Versions Compared

Key

  • This line was added.
  • This line was removed.
  • Formatting was changed.

This page is for any user of PhixFlow. It explains the different areas in the PhixFlow interface.

Notes to me

  • Also 1.4 Header bar customisation -system config New level called Environment Header logo and icon PhixFlow, compact and Custom
  • And login window screenshot for desktop and mobile
  • Icons in headers are nice

    .

    Not so good in TOC.

    Overview

    PhixFlow appears slightly different depending on how you are using it.

    Application User

    You do all your tasks using one or more PhixFlow applications. You may work on:

    • a desktop or laptop computer
    • a mobile device, such as a tablet or smartphone.

    In this case, you run PhixFlow in 

    Insert excerpt
    _app_mode
    _app_mode
    nopaneltrue
    .

    Application Designer

    You use PhixFlow to design applications. As well as creating screen layouts, you manage the data for the application and set up actionflows. We recommend that you use design mode on a desktop computer as you require screen space to build analysis models and design application screens.  For these tasks, you run PhixFlow in 

    Insert excerpt
    _design_mode
    _design_mode
    nopaneltrue
    .

    Data Modeller

    PhixFlow has a powerful tool called analysis models . You can create analysis models to import, processing and export data. This can be part of your application, or may be for batch processing of data not related to an application. To model data,  you run PhixFlow in 

    Insert excerpt
    _design_mode
    _design_mode
    nopaneltrue
    .


    Panel
    borderColor#00374F
    titleColorwhite
    titleBGColor#00374F
    borderStylesolid
    titleSections on this page

    Table of Contents
    maxLevel3
    indent12px
    stylenone



    Application Mode

    Image Removed

    When you log into PhixFlow to use an application, the Welcome screen lists all the applications available to you. 
    ??What happens for an AppUser on login, I will make you a screenshot

    Image Added

     Application Mode

    ??Mock up. Anthony to provide better version. Needs header bar label.  Admin maybe?

    Applications are shown as a set of cards. You can use the buttons on the right to switch between a card and a list view.

    Click anywhere in a card to run the application. PhixFlow always asks if you want to confirm any action, including opening an application. Click Yes to continue. When you load an application, all the window except the grey header bar, is an application designed by your company. It will have its own menus and navigation, to provide you with the options you need. 

    You can return to the Welcome window at any time by clicking on the 

    Insert excerpt
    _app_menu
    _app_menu
    nopaneltrue
     icon in the top left. The PhixFlow logo also returns to the Welcom window. However, this logo is not present if:

    • you are running PhixFlow on a mobile device
    • your administrator has configured PhixFlow logo to display your company logo instead.

    See also: Application Menu.

    On Mobile Devices

    What's visible on mobile?? Anthony to provide mobile screenshot.

    PhixFlow applications are often deployed on mobile devices, such as tablets. This means team members can access and update data whilst in the field. As mobile devices have less screen space available, the header bar is simplified to show the icons:

    • Insert excerpt
      _user_options
      _user_options
      nopaneltrue
    • Insert excerpt
      _administration
      _administration
      nopaneltrue
       –  the options available depend on your permissions.

    Application Help

    Application designers are responsible for providing help about how to use an application.

    Design Mode

    Working on an Application

    The Welcome window lists all the applications available to you. 

    Applications are shown as a set of cards. You can use the buttons on the right to switch between a card and a list view. You can change the view from tile to list view or search for an application by name. This is also where you can find links to the latest videos from the learning centre.


    You can return to the Welcome window at any time by clicking on

    Insert excerpt
    _app_menu
    _app_menu
    nopaneltrue
     or, if it is present, the PhixFlow logo 
    Insert excerpt
    _phixflow_logo_name
    _phixflow_logo_name
    nopaneltrue
     in the top left. The PhixFlow logo is not present if your administrator has configured PhixFlow logo to display your company logo instead. ??Add link to the Application or system page tbc

    If you do not want to work on something that is in an application, such as an analysis model, click the repository icon on the right. The repository list slides open and you can search for the item you want to work on.

    When you select an application, PhixFlow opens the he application Home window; see Designing Applications for details.

    PhixFlow Window Areas

    PhixFlow is a visual tool for developing applications or modelling data. There are several different diagrams that you can work on, such as workflows, ERDs, screen layouts and analysis models.

    The following labelled screenshot shows the main areas of the PhixFlow window when you are working on a diagram, in this case an ERD.

    The Header Bar 
    Anchor
    TaskBar
    TaskBar

    ??Search and replace whole help task bar → header bar

    The header bar runs across the full width of the PhixFlow Window. It shows, from left to right:

    • The Application list icon and, optionally the PhixFlow logo. Both these act as a home button, returning you to the Welcome window and list of applications

    • Quick access to the main application aspects, Application Home, Data, Screens and Analysis models. 
    • The name of the PhixFlow server 
    • Insert excerpt
      _user_details
      _user_details
      nopaneltrue
      . This provides access to your user account and the 
      Insert excerpt
      _logout
      _logout
      nopaneltrue
       button
    • Insert excerpt
      _repository
      _repository
      nopaneltrue
    • Insert excerpt
      _console
      _console
      nopaneltrue
    • Insert excerpt
      _administration
      _administration
      nopaneltrue
       –  the options available to you depend on your permissions.
    • either 
      Insert excerpt
      _design_mode
      _design_mode
      nopaneltrue
       or 
      Insert excerpt
      _app_mode
      _app_mode
      nopaneltrue
      .
      Anthony considering issue of this icon - could be a slider??

    Tabs for Open Diagrams

    For every diagram or screen that you open, PhixFlow creates a new tab. You can easily switch between open items using the tabs.

    Right Panes

    On the right there are several things that PhixFlow can display. You can click the slider ??Icon to show or hide all the right panes, for example if you need more canvas for a diagram or screen.

    Property Tabs 

    Click on the name of an item to open its properties tab on the right. Usually PhixFlow opens each property tab in the same space and automatically closes any saved property tab. 

    • To switch between tabs, click on the tab, which shows the name of the item.
    • To keep a property tab open, click the 
      Insert excerpt
      _pin
      _pin
      nopaneltrue
       icon in its tab. 
    • To unpin a property tab, click the 
      Insert excerpt
      _pinned
      _pinned
      nopaneltrue
       icon.
    • To view tabs side-by-side, drag the property tab onto the workspace. This creates a second properties area. You can create several property areas and you can drag properties tabs between them.
    • To close a property tab, click on the white cross on the tab.

    Every properties tab has a toolbar at the top, next to the item name. If the item name is long, toolbar icons are condensed into a 

    Insert excerpt
    _toolbar_squashed
    _toolbar_squashed
    nopaneltrue
     icon.

    For information about the properties tabs and their toolbar options, see Menu Options and Toolbar Buttons.

    Repository

    For any task, PhixFlow provides list of the relevant items that you can use.  If you want to see all the items in your application click the

    Insert excerpt
    _repository
    _repository
    nopaneltrue
    button; see Using the Repository

    Help Panel

    Click on the 

    Insert excerpt
    _help
    _help
    nopaneltrue
     button to open the help panel.


    Notifications

    PhixFlow displays green, blue or red notification pop-ups on screen. You can click Dismiss notifications to close all green and blue notifications. You must close red error messages individually.

    You may also see a small notification about the number of running actions in the bottom right of the PhixFlow window: 

    Accessing Help

    There are several ways to get help in PhixFlow.

    • From the Welcome page.
      This provides quick access to Learning Centre videos about new features in PhixFlow
    • At any time.
      In 
      Insert excerpt
      _design_mode
      _design_mode
      nopaneltrue
      , you can click on the Help icon on the right edge to show or hide the Help panel. This provides simple instructions and short videos to help you with your current task.
      It also links to more detailed tutorials and reference in the Learning Centre.
      To close the help panel, tick the check box at the bottom of the panel.
      To set your preference for having the help panel open or closed, see User Details.
    • From any item properties.
      The property toolbar includes a
      Insert excerpt
      _help
      _help
      nopaneltrue
      . This goes directly to the reference page for the properties, which has details about each option.

    Selecting and Deleting Items

    Either in the repository or in diagrams, you can click an item to select it. A selected item is highlighted. Also the highlighting on any previously selected items is cleared.

    There are several places in PhixFlow where you can make a change to several items at the same time, for example deleting items. To select a continuous subset of items in a list,

    1. Select the first item on the list.
    2. Hold down the Shift key.
    3. Then select the last item.

    To select several items separately, press the Control (Ctrl) key as you click the different items. This will add each item to the list of selected items. If you click on an item that is already selected, it is removed from the selection list. 

    Remove from or Delete Everywhere

    When you are working in diagrams and you no longer want an item to appear, you can:

    • either remove it from the diagram. Use this option if you added an item that already existed in the repository and now you do not need it in your diagram.
    • or delete it from this diagram and from the repository. You may want to do this if you created the item for this diagram only, and now no longer need it.

    When you use Delete Everywhere, the item is deleted from the repository and from any model or dashboard that contains it. Deleting cannot be undone. For this reason, PhixFlow:

    • always asks for confirmation that you really do want to delete an item before actually deleting it. 
    • will not delete an item when another object within PhixFlow still refers to it.
      PhixFlow notifies you about how many and what type of items still refer to the item you are trying to delete.

    Drag-and-Drop

    The user can drag-and-drop many of the items in PhixFlow. What happens when you drag items depends on the context. In general:

    • Items can only be dragged onto a compatible location. PhixFlow does not let you drop an item if it makes no sense for the item to be in that location.
    • You can often drag multiple selected items to/from lists.
    • Items can be reordered when dragged into ordered lists. For example, the order of the items is important in the Stream Attributes.
    • In model windows, you can drag single or multiple modelling objects around the model; see Using the Model Window.
      To drag objects off the model and onto another location, select the object and then use Shift-drag.
    • One or more Stream Views can be dragged onto Dashboards to display data.

    Context Menus
    Anchor
    contextMenu
    contextMenu

    Right-click any item to display its context menu. You can display a context menu when you right-click:

    • an item's name in the repository
    • for diagrams, an item's icon on the canvas
    • for screens, a components.

    Analysis Model objects always have the context menu entry 

    Insert excerpt
    _model_show
    _model_show
    nopaneltrue
    . This displays a list of all the models in which the current object exists.


    Error Messages

    If you are using a PhixFlow application, the messages you see related to actions within the application are written by application designers using the Action → Confirmation Message.

    If there is an error that prevents PhixFlow completing something, it will display the system error message.

    The message window can includeIfAdministrator Links
    a More Detail link to technical informationyour user account or user group has the Show Console privilege
    a button to open the log file containing the error messageyour user account or user group has the View Log Files privilege

    Report button to email the details to IT support,

    The email includes a link to the log file, so the administrator can easily access full details of the error.

    there is an IT email recipient configured in System Configuration → General settings → Error Reporting Email Address.

    Administrators monitor the details of what PhixFlow is doing using the System Console and can configure how much detail is logged; see System Monitoring and System Logging Configuration.