PhixFlow Help

Style

This page explains the options available for setting styles for borders, backgrounds, fonts etc.

Overview

A style is a container for a set of CSS properties. A style can be assigned to parts of an application, such as layout component. You can also use a style to provide default formatting, for example on selected grid rows. The style properties tab makes it easy to configure the CSS for your application, using tick boxes, lists and colour pickers. For complete flexibility, you can use the CSS Properties section to enter CSS strings. PhixFlow combines the selected options and CSS properties when it applies the formatting to your application. See www.w3schools css for details of CSS.

For more on how positions and styles can affect screen design, see Using Size and Position for Responsive Design.

You can add styles to an individual component using its properties → Style Settings section; see Layout. However, if you want your application to have consistent styling, we recommend you create a style and then share it with multiple components.

To create and share formatting:

  1. In the repository for your application, find Styles.
  2. Click  Add.
  3. Set the style options you want (described below).
  4. Open the properties for a layout component.
  5. In the Shared Styles section, click  Detailed List. PhixFlow opens a repository list of the styles available in your application. 
  6. Drag the style into the shared styles grid.

If you want your application to have layout components that all look the same, you can design them once, then add them to a Palette


For information about the properties toolbar, and about the sections Parent Details, Analysis Models, Description and Audit Summary, see Common Properties.  For a full list of all the PhixFlow property tabs and windows, see Property Tabs.

Specify width and height values with their units, for example %, px or em.

Basic Settings

FieldDescription
NameEnter the name for a style
Hidden

 Tick to hide the component from application users.

The data in hidden components does not refresh. If you need the data on a hidden grid to refresh, set the Position Settings: Height and Width to 0. 

Border Style

Select a border style:

  • None
  • Hidden
  • Dotted
  • Dashed
  • Solid
  • Double
  • Groove
  • Ridge
  • Inset
  • Outset
  • Initial
  • Inherit
Border WidthEnter a number to specify how many pixels wide the border should be.
Border Colour

Specify the colour for the border and background. Click on the sample square to open a colour picker and select a color. Click back into the properties tab to close the colour picker.

Background Colour

Background Image 

Select an image from the drop-down list. To see the repository list of images uploaded to the current application, click  List Images .

To add a new image, click  Add. PhixFlow opens the Image properties.

Background Repeat

PhixFlow assumes you want to use an image to fill the background. For smaller images it will repeat the image to fill the available space. To change this property select one of the options:

  • repeat - repeat the image to fill the space available
  • repeat-x - repeat the image to fill the space horizontally
  • repeat-y - repeat the image to fill the space vertically
  • no-repeat - show a single instance of the image.

Background Attachment

Select how the image is to be fixed:

  • scroll  
  • fixed   
  • local  

For an example of how these work, see  css-tricks.com background-attachment.

Background PositionSet the position of a background image; see w3schools background-position.
Background SizeSet the size of a background; see w3schools.com background-size.
Text ColourClick on the sample square to open a colour picker and select a colour for text. (see Border Colour, above.)
FontSpecify a font point size; see w3schools.com font.
Font SizeSpecify a font point size; see w3schools.com font-size.
Font Weight

Select how bold the text appears:

  • normal (default)
  • bold
  • bolder
  • lighter
  • initial
  • inherit
Font Style

Select how angled the text appears:

  • normal
  • italic
  • oblique
  • initial
  • inherit
Text Align

 Select how the text aligns within the component's space:

  • left
  • right
  • centre
  • justify
  • initial
  • inherit
Read Only
 Tick to make a component read-only.
Show Horizontal ScrollbarAdd a horizontal bar to the component so the user can scroll left and right if the content extends beyond the edges.
Show Vertical ScrollbarAdd a vertical scrollbar to the component, so the user can scroll up and down if the content extends beyond the top/bottom.
Number FormatSelect a number format for number fields and grid cells, if you want to use a different format to the default. The default number format is set in System Configuration.
Date/Time FormatSelect a date format for date fields and grid cells, if you want to use a different format to the default. The default date format is set in System Configuration.

Grid and card container components that have scrollbars can also scroll automatically. This means users can drag cards or grid items to targets that are currently off-screen.

  1. Click to select the item and start to drag it in the direction of the target.
  2. At the edge of the component, pause the mouse pointer.
  3. PhixFlow then starts to scroll in the direction of your drag.

Automatic scrolling can be:

  • left or right
  • up or down
  • diagonal.

Responsive Sizing

When a user resizes the screen that is displaying the dashboard, PhixFlow can vary the size and position of some components in the layout. To configure this, use the following style settings, which are available for the layout components:

  • areas
  • forms
  • card containers
  • URL fields
  • string fields.
FieldDescription
Auto Size

If ticked this component will resize to fill the available space in the direction set on the parent. If the user resizes the dashboard the components will resize. If multiple components have auto size selected, the available space will be shared between auto sized components.

You can  Untick this property whilst working in a layout, by:

  • manually resizing the component
  • using the  Turn auto size off/on context menu option.
Grow Factor

The number representing how much a component can resize.

When you have several components, PhixFlow uses the difference in their numbers to allocate space. For example, if you have 3 components (A, B and C) with their grow factor set to:

  • the same value, 1,  for all components, PhixFlow allocates the available space equally to components A, B and C
  • different values, A=1, B=2 and C=3, PhixFlow divides the space into 6 equal portions and allocates:
    • 1 portion to A
    • 2 portions to B
    • 3 portions to C.
Direction

If a direction is selected, components inside this container will be distributed in the selected direction.

  • Row - Components will be distributed as a single row, in order. The components will shrink to fit if the window is made smaller than the width of the components.
  • Row Reverse- Components will be distributed in rows, in reverse order.
  • Column - Components will be distributed as a single column, in order. If the window height is made smaller only components with Auto Size ticked will be resized.
  • Column Reverse - Components will be distributed as column in reverse order.
Wrap

This field is only visible if a direction is selected. Wrap affects how the components wrap when there is less space available.

  • Wrap - wrap the components starting with either the right column, or the bottom row.
  • Wrap Reverse - wrap the components starting with the left column or the top row.
  • No Wrap - never wrap. 
Justify

This field is only visible if a direction is selected. Justify affects the position of the components in the direction set (horizontal for row, vertical for column). 

  • Flex Start - Components will be positioned from the start edge of the container, with no spacing between them.
  • Flex End - Components will be positioned so the last component aligns with the end edge of the container, with no spacing between them.
  • Center - Components will be centred in the direction set, with no spacing between them, and equal spacing between the edge of the container and the first and last component.
  • Space Around - Distribute components with even spacing around each component.
  • Space Between - Distribute components with even spacing between each component, but no spacing between the component and the container.
Align

This field is only visible if a direction is selected. Align affects the position of the components perpendicular to the direction set (vertical for row, horizontal for column).

  • Flex Start - Components will be positioned from the start edge of the container, with no spacing between them.
  • Flex End - Components will be positioned so the last component aligns with the end edge of the container, with no spacing between them.
  • Center - Components will be centred, with no spacing between them, and equal spacing between the edge of the container and the first and last component.
  • Baseline - Position components so their baselines align.
  • Stretch - Components with no size set in this direction will have their size increased to fill the container in this direction.
  • Space Around - Distribute components with even spacing around each component.
Read onlyIf ticked this component will be marked as read only. For input fields this means that the data in them will not be editable and for buttons it will make the button unusable. If the component is a form or an area, marking it as read only will mark ALL input fields in that area / form as read only, but buttons will NOT be automatically marked as read only

CSS Properties

A list of CSS properties. Click  Add to add a new CSS style; see CSS Properties.

The Order in Which Styles Are Applied

PhixFlow applies styles in the following order:

  1. Shared styles
  2. CSS properties
  3. Style Settings
  4. Conditional Formatting
  5. Position Settings

This means a style or position setting from a shared style is overwritten by the settings on the layout component.

Please let us know if we could improve this page feedback@phixflow.com