This page is for application designers who need to create views of data and bind them to components on screens. Todo-Anthony- check this page is correct when the GUI is finalised.

Overview

PhixFlow stores data in tables, formally known as streams. Tables can contain more data than you want to show to a user. For this reason, whenever you show data on a screen, you first compile a view of the data, which only displays the information you specify.

A view is made up of:

• Attributes
  • Attributes from the base table
    Specify which attributes to include in your view. You can hide attributes that you want access to but do not necessarily want a user to see, such as the UID of a record.
  • Attributes from related tables.
    These are the attributes available to the view as the table they originate from shares a relationship with the base table as defined in the ERDs; see Understanding ERDs. Views which contain these type of attributes are referred to as a relational view.

• Records:

  • For each table, the view includes records specified in the tables default period. This can be all data (usually for transactional data) or only the latest.
  • You can sort, filter and order records.
• Components:
  The components in the list below are designed to display a view of data in different ways. Add a view component to a screen then drag specific attributes from a table onto the view component. In the case of a card view, any palette item can be added. 

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How to Create and Display a View

As views are designed to display data on a screen, creating a view includes binding it to a componentfor more information on setting up charts and graphs see Creating Dashboards and Reports.

Step 1  Select a table

1. Drag a table onto a screen, this can be achieved by dragging
   • a table from the list in the repository.
   • a table icon from a table's properties.
2. PhixFlow asks you how you want the data to be displayed, select the desired option:
   
3. The view will be added to the screen.

Step 2  Select attributes

1. Drag attributes from the Attribute Selection window onto the view.
2. Start with attributes from the base stream.
3. Optionally, click on related streams to show additional attributes that are available.
4. When you have added all the attributes you require, close the window.
   Attribute Selection
   

Step 3  Apply filtering and sorting for records

You have now created your view and added it to a screen. Optionally, specify if you want to apply any filters or sort orders to the data records:

1. Select the view you have added.
   1. You may need to right click the view and select Show Stream View Configuration.
2. The properties tab opens:
   

3. Select an existing Default Sort Order, Default Filter or Background Filter
   PhixFlow applies filters when the use sees the view in the application window.

   Tip
   The application user can remove the default filter.

   
   

Reusing Views

Once you have created a view, you can reuse it in multiple locations. In the repository navigate the the table which owns the view, the base table, open the table and in the views section drag the desired view onto your screen. Be aware however that changes made to the view will affect all instances of that view.

Form Field Name

When you drag attributes from the Attribute Selection window or table onto a form, PhixFlow adds a field and label for each attribute. By default, the label is the attribute's name. However, for an attribute from a related stream, the Display Name will be shown and not the foreign key value.

For example:

For information about primary and foreign keys and the Display Name option; see Understanding ERDs.

Alternative Setup

TODO ANTHONY when we get this

Step 1  Starting Points

Option 2

1. From the palette, drag a data component, such as a grid or chart onto the screen canvas.

Option 2

On the dashboard canvas, select a component to which you want to bind data to show the pop-up toolbar. This is usually an area component that will become a parent component.
Image Removed The red exclamation icon shows that a component has no data bound to it. 

Step 2  Select a parent stream

1. Enter a name for the view.
2. Select a stream from the list. This stream is the basis for the data view.
   Alternatively, create a new stream. 
3. Click Next.
   PhixFlow creates a view and open's its properties.

Step 3  Select attributes

• To add attributes individually, drag each attribute from the Attribute Selection window onto a component.  As you add attributes to the data component, PhixFlow ticks them in the Attribute Selection window.
  • Start with attributes from the base stream.
  • Optionally, click on related stream to show additional attributes that are available.  

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