This page is for application designers who need to create views of data and bind them to components on screens.
todo - check GUI is finalised. Revise following pages:
- Showing Data on a Screen
- View
- Filters on Data Views
- Creating Pivot Views
- Charting and Reports
- /wiki/spaces/HELP100/pages/9106737545
- /wiki/spaces/HELP100/pages/9106741391
- 17 Creating and configuring Stream Views
- 18 Create further Stream Views
- /wiki/spaces/HELP100/pages/9106737427
Overview
PhixFlow stores data in streams. Streams can contain more data than you want to show to a user on the screen. For this reason, whenever you show data on a screen, you first compile a view of the data. A view is made up of:
- Attributes
- The base stream.
You can hide attributes from the base stream that you do not want to display. - Selected attributes from related streams.
Relationships between streams are configured in ERDs; see Understanding ERDs.
- The base stream.
Live Search | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Panel | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||
|
- Records:
- select whether to include all or the latest streamsets
- apply sorting, filtering and ordering
The following components are specifically designed to display a view.
You can add these components directly onto a dashboard or dashboard element, or onto a container component:
Views can include attributes from other streams because PhixFlow uses relational database SQL queries to combine attributes and records from different streams.
For a stream that is also used in an analysis model, you can use the stream view, output via a File Exporter, Task Plans , or a Dashboard. todo
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 component.
Step 1 Select a stream and data component
- Drag a stream onto a dashboard. This is the stream on which you want to base your view. You can drag:
- a stream from the list in the repository
- a stream's icon from its properties tab.
- PhixFlow prompts you to select a data component to display the view.
Step 2 Select attributes
- Drag attributes from the Attribute Selection window onto a component.
- Start with attributes from the base stream.
- Optionally, click on related streams to show additional attributes that are available.
todo - check As you drag attributes, PhixFlow highlights the component you are binding to data, where you can drop attributes.
When you have addedInsert excerpt | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overview
PhixFlow stores data in tables.
Insert excerpt | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Views Consist 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 Entity Relationship Diagrams. Views which contain these type of attributes are referred to as a relational view.
- Attributes from the base table
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.
- Sorting and Filtering
- You can filter and sort records. See Filtering and Sorting Data.
Insert excerpt | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Components
Data can be displayed in different ways.
: the attributes form the grid columns and data records are displayed in rows. PhixFlow can add scroll bars or paging where grids cannot be accommodated by the screen size.Insert excerpt _grid _grid nopanel true
: rather than using a form to display data, you can use a card. Any palette item can be added to a card which offered great flexibility.Insert excerpt _card _card nopanel true
: attributes are represented in different segments of a pie chart, with values aggregated to represent the segment size.Insert excerpt _chart_pie _chart_pie nopanel true
: attributes are represented on the vertical axis, with values aggregated and represented in the bar length.Insert excerpt _chart_bar_horizontal _chart_bar_horizontal nopanel true
: attributes are represented on the horizonal axis, with values aggregated and represented in the bar height.Insert excerpt _chart_bar_vertical _chart_bar_vertical nopanel true
: attributes are represented as points on a horizontal axis, with values aggregated and setting the point position on the vertical axis.Insert excerpt _chart_line _chart_line nopanel true
: attributes are represented by different fields. Usually a form is linked to an action on a grid. For example, the application user selects a line on a grid, and the form displays the data from that record.Insert excerpt _form _form nopanel true
Form and card components are special data components, as they can contain other elements, usually fields and labels.
How to Create and Display Data
For more information on setting up charts and graphs, see Creating Dashboards and Reports.
Step 1: Select a Table
There are several ways to show data on a screen:
- From an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD), select a table and use the Create Screen option; see Creating a Screen from an ERD Table.
- Drag a Table from the repository or a tables icon from its properties directly onto a screen.
- A list of available tables is available by clicking the Tables button on the toolbar.
- This method will typically set the data for the backing form to that of the table.
- PhixFlow asks you how you want the data to be displayed, select the desired option:
- The data is added to the screen.
Step 2: Select the Attributes
- Drag attributes from the Available Attributes window onto the screen.
- Start with attributes from the current (base) table.
- Optionally, click on related tables to show additional attributes that are available.
- When you have dragged all the attributes you require, close the window.
Step 4 Select the data component
When you start by dragging a data component from the palette, or you drag onto an existing data component, PhixFlow knows how what type of view you are creating.
When you start by dragging an attribute onto an area or container, PhixFlow does not know the view type. In this case, when you drop the attribute, PhixFlow prompts you to select the type.
Click an option to add a component for a grid, graph, chart or card, which will fit the available space in the parent component. Select Form to set the parent as a form component, which is bound to the data view. PhixFlow adds a field to display the attribute being dropped.
Step 5 Apply filtering and sorting for records
- These attributes can be changed by selecting the
button in the toolbar to add new attributes or right-clicking and selectingInsert excerpt _attributes _attributes nopanel true
to change existing attributesInsert excerpt _attributes_change _attributes_change name nopanel true - See Available Attributes Window for details.
Step 3: Apply Filtering and Sorting
Optionally, specify if you want to
apply any filters or sort orders to the data
Click Finish.
Select a data component from the popup menu:
In the Attribute Selection window:
- on the right select related streams
- on the left, select specific attributes from the stream.
todo - 1. replace the image with a sensible onw
2. check window name and either change image or change name occurrences
:
- Select the component you have added.
On the
, in the Background Filter Rules section filters can be added by filters can be added by pressingInsert excerpt _property_tabs _property_tabs name nopanel true Insert excerpt _addIcon _addIcon name nopanel true For Grids, Sort Orders and Default Filters can be added by right-clicking on the grid and selecting
, then select an existing Sort Order or Filter, or create a new one in the Data Retrieval Options section, see Sort Order and Filter for more detail.Insert excerpt _view_show_config _view_show_config name nopanel true
Save all your changes and PhixFlow applies the filters.
Tip Users can remove a Default Filter, where as Background Filters are permanent.
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 table,
the Display Name
will be shown and not the foreign key value.
For example:
Primary key → Foreign key
table.attribute → related-table.attribute
Company.UID → Supplier.Company-Name
Where Supplier.Company-Name has Display Name:
Example | Base Table | Related Table | Value Displayed | Form Field Label |
---|---|---|---|---|
syntax | table.UID | RelatedTable.ForeignKey | RelatedTable Attribute set to DisplayName | - |
Example Syntax | Company.UID | Supplier.RelatedCompany | Supplier attribute set to RelatedCompanyName | Related Company Name |
Example Values | 1024 | 1024 | "Cloud and Pixel Ltd" | Related Company Name |
For information about primary and foreign keys and the Display Name option; see
Step 2 Select a parent table
- Enter a name for the view.
- Select a table from the list. This table forms the basis for the data view.
Alternatively, create a new table. - 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 table.
- Optionally, click on related tables to show additional attributes that are available.
Step 1 Starting Points
Option 2
- From the palette, (specific palette tbc) drag a data component, such as a grid or chart onto the screen canvas.
Option 2
The red exclamation icon shows that a component has no data bound to it.
Tip |
---|
If a form field or dynamic text field exists on a screen, it will link to an attribute in the data backing the screen by name, however you can also right-click on these components and select Change Backing Attribute to link it to any available attribute. |