Overview

PhixFlow appears differently has two distinct modes depending on whether you are using it as an Application User or Application Designer.

Application User

Perform all of their activity in PhixFlow application mode. They are not provided access to the design side of PhixFlow. A users access is set in their profile, as configured by the System Administrator or Application Designer(s).

Application Designer

Use PhixFlow to configure applications. They design the screens, data structure and all elements that make up an application. We recommend that 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
• 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 

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

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Selecting Applications

Applications are shown as a set of cards on the welcome screen. Double click anywhere on a card to open the application.

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You can return to the Welcome window by clicking on the . 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.

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 

Opening Specific Application with a URL

To open a specific application using a URL the address must include the following at the end. Note that APP is the name of your application.

?application=APP

To see the URL for any PhixFlow application simply open the application and copy the address from the address bar

You can change the layout of the application menu, using 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 

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 depending on user's permissions.

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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 Welcome Window

Lists all the applications available to you, to return to the Welcome window at any time, click 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.

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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 

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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: 

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left of the menu; see Creating an Application.

Home Window 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 

Anchor
TaskBar 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

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  : reopen 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:
  • Home
  • ERDs
  • Workflows
  • Screens
  • Actionflows
  • Analysis Models
• 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 Learning Centre 

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   –  the options available to you  lists the system options, including the 

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  , 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 

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   or 
  •  
  • or 

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    .

Workspace and Tabs

Every diagram or screen that you

Context Toolbar

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
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
• • multiple right panels and you can drag
properties tabs
• • 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.

Left Panel

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 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 the Administration Menu

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. 

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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.