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Overview

PhixFlow

's Two Modes

PhixFlow has two different distinct modes depending on what you need to do.

 
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Application designers use this mode to  create and configure applications. This includes designing screens, creating workflows and actionflows, defining data structures and relationships. You can also set up complex data processing using analysis models.

We recommend that application designers use  

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 on a desktop or laptop computer, as you require screen space to configure PhixFlow.

An application designer can switch modes to see their application in action.  To switch mode, click the mode icon in the top right of the PhixFlow window.

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Application users run PhixFlow applications in this mode.

Only


PhixFlow displays only essential

PhixFlow

menus and toolbars

visible in application mode and

in

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. Your administrator usually configures PhixFlow so that an application user has no access

to the design side of PhixFlow. 

to 

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. Instead, application users work within an application and use the application's menus and navigation to complete tasks.

You can run a PhixFlow application on:

  • desktop or laptop computers
  • mobile devices, such as a tablet or smartphone.

Access to applications and data is configured by the system administrator or by the application designer so that application users:

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An application designer can configure application user access to the specific applications and data that they need

.See Managing User Groups and Privileges and 

; see Controlling User Access to Applications.

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Using Application Mode

Opening an Application

When you log in, PhixFlow displays the Welcome window and the application menu. Anytime you want to return to the application menu, in the top left corner of the PhixFlow window, click 

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.

In the application menu, applications are shown as cards  or as a list. To switch view, click the icons in the top right of the application window.

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To open an application:

  1. Double-click anywhere in a card or on a list line.
  2. PhixFlow asks you to confirm. 
  3. Click Yes to continue to the application's Home window. 
    From here you can select an aspect of your application on which to work.

To create a new application from the application menu, click the 

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 button on the left of the menu; see Creating an Application.

On

Using Applications on Mobile Devices

PhixFlow supports mobile devices, such as tablets and phones. This means team members can access and update data whilst on the move. As mobile devices have less screen space available, the header bar is simplified to show the icons:

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     – option available depend user's permissions.

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Using Design Mode

PhixFlow's 

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is a powerful tool for configuring applications that help automate business processes.

Application designers can setup workflows, define data structures, design screens, configure the actions users can perform and create analysis models that process data and provide integration with external systems.

PhixFlow Welcome Window

When you first log into 

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, PhixFlow displays the application menu. This lists all the applications available to you. To return to the application menu at any time, click 
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in the top left. 


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In the application menu, applications are shown as cards or as a list. To switch view, click the icons in the top right of the application window.

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To open an application:

  1. Click anywhere in a card or on a list line.
  2. PhixFlow asks you to confirm. 
  3. Click Yes to continue to the application's Home window. 
    From here you can select an aspect of your application on which to work.

To create a new application from the application menu, click the 

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 button on the left of the menu; see Creating an Application.


PhixFlow Working Window

The arrangement of PhixFlow's window is consistent across all design elements such as ERDs and analysis models. The following screenshot shows the main areas of the PhixFlow window, in this case for an ERD: 

The Header Bar 
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TaskBar

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 activities, Application , Data, Screens and Analysis models. 
  • The name of the PhixFlow server 
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    . This provides access to your user account and the 
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     button
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     –  the options available to you depend on your permissions.
  • either 
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     or 
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    .

Navigation Tabs

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

Context Toolbar

Contains all of the items required to configure and layout PhixFlow applications. Each toolbar is relevant to the area of the system they are in.

Layers Pane

When you are working on screen design, PhixFlow displays a Layers pane on the left of the screen. This pane shows how the different items on the screen are related to each other, and highlights any element you have selected. Click the 

Right Pane

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 to show or hide the Layers pane.

Right Panel

On the right there are several things that PhixFlow can display. You can click 

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 to hide all the tabs that are open

on

in the right

.

panel:

  • Context Help Pane
    Context help is available for all major activities within PhixFlow. They consist of a short video to help you get started and a set of links to key areas within the topic and further information
  • To configure whether or not the Help pane is displayed, use your User Details → Show Contextual Help Pane option.

  • Repository
    List all of the items that you can use; see Using the Repository.

  • Property

Tabs 
  • Panes
    Click on the name of an item to open its properties

tab
  • pane on the right. Usually PhixFlow opens each property

tab
  • pane in the same space and automatically closes any saved property

tab
  • pane

    • To switch between
  • tabs
    • property panes, click on
  • the
    • its tab, which shows the name of the item.
    • To keep a property
  • tab
    • pane open, click the 
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       icon in its
  • tab. To unpin a property
    • tab, then click the 
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       icon to then close it.
    • To view
  • tabs
    • panes side-by-side, drag
  • the
    • a property
  • tab
    • pane onto the workspace. This creates a second
  • properties area
    • right panel. You can create several
  • property areas
    • right panels and you can drag properties tabs between them.
    • To close a property tab, click on the white cross on the tab.
    • To resize the right panel, drag its border line.

Every properties

tab

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

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 icon.

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

.

Left Pane

When you are working on screen design, PhixFlow displays a Layers pane on the left of the screen. This pane shows how the different items on the screen are related to each other, and highlights any element you have selected. Click the  Insert excerpt_layer_slider_layer_slidernopaneltrue to show or hide the Layers pane

.

Accessing Help

  • The help button in the header bar will take you to the learning centre where you will find, video tutorials, example data sets, template applications, as well as the ability search our extensive help library for your specific topic.
  • Item properties and windows in PhixFlow include a 
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     icon on the toolbar. This goes directly to the relevant reference help page, which has details about each option.

Notifications and Errors

PhixFlow displays notification pop-ups on the screen. The different coloured notifications are:

  • Green - information
  • Blue - warnings
  • Red - errors.

You can click Dismiss notifications in the header bar to close all green and blue notifications. In the Administration Menu → System Configuration it is possible to set the Notification Timeout to automatically close these popups.

If there is an error that prevents PhixFlow completing something, it will display the system error message. You must close red error messages individually. 

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.