these will be available via an actions button. If you wish to close a record without saving any changes, or if you have made no changes, use the cancel option on the save and close button menu. This will close the record and the main tab it is displayed in. The save and close button also closes the record but will save any changes made.
'Pill' buttons.
Unique references to things like jobs / opportunities and organisations are often displayed in a Pill button:
If, when you mouseover a pill a small ellipsis icon appears that means there is a menu of options available by clicking the ellipsis or right clicking the pill:
Copying the job number / description just puts those on your clipboard ready for pasting as text.
Copying hyperlink / URL will give you something you can email / embed that can be used to open the item in question. Hyperlink gives a readable appearance, URL is just that, a URL direct to the item in Synergist.
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