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 then add the package to an application. 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.

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 Understanding Template Packages.

There are several package templates available to import to your PhixFlow instance, each with different designs and palettes; see Understanding 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

Whenever you copy an application to another instance, for example from the Development to the Production instance, we recommend you also export the packages it uses; see Import Configuration. This ensures all the resources are available for the application in the target instance.

If you move an item from an application to a package so that it can be shared, remember to export/import the application and package together. The item is deleted from the application and added to the package. If you do not export/import the package, the item is deleted from the application and is no longer available. This also deletes references, so adding the package at a later date will not reinstate the reference between the application and the item.

To reinstate the deleted object and references to it, export/import the application and the package together.

Packages cannot depend on objects in another package. For example, if a Datasource is in an application then its Database Driver can be in the application or any linked packages. However, if a Datasource is in a package then its Database Driver must be in the same package. Datasources in one package cannot reference Database Drivers in a different package.

The easiest way to ensure Database Drivers move with the Datasource is to add the database driver to the same application or package as the model.

Properties Tab

Property Pane Toolbar

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

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:
Style Settings 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 Understanding 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. See Menu Options and Toolbar 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 Understanding 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