Server layout and functional changes

Owned by Dorian Port
Last updated: Sept 05, 2014
4 min read

This section is intended to give you an overview of the changes in the current menu structure / layout of the application.  Where new functions have been introduced, more detail is provided in other documents, such as the Presentation configuration Knowledge Base article.  Some samples may be given to describe the changes made, the screenshots may differ from your own, but functionality will be the same across versions.

Menu item removals

The following items have been removed from the console main menu options displayed in the left menu tree:

  1. Menu Settings
  2. Context Settings

As these settings are configured with new modules and are part of the configuration for a module, these are now accessed through Map Settings->Module Settings

We have introduced a tabbed view, so when clicking on the 'Edit' icon to access a modules settings (such as webservice configuration settings), users can navigate to Menu and Context Settings without having to switch to another module / menu item.  See Module Settings new menu for more details.

Action buttons

In the application, buttons were included in almost every page to allow administrators to perform certain functions, such as sending a Cad to Users, performing reset and read on Keywords, setting order in Map Settings.  These were displayed at the bottom of each screen and administrators had to scroll down to the bottom of each page to execute.  In the new server, all action buttons are displayed at the top of the screen and do not disappear when scrolling up / down a list of records.  When administrators scroll large lists (such as a list of modules in Map Settings->Module Settings), the list of modules within Map Settings will scroll up/down, but the action buttons remain on screen, allowing users to access quickly.

A sample of this change is in the Users page.  In the V9 console, the buttons to perform user actions (Users/Push To Device/Data Load/Clear) are displayed below the list of users:

In v10 servers and above, these action icons are now displayed above the list of users and form part of the menu frame:

The search option has also been moved, so that it is displayed alongside the other action items.  In addition, where users are able to access it, the presentation icon and full screen icon are also displayed in the same menu above the display so that all functions are accessed in the same location.

Icon changes

The icons in the console have also been changed.  Note that some options, such as "search" in all menus and "validate" in the Download Rules section have been replaced with icons / buttons, to fit in with the redesigned console.  Functionality remains unchanged, but the placement and icon identifying them has changed.

New icons have also been added for accessing the presentation configuration screen and for switching to a full screen view, these are discussed in the overview of icon changes in the article Icon changes V9 to V10 Servers

Presentation configuration

In the latest builds the views have been redesigned, allowing users to set a presentation configuration/layer to control which columns are displayed on screen.  In areas of the application where status information is displayed (such as Users screen / Delivery In / DS Modules / Handheld Data), administrators can select the Presentation Configuration icon and define:

  1. Which columns are displayed on screen (or combined into a single column)
  2. Format of fields (such as how date fields are displayed)
  3. Which fields are available to the user to Search
  4. Which fields can be used to sort search results
  5. Which information is displayed when tapping more information / details icon

The Presentation Configuration option is a new function introduced in v10 servers and is explained in the knowledge base article Presentation configuration

Server configuration wizard

To help customers and partners configure a new server from scratch, without having to manually map modules one-by-one, a new server configuration wizard has been designed.

This wizard is launched whenever a server is launched for the first time, you can either execute it immediately, later or choose not to display the wizard again.  It can be manually launched through the Administrator->Global Settings menu where a new option has been added to run the wizard again.

The Configuration Wizard is designed to use a drag / drop interface to decide which modules and fields are included in your configuration.  It does not guarantee that a working configuration will be in place on completion, but it allows the simple configuration of a server, with all modules and fields mapped and basic (first two fields) configured in Menu and Context Settings.  It will produce a starting point for a configuration and allows rapid deployment of a new environment, with most configuration steps complete. 

Some objects will require changes / web service configuration settings to be updated / fields settings altered etc. before a fully working system is in place, but modules and fields should be present.

For more information, please see  Server Configuration Wiki

Module and Field Mapping changes

In addition to the Server Configuration Wizard, changes have also been made to the way in which modules and field settings can be altered.  This moves all module / field / menu / context settings to one page (Map Settings->Module Settings), allowing a user to work through all elements of a single module in one page.  This has improved the interface and number of clicks required to reach critical mapping functions.

An explanation of the new mapping changes is included in the article Module Settings new menu