Guidelines for designing custom workspaces
Before you start
It is important to make sure that you consider who the end users of the workspace will be and what they will be using the workspace for.
Do all the users have access to the required actions, reports etc.
Consider the following:
- Create a role for the workspace or a workspace to suit a role.
- Make sure the users have access to the required features.
- What data, actions, reports do you want to include or exclude.
Big screens with high resolutions will comfortably display more data than 10 inch tablets.
Consider the following:
- The number and arrangement of the panels.
- The number of visible columns in list content parts.
Consider the following:
- The order that the columns are displayed on a workspace.
- Using a child content panel to display information only required occasionally.
- Removing columns for data that users are not required or allowed to access.
Consider the following:
- Choose a default action that is most commonly used on a workspace.
- Add other common actions to the toolbar.
- Remove actions that are not required for a task.
- Add navigation to another workspace.
Consider the following:
- Change the order the reports are displayed to show common ones at the top of the list.
- Remove reports that are not required for a task.
Consider the following:
- Does an existing workspace contain most of the required content. Take a copy of this workspace and make the required amendments.
- Is there an existing content part that contains most of the required data. Take a copy of the content parts and make the required amendments.
Choose a layout
Choose the appropriate layout for the amount of data that you want to display. It is easier to use a workspace that is not too cluttered. Consider linking to another workspace where large amounts of different information are required.
Use a row layout with the content parts above each other. This allows the columns to be displayed using the maximum available width.
Use a layout with a side panel for the details content parts. The details content parts are opened separately from a drop-down list, allowing you to include several content parts.
List details content parts can be included in this pane, but be aware that only a small number columns will be visible before the user has to scroll.
Add content
As a general rule, the main panel on a workspace should contain the main information that workspace is designed for, such as a list of accounts or a list of transactions.
- Additional related lists or details about items in a list can be added to linked panels.
- Only content parts that have at least one common database field can be added to linked child panels.
- For information panels, where several content parts can be added, make sure the most relevant content part is added first as this is the one that is displayed by default.
Configure the content part
You can change how the data is displayed on your content parts.
Changes can be made on two levels:
-
As a user.
A user can make some changes to a workspace, using the column selector and action selector. These changes are saved for that user only.
-
As a designer.
If you have access to the Workspace Designer (controlled by a feature in System Administration), you can make changes for all users and for all workspaces that use a content part.
If you want to edit one of the existing content parts, we recommend that you save the content part with a new name and add it to the relevant workspaces. This makes sure that you can always revert back to the default content parts if required.
| What can I do? | Why | Who can do it? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| User | Designer | ||
| Change the order the columns are displayed. |
Present the most important or relevant information first. |
Yes |
Yes |
| Hide columns |
Hide columns that are not used all the time to reduce the number of columns. |
Yes |
Yes |
| Display columns |
Make sure the most important and relevant information is displayed to the user. |
Yes |
Yes |
| Remove columns |
Make sure sensitive company information is not available to all users. Make sure that data that is not applicable to certain users cannot be displayed. Columns that are always hidden are cannot be shown via the column selector. |
No |
Yes |
|
Change the column labels |
Makes the displayed data more meaningful to your task. |
No |
Yes |
| Change the format of the column contents | Makes the displayed data more meaningful to your task. |
No |
Yes |
| Change the default filter operator for the toolbar filters |
Make the toolbar filter more relevant to a specific task. For example, if you only ever wants to see transactions above a certain value on a workspace, change the default operator to 'Greater than'. |
No |
Yes |
| Create filters to be used by all users | Helps to find the information required for specific workspaces or tasks. |
Yes |
No |
|
Sort the columns ascending or descending |
Choose to sort the information in a specific direction. |
Yes |
No |
| Choose the default sort |
Choose how the data is sorted to display the most relevant information at the top. For example, the list of transactions on the Bank Transaction Enquiry is sorted by transaction date. You might want to change this to sort the list by bank account by default, or by bank account and transaction date. |
No |
Yes |
| Add or remove actions |
Choose actions that are specific to a task to reduce the number of actions in the list. Choose to make a regular action the default. Add other common actions to the toolbar, to make them easier to find. Choose the order the remaining actions are displayed in the list to follow a process or task if required. Note: Actions are only available on a workspace if you have access to that feature, the same as for the menu options. |
Yes |
Yes |
| Add or remove reports |
Choose reports that are specific to a task to reduce the number of reports in the list. Choose the order reports are displayed to make finding the required report easier. Note: Reports are only available on a workspace if you have access to that feature. |
No |
Yes |