Overview

If you are designing multiple applications, you are likely to have a set of items that you want to use in all your applications. These items can include:

analysis models and modelling objects
tables, table data, ERDs and relationships
screens, palettes, layouts and components
images and styles
workflows and actionflows.

To share the items, group them into one or more package. For example, you might want to create a package for sharing objects related to analysis models and another for sharing images, styles and palettes related to screen design. Then add the package to an application.

Package Templates

A package template is predefined package provided by PhixFlow. When you create a new application in PhixFlow version 9.0 or later, you can choose a package template. A package template includes:

a palette and all its components, to provide a consistent look-and-feel for your application
some configuration, to provide default styles and components.

If you use the same package template for several applications, they will automatically have the same look-and-feel, as well as access to the same resources; see About Template Packages.

There are several package templates available to import to your PhixFlow instance, each with different designs and palettes; see About Template Packages and Installing Template Packages.

When you drag a table, view or attribute onto a screen canvas, PhixFlow adds the appropriate component from the first default palette it finds. It looks in the following locations, in order:

Moving Packages Between Instances

You can export packages and then import them to another instance of PhixFlow. If you export an application, we recommend you also export the packages it uses.

Importing Users to Another Instance

PhixFlow treats user roles and privileges as instance-specific. For this reason, exports from a PhixFlow instance do not include the references between user groups and users. When you import to another instance:

existing local and mixed user accounts retain their user groups, roles and privileges unchanged
any new local or mixed user accounts that are added do not have user groups, roles or privileges set by the import process. You must set appropriate user groups, and therefore roles and privileges.

Property Pane Toolbar

For information about the toolbar options, see the Common Properties page, Toolbars and Controls section.

Properties Tab

Basic Settings

Field	Description
Name	Enter the name of the package.
Model Validation Status	When you save changes to the properties of a table or view attribute, PhixFlow validates that the properties are set correctly. If there is an issue with the properties, PhixFlow indicates the status of the validation check: UNKNOWN - PhixFlow has not run the validation check yet. Save the properties to run the check. SUCCESS - the properties are set correctly ERROR - PhixFlow has found issues that need attention. Scroll down the properties to the Errors section where you will find the list of properties that need correcting. When a table or view attribute has validation errors, PhixFlow also reports that the parent application and package have errors. PhixFlow can process data from tables or view attributes that have validation errors. The validation checks help you to configure tables and view attributes so that PhixFlow can continue to run efficiently. For example, PhixFlow reports an error if a table has no Data Retention option set because it can affect performance when all old tablesets are retained, To run validation checks on all tables, view attributes, applications and packages, use Administration Menu → More → Validate Model Objects.
Version	Enter the version of the package.
Template	Untick to use this as a package, with no default design configuration Tick to use this as a package template. PhixFlow adds Order property and style options in the Template Details section. After you save a package template, it is available in the list of templates a user can select for a new application.
Order	Available when Template is ticked. The order in which templates are listed in the Create Application window.

Template Details

Available when Template is ticked. When you create an application, you can set default styles, pallets and components for the application project. These options are set in the parent package and can be changed or set in the following properties.

Field	Description
When you drag a table or view onto a screen canvas, and select a grid component to display the table data, PhixFlow adds a grid. In this section, set the default appearance of grid views:
Grid Header Style Grid Header Button Style Grid Header Icon Style Grid Header Drop-down Button Style Grid header Drop-down Pane Style Grid Paging Style Grid Row Style Grid Column Header Style Row Selection Style	For the Grid options, select the default styles for grids. You can: Select an existing style from the drop-down list. Click Style to show only the styles that already belong to this package. Click Add New to open a new properties pane; see Style. The styles you select override any styles set in System Configuration. You can override these defaults for individual grids using the style settings in the View properties.
Default Date Format	For the Date options, select the default formats for dates and date-times to use in components and attributes. You can: Select an existing date or date-time format from the drop-down list. Click Date Format to show only the date formats that already belong to this package. Click Add New to open a new date format properties pane; see Date Style and Date Time Format.
Default Date/Time Format
Default Number Format	Select the default format for. You can: Select an existing number format from the drop-down list. Click Date Format to show only the date formats that already belong to this package. Click Add New to open a new date format properties pane; see Date Style and Date Time Format.
Default Component Palette	Select the palette that you want to use when you drag a table, view or attribute onto a screen canvas. If the list is empty, add the palette you want to use to the package. If you do not select a default palette, PhixFlow uses the system default palette. Basic palettes are installed with PhixFlow. Additional palettes are available, see About Template Packages and Installing Template Packages.
Template Image	Select an image from the drop-down list. PhixFlow displays the template image in the list of available templates when you create applications. If the list is empty, add the image you want to use to the package.

Applications

A list of applications linked to the package. Drag applications from the repository into this list to add them to the package.

Errors

This section has a toolbar with standard buttons.

When you save changes to the properties of a table or view attribute, PhixFlow validates that the properties are set correctly. If there is an issue with the properties, PhixFlow indicates this with a Model Validation Status of ERROR.

The Errors grid contains a list of the validation checks. For those that failed, the Validation Message indicates which properties need fixing. For example, PhixFlow reports an error if the steam has no Data Retention option set. Double-click on a row to view a full message.

PhixFlow can process data from tables or view attributes that have validation errors. The validation checks help you to configure tables and view attributes so that PhixFlow can continue to run efficiently. For example, PhixFlow reports an error if a table has no Data Retention option set because it can affect performance when all old tablesets are retained,

When a table or view attribute has validation errors, these are also be listed in the Errors section of the application or package to which the table or view belongs.

Description

We recommend that you always enter a description to explain the purpose of this item.

Audit Tab

Audit Summary

See the Common Properties page, Audit Summary section.

Sections on this page

Learn More

For links to all pages in this topic, see About Template Packages.

Terminology changes in progress

As part of the redesign of PhixFlow, we are changing the following terms:

dashboard → screen
stream → table
stream attributes → attributes
stream item → record
stream set → recordset
stream view → view
stream item action → record-action
stream action → table-action
driver class → database driver

Package