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This page is for application developers who want to provide one or more menus for application users.

Overview

You can add menus to help the users of your Application Properties or View. To do this you add menu items to the repository. The top-level menu item is the container for all the menus in the application. The menu items it contains are:

  • either menu 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 menu item in the repository. When you add menu items 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 Items

To add menu items, in the repository for your application find the Menus branch. For a new application there is always one menu item, which is added by Phixflow when you create the application.

  1. Double-click the menu item to open its properties.
  2. Optionally, you can change its Name.
  3. In the Menu Items section, click  Create New.
  4. Select one of:
    • Add a new sub-menu
    • Add a new menu item 
  5. PhixFlow opens a new menu item properties.
    • 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:

  • 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.

  • Menu options are associated with an action. Actions are often linked to underlying streams. 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 stream.

  • 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:

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.

Menu Properties

The options available and their order depend on whether the menu item is the top-level menu, a sub-menu or a menu option.

For information about the properties toolbar, and about the sections Parent Details, Analysis Models, Description and Audit Summary, see Common Properties.  We recommend you always add a Description that explains the purpose of the item you are creating. 

For a full list of all the PhixFlow property tabs and windows, see Properties, Windows, Menus and Toolbars.

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.

 Untick to display the menu bar at the top of your application; see PhixFlow's Interface for screenshots showing the default menu bar.

 Tick 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.

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  Create New button in the section toolbar; see 97734382, above.




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