Module Customizing

 

Module customizing means the creation of new processing and analysis modules or the modification of existing ones. Customizing will be required if the user wishes to make individual modifications, for example to:

·         produce special reports and forms

·         remove unwanted fields from forms or reports

·         incorporate additional fields of the standard DB in forms or reports

·         generate special layouts

 

User menu

 

The pre-configured user roles can be modified to meet company-specific requirements. For each role, a user menu is compiled, containing the modules with the necessary functions and data, required for the user’s activity profile. This user menu can either be made up of standard modules, or alternatively can also contain individually-created modules.

 

Creating and modifying modules

 

Module customizing enables the user simply and rapidly to create a new module. The new module is given a module title, and assignments to user roles. After this, the data areas are created and edited. When doing this, data fields such as project, project budget are inserted into data areas from the data dictionary by a drag+drop procedure, or existing data areas are copied, assigned to the module in whatever order is required, and modified as appropriate. In doing so it is possible, for example, to specify whether search criteria are to be effective only for an area, or across the company, whether data areas are to be displayed or the user is to have the option to switch the display on and off, and whether the areas involved are normal, grouped or totals areas.

 

 

 

 

For example, when data fields are being edited it is possible to specify whether they are to be sorted in ascending or descending order, whether they are input or output fields, how they are to be summarized, what format the dates or numbers have, and the color, size and font to be used for the symbols. It is possible, on a module-specific basis, to activate menu items, format windows, define sort and search criteria, create user-specific legends and specify the positions of data fields.

 

Selection lists

 

The data areas and data fields can have assigned to them symbols with various font styles and sizes, colors, hatching or frames. Numerous formatting elements can be selected for this purpose. In addition, the editing and creation of new modules is simplified by predefined modules, groups, data areas, scale/totals/graphics areas, plus selection lists for formatting numbers and dates.

 

Macro

 

Activity sequences which comprise constantly recurring worksteps can be automated using macros. For this purpose, PLANTA provides a macro recorder, which records the work steps carried out using the menu bars or the keyboard.

 

Macros can be set up for use within specific modules or across modules. They can subsequently be modified manually.

 

Conventions

 

To make it easier for users to create new modules, and to promote uniformity in working procedures, PLANTA has laid down rules for names and the use of colors. These rules can be used for the naming of bar and date scales, and for the colors used in data fields, in modules, in the project management application, in forms, in barcharts, on time scales and for links.

 

Import and export

 

The Module Customizer can be used to create modules for importing or exporting data. Data can be imported and exported by means of a macro, for example so that the imported data is automatically saved, or to automate the regular export of data. Exported files can be write-protected, can be conveniently administered by means of coded identifiers, and can be imported online into other applications. The import and export formats and file contents are configurable.