Understanding the Trackor® Browser Page
The Trackor Browser page is the most commonly used page type within the Vizion Platform. The terms Trackor Browser and Application Page are interchangeable; you will see references to both - just know these are often names for the same thing. This page type may even be called a Grid page referencing the fact that the body of this page is in a grid format.
Each Trackor Browser page is associated with a Trackor Type typically reflected in the name of the page. The screenshot below shows the name of the Trackor Browser - Search Ring page which is associated with the Search Ring Trackor Type.
Accessing a Trackor Browser Page
Typically, users access Trackor Browser pages through the menu system. To understand how to navigate menus in a Vizion Platform system, see Introducing Menu Applications.
In some cases it makes sense to not create a menu item for a page - typically when a page is used infrequently and the organization does not want to clutter its menu system. When a Trackor Type does not have a menu item, you can access it with a Vizion Platform feature called the Trackor Browser.
Using the Trackor Browser
You can access the Trackor Browser through the menu system either by using Search or by clicking the Info Center shortcut icon. In either case, you are looking for the Show Trackor Type Tree icon as shown below.
On this page:
|
|---|
When you click the icon, the current Trackor Tree displays to the right (pictured below). Dashes to the left of an entry show an expanded level of the tree. Plus signs show a collapsed level of the tree. Click the plus signs to expand the tree and see additional items. You can click on an item in the Trackor Browser to open the specific Trackor Browser/Application Page.
Understanding the Trackor Browser Page Layout
The Trackor Browser page is made up of three sections that you should understand in order to make effective use of the page. There is the Header, Command Bar, and Grid.
The Header
Every Trackor Browser page contains a header section. The header section helps to identify the data displayed on the page. Here is a screenshot of a header with an explanation for each part in the chart below.
Corresponding # & Title | Description |
1 - Add to Favorites | Click this icon to add the current page to your Favorites menu. This is a handy feature for pages that you return to often. See our page on Managing Your Favorites List. |
2 - Share Page | Click this icon to share this page (including your View/Filter setting) with another user. Clicking the link opens a window where you can choose the recipient and method for sending along with space for describing the reason for sending or other comments. See our page on Sharing a Page to learn more. |
3 - Page Name | This is the name of the page and oftentimes has the same name as the primary Trackor Type associated with the Grid but may also be customized. |
4 - View Name | This is the name of the current View which controls the columns (fields) you will see on the page. See our page on Views to learn more. |
5 - Filter Name | This is the name of the current Filter which allows users to determine the rows (records) displayed in the Grid. See our page on Filters to learn more. |
6 - Events Panel (Bell Icon) | This is where you will see notifications for reports and exported data. When you see a number with the bell, you can click on it to see the status of the event (report/export) and then download the file. For more information, see Events Panel (Bell Icon). |
7 - User Name and Image | This is the user's User Name and the image uploaded from User Settings. You can click the name or image to get to the User Settings and Logoff options. |
The Command Bar
Every Trackor Browser page contains a command bar. The command bar provides tools for searching, editing, and diving deeper into the data presented in the Grid.
Besides the Search Bar and the Edit Button, the command bar options can vary based on how a page is used and your permissions. In addition, the items you see can vary based on what is “pinned” to the command bar from the Edit button and from the ellipsis. See Pinning Items to the Command Bar.
Here is a screenshot of an example command bar with an explanation for each part in the chart below.
Corresponding # & Title | Description |
|---|---|
1 - Quick Search (Search for)
| The Quick Search allows users to quickly search through the fields (columns) currently displayed in the Grid. Remember that a value applied in the Quick Search is combined with and further restricts the current Filter that was applied from the Header Section. For more information, see Using Quick Search. |
2 - Viewing Relations (Parent/Child Navigator) | The Relations sub-menu displays all the related Parent/Child Trackor Types for the primary Trackor Type for the Grid. This menu allows users to quickly identify relationships in your data by identifying the child or parent Trackor Type by selecting it from the drop-down menu. Users are limited to navigating any level up and one level down in the Trackor Tree at a time. For more information, see Viewing Relations (Parent/Child Navigator). |
3 - Applets (Tasks) | In this area of the Command Bar, the icons for any pinned Applets display. See Pinning Items to the Command Bar. Clicking the icon for an Applet takes you to an external site or to a new page in the system. In the example below, the Tasks (Clipboard) icon represents WorkPlan tasks. Clicking the icon opens a page of related tasks for the selected Trackor. |
4 - Edit | To edit a Trackor, click the Trackor in the Grid and click the Edit button (or you can click the key field - hyperlink for the Trackor). The default Applet, based on the Trackor Type associated with the Grid, for the selected Trackor displays. This allows the user to see the Trackor data in a form format with the option to choose other Tabs from the Applet. |
| To the right of the Edit button, the buttons for any pinned items display. See Pinning Items to the Command Bar. In our example, Row Editor, Add, and Export are pinned to the command bar. The additional items (Export History, Vizion Link, Create Dashboard, Rules, Grid Stats, Bulk File Upload, and Task Date Color Legend) are accessed by clicking the ellipsis. The user’s security permissions dictate which options are available. |
5 - Row Editor | Row Editor performs a similar function to Edit, but instead of opening the default Applet and Tabs, it opens the entire contents of the selected row in a form format with the option to arrow forward and backward through the rows of Trackors from the Grid. This can be an easier way for data entry.
The Row Editor will only display fields corresponding to the columns that are displayed in the Grid when the Row Editor is clicked. It may be helpful to use the view options to select only the fields you want to edit before using the Row Editor. Also, the Row Editor can access only the number of rows displayed in the Grid. This number depends on the number selected in the Rows per Page field on the General tab of the View Options applet. If the rows exceed a single page on the grid, you must close the Row Editor applet, move to the next page, and then reopen the Row Editor applet. |
6 - Add | The Add button opens a new window, presenting the user with a form containing all the fields in the Grid to allow for easy data entry. Once the data is applied, it will be displayed as a new Trackor (row) in the Grid. |
7 - Export | The Export button allows you to export the Grid into Excel, CSV, JSON, and other formats. See Exporting Trackor Grid Data for more information. |
| Remember that options available when clicking the ellipsis are based on the user’s security permissions. Potential options are covered below. |
8 … Export History | The Export History button provides a log of all exports on the Grid. |
8 … Vizion Link | The Vizion Link button displays the automatically generated SQL query used to generate the Grid with its current View and Filter. You can click the Copy SQL button to copy only the query text to the clipboard. This feature is useful for some advanced functionality and in some support request cases. DB - Time spent for executing main grid SQL. Note that in addition to the main SQL, many other small SQL queries may be executed, and the results can be sent back as user data, but DB Time is time of main SQL. App Server - Time spent by a web server to generate output data. In the case of grids, it’s XML data. Note that this time includes DB time, so App Server Time will always be greater than DB time. Response Delivery - Time spent for delivering the output data from the server to the client (download time). If the user has a slow connection and/or response size is too big, the Response Delivery will be large. Browser - Time spent by the client’s browser to parse received data (usually XML) and render the HTML page. Total - The total time from the request to the server, the server executing SQL and generating output data, the sending of the data back to client and the subsequent downloading, parsing and rendering as HTML. Response Size - Response Size is always 0Kb for all grids except Mapping. For Mapping pages, separate tabs will display for the separate SQL used to load a mapping page including Main Grid (SQL for grid panel), Map (SQL for primary shapes) and Arbitrary Trackor (<TrackorTypeName>) (separate tabs for each arbitrary Trackor). |
8 … Create Dashboard
Adding a Dashboard from a Grid | From the Grid, the user clicks Create Dashboard. The Add Dashboard form displays with auto-generated SQL to create a dashboard. The user will enter a Dashboard Name, if desired, enter a Description, and click OK.
A new dashboard and dashlet will open in a new browser tab. The dashlet will use the first column of the grid as the X-axis, use the second column of the grid as the Y-axis, and open in edit mode. The user can make edits from here. |
8 … Rules | The Rules button provides you a list of all the applicable Form Button Rules associated with this Grid that you have permission to run. Rules are automated processes and triggers set up to run automatically based on different actions within the application. For example, an update to one field may trigger a calculation or update to another field. |
8 … Grid Stats | Grid Stats allows you to select any column in the Grid and see a quick breakdown of statistics including record count, total, average, min, and max values. For more information, see our page on Grid Stats. |
8 … Bulk File Upload | The Bulk File Upload tool allows you to upload many documents to E-File fields at one time. This tool works by parsing the file name and associating it with an ID from one of the fields in the Grid. In screenshot below, we are uploading a file with a Lease ID in the file name. We have selected the destination for the file once uploaded (i.e., the E-File field), and the file will be associated with the correct Trackor record based on the Lease ID. |
8 … Task Date Color Legend | The Task Date Color Legend button displays a legend that explains the meaning for each color used for Tasks in a WorkPlan. |
8 … Clone | Cloning a Trackor can be an efficient way to add records. Select the Trackor to clone and click the Clone button. The General Info Tab and Form display with the data for the record you cloned where you can make your changes for the new Trackor. |
8 … Delete | Deleting Trackors should be done with extreme caution and delete privileges should be limited. When deleting a Trackor, be sure that you are highlighting a Trackor based on the Trackor Type for the page. If children to that Trackor Type are included in the View, all children will be deleted, not just the highlighted Trackor. A warning message asks you to confirm that you want to delete the record. After you click, OK, the record is removed from the grid. |
Pinning Items to the Command Bar
The items that you can see on the Command Bar vary based on what is “pinned” from the Edit button and from the ellipsis.
Pinning Applets
If there are Applets available to pin to a page, the Edit button will have a down arrow.
Click the down arrow to see the list of available Applets. Applets that are already pinned to the Command Bar will have a pin icon next to them. Hovering over the pin displays an ellipses that you can click to unpin the Applet. Likewise, you can hover to the right of unpinned Applets to click the ellipses and pin the Applet to the Command Bar.
Pinned Applets display to the right of the Relations box as shown below.
Pinning Additional Items
To pin/unpin items to the right of the Edit button, click the ellipsis.
As with the list of Applets, any listed item with a Pin icon next to it has been "Pinned" and displays in the Command Bar. Hovering over the pin displays an ellipses that you can click to unpin the item. Likewise, you can hover to the right of unpinned items to click the ellipses and pin the item to the Command Bar. You can pin up to five items to the Command Bar leaving additional items to be accessed by the ellipsis.
The Grid
The Grid section of the Trackor Browser page shows the data accumulated for a Trackor Type assembled in columns and rows. You can scroll down through the columns of data as well as across to see all of the data included in the Grid. For detailed information about Grids, see Working with Grids.
Columns
The columns in the Grid are actually fields which define the information tracked for a Trackor Type. When when you look at the column header, you can see the letter(s) for the field’s Trackor Type followed by a colon, then the field label such as P: Project ID, P:Project Status, CL: Customer Name, and so on.
In the example below, P: represents the Project Trackor Type, and Project Status is the field label.
The Vizion Platform gives you the ability to display fields from multiple Trackor Types all in the same Grid. Fields can be from any Trackor Type that is set up as an ancestor to the Trackor Type or a child (one level down the Trackor Tree) for the particular Grid display. In the Vizion Platform, we use Views to select from the available list of fields and choose how they display in the Grid. For detailed information about Views, see Working with Views.
The number of fields (columns) displayed in the Grid can be up to a maximum number established by the Administrator (typically this is 100).
Rows
Each row in the Grid is referred to as a record, also known as a Trackor. In the Vizion Platform, we use Filters to restrict which Trackors display in the Grid. For detailed information about Filters, see our page Working with Filters.
