Concepts

Tasks

Adding Custom Buttons to Table Configurations

You can add buttons that perform specific tasks to table configurations. For example, on a configuration listing all work orders, you might include buttons that create a new work order and approve work orders. You can add up to four buttons to each configuration.

When you create a custom button or menu item that invokes a method, you can choose from a list that includes all methods on all classes in APM. Note that not all methods will work from all views. Most of the time, you will want to choose a common method or a method from the class that you are customizing.

When you add a menu item, you can select a join path to a related class. The list of methods to invoke then includes only methods for the selected class.

Once you select the appropriate method, the Label field is completed with the default information for that method.

When you add buttons to a customer configuration, you do not need to create a custom view in the Customization Center of APM. In addition, if you are editing a configuration that is part of a custom view, editing the configuration in the user interface performs the same function as if you were editing the configuration from the Layout window for the custom view.

Note: If you add custom buttons with the attachment method directly to attachments-only configurations through the user interface, the buttons will not be available. Instead, add the attachment method to a button on a panel outside of the actual table configuration, through the APM Forms Editor. For more information, see Customizing the User Interface (UI).

This topic explains how to add custom buttons by editing a configuration from the user interface.

Before adding custom buttons, you must launch APM as an administrator.

To Add Custom Buttons

1.	Open the table configuration to which you want to add custom buttons. Click Configuration and then Open. The Configuration dialog appears, open to the Columns tab.

2.	Select the Buttons tab. Select Button 1 (New) and any additional buttons required. A tab is added for each of the buttons. For example:

3.	For the new button, enter the appropriate settings:

Setting Name

Description

Label

The text to appear on the button. You can enter up to 100 characters.

Type

The type of button you want to include on your table configuration: simple or menu. Simple buttons perform one action. Menu buttons display a menu from which the user can select different actions. When you select Menu button, you can define the menu elements that you want to appear when users click the button.

Source

The source of the method that the button invokes: • Current object: You can select methods that are owned by the class that owns the configuration. For example, if the configuration is on a site view, you will be able to select methods that are owned by the Site class. • Selected object: You can select methods that are owned by the class of objects that are listed in the configuration. For example, if the configuration lists assets, you will be able to select methods owned by the Asset class. Users can then use the button to apply the method to one or more selected objects in the configuration. • Master object: You can select methods that are owned by a master object. For example, in a configuration showing failure modes, the master object might be strategy development analyses.

Method

The action you want the button to perform. You can select any method on the current, selected, or master object. This option only applies to simple buttons.

Add new items in sort sequence

Select this option to add new items in the sort sequence.

4.	If you added a simple button, you are done. You can now add another button or click OK to save the configuration.

5.	If you are adding a menu button, in the Menu for this button box select the top item and click Add Child. The Menu Element dialog appears.

6.	Enter the appropriate settings for the menu element:

Setting Name

Description

Type of menu element

The type of element to add to the menu or button: • Menu button: adds a label to the menu. Select this option to add a label under which you want to add child menu items. • Separator: adds a separator line to the menu • Method: adds a menu item that invokes a method. When you select this option, you can select from any method available in the system. Note: When you are adding a new menu element, you can select a join path to a related class. The Method to invoke list displays the methods for that class. • Dialog: adds a menu item that displays a dialog. When you select this option, you can select any dialog that belongs to the class that owns the configuration. For example, if the configuration is on a site view, you can select any dialog owned by the Site class.

Menu choice label

The label for the menu item or button. You can enter up to 50 characters, using any combination of letters or numbers. To include a mnemonic for this menu label, type an ampersand (&) in front of the character that you want to use. At run-time, the designated character will be underlined. Pressing Alt and the underlined letter selects the menu item. You can also define a shortcut to the menu item (for example, Ctrl + S to save an object). To do this, type “\t” after the menu element label followed immediately by the shortcut key sequence. This left-aligns all the shortcuts on a menu at the first tab position after the longest menu item. Do not use spaces for alignment because they may not display properly. Match key names with those commonly inscribed on the keycap. For example, for Ctrl and Shift key combinations type “Ctrl+” and “Shift+”. For example, the menu label for a Properties view might look like this: &Properties…\tCtrl+P In this case, the menu item in the user interface will look like this: Properties Ctrl+P. Tip: If you are entering a label for a menu item that opens a dialog, follow the label with an ellipsis (...). This informs the user that a dialog box will open when the option is selected.

7.	Click OK when you have finished defining the menu element.

8.	Repeat steps 5 to 7 for each item you want to include under the menu button.

9.	Repeat steps 2 to 8 for each button that you want to add.

10.	Select Move Up/Down buttons to include Move Up and Move Down buttons on the table configuration.

11.	Select Order as Sorted button to include an order as sorted button on the table configuration.

12.	If you selected Move Up/Down buttons or Order as Sorted button, the Move Up/Down and Order as Sorted tab appears.

13.	Enter the appropriate settings:

Setting Name

Description

Column to re-sequence

Select the column to re-sequence from the list of available columns in the configuration.

Start numbering at

Select this option to enter a starting number for sequencing list items.

Increment each row by

Select this option to enter a number with which to increment rows.

14.	Select Import button to include an Import button on the configuration which invokes the Import Data dialog for loading external data from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. For more information, see Introduction to Data Loading.

15.	Click OK to save your changes to the table configuration and close the Configuration dialog.