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
• 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  Design Mode and  Application Mode, where you can see your application in action by clicking the mode icon in the top right of the PhixFlow window.

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.

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  Application menu.

You can change the layout of the application menu, using icons in the top right of the application window. Switch between a  card or  list layout.

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 depending on user's permissions

How to use Design Mode

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

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  Design Mode, PhixFlow displays the a list of 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
•  Condensed List

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

Home Window and Workspace

When you load an application, PhixFlow opens its home window.

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.

The home window has the following parts.

Header Bar 

The header bar runs across the full width of the PhixFlow Window. It shows, from left to right:

•  Application menu: reopen the application menu to load a different application
•  : 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 activities:
  • Home
  • ERDs
  • Workflows
  • Screens
  • Actionflows
  • Analysis Models
• The name of the PhixFlow server on which you are working
•  User Details: options to manage your user details, passwords and to  Logout
• Open the  Repository
• Open the Learning Centre  Help
• Open the  Chat Bot
•  Administration lists the system options, including the  System Console, 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  Design Mode 
  • or  Application Mode.

Workspace and Tabs

Every diagram or screen that you 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  Show/Hide Layer Panel to show or hide the Layers panel.

Right Panel

On the right there are several things that PhixFlow can display. You can click the  show/hide right panel to hide all the tabs that are open 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 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 multiple right panels and you can drag 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  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. Click the help icon to open the associated reference help page, which has details about each option.

Notifications and Errors

PhixFlow displays notification 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 Administration → System → Configuration you can set the Notification Timeout to automatically close these popups; see  System Configuration.

If there is an error that prevents PhixFlow completing something, it will display a red error message. You must close these 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.