Overview

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

Insert excerpt
_design_mode _design_mode nopanel true

 

Application designers use this mode to create and configure applications. This includes:

• Designing Screens
• Creating Workflows
• Configuring Actionflows
• Defining data structures and relationships in Entity Relationship Diagrams
• Setting up complex data processing using Analysis Models

We recommend designing applications on a desktop or laptop computer, as you require screen space to configure PhixFlow. When designing, you can switch between 

, where you can see your application in action by clicking the mode icon in the top right of the PhixFlow window.

Insert excerpt
_

app_mode _

app_mode nopanel true

Application users run PhixFlow applications in this mode.
PhixFlow displays only essential menus and toolbars in 

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

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.

How to use 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 

You can change the layout of the application menu, using icons in the top right of the application window. 

Image Added

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 

 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:

• Insert excerpt
  _user_options _user_options nopanel true

• Insert excerpt
  _administration _administration nopanel true

   –

• option available

• depending on

• user's permissions

Image Added

How to use Design Mode

You can:

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

, PhixFlow displays the a list of the applications available to you. To return to the

application menu at any time, click 

 in the top left. 

Image Added

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.

• Insert excerpt
  _show_

• card _

• show_card nopanel true

• Insert excerpt
  _show_list _show_list nopanel true

To load an application:

1. Click anywhere in a card or on a list line
2. PhixFlow asks how you would like to load the application (load in current tab, new tab or new window) 
3. Click an option 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 

Home Window and Workspace

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

Image Added

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.

Image Added

The home window has the following parts.

Header Bar 

Anchor
TaskBar TaskBar

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

• Insert excerpt
  _app_menu _app_menu nopanel true

  : reopen the application menu to load a different application
•  

  Insert excerpt
  _phixflow_logo_name _phixflow_logo_name nopanel true

  : 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

• activities:
  • Home
  • ERDs
  • Workflows
  • Screens
  • Actionflows
  • Analysis Models
• The name of the PhixFlow

• server on which you are working

• Insert excerpt
  _user_details _user_details nopanel true

• : options to manage your user

• details, passwords and

• to 

  Insert excerpt
  _logout _logout nopanel true

• Open the 

  Insert excerpt
  _repository _repository nopanel true

• Open the Learning Centre 

  Insert excerpt
  _

• help _

• help nopanel true

• Insert excerpt
  _administration _administration nopanel true

•  lists the system options, including the 

  Insert excerpt
  _console _console nopanel true

  , which monitors different processes and tasks; see Administration Menu. The options you see depend on your permissions. .

• The option to switch to the other PhixFlow mode,
  • either 

    Insert excerpt
    _design_mode _design_mode nopanel true

     

• • or 

    Insert excerpt
    _app_mode _app_mode nopanel true

    .

Workspace and Tabs

Every diagram or screen that you

have open in the workspace has a tab at the top. Click on a tab to switch between different open items in the workspace.

Popup Toolbar

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

Layers Panel

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

Right Panel

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

click the 

in the right

panel:

• Context Help
  Context help is available for all major activities within PhixFlow. It consists 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 context help is displayed, use your User Details → Show Contextual Help option.
  
  
• Repository
  List all of the items that you can use; see Using the Repository.
  
  

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

• 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 

    Insert excerpt
    _pin _pin nopanel true

     icon in its tab

• • , then click the 

    Insert excerpt
    _pinned _pinned nopanel true

     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

• • multiple right panels and you can drag

• • property panes 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 

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 

  Insert excerpt
  _help _help nopanel true

   icon on the toolbar.

• Click the help icon to open the associated reference help page, which has details about each option.

Notifications and Errors

PhixFlow displays notification

popups 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

• in the repository: an item's name
• in a diagram: an item's icon on the canvas
• in a screen: a component.

 → System → Configuration you can set the Notification Timeout to automatically close these popups; see  System Configuration.

If there is an error that prevents PhixFlow completing something, it will display

a red error message.

 You must close these messages individually. 

Image Added

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.