Working with Applets / Tabs / Forms
After your initial work with the Trackor Browser grid (see Working with Grids), you’ll soon engage with an additional Vizion Platform element which we call the applet. In the example below, you can see that clicking a Trackor ID (hyperlink in the grid) opens an applet window. The applet contains a collection of tabs listed in the gray bar on the left side of the applet. Each tab has a related form to collect a certain set of data that displays when you click the tab name.
In the example below, the Trackor ID we clicked is for a project and is the primary Trackor ID for the Project Trackor Type. Clicking the hyperlink opens the main applet for the Trackor Type which displays the General Info tab and its related form. In the example below there are multiple tabs in the applet. We clicked the Construction tab and see its related form showing construction-related information for the project.
More about Applets
All of the available tabs for an applet are listed in the gray menu on the left side of the applet. As you click each tab, the corresponding form displays on the right side of the applet. The tabs that display for you may be different than what displays for another user since privileges for each tab are assigned to security roles.
If the tab on the applet is associated with a Child Trackor Type (a record count will display with the tab), the display will be a grid rather than a form.
Every Trackor Type has at least one automatically generated applet with the General Info tab. This applet is accessed by clicking the primary Trackor ID for a Trackor Type as in our example above and can have tabs added to it. For information about adding tabs to applets, see Managing Tabs/Forms.
It is sometimes necessary to group a set of tabs in an entirely new applet for the Trackor Type. Administrators can add new applets which are then accessible by clicking the arrow on the Edit button. The example below shows two additional applets for the Trackor Type, and the Tasks applet is pinned to the Command Bar. For information about adding additional applets for a Trackor Type, see Adding Applets.
External applets are also accessed from the Command Bar. These applets are not related to the Trackor Type but are “external” and can point to system applets or external sites. For more information, see External Applets.
More about Tabs
Tabs include custom forms that allow the user to view and update records, one at a time, within a customized interface. Tabs are a great way to easily compile related data in a single interface providing a tailored data entry experience built for a particular use.
To help you understand how tabs are used, consider the following example where a tab can provide a way to complete tasks at the end of a project. In this scenario, a business analyst has been tasked with updating multiple data points within a company database or spreadsheet. He must:
update a project tracking dataset with a completion date and attach photographs provided by the contractor field technician.
update project records within the contractor field technician spreadsheet.
enter project completion dates and hours into a purchase order dataset to allow Accounts Payable to perform checks against the contractor’s invoices.
complete a Quality Assurance checklist to ensure that the close-out documentation provided by the contractor field technical met all the organization’s requirements.
Rather than working in several places in a database or spreadsheet, a tab could be designed to create a simple interface for completing all the necessary data entries in a single data entry form!
There is a security advantage to using Tabs because you can control privileges at the tab level. This allows the Administrator to create a controlled end-user data entry experience.
For information about adding tabs and adding tabs to applets, see Managing Tabs/Forms.
External tabs look like regular tabs but they are not related to the Trackor Type. They can be used to display loosely related information or interact with external systems. For more information, See External Tabs.
Setting a Default Tab
The original default tab that displays when you access an applet is the master tab titled General or General Info. However, when an applet has multiple tabs, the user can choose a different tab as the default.
Steps to Set the Default Tab | ||
|---|---|---|
1 | On the Trackor Type page, access the applet where you want to set the default tab. |  An Applet with Multiple Tabs
|
2 | Hover over the right side of the tab name and click the ellipsis. |  |
3 | Click Set as default. A star displays beside the new default tab. |   |
4 | Click OK. |
|
5 | Now when you access the applet, the new default tab displays. |  |
Working with Forms
There are a few aspects to working in a form that are important for users to understand. Continue reading to understand these features.
While most fields can be updated, there are limitations to what you can update based on security privileges and the nature of the field setup. For detailed information on these exceptions, see Field Update Exceptions.
Note:
The cursor turns into the hand pointer when hovering over cells that can be updated.
The cursor remains the arrow pointer when hovering over cells that cannot be updated.
Hover Over within Forms
When you hover over a field label on a form, you will see the field description (set on Admin Fields page) in popup text. When you hover over a field’s value on a form, you will see the field value in popup text.
Accessing Forms
Besides clicking a Trackor Id hyperlink in a grid to open an applet window with tabs and forms or highlighting a row and clicking an action button on the Command Bar, you can also use Ctrl+Click to open a new browser tab for the applet. This works for any way you would open an applet.
Using the Context Menu in Forms
In Working with Grids, we discussed accessing the Context Menu by right clicking a field cell. In forms, you access the Context menu by left clicking the field label. For more information about the Context Menu, see Using the Cell's Context Menu.
Saving Changes to a Form
When you add or change data on a form, you have two options to save your data. If you click Apply, you save the change and stay on the form. If you click OK, you save the change and close the form. You can always click Cancel to not save your changes.
Accessing the Color Legend
To access the Color Legend, access the form and click the Form Fields Color Legend Icon located at the bottom of the form.
Note: The Color Legend is accessed from forms and Workflows. A future improvement will add the Color Legend to the Trackor Browser grid ellipsis menu for ease of access while on the grid.
Color Legend Contents
The color legend includes two tabs, General Info and Examples as shown below.
