Overview
Applications contain everything necessary for it to function, from its data and access permissions to links to external content. Each application has a unique URL and associated styling.
Open an Application
To open an existing application
- Double-click on the applications name from the application list the opens with PhixFlow.
- If the application list is not displayed, in the top left of the PhixFlow click
Every application has a URL which allows you to access it directly.
- To obtain the URL for the application, the most reliable method is to open the application and copy the value from the address bar:
Creating a New Application
- Click Add New from the PhixFlow Landing Screen.
- If this is not open, click the Application menu.
2. PhixFlow opens the Create Application wizard.
3. Set the following properties for your application:
Name: enter a name.
Version (Optional): enter a version number if applicable.
Description (Optional): we recommend entering a useful description of the application, potentially the data owner and app creators.
Template: Template Packages defines the styling, default settings and templates used to create your application. We recommend selecting a PhixFlow template, such as Serene Grey, as this comes complete with everything you need to start creating your application. These can be customised.
Icons for the application menu should be:
- up to 100 pixels high
- between 100 to 150 pixels wide
Application Icon (Optional): select an image to be used as the icon for your application on the selection screen.
4. Click Create Application.
Templates Packages
Template Packages, are a special type of package which can provide all the items a package can, it also defines the styling, default settings and templates used to create the content of your application. Template packages are selected when an application is created. See Understanding Template Packages.
Packages
In PhixFlow you can share the same resources, such as data connectors and styles, with multiple applications by adding them to a package and then adding the package to different applications. A package can contain anything an application can contain.
Packages are associated to an application by:
- Open the Application's Properties
- Click the Home button from the header menu and then click the properties button.
- Scroll down to the Packages section in the properties.
- Click the Packages button to open the available packages list.
- Tip: If the available packages list opens over the top of the application properties drag the tab header to the left to have the tab move next to it.
- Drag the required package into the packages area and Apply your changes.
Application Properties
To access the applications properties, click the properties button on the applications home page.
The defaults used by your application based on template package selected when you created it. You can see the default settings or set them in the Application Properties. These include:
- Default Components, such as the Form Fields template to use when creating input forms.
- Set in Style tab.
- Grid Styling, such as the header, font and row sizes applied to grids by default.
- Set it Style tab.
- Formats for Numbers and dates, such as the number of decimal places by and 31 Dec 2020
- set in Properties tab.
- Application Icon, this is the icon used in the application list.
- set in Properties tab.
If a default style or number/date format is not set in the application properties, PhixFlow uses defaults set in System Configuration. If the latter is also not set PhixFlow will prompt you to set them.
For more detail on this topic see Editing Application Properties
Server Properties
The instance of PhixFlow can be labelled and a colour set. This is useful when you have multiple environments such as Development, UAT and Production.
- Server Properties
- From the header menu, click Administration → System → Configuration.
- On the Properties tab.
- Set the Label
- Set a value in PhixFlow Instance. This will appear in the banner at the top of PhixFlow. For Example, Testing.
- Banner Colour
- Choose a colour by clicking the coloured box next to this field. You can pick a colour picker and this set the banner colour.
Security
There are two elements of security:
- Controlling who can access an application.
Controlling their Privileges within an application.
To find out more on this topic see, 20. Security and Access.
What's Next?
PhixFlow Fundamentals, this course provides a practical guide to using PhixFlow including setting up the application properties.
What's Next?
PhixFlow Fundamentals, this course provides a practical guide to using PhixFlow including setting up an applications properties.
Already started PhixFlow Fundamentals?
Return to Application Fundamentals