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Overview

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This page is for application developers who want to provide a toolbar or menu of options for an application.

For applications that help application users to complete different tasks, you need to provide different options for starting on each task. To do this, create a startup action. This provides a static menu bar for your application, on which you can add menu options. 

A startup action provides a top-level menu item, which is the container for menu options. The menu options can be:

  • either options that trigger an action
  • or sub-menus that list other menu options. 

When you create an application, PhixFlow automatically creates an empty top-level startup action (menu option) in the repository. When you add menu options to this menu and refresh the browser window, PhixFlow displays the menu(s) for the loaded application. 

For applications that are designed for use on both PCs and mobile devices, consider the usability of your menu on a small screen. A single menu may work in both form-factors. However, it can be helpful to have an alternative menu for mobile display. 

Adding Menu Options  Anchoraddadd

To add menu options, in the repository for your application find the Startup Actions branch. For a new application there is always one menu option, which is added by Phixflow when you create the application.

  • Double-click the menu item to open its properties.
  • Optionally, you can change its Name.
    • In the Menu Items section, click  Insert excerpt_new_newnopaneltrue.
  • Select one of:
    • Add a new sub-menu
    • Add a new menu item 
    • PhixFlow opens a new menu item

    properties

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    • For a menu item, select an action and specify the order for the menu in the menu bar.
    • For a sub-menu, enter a name, a display name and an order. Then add the Menu Items for the sub-menu.

    The structure of the menu items in the repository reflects the menu structure you have created, for example:

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    The top-level menu item is the top of a tree of menus in the repository. The menu items listed in the top-level menu are displayed in the menu bar at the top of the screen. The top-level menu does not have a display name because it acts as a container for the menus, rather than being a menu option itself.
  • A sub-menu contains more menu options or sub-menus, so it is not associated with an action. Sub-menus are displayed with a drop-down arrow to indicate they contain a list of options.

    • PhixFlow displays menu options and sub-menus on the menu bar. For example the menu structure illustrated above displays the following menu options:

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    You can create multiple top-level menus, but PhixFlow can display the options contained in only one top-level menu. 

    Changing the Default Menu

    To specify a default menu for an application, in the repository, right-click on the menu name and select:

    • either Make Default Desktop Menu
    • or Make Default Mobile Menu.

    To specify an alternative menu to display instead of the default, provide users with a URL to the application that specifies the alternative menu.

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    Menu options are associated with an action. Actions are often linked to underlying tables. When a user clicks the option, PhixFlow runs the action. For example, if your application has a form to which a user can add data, the menu option "Save Changes" would save the data to the underlying table.

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    The options available and their order depend on whether you are configuring a startup action (top-level menu option), a sub-menu or a menu option.

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    Basic Settings

    FieldDescription
    Name

    Only available for the top-level menu item and sub-menu items.

    Enter the repository name for the menu item.

    Display Name

    You can only enter a display name for sub-menus. Enter the sub-menu name for PhixFlow to display either on the menu bar or in another menu.

    For menu options, PhixFlow shows the display name inherited from the action. To change the action's display name, 

    1. Find the action in the repository.
    2. Change the action properties Basic Settings → Display Name.
    Order

    Enter the order in which the menu will appear, either on the menu bar or in the sub-menu list. PhixFlow reorganises existing entries if you add an order that is already in use. 

    The order for menu items is:

    • On the menu bar, left to right, with the last option aligned to the right of the screen.
    • In a sub-menu, top to bottom in the list.
    Default ActionOnly available for the top-level menu item. Optionally, select an action that will run when the menu is opened.
    ActionOnly available for menu options. Select an action that will run when the user clicks the option in the menu.
    Hide the Menu Bar

    Only available for the top-level menus.

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     to display the menu bar at the top of your application; see PhixFlow's InterfaceDesign and Application Mode for screenshots showing the default menu bar.

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     to hide the menu bar. Use this option for a cleaner look to your application if it does not require menu options for the user.

    You can have a different setting for default desktop and default mobile menus.


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    Menu Items

    This section is available when Hide the Menu Bar is not ticked. The grid shows the list of menu items, including their:

    • Order
    • List: ticked indicates a sub-menu
    • Name
    • Display Name
    • Description

    To add sub-menus and menu items, use the 

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     button in the section toolbar; see Adding Menu Options, above.

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