Overview

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

  Design Mode 

Application designers use this mode to  create and configure applications. This includes designing screens, creating workflows and actionflows, defining data structures and relationships. You can also set up complex data processing using analysis models.

We recommend that application designers use   Design Mode on a desktop or laptop computer, as you require screen space to configure PhixFlow.

An application designer can switch modes to see their application in action.  To switch mode, click the mode icon in the top right of the PhixFlow window.

•  Design Mode 
• Application Mode

Application Mode 

Application users run PhixFlow applications in this mode.
PhixFlow displays only essential menus and toolbars in Application Mode. Your administrator usually configures PhixFlow so that an application user has no access to  Design Mode. 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.

Using 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  Application menu.

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.

•  Card List
•  Card List
  
  

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  Add New 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:

•  User Options
•  Administration – option available depend user's permissions.

Using Design Mode

PhixFlow's  Design Mode is a powerful tool for configuring applications that help automate business processes.

Application designers can setup workflows, define data structures, design screens, configure the actions users can perform and create analysis models that process data and provide integration with external systems.

PhixFlow Welcome Window

When you first log into  Design Mode, PhixFlow displays the application menu. This lists all the applications available to you. To return to the application menu at any time, click  Application menu in the top left. 

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.

•  Card List
•  Card List

To open an application:

1. 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  Add New button on the left of the menu; see Creating an Application.

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: 

The Header Bar 

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
• Quick access to the main application activities, Application , Data, Screens and Analysis models. 
• The name of the PhixFlow server 
•  User Details. This provides access to your user account and the  Logout button
•  Repository
•  Console
•  Administration –  the options available to you depend on your permissions.
• either  Design Mode or  Application Mode.

Navigation Tabs

For every diagram or screen that you open, PhixFlow creates a new Navigation Tab. You can easily switch between open items using the tabs.

Context Toolbar

Contains all of the items required to configure and layout PhixFlow applications. Each toolbar is relevant to the area of the system they are in.

Layers Pane

When you are working on screen design, PhixFlow displays a Layers pane on the left of the screen. This pane shows how the different items on the screen are related to each other, and highlights any element you have selected. Click the  Show/Hide Layer Panel to show or hide the Layers pane.

Right Panel

On the right there are several things that PhixFlow can display. You can click  show/hide right panel to hide all the tabs that are open in the right panel:

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

• Property Panes
  Click on the name of an item to open its properties pane 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  Pin icon in its tab, then click the  Pinned 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 several right panels and you can drag properties tabs 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  More Options icon.

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  Help icon on the toolbar. This goes directly to the relevant reference help page, which has details about each option.

Notifications and Errors

PhixFlow displays notification pop-ups 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 → System Configuration it is possible to set the Notification Timeout to automatically close these popups.

If there is an error that prevents PhixFlow completing something, it will display the system error message. You must close red error messages individually. 

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.