Using PeopleSoft Application Pages

This chapter provides an overview of pages and discusses how to:

• Use effective dates.

• Work with page elements.

• Use data-entry fields.

• Use spell check.

• Work with HTML trees.

• Work with rich text editor fields.

• Work with field-level prompts and validation.

• Access related content.

• Use WorkCenter pages.

• Working with mouse over pop-up pages.

• Access embedded help.

Understanding Pages

Pages are the primary graphical interface by which you access the data in your PeopleSoft application. In many cases, these pages are representations of rows of data in the database tables. You use pages to view, enter, and update data stored in application tables. Each page also includes buttons or links to help you navigate through the system. As you change or add information to the database, you need to be familiar with effective-dating logic and the various page action options as you work with historic, current, and future data. PeopleSoft applications use many different types of elements to organize information on pages and to enable you to enter data, including data-entry, functional, and data processing elements.

PeopleSoft applications limit server trips and perform partial page refreshes. With a partial page refresh, the browser refreshes the entire page only when you navigate to a new page. Much of the communication with the server happens in the background, unnoticed by you. You continue to work uninterrupted during the process and notice only the spinning processing icon that lets you know that the system is processing information.

Partial page refresh supports these actions:

• Changing a related field.

• Enabling and disabling fields.

• Hiding and unhiding fields.

• Expanding and collapsing group boxes.

• Using scroll area and grid navigation links, such as Next, Previous, and so on.

• Inserting and deleting rows in scroll areas and grids.

• Saving a page.

Many PeopleSoft components run in deferred processing mode to reduce interaction with the server, thereby providing better performance. Therefore, when you use some pages in the browser you can enter data while interacting minimally with the server. If deferred processing mode is specified for a component, then a page within that component or a field on a page within the component also performs processing in deferred mode. Interactive mode is the opposite of deferred mode processing; it is necessary for pages that perform complex calculations, in situations where many fields are interrelated, and several other scenarios.

Note. The terms page, application page, and transaction page are synonymous and used interchangeably throughout this book.

Using Effective Dates

This section provides an overview of effective dates and discusses how to use page action options and effective dates.

Understanding Effective Dates

PeopleSoft’s effective-dating logic enables you to maintain an accurate history of information in the database. Effective dating allows you to store historical data, see changes in your data over time, and enter future data. For example, you may want to track several events in the career of Tom Sawyer: when he was hired, transferred, and promoted. By inserting rows of data based on his employee ID, and significant dates, you can build a job history.

When you enter new information that is related to existing data (in this case about an employee), such as a transfer or pay rate change, you do not want to lose or overwrite the data already stored in the database. To retain history, add a data row identified by the date when the information goes into effect: the effective date. You can use the information to look at what has happened up to now and plan for the future. The PeopleSoft system categorizes effective-dated rows into the following basic types:

Using Page Action Options and Effective Dates

The types of actions that you can perform on rows of data depend on the data row type. When you retrieve, modify, or insert rows in a table, the Update/Display, Include History, and Correct History actions apply specific rules based on the effective date.

Note. Not all tables are effective-dated. The Include History and Correct History options only appear on pages that access effective-dated tables.

To see how these actions work together, take a look at four possible events, listed by effective date, in the career of employee Tom Sawyer. Assume that today is February 1, 2009:

The action type that you select dictates whether you can access certain fields and what you can do with each type of row. This table lists this information by action mode:

The page action buttons appear in the toolbar in the lower-right corner of any relevant pages. A shaded button icon indicates current mode for the page. For example, the Department page is currently in Correct History mode in this example:

Sample page in Correct History mode

Update/Display Mode

When you select Update/Display, you can access only current and future rows; you cannot access history. Using the example, you can view only the current data, which is effective-dated August 1, 2001, and the future data, which is effective-dated January 1, 2006 (the employee's promotion and then the employee's termination).

You can also:

• Insert new rows with an effective date later than the date on the current row—that is, any date after August 1, 2001.

• Change the future-dated row, effective-dated January 1, 2006, and change any additional rows that you insert with a date later than today, February 1, 2005 (assumed to be today's date).

If you insert rows with effective dates between August 1, 2001, and February 1, 2005, you cannot change them if you return to the page in Update/Display mode.

Include History Mode

Select Include History to view any of Tom Sawyer’s job data, from his hire date to the day on which he will be fired. However, as with Update/Display, you can update only future-dated rows, effective-dated February 2, 2005, and on. You can also insert new rows with an effective date later than the current row—that is, any date after August 1, 2001.

Correct History Mode

Select Correct History to access all data rows. This mode enables you to view, change, and insert rows of data, regardless of the effective date. You can view and edit any of Tom Sawyer’s job data, from his hire date to the day on which he will be fired. You can also insert new rows with any effective date.

Note. As you move between the Update/Display, Include History, and Correct History modes, the system prompts you to save your changes if necessary.

Working With Page Elements

This section provides an overview of PeopleSoft page element types and discusses how to use data-entry fields.

Understanding PeopleSoft Page Elements

PeopleSoft applications include three types of page elements: aesthetic, functional, and data-entry fields. Although you should be aware of all page element types, you interact mostly with data-entry fields as you work in your application.

Aesthetic Page Elements

Aesthetic elements help organize or emphasize different fields or information on a page. You do not use these elements to update data in the database; they are purely visual. This table describes aesthetic elements:

Functional Page Elements

Functional elements are controls, such as buttons and links, that perform a specific function. Aside from the standard toolbar buttons at the bottom of a page, your transaction page may include buttons and links that are not associated with a grid or scroll area. For example, a button next to a field may perform a calculation based on a value that you entered. You can activate this button by clicking it or by pressing the Enter key while the element has the focus. You can also activate links by pressing the Enter key.

Data-Entry Fields

Pages can include several types of data-entry fields, each designed to provide a simple way to enter and update data in your tables.

Using Data-entry Fields

Data-entry fields are always associated with specific database fields. These date-entry fields are commonly used:

Moving Among Fields

To move among the data-entry fields on a page, press the tab key or click the field once. Pressing tab moves you one field at a time in a sequence determined in the page definition. Pressing tab also rests on prompts to give you the option of viewing the prompt table or calendar. To open a prompt or calendar, you can press enter or, to get to the next field, press tab again. Press Shift+Tab to move backward rather than forward in the tabbing order.

Note. Pressing Tab may yield different results if you have modified page tabbing behavior on the My Personalizations page.

Required Fields

In most applications, required fields are marked with an asterisk. You must enter data into that field to continue to the next field or to save the page. When the developer has set deferred processing mode for the page, you may not be informed that a field is required until you attempt to save or leave the page. If you save the page without entering required data, the field turns red and an error message appears on the page. Click OK within the error message and then enter the correct data in that field. Required fields are often drop-down list boxes or are accompanied by a prompt button to help you enter the correct data.

Using Data-Entry Fields

This section discusses how to:

• Use edit boxes.

• Use long edit boxes.

• Use drop-down list boxes.

• Work with images.

Using Edit Boxes

Move to and highlight an edit box by pressing the tab key or by double-clicking and highlighting the text. You can type over existing highlighted text. If the text is not highlighted, you are inserting rather than replacing text.

This example shows an edit box:

Edit box

Some edit boxes are associated with database fields that have formatting attributes assigned to them. For example, most name fields are defined with a name format that requires you to enter data in the following way:

LastName,FirstName Initial

This format is case sensitive. Also, note that there is no space between the comma after the last name and the first name. If a field is not case sensitive, the system converts what you type to uppercase before writing it to the database.

Other types of formatting include:

• Social security, social insurance, or other government ID numbers.

• Dates.

• ZIP codes or other postal codes.

• International phone numbers.

For these types of formats, you generally type only the characters; the system inserts the appropriate dashes and slashes for you. For dates, enter the standard six-digit date format, such as mm/dd/yy (include zeroes); the system automatically changes the display to show a four-digit year.

Note. Number formatting may perform differently for users who have personalized their systems.

Note. PeopleSoft applications are equipped with a spell check feature that you can use on data entered in edit boxes.

In interactive mode, if you enter a field value incorrectly, the system highlights the field in which an invalid value was added, and a warning message appears with an explanation of the problem.

Using Long Edit Boxes

You use long edit boxes to enter anecdotal information such as comments or free form informational text.

Move to and highlight a long edit box by pressing the tab key or by double-clicking and highlighting the text. You can type over existing highlighted text. If the text is not highlighted, you are inserting rather than replacing text. If you enter data that extends beyond the visible area of the long edit box, a scroll bar appears for you to navigate through the data.

This example shows a long edit box with the Display in Modal Window and Spell Check buttons:

Note. PeopleSoft applications are equipped with a spell check feature that you can use on data entered in long edit boxes.

Note. You can zoom a long edit box to a modal window if the Display in Modal Window icon is visible to the right of the long edit box.

Using Drop-Down List Boxes

To select a single item from the list, click the down arrow to display the list, scroll through the list until your choice is visible, and then click the desired list item. The list closes and the selected value appears in the list box. You can also type the first letter of an item to select it. If there is more than one choice for a letter, type the letter repeatedly to cycle through the list. In the following example, first click the down arrow, then, if you want to select Greek, type the letter G twice. Alternatively, press the Down Arrow key to select the field entry that you want. Once your choice is highlighted, press Enter.

This example shows a drop-down list box:

Drop-down list box

Working With Images

You can insert or update images in your PeopleSoft system. For example, the Employee Photo page enables you to store and maintain photos of your employees in your PeopleSoft database.

This section discusses how to:

• Insert an image.

• Delete an image.

Inserting an Image

You can insert photos into your PeopleSoft database. For example, you may want to store employee photos for company identification badges, or pictures of products for inventory purposes.

To insert an image at runtime:

1. Open the page in which you want to insert the photo.

2. Click the Add button.

   A search page appears enabling you to search for the image that you want to insert. You can browse for the image from your desktop, your hard drive, or the network.

3. Click the Browse button to search for and select the image you want to insert.

4. Click the Upload button.

   The upload page closes and your newly inserted image appears on the page.

Deleting an Image

To delete an image at runtime:

1. Open the page from which you want to delete the image.

2. Click the Delete button.

   The system automatically deletes the image on the page without posting a warning message prior to deletion. However, if you exit the page without saving, the system does not delete the image from the database, and the image is present when you reopen the page.

Using Spell Check

PeopleSoft applications are equipped with a spell check feature that you can use for data entered in edit boxes and long edit boxes. Activate spell check by clicking the spell check icon to the right of those fields where spell check is available or by clicking the spell check toolbar button.

In the following example, spell check is available for the Message Text, Description, and Explanation fields:

The Spell Check button opens the Spell Check page. This page displays the errors in the text and offers a list of alternatives, if applicable. You can ignore the occurrence, ignore all occurrences, change the spelling, change the spelling for all occurrences, or add the word to the current language dictionary.

Field Label	Displays the field label text of the field currently being checked.
Spell Check Text	Displays all of the text in the field being checked, highlighting the first misspelled word. This field is display-only. This field information is particularly important when multiple fields are being checked simultaneously by using the toolbar action or mandatory spell check.
Change To	Initially displays the first highlighted value in the Alternatives list. You can select a new value from the Alternatives list or enter a new word in the Change To field. The maximum length is based on the maximum field length, which is 40 characters. If you enter a new value, the system spell checks the entry when you click the Change or Change All buttons to verify the correct spelling. If the system does not find any alternative spellings, the Change To field is blank and the Change and Change All buttons are disabled.
Alternatives	Lists other possible spellings. The options listed match the case of the misspelled word.
Ignore	Click to leave the current spelling as is and locate the next misspelled word.
Ignore All	Click to leave the current spelling as is for all text in the field that exactly matches the original text. This action is case-sensitive; only exact matches are ignored.
Change	Click to correct the error to the value that appears in the Change To field. Users can either select one of the proposed alternatives or type in their own value. The system then focuses on the next misspelled word.
Change All	Click to correct all occurrences of the error with the value in the Change To field. You can either select one of the proposed alternatives or type in your own value. The system then focuses on the next misspelled word. Like Ignore All, this action is case-sensitive; only exact matches are changed.
Add	Click to add the highlighted misspelled word (as is) to your personal dictionary. The system then focuses on the next misspelled word. Additions to the dictionary must be 40 characters or less. See Adding Words to Your Personal Dictionary.

Mandatory Spell Check

Certain pages, such as those that require an email response, have a mandatory spell check requirement. When you save these pages, the system automatically runs spell check on spell check enabled fields. A field is eligible for automatic spell check if you have changed its contents and you have not already run spell check for that field. If a page has more than one spell check field, spell check runs in succession. If no errors are found, the system saves the data without issuing a message.

Using Foreign Language Dictionaries

Spell check supports numerous languages. The default spell check dictionary is based on your current sign-in language. For example, if you select French as your sign-in language when you sign in to your PeopleSoft application, your spell check dictionary is also in French. You can change your language dictionary on the My Personalizations page.

To change language dictionaries:

1. Select My Personalizations from the navigation menu.

2. Click the Personalize Option button for the General Options personalization category.

3. Enter the language dictionary that you want in the Override Value edit box for Spell Check Dictionary.

4. Click OK.

   You can only use one dictionary per sign-in session. To change language dictionaries again, make the change in My Personalizations and then sign out of the system before proceeding. To return to having your default spell check dictionary selected automatically based on your current sign-in language, remove your override value or set it to Use Session Language.

Note. Hyphenation for Hungarian is not currently supported.

Working With Trees

PeopleSoft application pages use terminology derived from the concept of a family tree. The nodes that report to the root node are called its children, and the root node is their parent. Nodes that have the same parent are called siblings.

These terms refer to the relationship between nodes and are not permanent attributes of the nodes themselves. A single node can be a parent, child, and sibling at the same time. In the following example, Operations Administration is a child of Office of the President and a sibling of Human Resources, Controllers, and Retail Services.

Click the yellow folders with + (plus) signs to expand another level. The leaves represent the lowest level of the tree and are not expandable. Click the links next to the nodes to see representations of the data. Clicking a link either opens a new page or displays data for that link to the right of the HTML tree.

Navigating Within an HTML Tree

Navigate the tree by using the navigational bar (the horizontal bar at the top of the tree) and the navigation path, as shown in the previous example. You can perform the following actions on the selected tree by using the links and images on the navigation bar.

As you navigate a tree, navigation paths appear above the navigation bar. They show you a basic map of your route through the tree; you can also use them to jump to a previously visited node. These navigation paths represent nodes in the current branch (A type nodes) and the parent branch of the opened branch (B type nodes). In the example, node 00001 is the parent branch of C10100, and C10100 is the parent node of C10900.

The maximum number of navigation paths displayed is seven. When you exceed that number, the system removes the earlier ancestor nodes.

See Also

Using PeopleSoft Tree Manager

Navigating PeopleSoft Tree Manager

Working With Rich Text Editor Fields

This section provides an overview of the rich text editor and discusses how to:

• Use the toolbar

• Enter, format, and modify text.

• Insert and modify images.

• Use spell check.

Understanding the Rich Text Editor

The rich text editor extends the capability of a long edit box. It allows for the rich formatting of text content, including common structural treatments such as lists, formatting treatments such as bold and italic text, and drag-and-drop inclusion and image sizing. You use the rich text editor toolbar to apply additional formatting elements. The toolbar is extensible by means of a custom settings configuration file that application developers can create and implement.

See Setting Page Field Properties for Controls.

Note. All rich text-enabled fields support multi-language entry.

The rich text editor provides an easy to use interface which should be familiar to users who work with common text editors such as Microsoft Word or Oracle Open Office. It consists of these three distinct elements:

• Toolbar

• Editing area

• Pop-up menu

The Messages scroll area contains an example of the rich text editor control showing the toolbar, editing area, and pop-up menu elements:

Rich text editor elements

Toolbar

The toolbar, which is the area at the top of the editor, contains many different buttons that extend and activate a variety of editor functions. The toolbar is highly personalizable and can vary from field to field. The toolbar is collapsible. Click the triangle located next to the toolbar to toggle between visible and collapsed.

Editing Area

The editing area is directly below the toolbar. You enter text in this area.

Pop-up Menu

A pop-up menu is a contextual menu that appears when you right-click the mouse inside an editing area. The functions on the menu change based on what element, such as a table or an image, is under the cursor when you click the mouse.

Using the Toolbar

The toolbar is the area in rich text editor where you can activate most of the editor features. Each button in the toolbar access a different function. Available functions are both simple, such as basic text formatting, and advanced, such as creating links and tables.

To use the buttons in the toolbar, place your cursor over the button. The button highlights and hover text with information about the function of the button appears. Click the button to execute its function. The graphics on the toolbar buttons are standard across many text editors, and you will probably find that you know how to use them intuitively. In addition to the toolbar buttons, toolbar drop-down list boxes are also available; they are white areas with an arrow on the side. You activate drop-down list boxes by clicking the white area or the arrow. After you click a menu, it expands so that you can select from the available options. To select an option, move your cursor to it and click it.

Entering, Formatting, and Modifying Text

Writing in the rich text editor is similar to writing in desktop word processor text editors such as Microsoft Word or Open Office with one important difference. You use desktop word processors primarily to create printed content, limited by physical pages. You use the rich text editor to create text that you publish on PeopleSoft application pages and read using web browsers.

To enter text, move your cursor to the editing area and enter the data using your keyboard. You can also paste text into the area.

To format text, click the button before you begin entering text or highlight text and click the button for the format that you want.

Inserting and Modifying Images

To insert an image into the text, click the Image button. The maximum image size is database dependent. Some database platforms support large image sizes while others limit the size to 32000 bytes. Consult your database documentation for more information. Use the Image Properties dialog box to upload an image file or insert a URL link.

To modify images after you have inserted them, right-click the image and then click Image Properties.

Image Properties - Upload Tab

Access the Image Properties dialog box (click the Image button).

When you click the Image button, the Image Properties dialog box appears with the Upload tab activated. You must upload an image before you can change its properties.

Click the Browse button to locate the file that you want to insert into the text.

Click the Send it to the Server button to send the image to the database.

Image Properties - Image Info Tab

Access the Image Info tab.

Use the Image Info tab to set the alternative text, width, height, border, hspace, vspace, and to align properties, which in turn set the HTML <img> tag attributes: alt, width, height, border, hspace, vspace, and align, respectively.

Image Properties - Link Tab

Access the Link tab.

Use the Link tab to automatically link an image to another resource. You must set the Image Info tab URL value first, and then copy it to the Link tab URL field. The editor then encloses the <img> tag in an <anchor> tag. For example, if you specify http://my.oracle.com/images/myoracle.gif as the URL, the result is:

<a href="http://my.oracle.com/images/myoracle.gif"><img alt="" src="http:⇒
//my.oracle.com/images/myoracle.gif" /></a>

The Target drop-down list specifies where or how the image link will appear. Selecting a target option of New Window, Topmost Window, Same Window, or Parent Window results in the editor setting the target attribute to “_blank”, “_top”, “_self” or “_parent”, respectively. For example:

<a target= "_top" href="http://my.oracle.com/images/myoracle.gif">.

Image Properties - Advanced Tab

Access the Advanced tab.

Use the Advanced tab to set the ID, language direction, language code, long description URL, stylesheet classes, advisory title, and style fields, which in turn set the HTML img tag attributes: id, dir, lang, longdescr, class, title and style, respectively.

Complete user documentation for the rich text editor is available from CKEditor.

See CK Editor 3.x User's Guide, http://docs.cksource.com/CKEditor_3.x/Users_Guide

Using Spell Check

You can click the Spell Check button that is outside of the rich text editor field to perform spell check on the field content. Clicking this button invokes the current PeopleTools spell check functionality. The HTML tags are stripped and only the text is considered for spell check.

While in Spell Check mode, images that you uploaded do not appear, but you will see a place holder image that contains an x in the upper left corner.

Working With Field-level Prompts and Validation

This section provides an overview of field-level prompts and validation and discusses how to:

• Use lookup prompts.

• Use calendar prompts.

Understanding Field-level Prompts and Validation

Some edit box fields are linked to database prompt tables, which store values for information shared across your organization, such as department IDs, country codes, and state codes. These tables are called prompt or lookup tables because you prompt the system to look up and present a list of valid field values that reside in the prompt table. Prompt fields are defined so that the system compares the values that you enter to values that are in a prompt table to ensure that your values are valid.

Many fields validate against prompt tables. For example, currency codes and country codes are each stored in their own tables: the CURRENCY_CD_TBL and COUNTRY_TBL tables. Fields prompting against these kinds of prompt tables appear on the page as edit boxes with a lookup button to the right.

Note. Alternatively, you can press Alt+5 while in a prompt or calendar field to open the lookup page or the calendar, respectively.

Using Lookup Prompts

You can perform a full or a partial search.

To perform a full search, click the Look Up button. The Look Up page opens as a stationary modal page on top of the primary page. The primary page is grayed out and inaccessible while the prompt page is active. When the Look Up page opens, the Search Resultsgrid displays all valid values for that field up to the maximum row count. Click the field title in the Search Results grid to change the field values sort direction. To narrow the search results, you can enter partial data and click the Look Up button. Click the Advanced Look Up link to narrow the search, both by searching based on more than one field at a time and by using a variety of search operators. When the field value that you need appears in the Search Results grid, click the value link to populate the prompt field on the primary page with the selection.

Note. Your system administrator might exclude extremely large tables from automatically prompting for performance reasons.

This is an example of a Look Up page:

Note. Application developers can use Application Designer to disable the partial search feature on lookup pages.

Look Up Page Properties

All Look Up pages share certain characteristics. All Look Up pages are modal and appear over the primary page, which is grayed out. When working with these pages, you can:

• Resize the page.

• Close the page from the title bar close icon.

Note. The New Window, Personalize Page, and Copy URL links do not appear on the modal prompt lookup page.

Do not use the browser Back button when accessing prompt windows in AJAX mode. Use application links and buttons to navigate PeopleSoft applications. Clicking the browser Back button in some browsers can cause the spinning processing message to appear. To stop it, press the Back button again or click the browser Stop button and close the lookup prompt window.

See Also

Using Search Pages to Retrieve Data

Setting Record Field Use Properties

Using Calendar Prompts

When entering information in a date field, you can select the calendar prompt button to the right of the field to help you choose a date. You can also enter the current day's date by entering today in the date field. Press Tab to exit the field; the current date appears. This feature can also use languages specific to a locale.

This example shows the calendar window that appears when you click the calendar prompt button:

To change the calendar month, select the drop-down list box arrow for the month. To change the year, select the drop-down list box arrow for the year. Click the correct day of the month to select the day. Press Esc to cancel and close the calendar.

Accessing Related Content and Actions

In addition to the primary data on transaction pages, some pages include access to contextually relevant information called related content. Related content can be analytics, other PeopleSoft components, external web sites, discussions, wiki pages, UPK topics, and a variety of other content that you find helpful in performing your tasks. You can work with the related content just as you would any other PeopleSoft page. Related content is configured and secured by an administrator.

PeopleSoft applications divide related content services into two major categories—related content and related actions—based on where the content appears when the user accesses the service.

• Related content only appears in one of two Related Content frames, which appear at the bottom or to the right of the primary transaction page.

• Related actions appear outside of the Related Content frames. Target locations include modal windows, in new browser windows, or in the existing browser window replacing the current transaction page.

Contextual Menus

Related content can appear at the component, page, and field levels. You access the content at all levels similarly: through links that appear in contextual menus.

You work with these types of contextual menus in PeopleSoft applications:

• Related Content menu, which appears at the top of a page.

• Field-level pop-up menus, which appear when you right-click a red related content glyph associated with a field.

• Actions drop-down menus, which appear when you click an Actions drop-down list on the nodes and leaves that appear on SmartNavigation pages.

Menus provide access to related content services. Three types of menus exist:

• The Related Content menu, which appears in the page bar at the top of the transaction page.

  

  Example: Related Content menu showing two services

• Related actions menus, which can appear:

  • As Actions folders in drop-down SmartNavigation menus,

    

    Related actions in a sample drop-down SmartNavigation menu

  • As Actions links on chart nodes of SmartNavigation pages

    

    Related actions on a sample SmartNavigation page

  • As Related Actions links in the search results of a Keyword search.

    

    Related actions on a sample Keyword Search Results page

• Page field contextual menus, which appear when the user right-clicks the red page-field glyph.

Using Related Content Frames

Related content appears in one of two frames: the bottom or the right Related Content frame.

Bottom Frame

Note these points about the bottom Related Content frame:

• The frame extends across the width of the transaction page.

• The visible area increases and decreases when you drag the handle on the upper edge of the frame in a vertical direction.

• The frame appears and disappears when you click the Expand/Collapse button on the left side of the frame header.

• The frame reloads when you click the Refresh button in the frame header .

• The frame loads the current active service in a new window when you click the Zoom icon.

• The frame closes when you click the Close button.

• Open the active service in another window by clicking the zoom button in the frame header.

Note these points about the services that appear in the bottom frame:

• Only one service can be active and have focus at a time.

• Multiple services appear as tabs across the top of the frame.

• You click the tab to bring the service into focus.

This is a sample transaction page showing related content in the bottom Related Content frame:

Right Frame

Note these points about the right Related Content frame:

• The frame extends down the length of the transaction page.

• The visible area increases and decreases when you drag the left edge of the frame in a horizontal direction.

• The frame appears and disappears when you click the Maximize and Minimize buttons on the left border of the frame.

• The frame divides the visible area equally among all open pagelets.

• The bottom of the frame displays a More menu, which you use to access minimized pagelets.

Note these points about the services that appear in the right Related Content frame:

• Each service exists as a self-contained pagelet inside the Related Content frame.

• Any number of services can open be active and in the expanded state simultaneously.

• All maximized service pagelets divide the available space equally and always share the same vertical and horizontal dimensions. As users maximize and minimize other service pagelets in the frame, any service pagelets that remain open resize automatically so that the space appears equally divided.

• Each pagelet header can contain:

  • A Zoom button that you click to display the service in a new window.

  • A Refresh button that you click to reload the service.

  • A Maximize/Minimize button that you click to toggle the service between the expanded and collapsed states.

    Note. The state of each pagelet persists based on the state from your last session.

• Scroll bars appear on the right and bottom of a service pagelet if it is too small to fully display the content.

This is a sample transaction page showing related content in the right Related Content frame:

Using WorkCenter Pages

PeopleSoft WorkCenter pages provide you with streamlined access to commonly performed tasks. WorkCenter pages are intuitive and can be designed and targeted based on the various needs of multiple business roles. For instance, executives demand intuitive applications with analytics and summaries at the organization level for applications such as Compensation. Human resources clerks, focused on applications such as Payroll, Time & Labor, and Benefits, require consolidated navigation collections for the business process pages and components needed to complete their work and to ensure that all the information goes properly to other systems. WorkCenter pages are robust and flexible enough to accommodate these and other types of demands from the different users and roles within your organization.

WorkCenter pages address your need for a more streamlined user interface—one that will reduce time-consuming and complex navigations and increase productivity by providing a central place from which to do day-to-day work.

Working with WorkCenter Pages

WorkCenter pages divide the browser window into two areas:

• Pagelet area

• Target content area

Pagelet Area

The pagelet area, which is always accessible for WorkCenter pages, aggregates related transactions as navigation collection pagelets, query pagelets, component-based pagelets, and analytics pagelets and makes them constantly available for instant access. Your pagelet area might be divided into groups indicated by tabs at the top of the pagelet area.

Under the tabs are the pagelets. Pagelets can be based on queries, navigation collections, or components. Pagelets can include folders, links, and even charts. If you click a navigation collection folder, the folder opens and only the contents of that folder are visible in the pagelet. If you click a link, the transaction is started either in the target area, .

Pagelet area showing two groups and a pagelet

This table describes the icons that can appear in the pagelet area header or in pagelets. The pagelets and pagelet area are highly configurable; not all icons appear for all users.

Target Content Area

When you click a link or button in the pagelet area, it launches in the target content area and is ready for you to start the task. This area is the primary area for performing any transaction.

You complete your task in this area just as you would in a standard PeopleSoft page.

Note. Developers and administrators can design tasks to launch in a new browser window, a modal pop-up page, or to take you out of the WorkCenter page and to a standard PeopleSoft application page.

Example: WorkCenter Page

In this example, you see an Administrator's WorkCenter page with the Portal Admininistrator Links pagelet in the pagelet area. When you click the Manage Dashboard Pages link, the Dashboard component opens in the target content area and displays the Manage Dashboard Pages page.

Personalizing Your Pagelet Area

You can set preferences to personalize your WorkCenter page experience. Changes are visible when you click the Save button.

Access the Personalize page (click the Personalize button in the pagelet area header).

Note. Your page title reflects the label that your WorkCenter administrator enters. The page name always begins with Personalize.

Pagelet Group	Select the tab (group) for which you want to set your preferences.
Pagelet Label	Displays the names of the pagelets in the group.
Selected	Select to make the pagelet visible in this pagelet group. Deselect the check box to hide the pagelet. Deselecting this check box does not remove the pagelet from the group. The check box is disabled if the administrator requires that the pagelet appear.
Initially Minimized	Select to collapse the pagelet so that only the pagelet header is visible when you access the WorkCenter page.
Display Order	Enter a number between 0 and 999 to specifically determine the position of the pagelets in the group. This field is empty by default and pagelets appear in the order configured by the administrator. Pagelets for which you leave the Display Order field blank precede pagelets for which the field contains a value.
Reset to Defaults	Click to set all fields to their original settings as specified by the administrator who configured the WorkCenter page.

Working With Mouse Over Pop-up Pages

PeopleSoft applications provide mouse over pop-up pages, which display additional, read-only, context- sensitive information that would otherwise clutter the main page. Pop-up pages are small pages that appear or pop up when you move your cursor over a pop-up-enabled edit field or link. Fields that have associated pop-up pages are indicated by a dashed underline.

Pop-up pages hover over the main page as long as you leave your mouse over the activating control. When you move your mouse, the pop-up window disappears.

This is an example of an Employee Information pop-up page:

Accessing Embedded Help

Some scroll areas, grids, and group boxes display a question mark icon, which indicates that the page element has an embedded help message that is stored in the message catalog. Click the icon to make the help message appear in a pop-up page. The availability of embedded help is controlled by the application developer. Not all scroll areas, grids, and group boxes are configured for embedded help.

See Configuring Embedded Help for Scroll Areas and Grids.

You can see the embedded help icon in the scroll area and group box headers on this page.

Embedded help differs from the Help link in the navigation bar. If your system is configured for online help, clicking the Help link in the navigation bar causes a browser window to open and access page-specific PeopleBooks Online documentation. Clicking the embedded help icon causes a pop-up page to appear and display information that it retrieves from the Message Catalog. This information is generally more granular and specific to the functionality of the scroll area, grid, or group box that contains the embedded help icon. Embedded help pop-up pages can also contain active links that you click to access PeopleBooks or any internal or external URL. When you have finished reading the information on the pop-up page, click the Close button on the pop-up page to dismiss it.

Note. Only one embedded help pop-up page can be open at a time. Clicking the help icon associated with another control will close any open pop-up page before opening a new one.