Overview

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

 

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Application designers use this mode to  tocreate 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  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.
PhixFlow displays only essential menus and toolbars in

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

An application designer can configure application user access to the specific applications and data that they need; see Controlling User Access to Applications.

Using

Introducing 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  cardsor 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.

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.

Using

Introducing 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, You can

• plan the workflows and tasks for application users 
• define data structures

,

• design application screens

, configure the actions users can perform and create analysis models that process data and provide integration with external systems.PhixFlow Welcome Window

• configure user interactions for buttons and options on a screen, so that an application user can make changes to specific data records
• import, batch process and export large volumes of data using analysis models. 
  This means PhixFlow can exchange data with your existing systems and databases.

Loading an Application

When you first log into 

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, PhixFlow displays the application menu. This lists all a list of 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 load 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

Home 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: 

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The

and Workspace

When you load an application, PhixFlow opens its home window.

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This window layout remains the same when you select different things to work on. For example, the following screenshot shows an entity relationship diagram (ERD). In addition to the repository, you can see that the right panel is displaying context help for ERDs.

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The home window has the following parts.

Header Bar 

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TaskBar TaskBar

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

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  :

• 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 applicationsreopen the application menu to load a different application.
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  : also opens the application menu. Depending on the way your administrator has configured PhixFlow, this logo may be replaced by your company logo.
• Quick access to the main application activities, Application , Data, Screens and Analysis models. activities:

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• The name of the PhixFlow server server on which you are working.

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  . This provides access to : options to manage your user account details, passwords and the to 

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  . button
• Open the 

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  .
• Open the 

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  , which monitors different processes and tasks.
• The 

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   –  the options available to you  lists the system options; see Administration Menu. The options you see depend on your permissions.
• The option to switch to the other PhixFlow mode,
  • either 

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   or 
  • or 

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    .

Navigation

Workspace and Tabs

For every Every diagram or screen that you open, PhixFlow creates a new Navigation Tab. You can easily switch between open items using the tabshave open in the workspace has a tab at the top. Click on tabs to switch between different open items in the workspace.

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.This toolbar has options specific to the item on which you are working. 

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 

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

  • To switch between property panes, click on its tab, which shows the name of the item.
  • To keep a property pane open, click the 

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     icon in its tab, then click the 

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     icon to then close it.
  • To view panes side-by-side, drag a property pane onto the workspace. This creates a second right panel. You can create several 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 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.

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 Click the help icon to open the associated 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 a red error message. You must close red error these messages individually. 

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.