Building Portals
A portal is a unique feature of the Vizion Platform that allows a combination of different layouts for a single screen display to support data review, entry, and/or collection. See Using Portals for a full introduction to portals. Once you know that your system needs a new portal, you can follow the instructions on this page to build one.
Who Can Build a Portal and Where
Typically Administrators build Global portals for a system and handle each of the steps above; however, the Vizion Platform also allows for general users to create their own Local portals.
Admin Portal page (Dev Center > Build Applications > Portal View)
Here Administrators can add a portal to the system. The Security Group ADMIN_PORTAL provides permissions to the page.Data View - Portal access (Info Center > Data Views > Portal)
Here Administrators and general users can add a portal to the system (General users can add only Local portals). The Security Group PORTAL provides permissions to the data view - portal access.
On this page:
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Before You Get Started
Since a portal is a collection of Vizion Platform elements, plan out the goal of your portal ahead of building it and ensure that you have all the required data elements. For example:
Have you created all the relevant views and filters you will need within a grid or calendar view?
Have you designed all the tabs or applets you will want to use for data entry and display?
Do you know everything you want to include in the portal so you know which layout to choose?
Building a New Portal
If you are an Administrator, you have the option to add a portal from either the Admin Portal page or the Data View - Portal access. If you are a general user, you will use the Data View - Portal access. From either place, you can build a portal by adding a new one or, if there is an existing portal that is similar to what you want to build, you can clone one (to find existing portals, see Accessing a Portal).
When you build a new portal, you will first add the portal and then you will configure the frames for the portal. In this way, you can always access the portal later to make changes to the frame contents.
Steps to Add a Portal | ||
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1 | Either:
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Access the Data View - Portal access: Info Center > Data Views > Portal. Click the arrow next to the displayed portal’s name. |  Admin Portal Page
 Data Views - Portal |
2 | If you are on the Admin Portal page, click Add. If you are on the Data View - Portal access, click Add Portal. |
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3 | Complete the fields for the General Info tab. See Portal - General Info Tab for field information.
Click Save/Apply to continue or click OK to return and edit the portal later. | |
4 | Click the Frames tab to configure the frames for the portal. See Portal - Frames Tab for the steps to configure frames. | |
5 | If you created a Global portal, click the Role Assignments tab to give permissions to Security Roles. See Portal - Role Assignments tab. | |
6 | Consider the remaining tabs. See Portal - Other Tabs. |
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7 | See Adding a Portal to the Menu for information about making the portal accessible. In addition, if you find that your Local portal should be promoted to Global, consult your Administrator. See Administration of Portals. |
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Portal - General Info Tab
Field Name | Field Description |
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Portal Name* | Enter the unique name for the portal. |
Scope | Select Local or Global. Global portals can be accessed by anyone with permissions, whereas local portals can be accessed only by you. Once you create a portal, only an Administrator can change the Scope. |
Description | Enter a description for the portal. |
Layout | Click the box to see the layout options to select from and select a layout. Once you select a layout and save the portal, the layout cannot be changed. Layout options include:
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Portal - Frames Tab
Configuring Frames
Once you’ve added a portal, the next step is to configure the frames for the portal. The Vizion Platform supports multiple frame types (see Frame Types) with some supporting interconnectivity with the (not necessarily related) data so that data in one frame drives what displays in the other.
(The following steps flow from Steps to Add a Portal above. If you are not continuing from these steps, you will need to select the portal to configure from the Portal View page and click Edit.)
Steps to Configure Frames | ||
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1 | The Frames tab displays a row for each frame in the portal with a shaded graphic to indicate the frame you are working with. Select the row indicating the frame you want to configure and click Edit. |
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2 | The Frame Configuration window displays. You are now ready to start configuring your frame. | |
3 | Complete the following fields: Type - Select the type of frame. This setting determines the next set of fields to complete and how you will use the frame. Name - Type the unique name for the frame. This name is not displayed anywhere on the screen and can be the same name as the Caption. Caption - Type the text you want to display at the top of the frame to allow you to easily identify it. Default Width - Enter the percent of the horizontal portion of the browser window. The frame will fill by default upon first loading of the page. Default Height - Enter the percent of the vertical portion of the browser window. The frame will fill by default upon first loading of the page. Collapsed By Default - Check this box to hide a frame by default when loading the page. If a default collapsed frame is expanded, it will be expanded the next time the portal is loaded. |
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4 | Complete the rest of the Frame Configuration window based on the fields for the selected frame type: Calendar View, Config Applet, Dashlet, E-Files, External Applets, Grids, Tabs |
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5 | Click OK. |
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Calendar View Type
The Calendar View provides a calendar format for Date Pair events with selectable views and filters.
Field / Option | Description |
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Trackor Type | Select the Trackor Type for the Calendar View. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
View | Select the default view for the Calendar. Create the view on the Calendar View page. (Required) If your portal is Global, you can choose only Global Calendar views. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
Filter | Select the default filter for the Calendar. Create the filter on the Calendar View page. (Optional) If your portal is Global, you can choose only Global Calendar filters. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
View Panel | Switch ON to allow users to select from the list of Calendar views. |
Filter Panel | Switch ON to allow users to select from the list of Calendar filters. |
View Edit Link | Switch ON to allow users to edit and organize Calendar views. |
Filter Edit Link | Switch ON to allow users to edit and organize Calendar filters. |
Quick Search | Switch ON to display the Quick Search field. |
Edit | Switch ON to display the Edit button. |
To allow a Calendar View to control the display of data in a portal, you can set a Calendar View as the parent frame for applet, tab, and/or external applet frames. Users will need to select an event in the calendar (parent) to see contents in the child frames. You can then update data in a child frame which then reflects in related frames including the calendar (parent).
Config Applet Type
A Config Applet allows you to display an applet within a portal frame. Remember, applets are a collection of tabs designed to allow for creating different data collection forms. This allows you to create different form views of your data based on how it is used.
A Trackor Type can have multiple applets associated with it. Each applet can have a different use (for example, one created for each type of end-user that needs to access and update data in the system).
Before configuring the Config Applet frame, you must first configure a parent frame. The most common parent frame for a Config Applet will be a grid.
Field / Option | Description |
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Parent Frame | Allows you to select a parent frame that can be used to drive the data displayed in the frame you are configuring. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
Primary Trackor | The Trackor Type for the parent frame displays. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
Applet | Allows you to select from the list of applets associated with the primary Trackor Type. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
Hide General Info tab | Check to omit the General Info tab from the portal frame for the applet. |
Hide tab panel when only one Tab is available | Check to remove the Tabs Menu from the applet frame if there is only one visible tab for the Trackor Type. |
Hide Applet/Tab Label | Check to free up frame space, by hiding the label and tab on the top of the form layout for the applet. |
Applet Buttons | Check to display the applet buttons that display on the bottom of an applet window. |
Dashlet Type
A dashlet is a single dashboard frame from a dashboard.
Field | Description |
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Dashboard | Dashboards may be comprised of a collection of dashlets. You must select the parent dashboard for the dashlet you wish to add to your portal. |
Dashlet | Select the dashlet. While dashboards support displaying multiple dashlets, a portal can only display a single dashboard element at a time. These cannot be directly linked to data sources in other portal frames at this time. |
E-File Type
E-File allows you to create a frame that is linked to an E-File field in the parent frame. The E-File frame displays the image of the E-File.
Frame Configuration Option | Description |
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Parent Frame | Allows you to select another frame that can be used to drive the data displayed in the frame you are configuring. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
E-File Field | Allows you to link to an E-File field in the parent frame. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
External Applet Type
External Applets are used to display external data sources, such as data provided by an API, an external website, or an internal (unrelated) page like a mapping page. You must configure the external applet by associating it with a Trackor type before you can use it in a portal.
Frame Configuration Option | Description |
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Parent Frame | Allows you to select another frame that can be used to drive the data displayed in the frame you are configuring. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
Primary Trackor | The Trackor Type for the parent frame will display. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
Applet | Allows you to select an external applet. An external applet must be configured within a standard applet. Multiple applets can be associated with a Trackor Type. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
Grid Type
Grids are Trackor Browser pages and are a great starting point for developing most portals.
Field / Option | Description |
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Grid Page | Select:
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Trackor Type | Allows you to select from a list of all the Trackor Types you have permissions to see. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
View | Allows you to select one of the views that have been preconfigured within the Trackor Type you select. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
Filter | Allows you to select one of the filters that have been preconfigured within the Trackor Type you select. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
Complete fields under Link to Parent Frame when you are creating the frame to link to a parent frame | |
Link Type Linking a Grid Frame with a Parent/Child Relationship (Direct Relation)Linking a Grid Frame with a Trackor Selector Connection (Field-to-Field) | If a Parent Frame has been assigned, this allows you to link the data between frames, allowing the data selected in one frame to drive what is displayed in the other. There are two options to select:
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Grid Options Allows you to select which grid elements you choose to display or hide from the end user. These options are helpful for allowing you to add and remove functionality from the portal based on how the frame is used and what you want the user to have access to. | |
View Panel | Switch ON to allow users to select from the list of views. |
Filter Panel | Switch ON to allow users to select from the list of filters. |
View Edit Link | Switch ON to allow users to edit and organize views. |
Filter Edit Link | Switch ON to allow users to edit and organize filters. |
Quick Search | Switch ON to display the Quick Search field. |
Parents/Children | Switch ON to show relations. |
Applets | Switch ON to show pinned applets. |
Edit, Add, Delete | Switch ON to display the edit, add, and/or delete button. |
Buttons | Switch ON to display ellipsis menu options. |
Navigation | Switch ON to display grid record navigator. Recommended to be ON. |
Tab Type
Tabs allow you to organize and combine the fields of a Trackor Type into similar types of information on a tab in a form format. Tabs support some formatting such as dividers, labels and other formatting. This allows for a more intuitive data entry experience.
Frame Configuration Option | Description |
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Parent Frame | Allows you to select another frame that can be used to drive the data displayed in the frame you are configuring. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
Primary Trackor | The Trackor Type for the parent frame will display. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
Applet | Allows you to select from the list of applets associated with the Primary Trackor. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
Tab | An applet may consist of multiple tabs. You will select the individual tab you wish to be displayed from the population of applets associated with the Trackor selected on the parent frame. You can click the pencil icon to view selected entities. |
Hide Applet/Tab Label | Check to free up frame space, by hiding the label and tab on the top of the form layout for the applet. |
Portal - Role Assignments Tab
Once you have configured your portal and all its frames, the next step is to assign permissions to the portal. This is only necessary for Global portals! By default, access is extremely limited and must be explicitly granted on a security role basis.
To assign permissions to a portal:
On the Role Assignments tab, check the boxes for the roles that you want to have access to this portal and click OK.
Portal - Other Tabs
Adding a Portal to the Menu
Once you have completed configuring a portal, you need to decide how this portal will be accessed. Typically, Administrators add Global portals to the menu and let users know where it is and how to use it. General users who create a Local portal can always access their portals with the Data View - Portal access but may also choose to add their Local portals to their Favorites List for easy access. See Managing Your Favorites List.
Steps to Add a Global Portal to the Menu | ||
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1 | Access the Menu page: Dev Center > Build Applications > Menu. | |
2 | Within the Menu Tree, select the menu header where you wish to add your portal. | |
3 | Click Add. |
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4 | Complete the following fields: Item Type - select Portal. Label Text - This is what will be displayed in your menu. Portal Name - Select the portal you just finished configuring. Icon - click the ellipsis to select an icon for the portal. Visible - Check this box; if this box is not checked, it will not be visible on the menu. | |
5 | Click OK. |
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Administration of PortalsSecurity Group ADMIN_PORTAL provides permissions for the Admin Portal page. Security Group PORTAL provides permissions for the Portal Data View where general users can manage Local portals. Administrators can add/delete Global Portal access to a Security Role or, in special circumstances, for an individual user. See our pages on Security. Administrators can promote Local portals to Global upon request. Users will need to share the name of the Local portal and who created it so that the Administrator can find the portal. Once found, access the edit portal form in order to change the Scope field from Local to Global and click OK to make the change. Then apply the new Global portal to the appropriate Security Role(s). |
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