Creating a navigational tree layout

A tree layout allows users to view, navigate, and access the properties in pages in an embedded Page List property. The user can quickly expand and collapse branches of the tree to find entries of current interest.

The layout can display a custom skin; is cross-browser compatible; can be configured to be editable and localizable. Depending on the settings of the control, the user may then be able to perform actions such as "Approve", or open the data object represented by a branch for further review or editing.

Adding a Tree layout

You can quickly add a grid layout to a section in either of two ways:

Start with the data

  1. Select or create a section to hold the layout.
  2. In the Application Explorer, select the Page List property that you want to use as the data source in your layout and drag it to your section.
  3. Drop the rule above or below the default layout. In the pop-up dialog that appears, select Tree as the layout type.
  4. Delete any default layout you do not need.
  5. Add the properties you want to include by dragging a property name from the lists of properties in the Application Explorer and dropping it on the repeating cell in the layout. Alternatively, select a property in the repeating Cell Properties panel.
  6. Complete the configuration described in this topic.

Start with the layout

  1. Select or create a section.
  2. From the Layout group, select Layout.
  3. Drag the layout onto the section.
  4. On the Layout Options form:
    1. Click the Repeating radio button.
    2. Select Tree as the repeat type.
    3. Click OK.
  5. Delete any default layout you do not need.
  6. Open the Hierarchy Cell properties panel and specify the property that you want to use as the data source in the List/Group field. You can reference nested PageLists and PageGroups; for example, Page.Page.Page.Page.PageList.
  7. Add the data source properties in the repeating Cell Properties panels.
  8. Complete the configuration steps described in this topic.

To delete a Tree layout, select the layout and click the Delete Row button. Do not use the Delete Cell button for this action.

How to use the properties panels

You configure many elements in a tree layout using properties panels. To display the panels, turn on the wireframe, select an element, and click the Gear icon. To select an element, click the following:

  • Sections — a header label on a wire frame
  • Rows and columns — a circle (o) next to or on top of a cell
  • Cells — inside a cell

Property fields may appear at the top of the panel, or in one or more tabs. If the panel is pinned, click Apply to apply your changes. Click the red x at the top right of the panel to close it. If the panel is not pinned, click Apply to apply your changes and continue editing, or OK to apply your changes and close the panel.

Parts of a Tree layout

The layout has three areas:

  • Layout area — The framework that contains the action and repeating areas. You define the header format, header type, and overall width.
  • Action areas — The top and bottom areas in which you can place buttons or other controls linked to actions, such as Add Item, Add Child, Delete, or Refresh. The default Grid actions are stored in the template rule, pzPegaDefaultGridIcons, which you can copy and modify to create your own configurations. To remove the default actions, clear the cell.
  • Repeating area — Between the action areas the system displays information dynamically created from the data source. The first row in this area holds column headers representing the fields in the data source. The second row repeats as needed to display the requested data.

    The left column in this row contains the hierarchy control cell, which contains controls that allow the user to display or hide data below the first display layer (for example, tasks within task groups). The right column contains the repeating data.

    You can specify what field of the data source to include in the column, or configure the data's appearance.

Adjust the tree layout area

Select the Tree Layout header and open the properties panel. Configure the layout using the following fields:

General tab

Depending on your Format choice, you may see here a Header Type field. The available options are:

Field Description
Data Source  
Source Select either a Property (default), list-type Data Page, or a Report Definition as the data source for the repeating grid. You cannot select a summary-type Report Definition.

If you select Report Definition as data source, you can configure a dynamic grid.

List/Group If you specified Property, select the Page List or Page Group property that you want to use as the data Source . You can reference nested Page Lists and Page Groups; for example, Page.Page.Page.Page.PageList; or DataObject.PageList.
Defer load activity In situations where loading all the data available might take a significant amount of time, you may choose to load only the data required by the current display. Select or specify in this field the activity to call to get data when it is required.
Tree summary Describe the data to be displayed.
Pagination  
Pagination format

Optional: If the data results comprise more than a single page (approximately 20 rows of data), you may want to specify a traditional Paging format. This option is not available if the data source is a report definition.

Note: The system retrieves a segment, known as a page, containing the number of rows defined in the Items per Page setting, from the total data set on the clipboard. It presents the page navigation controls in a format defined in this option. You can drag and drop rows within a page.

When you select a paging option, the paginate gadget ( pyGridPaginator section) is automatically added to the right-most cell in Action Top. You can drag and drop the gadget onto any cell in an action area (do not drop into the repeating area).

If the results produce less than one page, the paginate gadget does not appear at runtime.

The options are:
None No paging (default).
Page 1 of X Presents an editable page number and a total page count. To navigate, users edit the number and press Enter, or use the navigation buttons.
Page 1,2,3 ... Presents the first group of N links as page 1, the second group as page 2, and so on, where N is the total number of top-level nodes divided by the Items per Page value plus 1 if the total number is not an exact multiple of items per page. For example, if the Items per Page value is 20 and the report contains 207 items, the first page contains items 1 to 20, and the last (11th) page contains the final 7 items. To navigate, users click a number to open a page ( 1, 2, ...) within the range. The display is limited to 10 pages. If there are more than 10 pages, users can click (... ) to advance to the next group.
Rows 1 - Y Presents a range of items (defined in the Items per Page field) in a drop-down list. To navigate, users select a range in the drop-down list or use the navigation buttons.
First X Results Presents the data in either of two page views. The first view is a subset of the data on the clipboard and comprises the top group of items defined by the Items per Page setting. For example, if the setting is 50 and there are 200 items on the clipboard, a label at the top of the list reads "Showing 50 of 200."

To view the entire data set (200 in this example), the user clicks the Show All link. This enables a user to drag items at the top of the set and drop them onto the bottom. The other paging options break large data sets into individual pages and do not have this capability.

The user can toggle click the link to toggle between the first and total views.

Note: When the data set is large and performance is an issue, you can populate the clipboard incrementally using the Paginate Activity on the Advanced tab.
Conditions  
Tree visibility Select one of the following options to control when the tree is visible:
  • Always : The tree is always visible.
  • Condition (expression) : The tree is visible under the specified condition. In the field that is displayed, select a condition or click the Gear icon to open the Condition Builder.

    Note: You can define a simple expression based on the comparison of a pair of constants, properties, or both, combined by Boolean operators, such as .Color="Red". You can combine the expression with a when condition rule or another expression using the && and || operators.
  • Condition (when) : The tree is visible under the specified condition. In the field that is displayed, select a when rule. Click the Gear icon to create a new when condition or review an existing when condition.
Row visibility Select one of the following options to control when the row is visible:
  • Always : The row is always visible.
  • Condition (expression) : The row is visible under the specified condition. In the field that is displayed, select a condition or click the Gear icon to open the Condition Builder.
  • Condition (when) : The row is visible under the specified condition. In the field that is displayed, select a when rule. Click the Gear icon to create a new when condition or review an existing when condition.
Row refresh Select one of the following options to control when the row is refreshed:
  • Never : The row is never refreshed.
  • Condition (expression) : The row is refreshed under the specified condition. In the field that is displayed, select a condition or click the Gear icon to open the Condition Builder.
Header and Footer  
Display grid header Select if you want to display a grid header. You can include actions, such as add and delete row, in the grid header. If pagination is enabled in the grid, the controls for pagination display in the grid header.
Display header Appears if Display grid header is selected. Select one of the following to control when the grid header displays:
  • Always : The grid header is always visible.
  • Condition (expression) : The grid header refreshes under the specified condition. In the field that is displayed, select a condition or click the Gear icon to open the Condition Builder.

    Note: You can define a simple expression based on the comparison of a pair of constants, properties, or both, combined by Boolean operators, such as .Color="Red". You can combine the expression with a when condition rule or another expression using the && and || operators.
  • Condition (when rule) : The grid header refreshes under the specified condition. In the field that is displayed, select a when rule. Click the Gear icon to create a new when condition or review an existing when condition.
Display grid footer Select if you want to display a grid footer. You can include actions, such as add and delete row, in the grid footer.
Display footer Appears if Display grid footer is selected. Select one of the following to control when the grid footer displays:
  • Always : The grid footer is always visible.
  • Condition (expression) : The grid footer refreshes under the specified condition. In the field that is displayed, select a condition or click the Gear icon to open the Condition Builder.

  • Condition (when rule) : the grid footer refreshes under the specified condition. In the field that is displayed, select a when rule. Click the Gear icon to create a new when condition or review an existing when condition.
Identifiers  
Test ID

Optional: If authorized, you can provide a unique Test ID to better support automated testing of your application.

When creating a control that supports you can use a combination of numbers, letters, and underscores, or click the Generate ID button to create a unique ID. The attribute data-test-id is then generated for the selected element.

After the test ID has been generated, you can view your Test ID in HTML or display it in the Live UI panel. You also have the option to have all controls that support Test IDs in a ruleset updated in bulk.

The Test ID is available to access groups that include the PegaRULES:TestID privilege. To disable Test ID, remove the PegaRULES:TestID from the access group.

Operations tab

Row operations  
Row editing The row editing mode sets the default presentation and behavior configuration for a grid, determining how users view and edit properties.

Select one of the following row editing options, each of which are described below: None , Inline , Master-detail .

Default behaviors, configured on the Actions tab,are defined for Inline and Master-detail row editing formats. See Control form - Actions tab tab for more information.

None Select if the row's data cannot be edited. You can allow the user to display the flow action's fields (read only) by selecting the Show Details option on this tab, under Operations.
Note: If the data source is a Report Definition, this is the default value and cannot be edited. You can add action buttons to the grid, which gives the user access to actions on the object represented by that row, such as opening a work item or a local flow action.
Inline Select to enable inline editing of the row's data.
Inline edit mode Appears when you select Inline . Select an inline edit mode:

Click row to edit : When the user double-clicks a row, the editable fields in that row display as editable.

Rows always editable : Editable fields display the data in input boxes.

Master-detail  
Display of details Select to display row details in:
  • Modal dialog : When the user clicks a row, the editable fields for the flow action appear in a modal window on top of the data display. When the modal window is dismissed, the edits are applied.
  • Expandable rows : When the user clicks a row, the flow action's editable fields populate a detail area below the selected row. When the user saves the edits or selects another row, the edits are applied.
  • Embedded elsewhere : When the user clicks a row, editable fields for the flow action populate a detail area below the grid. When the user saves the edits or selects another row, the edits are applied.

Click Open template to open the section used to render the layout. By default, the templates are standard rules .pyGridModalTemplate, .pyGridDetails, and .pyGridRowDetails, respectively. To create custom templates, copy these rules into your Applies To class. Do not change the Purpose .

Template name Select a template for the modal dialog. To specify a custom format defined

in the skin, select Other. Press the down arrow in the field that displays to select the template that you want to use.

Detail flow action Appears if you select Master-detail as the Row editing operation or you select None as the Row editing operation and you select the Show Details check box, under Grid Operations.

Select or create the flow action that will provide the form for the modal dialog or detail area that appears when the user clicks a row.

Display details read-only Appears if you select Master-detail as the Row editing operation.

Select to allow the user to view the flow action details in read-only mode, which prevents locking the work item ( Work- or Assign- item) when it opens.

Do not select this option if the flow action contains an editable grid. The user will be unable to perform work in it.

Grid Operations  
Allow column sorting (Additional settings on column) Select to allow users to sort the rows on a column in the grid. This setting applies to all columns. You can disable sorting for individual columns by clearing the Enable Sorting check box in a column's Cell Properties panel. Sorting is not available for columns containing images, or controls such as buttons (but can include links). This setting overrides the Sort Type settings on Report Definition form's Design tab. For instance, if there are no settings that form, the Sorting selection here enables sorting on the grid.

A tool tip appears at runtime when the user hovers the mouse pointer over the column header. Clicking the header sorts the rows in the column. When sorted, an icon indicating an ascending or descending sort order appears to the right of the header label text. The user can alternate the sort order by clicking the header again. You can use the Skin rule to replace the default icons.

Sorting is performed on all rows in the grid. If Paging is enabled and the user changes the sort order, the grid view returns to the first page.

Allow filtering (Additional settings on column)

Select to allow users to show only those rows that match column value filters. This setting enables filtering for all columns that include a property. You can set filter types or disable filtering for individual columns using the Filtering options in the Column Properties panel.

If a column can be filtered, the Filter icon appears on the right side of the column's header cell. The user clicks the icon to display the filter pop-up menu. On the menu, the user selects the check box next to each property to include. Users can select more than one filter criteria and the grid will filter using all selected criteria.

Filtering mechanisms also appear in the menus for data sourced from:

  • static report definition

  • dynamic report definition

  • virtual report definition

  • property

  • data page

When finished, the user clicks Apply. The filter icon changes to a filter-on icon indicating that a filter is applied to the column.

You can use the Skin rule to replace the default icons.

  • Columns containing images, most action controls such as buttons or icons, hidden controls ( pxHidden ), prompt select controls, and subsections cannot be filtered. Columns can include links.
  • Filtering on Text properties that are obfuscated in edit-mode return results based on unfiltered data. Filtering should be disabled.
  • For date types, leaving a From or To field blank means to include everything preceding or following the single limit. For example, if you enter From 12/15/2011 and leave To blank, all dates on or after 12/15/2011 are included.
  • For numeric types, leaving a greater than or less than field blank means to include everything preceding or following the single limit. For example, if you enter less than 500 and leave greater than blank, all numbers less than 500 are included.
  • Null and not null values can be entered in the filter panel in the Report Viewer. An error message displays if the user searches for a date range by entering a From date that is later than the To date in the Data time column filter panel. An error message displays when the value entered in Greater than or equal to is greater than Less than or equal to.
  • The following property types cannot be filtered:
    • TextEncrypted
    • Password
    • TimeOfDay
    • Identifier
  • Entering a From or To range or search text overrides check box selections; these selections are not included in the filter.
If the filter does not produce results, a message appears. You can modify the message text in the section pyGridNoResultsMessage.
Allow row reordering Select to allow users to move objects higher or lower on the display by dragging and dropping individual rows. Depending on the properties of the objects the rows represent, rows may be moved above or below other rows, or dropped into a row that can receive them to become child entries of that row.

Unavailable if source is Report Definition.

Visual indicators give clues about the process: a line appears between two rows in the list if that is where the row you have started dragging will appear if you release it. A row that can receive the row you have selected as a child will change background color. If your mouse pointer is over an area where you cannot drop the row you have selected, an indicator will remind you that the area is not a valid target. If you attempt to drop the row there, the display will remain unchanged.

Allow column resizing Select to allow users to adjust the width of columns on the display by dragging individual columns to the left or right.
Header Image To add a header image at the top of the Tree:
  1. Open its property panel for this field to start the Image Catalog (a pop-up version of the Image Library landing page).
  2. Search for the image you want to use by entering a text string in the Search field and clicking Find.
  3. Select an image from the resulting display: at the top right of the panel details about the image appear.
  4. To use the selected image, click OK.
Note: The image must already be present in a binary file rule that is part of your application; you cannot search your local computer or the Internet through the Image Catalog.
Image Title Appears when you have selected a header image. Add text here to describe the image: those using assistive devices will hear this title although they may not be able to perceive the image.
Paginate Activity Optional. Appears if you selected a paging option in the Paging field on the General tab.

Select a custom activity that populates the clipboard from a Page List in a page size you define. Because the activity limits clipboard size, this option is useful when retrieving large amounts of data from an external Web service or database. You can also use this activity to control sorting and filtering behavior.

For guidance on configuring the parameters in your activity, use a copy of the standard template activity pyTemplateAdvancedGridActivity.

The Presentation and Action properties tabs are the same as configuring a grid layout.

Adjust the repeating area

Select the Tree header in the repeating area and open the Tree properties panel.

Note: You define the data source in the Hierarchy Cell properties panel.

General tab

Edit Mode The edit mode sets the default presentation and behavior configuration for a repeating grid, determining how users view and edit properties.

By default, each edit mode is configured with grid actions — events and associated actions. The default action for all edit modes is Click to Set Focus. If you do not want a grid to have focus, for example, a display-only grid, delete this grid action.

You can add, delete, or edit grid actions as desired; click the Gear icon next to Edit Mode to configure grid actions. See Completing the Control tab for a description of actions.

Note: When configuring actions in a repeating grid, select the actions from the Handle List Items category. These actions are pre-configured to act upon the rows of the grid.

You can configure sequential actions based on a single event for a repeating grid; for example, Click to Set Focus and Click to Edit Item. The actions are acted upon in the order specified. You can also set multiple actions based on different events; for example, Click to Set Focus and Double Click to Edit Item.

You can also configure Keyboard actions to enable users to navigate and access items in a repeating grid. For example, you can configure the Up and Down arrows to set focus to the previous and next rows in a grid, and the Enter key to open the selected item.

For more information about edit modes, see About repeating layout edit modes.

Note: The UI Gallery contains working examples of edit modes and grid actions. To view and interact with examples and review configurations, select Dev Studio > User Interface > UI Gallery and select Tree in the Repeating Layouts group.
Select one of the following Edit Modes. See Completing the Control tab for a description of actions.
Edit Mode Description Default Grid Actions
Read-Only The row's data cannot be edited. You can allow the user to display the flow action's fields (read only) by selecting the Show Details option.
Event Action
Click Set Focus
Read / Write Editable fields display the data in input boxes.
Event Action
Click Set Focus
Keyboard- Enter Add Item
Inline The displayed data appears in read-only mode. When the user clicks a row, the editable fields in that row display as editable.
Event Action
Click Set Focus
Double Click Edit Item
Modal Dialog The displayed data appears in read-only mode. When the user clicks a row the editable fields for the flow action appear in a modal window on top of the data display. When the modal window is dismissed, any edits take effect.
Event Action
Click Set Focus
Double Click Edit Item
Embedded Pane The displayed data appears in read-only mode. When the user clicks a row, the editable fields for the flow action populate a detail area below the grid. When the user saves the edits or selects another row, the edits are applied.
Event Action
Click Set Focus
Click Edit Item
The system uses existing grid actions to determine whether to set focus to new rows.
> When adding a new row, if focus is... > then the system...
configured for the grid sets focus to the new row
not configured for the grid does not set focus within the grid

If you want to set focus from within a row in a repeating grid to an editable control outside of the grid, provide the full path to the property, beginning with the parent page, and represent it on the Pages & Classes tab of the layout containing the repeating grid.

For Modal Dialog and Embedded Pane, click the Open icon next to the field to open the template section used to render the layout. By default, the templates are standard rules .pyGridModalTemplate and .pyGridDetails. To create custom templates, copy these rules into your Applies To class. Do not change the Purpose.

Depending on the mode you select, you will see a different array of the following fields:  
Flow Action Appears if edit mode is Modal Dialog or Embedded Panel, or Read Only and Show Details is selected. Select or create the flow action that will provide the form for the modal dialog or detail area that appears when the user clicks a row.
Details as read only Appears if the Edit Mode is Embedded Pane or Modal Dialog. Select to allow the user to view the flow action details in read-only mode, which prevents locking the work item when it opens.

Do not select this option if the flow action contains an editable grid. The user will be unable to perform work in it.

Reordering Select to allow users to move objects higher or lower on the display by dragging and dropping individual rows. Depending on the properties of the objects the rows represent, rows may be moved above or below other rows, or dropped into a row that can receive them to become child entries of that row.

Visual indicators provide clues about the process: a line appears between two rows in the list if that is where the row you have started dragging will appear if you release it. A row that can receive the row you have selected as a child will change background color. If your mouse pointer is over an area where you cannot drop the row you have selected, an indicator will remind you that the area is not a valid target. If you attempt to drop the row there, the display will remain unchanged.

Column Resizing Select to allow users to adjust the width of columns on the display by dragging individual columns to the left or right.
Row Resizing Check to allow users to click a row border and drag it beyond the Height setting in the Row Properties panel.
Row Hover Select if you want an OnHover style for rows, changing the appearance of a row when the pointer hovers over it. You can set the hover text and background color in the Skin rule.
Note: The UI Gallery contains working examples of Row Hover. To view and interact with examples and review configurations, select Dev Studio > User Interface > UI Gallery and select Tree in the Repeating Layouts group.
Sorting Select to allow users to sort on a column in the grid. This setting applies to all columns. You can disable sorting for individual columns by clearing the Enable Sorting check box in a column's Cell Properties panel. Sorting is not available for columns containing images, or controls such as buttons or links.

If enabled, a tool tip appears at runtime when the user hovers the mouse pointer over the column header. The user can alternate the sort order (ascending/descending) by clicking the header. Icons indicating ascending sort and descending sort appear to the right of the header label. You can use the Skin rule to replace the default icons.

Sorting is performed on all rows in the tree. If paging is enabled and the user changes the sort order, the tree view returns to the first page.

Filtering Select to allow users to show only those rows that match a column value filter. This setting enables filtering for all columns that include a property. You can set filter types or disable filtering for individual columns using the Filtering options in the Column Properties panel. This option is not available in Read/Write mode.

If a column can be filtered, a filter icon appears on the right side of the column's header cell. The user clicks the icon to display the filter pop-up menu. On the menu, the user selects the check box next to each property to include. The menus also contain filtering mechanisms suitable for the property types in the column as follows:

  • Date types ( Date and DateTime ) — Define a data range in the From and To fields.
  • Text — Enter free-form text in the abc field.
  • Numeric types ( Integer, Decimal, and Double ) — Define a range by entering numeric values in the greater than and less than fields.

When finished, the user clicks Apply. The filter icon changes to a filter-on icon indicating that a filter is applied to the column.

You can use the Skin rule to replace the default icons.

Note the following:

— Columns containing images, action controls such as buttons or icons, hidden controls ( pxHidden ), prompt select controls, and subsections cannot be filtered.

— Filtering on Text properties that are obfuscated in edit-mode return results based on unfiltered data. Filtering should be disabled.

— The following property types cannot be filtered:

  • TextEncrypted
  • Password
  • TimeOfDay
  • Identifier

If the filter does not produce results, a message appears. You can modify the message text in the section pyGridNoResultsMessage.

Show Details Appears if edit mode is Read Only. Select to allow the user to click a row and display its flow action details (Embedded Pane, Modal, and Expand modes) beneath the row in read-only mode. The user can expand multiple rows. Enter the flow action in the Flow Action field.
Expand All Appears if Show Details is selected. Select to display details for all rows when the user opens the form.
Fixed Size Select to specify the maximum height and width of the layout. Further fields appear:
Height Provide the height of the display in pixels.
Width Provide the width of the display in pixels.
Freeze Pane Select an option to govern how the display will behave if the tree and its data are wider and/or taller than the dimensions you have provided. Depending upon the Width option you selected on the Grid Repeat Layout properties panel, the following may display:
  • None — As the user scrolls down or to the right to see more data than the dimensions allow for, the header row and the first column (usually a key identifier of the row's contents) move off-screen).
  • Row Pane — As the user scrolls down, the header row remains in view to identify the columns being displayed.
  • Column Pane — As the user scrolls to the right, the first row of data remains in view to help the user identify what rows of data are being displayed
  • Both Panes — As the user scrolls to the right or down, both the header row and the first column of data remain in view.
Open on double-click Appears if the Edit Mode is Read Only or Embedded Pane. When checked, the related work item opens for editing in a work item gadget when the user double-clicks on a row of data in the display. If the Pega Platform cannot find the gadget, it opens the work item in a new tab or new window.

Advanced tab

ID Optional. Provide an identifier for this Tree layout. Start with a letter, have no spaces, and include only alphanumeric characters, hyphens, or underscores.
Summary Describe the data to be displayed.
Refresh on Update Appears if Edit Mode is Modal Dialog. When checked, the entire layout is refreshed each time data is updated or submitted.
Append Activity Select or create an activity that runs when the user adds an entry.
Delete Activity Select or create an activity that runs when the user deletes an entry.
Target for Edit Appears when edit mode is Embedded Pane. Select a custom section in which you want to display the details. For example, assume you want the detail area to appear to the left of a tree instead of below (default). Create a section (named gridResults ) containing a two-column layout with the grid embedded in the second column and an empty section in the first column. Enter the name of the empty section in the Target for Edit field.

Column properties

There are two columns in the repeating section. Select the first column to display the Hierarchy Column properties panel. Select the second column to display the Label Column properties panel. The options you see depend upon the type of column.

Width Specify the column width of this column in pixels. You can also adjust the width of a column directly:
  1. Click a vertical wireframe cell border.
  2. Wait until the pointer shape changes, then drag the border.

The unlabeled Use at Runtime check box to the right of the width field is enabled by default and cannot be edited. This forces the Width value to be used by the browser at runtime, even when data values in this column or in other columns would otherwise cause the browser to present a wider or narrower column. Data values may sometimes wrap or appear truncated.

Filtering Appears if the Filtering check box is selected on the Repeat Grid panel. Select a filtering option for this column:
  • Auto — displays a check box for each unique value and the Search or Date Range fields, depending upon the column data type. This is the default.
  • Range/Search — displays only the Search or Date Range fields, depending upon the column data type. Use this option to enable Search or Date Range on columns in which the values are unique, for example, a description.
  • None — no filtering is available on this column.
Enable Sorting Label Column panel only. Appears and is selected if Sorting is selected on the Tree properties panel. Clear the check box to disable sorting on this column.
Inline Style Optional. Enter CSS code for an inline style for a cells in the column. For guided assistance in composing a style definition, click the Gear icon to open the Style Editor. You can select from predefined lists or type a style definition directly, and preview the results.

Hierarchy control cell properties

Select the hierarchy control cell and open its properties panel.

List/Group Identify the PageList property that you want use as the data source. You can reference nested PageLists; for example, Page.Page.Page.Page.PageList.

General tab

Show +/- Icon Select one of the available values. If you select Other Condition, the Condition field appears where you can specify or select the When rule that governs whether the row will be visible.
Icon Specify the image to appear in the hierarchy control cell if you wish to replace the default image.

Advanced tab

Defer Load Activity In situations where loading all the data available might take a significant amount of time, you may choose to load only the data required by the current display. Select or specify in this field the activity to call to get data when it is required.
Right Click Optional: Specify the Name key part of a navigation rule that defines a context menu to appear when the user right-clicks a row in the grid. Such a menu can offer standard actions such as "Add After", "Delete", and so on. See How to create context menus for grid layouts using navigation rules.
Width Specify the width of the column in pixels. Provides the same control as the Width setting in the Column properties panel.
Height Specify the height of the cell in pixels. Reducing the height can make the tree more vertically compact at run time. Provides the same control as the Height setting in the Row properties panel.
Inline Style Optional: Override the stylesheet settings in this cell with local values.

Enter CSS code for an inline style for a cells in the column. For guided assistance in composing a style definition, click the Gear icon to open the Style Editor. You can select from predefined lists or type a style definition directly, and preview the results.

Row properties

Select either row in the repeating area and open its properties panel.

Height Optional. Enter a positive number for the height in pixels of this cell. (At runtime, normal browser processing for rendering tables determines the actual displayed height.) You can also adjust the height of a row directly:
  1. Click a horizontal wireframe cell border.
  2. Wait until the pointer shape changes, then drag the border.

The unlabeled Use at Runtime check box to the right of the width field is enabled by default and cannot be edited. This setting forces the Height value to be used by the browser at run time, even when data values in this column or in other cells would otherwise cause the browser to present a taller or shorter column.

Inline Style Open the Style Editor panel for this cell to override the stylesheet settings with local values.
Make Header Select to display all the cell values in the row with the same style that the column heading uses. This is an alternative to individually selecting the Use Heading Styles check box for each column. This option is cleared by default.

Column header properties

Select the header cell in the repeating area and open its properties panel.

Value Enter the title for this column.
Label For Select from the data source the field that will be rendered in the cells of this column. Normally this is the label or title of the item.

General tab

Visibility Select one of the available values. The default is Always.
Condition If you selected Other Condition for the Visible field, complete this field.
  • The When Name key part of a when condition rule. Click the Open icon to review or create the rule.
  • Simple expression based on the comparison of a pair of constants, properties, or both, combined by Boolean operators, such as .Color="Red". You can combine the expression with a when condition rule or another expression using the && and || operators.

As a best practice, use the Condition Builder to edit this field. Click the Gear icon to open the tool. See Using the Condition Builder to configure dynamic UI actions.

Required Select to make the values in this column required.
Wrap Text Select to force the text in this column to wrap to additional lines if it is longer than the width of the column.
Read Only Select to make the cells in this column read-only. If you select it, a field appears where you can specify a When rule to govern when the cells in this column are to be read-only.

Presentation tab

Advanced Presentation Options

  • Width – Specify the width of the column in pixels. Provides the same control as the Width setting in the Column properties panel.

  • Height – Specify the height of the cell in pixels. Provides the same control as the Height setting in the Row properties panel.
Instead of creating a new custom format in the skin, you can adjust elements in a cell by applying Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) helper classes. For example, you can use a CSS helper class to center an element in a cell or to double the standard right margin for the element.
  • Cell read-write classes – Click the Open helper class picker icon to specify one or more CSS helper classes to apply to this cell when the form is displayed in read-write mode. You can enter several helper classes, separated by a space. Alternatively, you can enter the name of a custom style to apply to this cell.
  • Cell read-only classes – Click the Open helper class picker icon to specify one or more CSS helper classes to apply to this cell when the form is displayed in read-only mode. You can enter several helper classes, separated by a space. Alternatively, you can enter the name of a custom style to apply to this cell.
  • Inline style (not for production use) – You can use this field to define an inline style by entering CSS code. However, entering an inline style results in a guardrail warning. For maintainability and reuse, the recommended approach is to use read-write or read-only classes.
For more information, see CSS helper classes.

Repeating cell properties

Select the data cell in the repeating area and open its properties panel.

Property Select a Single Value property. Typically, this is from within data source's embedded page property. Alternatively, you can drag a property name from the properties visible in the Application Explorer onto the cell.
Note: This field does not appear if the value in the Control field contains an Action mode control such as pxButton.
Control Select a control to format the value in this cell. If left blank, the property uses the control (if any) in the Control field on the property form's General tab.

Many controls on the Basic and Advanced groups are associated with default controls, which appear in this field when you drag and drop a control into the cell. For example, the Button control populates the field with pxButton, the Text Area control with pxTextArea, and so on.

Behavior Appears only if the control is not auto-generated, or if an auto-generated control was configured using the Client Event Editor in a release before PRPC Version 6.3.

Click the Gear icon next to this field to display the Client Event Editor, where you can specify formatting conditions and actions for this field.

Note: This field does not appear if the value in the Control field contains an Action mode control such as pxButton.

General tab

Visible Select one of the options presented. The default is Always.
Condition If you selected Other Condition for the Visible field, complete this field.
  • The When Name key part of a when condition rule. Click the Open icon to review or create the rule.
  • Simple expression based on the comparison of a pair of constants, properties, or both, combined by Boolean operators, such as .Color="Red". You can combine the expression with a when condition rule or another expression using the && and || operators.

As a best practice, use the Condition Builder to edit this field. Click the Gear icon to open the tool.

Required Select to make this a required field if the user adds data to the display.
Wrap Text Select to force the text in this column to wrap to additional lines if it is longer than the width of the column.
Read Only Selected by default, which prevent edits to this field. You can refine this control by selecting or creating a when rule in the Read Only Condition field that appears when you select this option.

Advanced tab

Width Specify the width of the column in pixels. Provides the same control as the Width setting in the Column properties panel.
Height Specify the height of the cell in pixels. Provides the same control as the Height setting in the Row properties panel.
Default Value Specify a default value for this field. Click the Gear icon beside it to display the Expression Builder, where you can select or create an expression to generate the default value. Leave the field blank if it does not require a default value.
Read-Write Style Optional. Type the name of the custom style, for example, custom_stylename , that you want to apply to this cell when the user form or flow action form appears in read-write mode. Define custom styles in the Skin rule.
Read-Only Style Optional. Type the name of the custom style, for example, custom_stylename , that you want to apply to this cell when the user form or flow action form appears in read-only mode. Define custom styles in the Skin rule.
Inline Style Open the Style Editor panel for this cell to override the stylesheet settings with local values.

Adjust the action areas

The Tree layout has two action areas, one at the top and one at the bottom of the display. You can use one or both. If you use both, configure each action area separately.

Select Action Top or Action Bottom , then display the properties panel. Select a column header and open its properties panel.

Visible Select one of the options presented. The default is Always.
Condition If you selected Other Condition for the Visible field, complete this field.
  • The When Name key part of a when condition rule. Click the Open icon to review or create the rule.
  • Simple expression based on the comparison of a pair of constants, properties, or both, combined by Boolean operators, such as .Color="Red". You can combine the expression with a when condition rule or another expression using the && and || operators.

As a best practice, use the Condition Builder to edit this field. Click the Gear icon to open the tool.

General tab

Not used.

Advanced tab

ID Optional. Provide an identifier for this tree. Start with a letter, use no spaces, and include only letters, numbers, hyphens, or underscores.

Column properties

Select a column in the top or bottom action area and open its properties panel.

Width Specify the width of this column. Select the check box to the right of the field to lock the width to the value you have specified.

Clear the Set width during execution check box (unlabeled) next to the width field to allow the browser at run time to determine the width of this column based on the size of the column contents and the size of other columns. The width may vary from use to use depending on the contents of this cell and other cells. (When cleared, the generated HTML for this column includes a <TD> element with no WIDTH= attribute.) The Width value is used as you view the rule form, but not at run time.

For example, clear this check box if the cell is to contain a section that may be wide in some situations and narrow in others.

Select the Set width during execution check box to force the Width value to be used by the browser at run time, even when data values in this column or in other columns would otherwise cause the browser to present a wider or narrower column. If checked, data values may sometimes wrap or appear truncated.

Inline Style Optional. Enter CSS code for an inline style for a cells in the column. For guided assistance in composing a style definition, click the Gear icon to open the Style Editor. You can select from predefined lists or type a style definition directly, and preview the results.

Row properties

Select the row in the top or bottom action area and open its properties panel.

Height Enter a positive number for the height in pixels of this cell.

Clear the Set height during execution check box (next to the height field and (unlabeled) to allow the browser at run time to determine the height of this row based on the size of the row contents and the size of other rows. The height may vary from use to use depending on the contents of this cell and other cells. (When cleared, the generated HTML for this column includes a <TD> element with no HEIGHT= attribute.) The Height value is used as you update the rule, but not at run time.

For example, clear this check box if the cell is to contain a section that may be tall in some situations and short in others.

Select the Set height during execution check box to force the Height value to be used by the browser at run time, even when data values in this column or in other cells would otherwise cause the browser to present a taller or shorter column.

Inline Style Optional. Enter CSS code for an inline style for a cells in the column. For guided assistance in composing a style definition, click the Gear icon to open the Style Editor. You can select from predefined lists or type a style definition directly, and preview the results.
Make Header? Select to display all the cell values in the row with the same style that the column heading uses. This is an alternative to individually selecting the Use Heading Styles check box for each column. This option is cleared by default.

Action cell properties

Add a control, property, or other section that is appropriate to the display and function of your data. Configure the section's properties by selecting it and then displaying the properties panel.

Tab Group properties panel

When you select a Header Style of Tabbed, the layout appears in a Tab Group wireframe. Select it to make it active and click the Gear icon in the header to open the Tab Group properties panel.

Complete the top field and General tab. There are no settings on the Advanced tab.

Top field

Field Description
Format

Select the format you want to apply to the tabs in the group. To configure the format's appearance, access the Components tab in the Skin and then select Tab in the Layouts area.

  • Standard — Default format applied to all tab groups.
  • Sub — Format suitable for sub-tabs.
  • Other — A custom style that you create in the skin rule. When you select this option, enter the style name in the Style field.

General tab

Field Description
Tab Position Select the placement of the tabs at runtime:
  • Top
  • Bottom
  • Left
  • Right

If you select Left or Right, specify the horizontal or vertical orientation of the tabs in the Tab Orientation field

Tab Orientation If you selected a left or right Tab Position , select to display tabs horizontally or vertically. Horizontal is the default. If you select vertical orientation, the tab title is rotated based on the tab position, left or right.
Stretch Tabs Select to stretch the horizontally or vertically to fit the available space. If the Tab Position is Top or Bottom, tabs stretch horizontally; if the Tab Position is Left or Right, the tabs stretch vertically.