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Version: 2022

Functions in the Windows and Web grid

Introduction

All functions that appear in the grid part of the screen are dealt with in this chapter. There are a large number of functions in the grid. Some are immediately available on the screen, others via the so called context menu, which appears when the right-hand mouse button is pressed.

On the screen

A large number of functions in the grid are directly accessible using the mouse.

Select a record

To select one record click on the record that you want to select. As soon as a record is selected the information can be examined in the detail screen and the sub-categories of the record are available. A selected record can be recognized by the triangle in front of the record and the dotted line on the record. It can also occur that this record changes color, as can be seen in the figure below.

The third record is selected

Select one cell

To select one cell click on the cell in question. This is particularly useful during a quick search. The cell that is selected gets a dotted line round the cell.

The cell 'Kevin Doyle' is selected within the selected record.

Sort

There is the possibility to sort on the screen in which the data is displayed. To sort click on the column label above the data. Sorting can be either ascending or descending. This Alternates with each click on the label and can be seen by the arrow next to the label. In the following figure this arrow is visible next to the column 'Name'.

Sort within the grid

tip

Along with sorting on one column it is also possible to sort on several columns at the same time. To sort on several columns, hold down the Shift key, while clicking on the columns on which needs to be sorted. The column that is clicked on first, is the first sort key, the following columns that are clicked on act within the first sort key.

When there is a large amount of data on the screen there is the possibility to do a 'quick search'. First select a cell in the column on which must be searched and type in the first letters of what must be searched for.

It is also possible to do a quick search on whole words, by typing these one after another.

tip

With a quick search it is easier to work with a sorted set. When, for example, you do a 'quick search' on a name it is useful to first sort this

warning

If there are very large data sets it may be that the designer has decided to not display all the data in the work area but, for instance, only the first thousand records. The search only takes place within the current work screen. This can be recognized by the icon in the shape of two pages on the top left of the grid. It is advisable, when this icon is displayed, to first filter to ensure that all data which is required for the search is displayed in the set with data.

Open a record

Open a record in the grid section of a hierarchy screen

Double click on a record to open it.

When a detail must be opened in a new screen, double click on the record in combination with the Ctrl key.

Open a record in a master-detail screen

Click on a record in the grid to open a record in a master-detail screen. The detail then displays the selected record.

Share a record

To share a record with another user, right-click in the record and go to menu Extra - Share:

Deep link without a process flow Sharing a record

Now copy the deep link to your clipboard and use it to share it in a way you see fit:

Link to a record

This deep link can be created in both the Web GUI and the Windows GUI (depending on its configuration). However, the link can be opened by another user only in the Web GUI.

When using the product on the web it will be noticed that a grid is sub-divided into different pages. When the mouse is positioned above a column, this becomes visible with the figure below. These buttons can be used to browse through the pages.

Page layout in the web

Toolbar

When the grid is selected a large number of functions are available via the 'Start' toolbar. Consider functions such as refresh, edit, search and filter. These functions will be explained one by one.

Toolbar

A function can be started in three different ways. The functions followed by three full stops are always followed by a pop-up and therefore never start immediately. The functions without full stops start immediately, without a pop-up screen. The options with an arrow open a sub-menu with options from which a selection can be made.

Most options are also available in the context menu, which can be called up by clicking on the grid with the right mouse button.

Refresh

Refreshing is the retrieval of data from the central database, so that the last modifications, possibly done by other users, are visible on the screen. This ensures that the most recent data is always worked with.

Refresh in the toolbar

Refreshing is also useful if several tabs are open and these tabs influence each other, or details of tabs.

Refreshing is especially important if several users are working in the same screen because changes from other users are also processed.

Edit mode

The 'Edit mode' is used to quickly carry out a large number of modifications in the grid. By enabling this function it is possible to edit data in the grid. Normally speaking it is only possible to modify data in the Form View.

Edit mode in the toolbar

When you start searching the selection jumps to the first record that meets the search criteria. This ensures that all the data of the work screen in which is being worked is examined.

warning

As already indicated earlier, during filtering, it is possible that not all the data is displayed due to the large amount of data. To make the required data visible the date must first be filtered prior to searching.

Find

The 'find' function can be found under the context menu. This can be used to search for data that is visible on the screen at that time. When 'find' is clicked on a popup appears in which it can be indicated what needs to be searched for.

Searching in the context menu

In the popup is indicated for each column what must be searched for.

The 'find' option is not included in the ribbon.

Search popup

There are various options to search on. The one to be used can be indicated in the drop down menu.

Drop down with search options

Find next / find previous

When a search request is submitted it can be that several records satisfy the search criteria, it is possible to go to the next or previous search criteria with the 'Find next' and 'Find previous' buttons.

Filter

When filtering is applied all records from the work screen that do not satisfy the filter criteria disappear. This in contrast to search, with which all data remains visible.

There are two options available when filtering. The standard filter screen and the possibility for an advanced filter by means of filter expressions.

These filter options are available in the toolbar under 'Filter'.

Select filter options

Standard filtering

When the 'Filter' option is chosen a popup appears in which can be indicated what must be filtered.

Apart from the filter options you can also indicate, with the help of check marks, whether the data entered for the filter must be case sensitive and whether the prefilters need to be cleared when the filter is active. As default one prefilter remains active, which can lead to certain data not being available due to the prefilter.

Filter with the help of filter expressions

When the standard filter window provides insufficient possibilities, then the filter expression window provides the option to compose advanced filter requests. It is therefore possible to check a field value against corresponding values; as a default one single value is possible as a check. By using the filter expression several values can be checked at once. For example, filtering a grid on the cities Apeldoorn and Enschede.

Filter expression visually

It can be derived from the example that all customers from Apeldoorn and Enschede are displayed, including whether a website is provided. The visual representation (1) of the expression is constructed in a tree structure, so that it is easy to see for each filter condition what it is used for. A filter condition can be a single condition, but it can also be a group of conditions. Relationships are then created between (groups of) conditions. These relationships can be AND, OR, NOT AND or NOT OR .

In the example a group is created containing two conditions which the values in the column Location must satisfy. It must include either 'Apeldoorn' or 'Enschede'. This group as a whole then has an ANDrelationship with the filter condition that the column website must contain a value. When everything is combined this gives: Website may not be empty AND (Location contains Apeldoorn OR Location contains Enschede**)**.

Along with the visual construction of the filter expression it is also possible to construct the expressions with the help of text. To do this change tab Visual to tab text.

Filter expression textually

The filter expressions cannot be created in the Web version.

Clear filter

When all data must again be visible the filters can be removed with 'Clear filter'.

Quick filter

The 'Quick filter' option can be found under the context menu'. This is a fast way of filtering one a specific criterion. First select the cell on which you want to filter and then click with the right-hand mouse button and select 'Quick filter' in the context menu. The column of the selected cell is now filtered against the value of the cell with the condition 'is equal to'.

This quick filter can be used successively several times on different columns. This additional filter conditions can be found by opening the filter screen itself.

When the quick filter is applied to a column for which a filter is already defined, then this earlier filter is cleared from that column.

Quick filtering works very well by making use of the quick key combination (Ctrl + Alt + R).

Prefilter

It may be that so called prefilters are present. These are pre-defined filters created by the designer that can be selected with one mouse click without having to manually set up the filter conditions.

For example, on a screen with employee details a prefilter 'Employed' can be defined that is active as default. After opening the screen only the employees who are employed are displayed. The prefilter needs to be switched off to see the employees who are no longer employed.

Prefilter in the toolbar

Prefilters can be classified in groups. It is an option within a group that prefilters exclude each other. This means that when a prefilter is enabled the current prefilter in the group is disabled. This depends on the choice of the designer.

Sort

The data in a table can be sorted as required. Click on Sort in the toolbar or with the right-hand mouse button so that the context menu opens and select 'Sort'.

Sort in the toolbar

A popup window opens in which it can be indicated which columns must be sorted on. If several fields are selected then the sequence of the sort can also be determined. .

Popup for sorting

A field can be added or removed from the sort with the left and right arrows. The sort is removed with the button 'Clear' and the default sort is re-applied with the button 'Default sort'. The sequence of the fields on which is sorted can be changed using the 'Up' and 'Down' buttons. With the 'Direction' button the sequence of sorting of one field is switched between ascending and descending.

Default sort

After a sort it is possible to return to the default sort, by clicking on 'Default sort' in the toolbar.

Tasks

There may be tasks available in the toolbar. A task is a specific assignment to execute a specific activity, calculation or procedure in the program. The task is always company specific and therefore we will not discuss it further here. If there are tasks available then these can be found for each work screen in the toolbar under Tasks. It can also be that this is displayed on the screen as an icon, depending on the set up that has been chosen by the developer.

Tasks in the toolbar

Reports

As well as tasks available in the toolbar there can also be reports present. When this option is selected the program generates a report on the basis of the data in your program. The reports are always company specific and therefore we will not discuss them further here.

Reports in the toolbar

Examples of reports are a quotation, order confirmation, purchase order, sales invoice or an order picking list.

Resize columns

When the width of the columns is changed, for instance, by widening a column, then this can be restored again. When this is done once the columns are set exactly so wide that the heading and the visible data are displayed. If 'Resize columns' is clicked on again, the columns are adjusted to only display the visible data. This may mean that the entire heading of the column is not visible, but you do not lose any space through a long heading above a column.

Resize columns in the toolbar

Export

When it is required to use data from a table in Microsoft Excel then this data can be exported. This is done with the function 'Export'.

When data is exported, the user is guided through a number of selection screens.

It is firstly asked which rows need to be exported. The following options are available:

  • Selected rows

  • All rows in the grid

  • All rows in the grid (ignore maximum number of rows)

The last option is only shown if a maximum number of records is defined. This can be recognized by the symbol   in the heading of the table.

Export options

On the following screen it can be indicated which rows must be exported with the help of check marks.

Which columns to export

It can then be indicated whether the column headings need to be exported and whether the IDs (the values that are in the database) or the translations (values that are displayed) of the column headings need to be exported.

Export ID or translation

Finally the file name must be entered. As default the files are exported as .xlsx files to the user folder. If the file type or the file location must be changed then this is done with the   button next to the field for entering the file name.

Storage location for exporting

Import

Along with exporting data it is also possible to import data. Just as with exporting data there are a number of steps to go through when importing data.

When the import is started, which can be done via the toolbar, the location of the file to be imported must first be entered or browsed for.

Import

The following screen is then displayed.

File selection during the import

The data that must be imported is selected in this screen. This can be done by dragging the blue border. Furthermore it must be indicated with the check mark that the data includes column names. If this is the case then where the column names are located is indicated with the 'Select column names' button . (In most cases this is at the top and this is automatically correct. It is then indicated whether the columns are translations or IDs. When the required data and options are selected the Next button is clicked on.

In the next window it is indicated with check marks which columns need to be imported and which column from the file corresponds with the column from the existing table. Furthermore the field can be left empty and an Alternative value may be entered in the field next to it (this applies to all the rows that are imported).

Click on Finish to complete the import.

Enter value during import

Update

Using the Update option large amounts of data can be modified at once. This takes place via the 'Update' function in the toolbar between Import and Export.

The following options become available when Update is clicked on:

  • Selected rows

  • All rows in the grid

  • All rows in the grid (ignore maximum number of rows).

  • Rows from a file

When the last option is chosen you can opt with a check mark to add non-existing rows, which are in the file, but which are not in the table.

After selecting one of the options the Update window is displayed. The value can be entered here for the columns that must be updated.

ℹ This option is not available in the Web version of the application.

Rows can also be updated from an Excel or CSV file. The choice can then be made to add non-existing rows or to only update the current rows.

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