Configurable User Interfaces Concept

IFS' concept for configuration and customization of the user interface is based on a combination of direct manipulation, configuration tools and user profiles.

Contents

• User Interfaces
• Direct Manipulation and User Profiles
• Configuration Tools

User Interfaces

Direct manipulation is when the end-user, directly in the application, affects the appearance of the interface. This is done for example by dragging table columns, resizing windows, drag and dropping in the navigator and setting “Properties” on forms and other objects in the interface. All changes to the interface done through direct manipulation are stored in the user’s profile. In addition to each user having their own personal profile the user can also be assigned a default profile by its administrator.

Through the use of Configuration Tools (part of IFS Administration Tools), super-users or system administrators can easily affect the appearance and function of the interface.

By combining direct manipulation, configuration tools, and user profiles, much of the appearance and function of the user interface can be customized by IFS customers themselves, without the need to change code or in any other way modify the standard application as delivered from IFS. Many of IFS' customers choose to let identified super-users configure the application to suit different user groups in the company. These ready-made configurations (profiles) are then assigned to the rest of the end-users through the mechanism with default profiles. Often the “regular” end users are only allowed to change parts of this configuration. For example, they might be allowed to change the size and position of windows, but not to hide/unhide fields. IFS' security system makes it possible to disallow these capabilities for end-users.
For administrators there is also additional functionality available, such as export and import of profiles as well as the possibility to set both default and personal profiles to read-only so that the user, in effect, never is able to change his profile.

Direct Manipulation and User Profiles

With direct manipulation, the following types of items can be configured

• Window size and position - windows 'remember' their size and position the next time they are started.
• Navigator contents - it is possible to move items in the navigator, create new items (for application forms, web pages, external applications), hide/unhide items and so forth.
• Size & position of table columns - table columns can be moved in order and resized. It is also possible to lock columns so that they always are visible and never scroll out out of view.
• Hide table columns
• Saved queries - The saved query will contain and remember the actual query condition, sort order, and any group & sum settings.
• Colors, background pictures - Colors used to highlight mandatory, changed, and read only fields. Background picture on the desktop.
• Same window, multiple versions, different settings - configure and save unique configurations of the same window.
• Form Start Up behavior - Whether the form should automatically perform a query, open the query dialog, create a new record, or just start empty when started.
• What fields can be queried
• Output Channels - Which one-click transfers to other applications should be available as output channels in the toolbar.
• Form field size and position
• Hide form fields
• Switch position of one form field directly with another
• Specify the entry sequence of form fields
• Specify additional existing form fields as mandatory
• Specify additional existing form fields as read-only
• Hide detail Tabs on a form
• Adjust the tab margin

Know the difference between profiles and security

Mandatory, hidden, and read only settings are applied in the client, as a convenience to the user. These client settings are not enforced by the business logic. For example, if a field is set to be mandatory in one form, it will not be set to mandatory in other forms where the same field is available. The setting is on the form, not the database column, so no special server-side logic exists for any checks. It is possible for users to build/use other clients that bypass these settings.

Limitations in the user profile concept

Users can only have a single default profile, not one per role for example. The 'workaround' for this is to create more specific profiles, one for each combination of roles you wish to use. The trick to creating combined profiles is to first create a number of smaller, role specific profiles, and then merge these together to form the combined profiles.

Configuration Tools

In addition to the direct manipulation possibilities, Foundation1 provides configuration tools through which further aspects of the user experience can be configured.

• Custom menus - For each screen or data source on a screen it is possible to create additional custom menus. These menus appear together with the other menus in the context menu (RMB menu). Custom menus can for example open new windows or invoke some business logic. Custom menus are often used to add navigation options to streamline workflow.
• Custom Fields, Information Cards and Custom Pages - Fields can be added to forms through configuration, both Persistent and Read-Only. It's also possible to create new table windows.
• Query hints - Query hints are visual clues in the query dialog that inform the user about which fields are fast to search on, as well as which fields will take a longer time to search on if included in the query. Query hints can be automatically generated by Foundation1, but they can also be manually configured or fine-tuned.