Navigating Project Tracker
The Project Tracker interface is organized to allow access to all the major functionality
from anywhere in the application. Each of the action screens provides relevant
information along with links to access further details as needed. A unified
and consistent interface allows you to recognize the types of information
and actions available on each screen.
Each screen provides the following navigational aids
- The navigation bar: The navigation bar contains links
to Artifact entry, Query, and Reporting functionality.
- Re-using the URL of a saved query: The artifact ID box
allows you to access a specific artifact number. The Saved queries
list provides access to your saved queries as well as the default "My artifact..."
queries.
- Section titles: Most information screens are organized
in tabular format. Each section is presented with an informative section
header, describing the section and, often, providing general information
about the section. Column headers with arrows can be used to change the
sort order for that table. For the sort column, the title has an arrow indicating
the direction of the sort: the default is ascending. To change the direction
of the sort click the arrow.
- Buttons: Are used to indicate a set of actions that can
be performed. Often you will find more than one set of buttons on a page.
Buttons directly below a section will perform actions on the section only.
You may find an Update Options button beside an attribute
selector in one section. This indicates that if you change the attribute,
clicking the button will change the options available to that attribute.
- Checkboxes: Are used to select list items for modification.
In many cases, helpful information is included directly on the screens to
clarify unusual operations. Error messages are provided in line to help identify
where the error occurred and specific means for remedy.
Entry forms consist of a combination of tabs, buttons and entry fields. Tabs are used to navigate between entry forms, while buttons
allow you to perform any actions you need on the forms. Entry fields allow you interact with the form.
NOTE: Asterisks are used to define required fields. Often you will find textual guidelines within the entry forms to help you through the form entry process.
Entry fields
There are several types of entry fields that may appear on a form. These include:
-
Text entry fields: can be either
long or short. Click inside the box to add text to the field.
- Single select drop down lists: contains a list of options of which
you can select one. Click the box to reveal the options and select the
one you want. Once you have made your selection, that option will appear
in the box.
- Multiple selection box: contains a list of options from which you
can select one or more. To select one, click the option. To select more than one, click one option and hold down the CTRL key while you click
the other options.
- Dates: in these fields you can either enter the date in the format YYYY-MM-DD or you can click the calendar icon to open the calendar
pop-up. To use the calendar pop-up, either click the entry next to Today, select a date from the calendar image or use the << and >> links
to scroll between months. Once you have selected a date from the calendar, the pop-up window will close and the date will appear in the Date
field.
Buttons
Navigational buttons are available on each screen. These buttons perform
actions on the data entered in the form. The
- Cancel cancels the process in which you currently are engaged.
- Continue button will take you to the next part of the entry process.
- Done button will save your work and return you to the last process in which you were engaged.
- Next button indicates that there is further information to be gathered on the next screen. Clicking this button will cache your
current data and take you to the next part in the wizard.
Tabs
Multipart functionality provides tabs for navigation between parts.
To define the way reports are displayed, you can use the tabs to switch from defining
row and column content to determining the final reports display.
Results and selection pages
Results screens appear after you have made a request for collated information, like performing a query, running a report, and so on. Each results screen provides a list of items with some descriptive information. Descriptive information can include items like date and time a query was run and the number of items that are displayed per page.
Results screens allow you to perform actions on the items that appear. Under the items you will find a set of dropdown boxes containing actions that you can perform.
- The first box allows you to export the results in the selected format. The available formats include Excel (.xls) and tab separated values. Once you select the export format from the dropdown box, you can choose to save the results locally or open them in OpenOffice.
- The second box allows you to perform specific actions on all or a selected subset of the results. The available actions include View, Assign, Copy, and Move.
The query results page also contains an Add/remove columns link. Use this link to change the attributes shown in your query results. On the Add/remove columns page, all of the available attributes are listed by name and sequence. Attributes are displayed in columns ordered from left to right by sequence number.
Sort order
Items are initially in the order indicated by the query definition. To sort by an attribute, click the title of the attribute. The sort will change to ascending by that attribute. Clicking the arrow beside the attribute name will provide a descending sort.
Customizing the interface
You can configure the columns that are displayed on the results page of an ad-hoc query. These settings are retained for the rest of your work session. You can change the configuration of columns that are displayed in the Selected Attributes section by using the icons listed against each of them.
Query Results and Reports - Click this link for more information.