Managing UI Blocks, Folders, and Tasks

UI blocks, folders, and tasks are managed in the User Interface management view (task ID: UIBlockMnt). The user interface management functions are available for users who have administrator rights.

On the user interface management screen, you can arrange tasks in UI blocks and folders.

• In the UI Blocks pane you can add, copy, move, and delete UI blocks.

• In the Block Settings pane you can:

  • give a name and descriptions to the UI blocks

  • add, move, and delete folders and tasks.

• In the Task Parameters in XML Format pane you can create, import, and edit task parameters and save them as an XML definitions file.

Adding UI Blocks, Folders and Tasks

UI blocks are collections of folders and tasks. Folders and tasks can be added as root elements to a UI block or under folders.

If you add a task as a root element directly into a UI block, you cannot add any other task or folder into the same UI block. Always create a root folder to the UI block, to which you then add folders and tasks. You can add only one root folder to a UI block.

1. To add a UI block, click and fill in the UI block ID, name, and description. The ID cannot be changed later but the name can be changed. The name shows in the navigation pane.

   To copy an existing UI block as a basis of a new one, click , modify the settings and content of the UI block, and save it with a new ID and name.

2. If you want to add a folder, click Add Folder, select an icon for the folder, and fill in the folder name and description. The name shows in the navigation pane.

3. To add a task, click Add Task, select the task ID from the Folder/task ID drop-down list, select an icon for the task, and fill in the task name and description. The name shows in the navigation pane.

   The added folder or task is always created under the selected folder. You cannot add a folder or task under a task.

   Unlike most cases where the IDs are used, the task ID does not identify the task from other tasks and thus several tasks can have the same task ID (as is the case with, for example, InputSheet10000 and ReportSheet task IDs). The task ID is an attribute indicating what kind of task is in question and tells the application how to proceed when the task is activated.

4. To save the changes, click .

A new UI task is available only after cache has been refreshed.

Copying a task as new within one UI block

1. Select the task which you want to copy.

2. Click Copy as New on the toolbar. The Copy as New pop-up window opens.

3. Add a name/ID for the task in the Name field and click OK.

The copy of the task is added to the end of the task list of the UI block.

Copying a task as new to another UI block

1. Select the task which you want to copy.

2. Click Copy as New on the toolbar. The Copy as New pop-up window opens.

3. Add a name/ID for the task in the Name field.

4. On the Destination field, select to which UI block you want to paste the task.

5. Click OK.

The copy of the task is added to the end of the task list of the UI block.

User interace task IDs

The following table lists the available user interface task IDs in Clausion.

User interface task IDs

¹⁾ New UI task for time management is visible for the admin user in the Web Client navigation, but the actual management view has not been implemented yet.

Moving and Deleting UI blocks, Folders and Tasks

You can arrange the UI blocks, folders and tasks using the (Move up) or (Move down) buttons for moving items up and down in the list.

Within one UI block you can move tasks from one folder to another by dragging the task and dropping it to another folder.

Deleting UI blocks, folders and tasks

There are separate Delete buttons for deleting the UI blocks and folders/tasks.

To delete a UI block:

1. Select the UI block which you want to delete.

2. Click in the main toolbar on top of the UI Block pane.

To delete a folder or a task:

1. Select the folder or task which you want to delete.

2. Click in the toolbar on top of the folder and task tree.

When deleting a UI block, the UI block with all its folders and tasks is deleted.

A UI block can be deleted even if it is used by a role. The UI block will then also disappear from the role’s user interface.

A folder cannot be deleted if it contains sub-folders or tasks. When a folder or task is deleted from the user interface, it will also disappear from the user's personal Favourites view and from any role’s user interface where it was included.

Editing Task Parameters

Although you can create your own task settings from scratch, usually the most practical way of defining a new task is creating the task and copying the settings of an existing one similar to the task you want to create and then editing the settings.

You can save the definitions of a task to a file and use them as a basis for another task. To save the definitions, click in the toolbar of the Task Parameters in XML Format pane. To import definitions from a file, click . You can attach the same definition file to different tasks, but note that if you make changes to the definitions in one task the changes will not be automatically updated to the other tasks.

The system includes a set of example task settings for some task IDs that may be used (see the table in User interface task IDs).

When selecting a UI block, the folders and tasks of that block are shown in the Block Settings pane. From the tree structure, select the task whose parameters you want to edit. The task parameters are shown in XML format tree structure in the Task Parameters in XML Format pane.

In the following sections editing of XML definitions in Clausion is described. If you choose to modify the XML definitions in an editor outside Clausion, remember to import the XML parameters file to the task after modification.

Constructing the XML parameters is facilitated by a list of built-in actions (Delete, Copy, Insert) as well as of eligible sub-elements, attributes and values available in the XML editor. Select an element in the tree, click the element with the right mouse button and select the desired action from the pop-up menu.

Save the UI definitions after editing the task parameters. There is no button for saving only the task parameters but the UI definitions as a whole, including all blocks and tasks, are saved at the same time.

Adding new elements

1. Select the position where you want to add an element.

   1. Click the element with the right mouse button and select Insert from the pop-up menu.

   2. Click Insert on the toolbar and select an element from the pop-up menu.

2. The pop-up menu contains the elements that can be added to the next level of the currently selected element.

When you add an element, the mandatory elements under it are added automatically.

You can also copy elements:

Select the position where you want to copy an element.

1. Click the element with the right mouse button and select Copy from the pop-up menu.

2. Click on the toolbar.

   The copy of the element is added to the hierarchy on the same level under the original element.

The system includes a set of example task settings that may be added under the parameter element (see Example task settings). Click the parameter element with the right mouse button and select Add Example (alternative: click Add Example on the toolbar). Select the settings from the pop-up menu. Adding example definitions and editing them to suit your needs is often a practical way to get correct definitions made quickly.

If the XML schema allows, you can move elements to different locations. When an element that can be moved is selected, the (Move up) or (Move down) button appears in the upper right corner above the element tree.

Editing element and attribute values

The values of the elements and attributes are shown in brackets after the element/attribute name in the tree. When you select an element/attribute in the tree, the value is shown in the lower pane under the tree where you can edit it.

If there are errors in the element settings, the element and all its parent elements are marked with the error icon . When you select an element that has been marked with the error icon, an error description is shown below the element tree.

Type the desired value in a text field. If you try to enter an invalid value for an attribute, the warning icon is shown next to the field. Move the mouse cursor on the icon to view the error message.

If an attribute has fixed options, select an option from the drop-down list.

Moving an element

If the XML schema allows, you can move elements to different locations. When an element that can be moved is selected, the (Move up) or (Move down) button appears in the upper right corner above the element tree.

Deleting an element

Select the element that you want to delete from the tree.

1. Click the element with the right mouse button and select Delete from the pop-up menu.

2. Click on the toolbar.

Example task settings

The system includes predefined example settings for the following tasks:

• anyERP launcher tasks

• basic input tasks

• basic reporting tasks

• custom sheet tasks

• data upload tasks

• input data calculation tasks

• internal data transfer tasks

• reconciliation report tasks

• XBRL report task

When you add one of these tasks, the parameters and parameter elements are added by default. Example task settings are added by clicking the element with the right mouse button and selecting Add Example. A pop-up menu opens with a list of selectable example settings.

For basic input and report task and custom sheet task examples the document name must be set before the task can be used.

The example settings cannot be added if corresponding settings already exist. In this case you need to remove the outlook element before you can use the default example settings.

In most of the example settings, the 'value' setting of year, period, data type and dimension is empty by default (in the input task, report task and reconciliation task example settings the %GLOBAL YEAR% and %GLOBAL PERIOD% parameters are used as default values for period and year). If you leave the value setting empty, the first value of the drop-down list is selected by default for the year, period and data type components. For the dimension component, the dimension is not selected by default in the user interface, and when a user selects it, the default unit is selected for the dimension.

Task Parameters of User Interface Tasks

The structure of the task parameters tree is described using the definition for a report template task (UI_EX_RT101) as an example. For descriptions of all the user interface parameters, refer to Clausion User Interface Task Parameters.

The system includes predefined example settings for some tasks, see Example task settings in Mananging UI Blocks, Folders, and Tasks.

XML File of the UI Task

The contents of the XML definitions of an UI task are like boxes within boxes. First the outer box is defined and within it are smaller boxes which in turn may contain smaller boxes of their own. In XML language these 'boxes' are called elements.

The following figure depicts the XML file 'boxes' defining a UI task.

Parameters: Standard outer ‘box’

• Parameter: depending on the parameter the next level may be some settings or an outlook box

  • Outlook: contains settings identifying the screen and defining the general layout and encloses the outlookparameters and components boxes

    • Outlookparameters: encloses the outlookparameter boxes

      • Outlookparameter: mainly settings for showing tabs and function buttons

    • Components: encloses the component boxes

      • Component: settings for defining default values and showing drop-down selection lists, check boxes, radio buttons, and other objects for user selections

Outlook Settings

This topic describes the XML definitions that are used to define the user interface for Simple Report.

The first three elements of the XML file are always the same. The first elements to pay attention to are those that come directly after outlook:

• screenname: The name that is shown in the title bar of the input, report, drill–down, or TR template window. In our example we use the %TASK NAME% variable which refers to the name defined in the Folder/Task Settings.

• screenlogo: The GIF file for the small icon shown in the input or reporting options view below the template name and in an open template below the ribbon.

• screenbackground: The GIF file for the bar shown in the input/reporting options view below the template name and in an open template below the ribbon.

• documentname: The template ID defined in Input and Report Templates.

Outlookparameters

The various outlookparameter (no ‘s’ at the end) elements are gathered under the outlookparameters (with an ‘s’ at the end).

They define the following:

• showing of Advanced Options tab and/or Extra Fields tabs on input and report templates

• Input Template Calculation on input templates

• Report Bundle on report templates

• default row set on input and report templates

• settings on Target tab of Internal Data Transfer Task

• settings of anyERP Launcher Task

For Simple Report the only outlookparameter defined is the one telling that the Advanced Options tab will be shown.

Each outlookparameter can have only one sub-element. When several sub-elements together define a feature or several features are defined with outlookparameter, each sub-element must be placed under its own outlookparameter element. This applies to, for example, the Input, 3 Dimensions input template, where input calculation has been defined.

Components

The various component (no ‘s’ at the end) elements are gathered under the components (with an ‘s’ at the end) to determine what selections the user can make and which selections are preselected.

The component element has the 'name' attribute. The name tells what object on the screen the component is defining. For example, when name = datatype, the component defines the Data type drop-down list.

Usually the component has the following four sub-elements:

• visible: defines whether the component is visible. Even if the component is not visible, a fixed value may still be specified for it. This value affects on what is shown on the template.

• value: defines the default value for the component, for example that the data type is ACT.

• enabled: defines whether the component is enabled. If enabled, the user can select value(s) for the component. If the component is not enabled but is visible, the predefined value shows but the user cannot change it.

• promote: defines whether the component is shown on the input or report template in the Clausion Desktop Client.

  The promote element has no effect in the Clausion Web Client, because in web all visible elements are also promoted.

With the definitions depicted in the following figures the Data type drop-down list (name = datatype) is visible on the selection screen (visible = true) with the default value Actual (value = ACT), and the user may select another data type (enabled = true).

Because the value for the promote element has been set to false, the Data type drop-down list is not available for selections on the template screen in the Clausion Desktop Client.

When accessing the Simple Report in the Web Client, the selections open on the screen. The Data type drop-down list is available, because in web all visible elements are also promoted. Open the report by clicking Open.

[v24.12 and later:]

The report opens on the screen. To view or change the current selections, click the Selections button in the ribbon.

The selections open on top of the upper part of the report. If necessary, change the selections.

[v24.12 and latercontent ends]