Settings for Subjects

Introduction to Settings for Subjects

menu User interface > Subjects

For each branch, default settings are available. Next, you can apply settings to each table or view.

• Default settings
• Table settings.

Default settings for tables in a branch

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default settings

In this tab, you can add and change the default settings for all tables in a branch.

Default settings for the tables

Table settings

You can configure settings for a table where the default settings do not apply.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General

General settings on the Subjects screen

The following settings are available:
Description and icon	Icon
General settings	Badge, auto refresh, auto-save, start empty with filter, maximum number of records, page size
Grid settings	Row height, auto column width, grouping in a grid, number of columns fixed in a grid, allow adding new records to a grid.
Tree settings	Textual and visual presentation, tree type, expand the tree automatically.
Form settings	Number of columns, horizontal space, vertical space, hide navigation and update buttons.
Card list settings	Title and image.
Lookup settings	Display column, presentation, refresh data on opening combo box.
Offline settings	Offline availability, refresh groups.
Permissions	Permissions for data manipulation, data, import, export, mass update, copy to clipboard.
Performance settings	Unused logic concepts, handlers, refresh behavior.

Description and icon (subjects)

Icon

If you add an icon to a table, it will be displayed with the screen title in the menu and on (detail) tabs.

Since icons are used at different locations in the user interface and with different sizes, we advise you to use scalable SVG icons.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Description

1. Select an Icon.

General settings (subjects)

Show badge

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Settings

See Badges.

Auto refresh

It is possible to refresh the subjects and variants automatically every x seconds.

warning

Performance can deteriorate if the screen is refreshed too often. Also, sessions remain open if screens are refreshed constantly, which can pose security risks.

Consult your Security Officer

If a validation message about the auto refresh interval appears, consult your Security Officer on how to proceed. If you opt to keep the settings, the validation message may be approved.

To refresh the data automatically:

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Settings

1. Select the Auto refresh checkbox.
2. Enter an Interval (seconds).

tip

• To prevent unnecessary auto-refresh actions, select the Change detection checkbox on tab Performance.
• To set the refresh behavior after specific actions, see Refresh behavior.

Auto-save

The option Auto-save saves your data automatically when you move to a different row, tab, etc. It also saves changes in the parent subject if the child is refreshed manually.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Settings

1. Select the Auto-save checkbox.

Start empty with filter

It is possible to open a screen without retrieving the data. Instead, if available, the focus will be on the Search field, or the filter pop-up is displayed. Without retrieving all the data first, the screen will start faster.

Use this option for large data sets in which it is common to start by filtering data, for example, for products or relations in an ERP system.

The Start empty with filter option is only applied to the main subject, not to detail subjects.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Settings

1. Select the Start empty with filter checkbox.

Confirm update and delete

Universal GUI You can specify if the user should confirm after updating or deleting the selected row.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Settings

For mandatory confirmation when updating a row:

1. Select the checkbox Confirm update.

For mandatory confirmation when deleting a row:

1. Select the checkbox Confirm delete.

Maximum number of records

It is possible to set the maximum number of records that the GUI should retrieve from the database for the selected subject. An icon in the grid will indicate whether it contains more records than the set limit.

You can set the maximum number of records for one subject or a default for all subjects.

To set a maximum number of records for one subject:

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Settings

1. In the field Max. no of records, set the maximum number of rows that the GUI has to retrieve from the database for the selected subject.

   • Universal GUI If you do not set the maximum number of records, it will apply a default of 100, unless the page size is already defined with a specific value. You cannot change this default value.
   • Windows GUI Web GUI If you enter 0 as the maximum number of records, the value from the extended property (explained below) will be used. If you did not set a value in the extended property, there is no limit to the maximum number of records.

To set a default maximum number of records for all subjects:

1. Windows GUI Web GUI To set a maximum number of records for all subjects, use the extended property MaxNoOfRecords in the configuration file or the Intelligent Application Manager.

Page size

The default settings for retrieving subject data and the use of paging are different for all GUIs. Paging means that the data is spread over several pages rather than displayed on one long page.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General

• Web GUI Universal GUI To relieve memory usage, the GUIs use paging by default when retrieving data from the database. By retrieving only a limited number of records per page, the GUIs can access all records in a large set. You can change the number of rows per page in the Page size field.
• Windows GUI The Windows GUI is only limited by the Maximum number of records.
• Universal GUI In the Universal GUI, you can activate paging by entering the number of rows in the field Page size. The values 0 and lower (-1, -2, etc.) disable paging for this subject, and the value of Max no. of records is applied if set. Paging is also disabled while editing the subject or document.
  • The active record always remains on the active page. In this way, it stays on your screen when you switch between pages.
  • You can set the default page size in the menu Models > Model overview > tab Branches > tab Model Settings > group Grid. This default is overruled by the page size in the subject.
  • The advantage of paging is that it prevents developers from using a top-statement on a subject. If a top-statement is used, for example, a top 100, this could suggest there are only 100 records in the table, while there actually are more.

note

When paging is used, the Go to row process flow actions can only navigate to a row within the current page.

Paging at the bottom of a multi-record component, e.g., a grid or card list

Screen type settings

For more information about screen types, see Screen types.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Screen type

1. Select a screen type for the main, detail, zoom, and popup screens.
2. Select a Default subject height (in Pixels or as a Percentage)

Grid settings (subjects)

Row height

If, for example, images must be displayed in the grid, it can be necessary to increase the row height.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Grid

1. Set the Row height in pixels.

Universal GUI The minimum row height is 36 pixels for compact mode. Padding is added for comfortable mode, which results in a row height of 44 pixels. The summary row has a minimum height of 40 pixels.

Auto column width

It is possible to set whether the column width in the grid should be set automatically.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Grid

1. Select whether the Auto column width should be based on 'Headers and data' or 'Data only'.

Select 'No' if you do not want to use auto column width.

This setting does not apply to fixed-size columns.

Allow grouping in a grid

If enabled, users can group columns using the grid column menu, the sort dialog or by dragging columns to the group box.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab Permissions > group Data

1. To enable grouping, select the Group checkbox.

Enable grouping

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Grid

2. Modify the visibility of the group box in field Group box visibility:

   • Never - The group box is never shown, and it is not possible to change the grouping of the grid.
   • When grouped - The group box is shown only when a group exists in the model.
   • Always - The group box is always visible, and it is possible to drag grid columns into it.

Group settings

The figure below shows an example of grouped columns in a grid.

Grouping in grid

Number of columns fixed in a grid

If a grid contains too many columns to be displayed on the screen, a horizontal scrollbar is added automatically. However, sometimes you wish to keep a number of columns visible, for example, a definition or a name. This is possible by locking columns. These columns are separated from regular columns by a vertical line.

To lock columns in a grid:

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Grid

1. In the field No. of fields locked, enter the number of columns you wish to lock.

The following rules apply:

• The hidden columns in the grid also count when determining the No. of fields locked.
• Windows GUI It is not possible to combine this setting with the setting Next group, which is used to group fields logically together.
• Universal GUI If there is not enough space, the GUI will unlock the locked columns one by one, starting with the rightmost column. If the screen layout or size is changed to provide more space, the GUI will automatically lock the these columns again.

Allow adding new records to the grid

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Grid

1. Select the Add checkbox to allow adding new records to the grid.

2. Universal GUI
   The 'Add in grid row' is only visible when it is allowed to add records, and the user clicks Add. The record is added to a pinned top row because it's primary key is not yet known.

   Windows GUI Web GUI
   In field Add row visibility, select when the 'Add in grid row' should be visible:

   • Always - the 'Add in grid row' is always visible.
   • When adding - this row is only visible when the GUI is in edit mode.

Add in grid

Make a grid editable

It is possible to make records in a grid editable by default.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Grid

1. Select the checkbox Edit to allow editing of records directly within the grid.

Tree settings (subjects)

Textual and visual presentation of the tree

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Tree

1. Select the Display column. This is the textual presentation for the tree. When left blank, the look-up display column will be shown.
2. The icon selected in the Image column will be presented in front of the display column.

Tree type

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Tree

1. Select a tree Type: 'Hierarchical' or 'Column'.

Expand the tree automatically

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Tree

1. Select the Default expanded checkbox to expand the tree automatically.

   Field Level becomes available.

2. In field Level, enter the number of nodes that needs to be expanded automatically.

Tree properties

Form settings (subjects)

Number of columns in the form

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Form

1. In field No. of columns in form, enter the maximum number of columns to be displayed in a form. If you enter '0', the GUI will display as many columns as possible.

Label width / Field width / Horizontal space

The combined widths determine the horizontal space that is reserved for form columns.

If no value is entered, the default value for the branch is used.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Form

1. Enter the Label width (px).
2. Enter the Field width (px).
3. Enter the Width between fields.

Field height / Vertical space

To set the height of fields and the vertical space between fields:

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Form

1. Enter the Field height (px).
2. Enter the Heights between fields.

Hide navigation and update buttons

It is possible to hide the navigation and update buttons in the form. These actions are then only accessible in the ribbon and via shortcuts.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Form

1. Select the Hide buttons checkbox.

Card list settings (subjects)

See also Card list.

Title and image for a card list

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Card list

1. Select the source for the card list Title:

   • None.
   • First visible field.
   • Look-up display column.

2. Select the source for the card list Image:

   • None.
   • First visible image field.

Lookup settings (subjects)

Look-up display column

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Look-up

1. Select a Display column. This is the field that has to be presented if this table is used as a look-up table. This setting applies to all target tables that refer to this source table.

Look-up settings

For example, a table employee has name as its look-up-presentation field, while the primary key is a number.

The look-up presentation field is determined by applying the following rules:

• If no presentation field is entered, the last reference column is displayed.
• If no presentation field is entered and the source column is also a look-up, the presentation field of this look-up is displayed.

In both cases, if the look-up display column is based on a domain element, the translation of the matching domain element is displayed if it exists.

These rules are applied recursively until an explicitly set up presentation field or modified presentation field is reached. In this way, a link table is automatically correctly translated.

If, for example, the field employee_id in sub_project has a look-up to sub_project_employee and the associated presentation field is empty, the translation of employee_id with sub_project_employee is applied. This draws from the employee table, from which the name is chosen.

This system is known within Thinkwise as deep joining.

Example of deep joining

Lookup presentation

You can configure how users select a value from a lookup table. Usually, a Combo is the most user-friendly way because it shows all available values in a drop-down list. For large lists, other options may be more suitable as they allow users to search for a value.

To configure the display of a look-up presentation field:

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Look-up

1. In field Def. control, select the display:

   • Auto complete - when typing, the first record that satisfies what is being typed is displayed automatically.
   • Combo (alphabetical) - a value from a combo box can be selected. The list is sorted alphabetically.
   • Combo (sorted) - a value from a combo box can be selected. The list is sorted according to the default sorting of the look-up subject.
   • Suggestion (contains) - When typing, values containing the input are presented. On a mobile device, a keyboard is opened.
   • Suggestion (starts with) - When typing, values starting with the input are presented. On a mobile device, a keyboard is opened.

Refresh data on opening combo box

To refresh the data when opening the combo box:

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Look-up

1. Select the Def. refresh on dropdown.

Offline settings (subjects)

Offline availability

To make a table or variant offline available:

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Offline

Checkbox Offline enabled indicates whether the table or one of the variants can be available offline (can only be set up at table level).

1. Select checkbox Offline available.

Refresh groups for working offline

Refresh groups are used to ensure data are refreshed correctly. For each group you can indicate at which interval it has to be refreshed and whether it is atomic.

• For atomic groups, changes in the offline details are only carried out if the synchronization of all tables in the group is successful. If, for instance, a (connection) fault occurs during the synchronization of an order, it makes no sense to synchronize the order lines.
• For non-atomic groups, all tables are synchronized, irrespective of whether a (connection) fault has occurred.

The refresh group can also be filled for tables that are only available online. After updating an online table, all offline tables from the same refresh group are refreshed.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Offline

1. Select a Refresh group or open the pop-up to create one.

To create a refresh group in the pop-up:

1. Select a Model and Branch.
2. Add a Refresh group name and description.
3. If it has to be an atomic group: select the Atomic checkbox.
4. Enter an interval in field Refresh after minutes.

Create a refresh group in the pop-up

Offline mutable

It is possible to indicate whether a table can be edited offline.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default/Variants > tab Settings > tab General > group Offline

1. Select the checkbox Offline Mutable.

Disable this if the required logic (defaults, layouts) is only available online.

Offline refreshing after an update

This indicates whether an offline updatable table following an update has to be immediately refreshed (including all other tables from the same refresh group)

When creating prefilters, it can be indicated with the Filter for the offline data option whether a prefilter has to be applied when retrieving the offline data. In this way, a smaller set of data can be worked with offline than online. Due to performance considerations, it is recommended to keep the amount of offline data as small as possible.

Permissions

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Settings > tab Permissions

Overview of the Permissions tab with subject settings

Permissions for data manipulation

You can allow users to add, copy, update, or delete data in a table.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Settings > tab Permissions > group Data manipulation

1. Select which actions are allowed: Add, Copy, Update, or Delete.

warning

• When clearing the Add checkbox, users can no longer import data.
• When clearing the Update checkbox, users can no longer perform a mass update.

Data permissions

You can allow users to search, filter, sort, or group data in a table.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Settings > tab Permissions > group Data

1. Select which actions the user may carry out in the table: Find, Filter, Allow sort, or Group.

See also:

• Find
• Filter
• Sort
• Group

Universal GUI If you clear the Filter and Allow sort settings and no prefilters are visible in the subject, the overflow menu in the Search and filter bar will be hidden.

For more information about these options in your end application, see:

• Universal GUI Sort, search, and filter
• Windows GUI Sort, search, and filter

Import/export/mass update permissions

It is possible to import data into and export data from an end product and, at the same time, update several rows (with fixed values or on the basis of an import file).

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Settings > tab Permissions > group Other

1. Select which import and export actions are allowed: Import, Export, or Mass update.

In your end product:

• Windows and Web GUI - Export, import and update
• Universal GUI - Export and import

Copy to clipboard permission

To allow users to copy data from a table to the clipboard:

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Settings > tab Permissions > group Other

1. Select the Copy to clipboard checkbox.

Performance settings

Unused logic concepts

It is possible to deselect unused logic concepts to prevent unnecessary calls to the logic layer.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default > tab Settings > tab Performance > group Use concept

1. Deselect unused logic concepts. For more information, see Logic concepts.
2. To prevent unnecessary auto-refresh actions, select the Change detection checkbox. This logic concept checks whether or not a subject has been changed and needs to be refreshed. See also Auto refresh.

Handlers

Handler procedures allow you to override the default insert, update, and delete SQL commands initiated by the user interface and Indicium with your own business logic.

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default > tab Settings > tab Performance > group Use concept

For more information, see chapter Handlers in the Logic concepts manual.

Refresh behavior

By default, while a user is editing data, grid values are updated based on the data in the active row. It is also possible to refresh the subjects and variants automatically every x seconds. See Auto refresh.

This topic explains how to set the refresh behavior after specific actions. Before you can do this, you must enable the extended property GridEditUpdateUsingRefreshOption (see Extended properties).

To set the refresh behavior after specific actions:

menu User interface > Subjects > tab Default > tab Settings > tab Performance > group Refresh

1. Select the refresh behavior for the actions After insert, After copy, After update, and After delete:

   • None - the user interface will not refresh any data.
   • Row - the user interface will only refresh the current row after updating.
     Universal GUI For After insert, After copy, and After delete, this option refreshes the entire subject.
   • Subject - the user interface will refresh the current subject including lookups and details. For a Formlist component to maintain performance, use this option only when necessary. The Formlist displays editors for each record and updates the layout for each row, so frequent refreshes can slow down performance.
   • Document - the user interface will refresh the main subject including all lookups and details.
     Universal GUI For After insert, After copy, and After delete, this option refreshes the entire subject.

note

Refreshing slows down performance. Select None if refreshing is not strictly necessary.

Overview of the Performance options

Badges

Badges are numbers that can attract the attention of the user. Badges are displayed in the menu and on tabs.

Example of badges

You can decide how the number must be calculated by adding the logic for this to the Badges concept of the table or variant. An empty number or numbers below zero are not displayed in the user interface.

Set up Badges

warning

Performance can deteriorate if there are too many badges or if the badges are refreshed too often. Also, sessions remain open if badges are refreshed constantly, which can pose security risks.

Consult your Security Officer

If a validation message about the auto refresh interval appears, consult your Security Officer on how to proceed. If you opt to keep the settings, the validation message may be approved.

To use a badge, select the checkbox Show badge for the subject, task or report. This can be done for the default and/or for the variant. You can then specify an Interval in seconds. If no value is entered, the badge interval for the branch is used. This default is set to 300 seconds.

The Badge logic has to then be developed. A new logic concept has been introduced for this, comparable with defaults and layouts. A badge procedure has a variant_id as parameter, a badge value and the foreign-key-columns of all references to the table. In this way, a different badge value can be calculated for each detail and variant.

The value that is entered for badge_value will be displayed on the badge. When the badge_value is NULL, the badge will not be displayed.