Navigation Bar

Configuring the navigation bar component

The Navigation Bar configurator is available from the App Studio.

The navigation bar configurator is a modal popup dialogue which shows the navigation bar menu items as a tree view on the left panel and the properties of each selected item in the right panel. It operates as master/detail so that selecting a, item in the left panel tree view , shows the associated item properties to the right.

Nomenclature

Generically, a tree view consists of nodes arranged hierarchically. A node can be also described as an item. To top item, or node, in a tree is called the root. Nav Bar is a shortened term for Navigation Bar.

In the nav bar menu tree view the root is the Nav Bar Menu. It's sub nodes are called groups, and those items beneath groups are called forms, as they are used by the end-user to open forms.

Edit Functionality

The tree view nav bar menu tree view is drag and drop enabled, allowing both groups and form items to be dragged and dropped into other groups. There are only two levels beneath the root i.e. groups and form items.

Changing group or form properties will be remembered when this form is open, so that re-selecting an item will remember the last change, however to persist your property changes you need to use the Apply or Apply & Close buttons, which re-draw the visible nav bar in the application for testing.

Forms Concept

The lowest level, forms or form items, are each linked to a form. The nav bar is one of ways that end-users can open forms. The other ways are from the history menu and the add menu, both on the toolbar, and by drilling down into grids.

Note: The nav bar form properties must be defined in order to open any type of form (lookup or data entry). If a form is not referenced in the nav bar, then it cannot be opened.

When a form is opened, it will be highlighted in the nav bar for example:

Data entry forms are also shown in the nav bar only when the form is opened. They should be set to invisible in the nav bar so that they only appear once they are opened. For example:

Add Group

The Add Group button on the Nav Bar Menu is where new groups are added to the Navigation Bar Menu root:

This opens a modal popup form requesting the name of the group:

Typing in the name of the group and using the Save button will add the new group to the nav bar and select it to show its properties.

Group Properties

When a group is selected in the left tree view, its properties are shown to the right:

ID

This is automatically generated and is read-only.

Caption

This is the text which appears in the nav bar group. Editing it will immediately change the text in the selected tree view group.

Icon

This is the icon which is shown in the nav bar to the left of the caption. The icon can be changed using the button to the right:

This opens the icon picker:

There are numerous categories of icons to choose from, and the filter can be used as shown. Clicking on the icon will replace it in the properties. It will also change in the selected tree view group.

Open

Setting this means that the nav bar will be shown open on login, showing its forms, for example:

This nav bar group is open, revealing the sub item forms.

Visible

Whether the group is visible or not when displayed at run-time. If you create a designer-only group, then you may wish to make this invisible, but use the security subsystem to make it visible only to specific users.

Locked

This read-only property means that the properties cannot be changed or deleted.

Visible on Phone

Some groups can be hidden on phones.

Add Form

The Add Form button on the Nav Bar Menu is where new forms are added to the selected form group:

This opens a modal popup form requesting the selection of a form:

Click Save to add the new form item to the selected group.

WARNING: If you have already add all forms to the navigation bar, this message will be shown: