Understanding Component Definitions
This chapter provides an overview of component definitions and discusses how to:
Define components.
Specify market-specific components.
Determine where components are used.
Set component properties.
Use search records.
Access the Message Catalog.
Enable the Expert Entry feature in the Security component.
Understanding Component Definitions
A component represents a complete business transaction. It comprises either a single page or a set of pages that is meant to be processed as one page. After you create pages, you add them to one or more components to access them through menus or in business processes.
This section discusses:
What component definitions manage.
The component buffer.
What Component Definitions ManageComponent definitions manage:
Groupings of pages and their associated tab labels.
Search records that are used to retrieve data for the page.
Access keys for folder tab navigation.
Links at the bottom of a page.
The toolbar at the bottom of a page.
This example shows a sample component with multiple pages:
If a component contains more than one page, you can control which page appears first by setting the display order in PeopleSoft Application Designer. At runtime, the user navigates among the pages of a component by selecting:
Folder tabs at the top of the page.
Links at the bottom of the page.
Specified access or hot keys.
The Component Buffer
When you open any page in a component, the system retrieves all of the data records for the component and stores them in one set of record buffers organized by scroll level and then by page level. The component buffer consists of rows of buffer fields that hold data for the various records that are associated with page controls, including the primary records, related display records, derived work records, and Translate Table records.
You can change the records in memory either through the user actions on the page or through the PeopleCode that is associated with the different page controls. At runtime, you open and save the entire component, not just the individual pages. When you save any page in a component, you automatically save the whole component.
See Also
Referencing Data in the Component Buffer
Defining Components
This section provides an overview of the component definition window and discusses how to:
Create new component definitions.
Open existing component definitions.
Add pages to components.
Reorder pages in a component.
Copy or move pages to another component.
Set page attributes.
Validate components.
Understanding the Component Definition Window
When you design component pages, the pages must share the same Level 0 key structure because they share the same search record.
Depending on the complexity of a component, the system may take longer to display the first page than to display other pages in the component (or even display the first page again) because it is loading records for the entire component.
The component definition window has two tabs, Definition and Structure, that provide different views of a component.
The default component definition view displays the page items and corresponding attributes of a component definition. You double-click the page name to open the page definition:
The structure view shows records and scrolls in a tree representation. It provides information about page levels and component records and their roles. You double-click the objects in this view to open their definitions:
To view the PeopleCode that is attached to any of the components, right-click and select the View PeopleCode option from the pop-up menu. The PeopleCode Editor opens directly in the workspace, displaying the related PeopleCode.
Note. The Structure tab only displays the runtime state of the PeopleCode. That is, it only displays record field PeopleCode. For example, PeopleCode programs that are orphaned as a result of a page definition change do not appear in the Structure tab. On the other hand, these orphaned PeopleCode programs do appear in the PeopleCode Editor, which displays the design-time view of PeopleCode.
|
|
A key icon appears next to all key and alternative search key fields in the component structure view. |
|
|
An asterisk icon appears next to all fields that are required. |
Creating New Component Definitions
To create a new component definition:
With a new or existing project open in PeopleSoft Application Designer, select File, New.
Double-click Component.
The new component definition appears in the workspace.
When saving a component definition, make sure to adhere to the accepted naming conventions for PeopleSoft definitions.
See Saving Definitions.
Opening Existing Component Definitions
To open an existing component definition:
Select File, Open.
Select Component as the type.
Specify the selection criteria.
The component definition appears in the workspace.
Adding Pages to Components
This section discusses how to:
Use the Insert menu to add a page.
Drag a page into the component.
Note. The system does not allow you to move or delete all pages from a component definition. The component must contain at least one page definition.
Using the Insert Menu to Add a Page
To use the Insert menu to add a page:
Open a new or existing component in the workspace and make the definition active.
Select Insert, Page into Component.
To narrow your search, enter selection criteria, such as name, description, or project.
Click Insert.
A list of available pages matching your search criteria appears.
Select the page that you want to add to the component.
Click Insert.
The page that you selected appears in the component in the workspace.
When you are finished adding pages to your component, click Close.
Save your component.
Component names can be up to 18 characters in length.
Dragging a Page Into a Component
To drag a page into a component:
Open the project and component.
Drag pages from the project workspace to the component.
This is an example of dragging a page into a component definition:
Reordering Pages in a Component
After you add pages to a component, you can change the order in which they appear in the component.
To reorder a page in a component:
Select a row number on the left-hand side of the component definition.
Drag the row to the correct position.
The page is inserted immediately below the highlighted line. In the preceding example, the third page (UK) becomes the second page.
Copying or Moving Pages to Another ComponentAfter you create a component, you can copy or move pages from one component to another.
Note. The system does not allow you to move or delete all pages from a component definition. The component must contain at least one page definition.
To copy or move a page from one component to another:
Open both components.
In the left-hand column, select the number of the page that you want to copy.
Copy or cut the page:
To copy the page to another component, select Edit, Copy.
To move the page to another component, select Edit, Cut.
Select the other component.
Select Edit, Paste.
Setting Page AttributesEach page in a component has attributes. Each attribute is represented by a column in the component definition:
|
Displays the read-only name of the page definition. If you rename the page, the system updates this column automatically. When creating page definitions, you might want to use similar names to make them easily recognizable as a group of pages. For example, if you create three pages to hold the information for the Personal Data Table, the page names might be:
|
|
|
Item Name |
Displays a name for each page in the component. This name must be unique in the component, and the default is the page name. This name is for informational purposes only. If you use the same page for more than one component, you might want to change the item name to reflect the purpose of the page in the component. |
|
Specifies whether the page can be viewed by the user at runtime. Pages are usually hidden when they are used in work groups or associated with derived work records. For example, information from a page might need to be loaded into the buffer for PeopleCode to perform calculations, but the user does not need to see it. Note. Marking the page as hidden also hides the toolbar, including the Save button, even if you choose to display the page by means of another method, such as the Transfer PeopleCode function. |
|
|
Serves as the default folder tab label unless you specify a different label. The item label should be unique for each page in a single component menu. The folder tab label is usually used when shorter names are needed for folder tabs. In the preceding example (BANK_ACCOUNT.GBL), the same text appears on both the folder tab and the component menu for the first page in the component. The second and third pages have different menu names and folder tabs. |
|
|
Folder Tab Label |
Displays the text that appears on the folder tab label. If no text is specified, the system uses the text of the item label on the folder tabs. |
|
Indicates whether deferred processing is active for that page in its property settings. |
You can set access keys by placing an ampersand (&) in the text of each item label. Put the ampersand in front of the letter that you want to be underlined on the folder tab at runtime:
At runtime, a user can navigate between pages by pressing the Alt key plus the letter that is underlined, followed by the Enter key.
See Also
Using PeopleTools to Build Accessible Applications
Validating ComponentsPeopleSoft Application Designer includes a validate utility to verify the integrity of components. The validate utility runs a series of tests on components to check that they will operate properly at runtime, and it sends the results to the Validate tab in the output window.
To validate a component:
Open the desired component definition.
Select Tools, Options, Validate and make sure that the Validate PeopleSoft Internet Architecture Execution option is selected.
Note. This option must be selected for the validate tests to be invoked.
Select Tools, Validate Component.
View the results that appear on the Validate tab and correct any errors.
See Also
Specifying Market-Specific Components
You might want to add custom features to a component that is specific to an international market or region. For example, suppose that a page is used in a procedure for hiring new employees and that the procedure includes special transactions that are required only when an employee is hired in Brazil. You can create a custom component using the same component name as the component from which it is derived and saving it using a market setting of BRA:
Market-specific components are independent of system-side language settings and are accessible to any users who have security access to the component. This setting enables an English-speaking user in New York, for example, to perform a procedure for hiring an employee in Brazil.
Access the market setting of a component using the PeopleCode %Market system variable. Consequently, you can maintain a single set of PeopleCode programs for a set of market-specific components and build conditional logic into the PeopleCode programs that run only in components with specific market settings.
See Also
Locating Component Definition References In Menus
The Find Definition References feature enables you to generate a list of the menus in the database that reference a specific component; that is, a list of the menus in which the component is used. You can invoke this feature from either the project workspace or the definition workspace. To invoke this feature, select Find Definition References from the Edit menu.
See Also
Setting Component Properties
In the Component Properties dialog box, specify the update and data entry actions; on the Use tab, specify the search record information. You can save notes about the component on the General tab. Use the Internet tab to set attributes that affect how the component appears in the browser at runtime.
This section discusses how to:
Open the Component Properties dialog box.
Set general properties.
Set use properties.
Set internet properties.
Opening the Component Properties Dialog Box
To open the Component Properties dialog box:
Open the component definition.
Select File, Definition Properties.
The Component Properties dialog box appears with the General tab active.
Setting General Properties
Access the Component Properties dialog box.
|
Description |
Enter a descriptive name for the component. |
|
Select the application to which this component belongs. This list is helpful to identify the applications that are associated with the component during the application development phase. |
|
|
View the date and time of the last modification made to the component and the name of the user who made the modification. |
Setting Use Properties
Access the Component Properties dialog box and select the Use tab.
Access
|
Specify the search record for this component. |
|
|
Add search record |
Specify if you want a different search record specifically for add actions. For example, if you selected the auto-numbering option for employee IDs (EMPLID), do not include EMPLID in the search record. Likewise, you might want to create special security views for add actions that limit the rows that users can add based on specific search criteria. The system default is the standard search record if you do not specify an add search record. |
|
Select to always run search logic (SearchInit PeopleCode) for this component. The default is deselected. Note. If you select this option, all persistent search functionality for the component is disabled, regardless of system settings. |
|
|
Detail page |
No longer used in PeopleSoft applications. This option appears for upgrade purposes only. |
|
Specify the record that defines the service parameters that you must map for PeopleSoft component URL-related content services or content reference service types. The system uses the context search record only when no key fields are defined for the primary search record and only in a related content configuration. |
Note. To see a subset of search records, type a few characters first. The drop-down list box is populated with a list of all record definitions with names that begin with those characters, thus reducing access time and enabling you to find specific records faster.
|
Add |
Select to add a new high-level key, such as a new employee ID or customer. Except in the case of effective dating, use Add to insert a new current row or to update future rows. |
|
Update/Display |
Select to update existing rows only. |
|
Update/Display All |
Select to update current and future rows in an effective-dated record. Use only with effective-dated records. Do not use these actions unless the main record that is associated with the page definitions is effective dated. This information is translated to include history at runtime. |
|
Correction |
Select to update any rows (history, current, and future) in an effective-dated record. Use only with effective-dated records. This information is translated to correct history at runtime. |
|
Select when you want to hide the Save button in the toolbar and disable the Alt+1 (Save) hot key. Selecting this option prevents users from being prompted to save when exiting a page. However, it does not prevent using PeopleCode to save a page with the DoSave() or DoSaveNow() functions. This functionality can be helpful for applications in which the user is not making database changes and does not need to be prompted to save. |
|
|
Select to include the component in the menu navigation at runtime. The default is selected. If you do not want the component included, deselect the check box. |
|
|
Select to ensure that spell check is run on all eligible spell check enabled fields in the component when a user saves the page. A field is eligible if it has been changed (or its ReEdit flag has been set) and it has not already been manually spell checked since it was last changed. |
|
|
Read Only |
Note. If you must add a new high-level key, such as a new employee number or customer, select both Add and Update/Display. If you are adding information to an existing high-level key, such as adding education data for an employee, select only Update/Display. You are not adding a new employee ID; it already exists on the database.
This section applies only to Windows client applications.
To partition application processing between the client and the application server, you must define units that, as a whole, run in one location or the other. We call these units processing groups. Processing groups can encompass one or more PeopleCode events.
|
Component Build |
Specify where you want all processing to occur after the key list of a page is selected and before the user can interact with the page. Processing includes building component buffers and running many types of PeopleCode. |
|
Component Save |
Specify where you want all processing to occur after the user saves the component and SaveEdit PeopleCode validations have succeeded. Processing includes SavePreChange, WorkFlow, SavePostChange PeopleCode, and updates to the database. |
Setting Internet Properties
Access the Component Properties dialog box and select the Internet tab.
|
Primary Action |
Select the default mode by which the user accesses the component. Select New to access the component in Add mode. Select Search to access the component in the mode that is specified in the Default Search Action field. Select Keyword Search to access the component using the Keyword Search page. The Keyword Search page is available only if you have configured the PeopleSoft Search Framework and mapped the component to a search definition. See Working with Search Pages. Specify where you want all processing to occur after the key of a page is selected and before the user can interact with the page. Processing includes building component buffers and running many types of PeopleCode. |
|
Default Search Action |
Select from a list of the actions that you set in the Actions group box on the Use tab of the Components Properties dialog box. If you set only one action, this drop-down list box provides that choice as the default. The default search action determines the default that users see, but they can select another option from the toolbar at runtime. |
|
Default Search/Lookup Type |
Specify the type of search or lookup which appears by default when users access the search page and lookup pages associated with the component. Select Basic display the Basic search page by default. The Basic search page provides access to a list of search key and alternate search key fields from which the user can choose one field to search. You should select Basic as the default search type for new users because a basic search page is easier to use than other types of search pages. Select Advanced to display the Advanced search page by default. The Advanced search page provide access to all search key and alternate search key fields simultaneously. You should select Advanced as the default search type for power users because an advanced search page enables complex searches. Select Keyword Only to display just the Keyword Search page by default. The Keyword Search page is availably only if you have configured the PeopleSoft Search Framework and mapped the component to a search definition. |
|
Select to display the Include History and Correct History check boxes on a search page. If a user selects Include History on a search page, the page appears in Update/Display All mode. If a user selects Correct History, the page appears in Correction mode. However, both of these check boxes appear only on the search page if Update/Display All and Correction were selected as actions in the Use properties for the component and the user has security access to the modes. This check box is selected by default. |
|
|
Link to Add Page |
Enter the message set and number that stores the text that comprises the link which users click to access the standard add page. |
|
Link to Find Existing Value Page |
Enter the message set and number that stores the text that comprises the link which users click to access the standard search page. |
|
Link to Realtime Search Page |
Enter the message set and number that stores the text that comprises the link which users click to access the Realtime Search page. Because Realtime search functionality is disabled by default, these values are the same as the values associated with the Link to Find Existing Value Page. However, if you enable Keyword Search, you can enter different values so that the link text accurately indicates the type of search page that users access via the link. |
|
Link to Keyword Search Page |
Enter the message set and number that stores the text that comprises the link which users click to access the Keyword Search page, which appears only when Keyword Search is enabled for the component. |
|
You set this option to display the Find an Existing Value heading on the search page. You can change the default message or redirect the component to use another message that is more appropriate for your use. |
Select the toolbar actions that you want to appear on the component pages. When you select a check box, that item appears as a toolbar button at the base of the component at runtime. All toolbar actions are set to display by default with the exception of Next Page in Component , Previous Page in Component, and Notify. Note that the default settings for the Action and Save buttons are affected by settings on the Use tab of the Component Properties dialog box.
Disabling any of the toolbar options also disables the hot key for that option in the PeopleSoft Pure Internet Architecture.
|
Save |
Adds a Save, OK, or Apply button to the toolbar, depending on the page type. |
|
Cancel |
For modal components only. Deselecting this check box removes the Cancel button from the toolbar. |
|
Runs spell check for all spell check-enabled fields in the component, regardless of whether any changes were made to the field. |
|
|
Return to List |
Returns users to the search page. |
|
Next in List and Previous in List |
Populates the page with the next or previous row of data from the database as shown on the Search page. |
|
Next Page in Component and Previous Page in Component |
Opens the next or previous page in the component if it has more than one page. |
|
Refresh |
Displays the page again without saving any entered data. |
|
Enables the user to send a notification to other users. |
|
|
Enables the user to view the worklist from the current component page. |
|
|
Next in Worklist and Previous in Worklist |
Enables the user to access the next or previous item in the worklist. |
|
Add, Update/Display, Update/Display All, and Correction |
Select each option to enable these toolbar buttons for this component. |
|
Disable Toolbar |
Select if you do not want the toolbar to appear on the component pages. |
|
Select to display folder tabs at the top of the component page. |
|
|
Select to display links at the bottom of the component page. |
|
Select to send messages to the server whenever logic must be run. When the user presses Tab to exit a field-level event, a transmission to the application server occurs to run that field-level event and the page is refreshed. |
|
|
Selected as the default. This mode reduces transmissions to the application server. |
|
|
This option is available for both processing modes. See Enabling the Expert Entry Feature in the Security Component. |
WSRP Compliant Option
Select the WSRP Compliant option to enable the component for Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP) publishing. If the component is enabled for WSRP publishing, then users can render the component in-line within the WSRP consuming portal.
If the component is not enabled for WSRP, when users navigates to the component from within a WSRP portlet the system will direct them to the PeopleSoft Portal, which loads the component. The user will effectively leave the WSRP consuming portal page and navigate to the PeopleSoft system.
Note. This option enables you to distinguish between components that are known to function only in the PeopleSoft Portal and those that are WSRP-compliant.
See Understanding Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP).
The pagebar is a small menu bar that appears at the top of each component page just below the universal navigation header. You can select which options appear to the user for each component. All options are selected by default. Select the Disable Pagebar check box to disable the pagebar.
|
Help Link |
Opens the online help PeopleBook entry for the current page. |
|
Copies the current page URL to the clipboard. The copied URL includes page, action, and search key information that appears in the context of the portal if the user passed through the portal. If the user did not pass through the portal, then only the page appears, without the portal frames. This option adds a small http button to the pagebar. |
|
|
Opens a new browser window with the search page for the current component. Users can view or enter data in the new window. |
|
|
Opens the Page Personalizations page, which allows users to control the initial appearance of the component. This option enables users to:
Users can also elect to copy and share their settings for the component with other users. Note. If you set this option for a particular component, all users accessing the component are able to personalize the pages in the component unless their personalization options prevent them from customizing pages. Security permission list settings or personalization options do not allow the option to be enabled or disabled per end user per component. See Understanding General Options. See Personalizing Pages. |
You can also enable or disable any of these options using PeopleCode.
See Page Class.
For the page personalization option to appear to users, the following criteria, in addition to the selection of the Page Customization Link in the Pagebar, must be met:
A PeopleSoft Pure Internet Architecture page, including search and secondary pages, must be visible to the user.
The page cannot be a PeopleTools-generated page, such as the Page Personalization page or the Personalize Column and Sort Order page for grids.
The current page cannot be an iScript.
The Personalize Pagelink cannot be hidden using PeopleCode for the current component.
The Personalize Page Settings, CUSTOMPGSET, personalization option on the Define Personalizations page must be enabled.
This option is enabled by default. If this option is disabled, the end user cannot define, share, or copy page personalizations and all existing page personalizations for the user are deleted.
The current page must allow some form of personalization based on the end user's security profile and meet at least one of these conditions:
Display more than one page element with a TABINDEX >=1 supporting personalization (assume that all collapsible sections are expanded when determining visibility).
Contain at least one visible scroll area or grid with a visible View All link, enabled or disabled.
Contain at least one visible collapsible section.
See Also
Using Search Records
This section provides overviews of search records and search records and persistent search results, and discusses how to:
Create search records.
Override search records.
Understanding Search Records
You must correctly configure and select the search record for a component because the system uses the search record for several purposes:
The search record builds the search page for the component.
The search record builds the search query, which retrieves the component data and populates level 0 for every page in the component.
The search record builds the recent search results page for persistent searches.
The search record defines the service parameters that must be mapped for related content service definition of the PeopleSoft Component URL type.
When you click a content reference to access a component, the system examines the search record and dynamically builds the search page based on the search key, alternate search key, and list box item properties of the search record. If you designate fields as search keys or alternate search keys, then those fields appear on the search page. When the user enters values in the search fields and clicks the Search button, the system incorporates those values into the WHERE clause of the search query. If the values provided by the user uniquely identify one row of data, then the system proceeds directly to the main page with the available information. Otherwise, the query retrieves the rows that match the criteria and displays the rows in a list box at the bottom of the search page. If you define fields as list box items on the search record, the system displays those fields as columns grid in the result set.
This example shows elements of a search page:
As soon as the system retrieves the search results, they appear as rows in the list box or grid. If recent search results caching is enabled, the system also temporarily stores this most recent (or persistent) search in the menu structure—in the navigation path and in the Recent Search Results menu under the Favorites drop-down menu.
When you select a row from the list box, the runtime system generates a second query to fill the level 0 row in the component. The runtime system examines the level 0 record for the component and checks its key fields. It tries to retrieve level 0 key field values from the fields in the list box and uses those values in the WHERE clause used to populate the level 0 record.
Note. This process is the same whether you select the row from the initial search results list or from a persistent search.
The search record for a component might differ from the level 0 record definition for a component and might contain any number of search keys and list box items, but it must contain all of the key fields that are in the level 0 record for a component.
See Setting Record Field Use Properties.
Note. When you add page items that
are based on derived work records, do not select that record definition as
the search record. Instead, select a record definition that stores the primary
key or a SQL view that searches for the criteria that best enables users to
identify the rows that they want to retrieve.
The search record might also contain logic to refine the search and
limit rows of data. PeopleSoft applications implement data permission (or
row-level) security in this way.
To configure menus in a PeopleSoft application,
the easiest way to decide which search record to use is to look at the other
search records that are used on the same menu. Look for pages with similar
key structures and then evaluate the search records to see if any are suitable.
You might want to print the PeopleTools Menu Listing cross-reference report
(XRFMENU) to review which search records are used for pages and gain a better
understanding of how search records are assigned in the application.
Understanding Search Records and Recent (Persistent) Search
Results
When you perform a component search, the results of your most recent search are temporarily stored—they persist—in the portal drop-down menu structure. The system stores the most recent component search results for the currently active component in the navigation path (breadcrumbs). Here is an example of the search results icon in the navigation path:
The most recent search for each of the five most recently visited components appear in the Recent Search Results menu:
Note. Components that do not generate search pages do not generate search results and, therefore, do not appear in the Recent Search Results menu or the navigation path.
When you access a recent search either from the navigation path or the recent search menu, the system displays the results in a grid on a modal pop-up page, which hovers over the currently active page.
Here you see the Recent Search Results pop-up page for the Tree Manager component:
Important! You must enable recent search results caching at the system level. The default setting for recent search results caching is disabled.
A persistent search enables you to circumvent the first part of the component search process by temporarily storing all search keys, which the system uses in the WHERE clause of the second part of the search process, in the menu structure. When you access a recent search and select an item from the list, the second query is generated and populates the component buffer.
Although the search process remains the same, the appearance of the search results page differs from component search pages.
Note these points about the search results page:
It is modal; it hovers over the transaction page, which is inactive until you dismiss the modal page or select a list item.
It is compact; it displays a maximum of five of the temporarily stored fields in the results grid.
It is moveable, which enables you to view the current transaction and see the search results simultaneously.
It displays an active link, a link that you can click to retrieve a specific row of data, in only the first column; all other columns are inactive.
It is configurable.
See Configuring Search Results Grid Columns in Persistent Searches.
Note these points about the accessibility and availability of persistent search results:
The most recent transaction search results for the currently active component appear in the navigation path next to the content reference name; a search icon is the visual indicator.
The one most recent search for each of the five most recently viewed components appears in the Favorites, Recent Search Results menu. The results appear by component name, for example, User Profiles.
The navigation path retains the most recent transaction search results until another search is performed.
Note. If you leave a component and return to it without having performed another search, the most recent search results reappear.
Any persistent search remains in the portal menu structures only until your PeopleSoft session expires, you sign out, or you close the browser.
Recent Search Results Page Construction
The standard, default Recent Search Results page uses these criteria to determine the fields that appear on the page:
Fields marked as search key fields appear in the results grid in the order in which they are listed in the record definition.
If the search record contains more than five search key fields, the other search key fields, while stored in the menu structure and accessible by the search process, are hidden from view.
If the search record contains fewer than five search keys, the fields marked as list box items appear in the grid in the order that they are listed in the record definition until the column limit of five is reached.
You can override which columns appear on the recent results search page by using the Persist in Menu property of the search record.
See Also
Creating Search RecordsTo create a search record:
Create the record definition and add the fields.
See Creating New Records.
Select the key fields, search key fields, and list box items.
If the record is a view, write the SQL statement in the SQL editor.
Save and build the record definition.
Overriding Search Records
You might want to reuse a component, changing only its search record.
You can accomplish this by overriding the component search record at the time that the component is invoked from a menu. To override a component search record, specify a different search record in the properties of the menu item that invokes the component. The component uses the override search record when it is invoked from that specific menu item; the search record set in the component properties remains unchanged.
By reusing components in this way, you can limit redundancy, keeping your application smaller and easier to maintain.
See Also
Accessing the Message Catalog
Message sets and number settings come from the PeopleTools Message Catalog.
To access the Message Catalog:
Select PeopleTools, Utilities, Administration, Message Catalog.
On the search page, enter the message set number that you want to access.
Component definitions support messages between 0 and 99,999.
Click Search to access a Message Catalog page.
Enter the message set and number on the Internet tab of the Component Properties dialog box.
For example, enter message set and number 124 and 50 to display the Find an Existing Value message on the search page in the browser.
Enabling the Expert Entry Feature in the Security Component
This section provides an overview of the Expert Entry feature and discusses how to enable it in Security.
Understanding the Expert Entry Feature
The Expert Entry feature enables users to change from interactive to deferred mode at runtime for appropriate transactions.
Note. Only expert users who understand how all of the fields in a transaction behave should use the Expert Entry feature . These users must know the exact keystroke sequence for the transaction. This sequence typically varies for a transaction by customer, depending on the customer's setup and entry requirements. Therefore, occasional users should not use the Expert Entry feature because they might not be aware of the nuances of the transaction and when it is necessary to press the Refresh hot key.
The Allow Expert Entry check box on the Internet tab of the Component Properties dialog box.
The Enable Expert Entry check box in the user's profile.
If these check boxes are selected, an Expert Entry check box appears at the bottom of the page at runtime. If users select this check box, the transaction runs in deferred mode, regardless of the setting on the component, page or field property.
When you set the component property to deferred mode, that component operates in deferred mode processing for all users, not just those who have Expert Entry enabled in their profiles.
If you want the component to process in deferred mode for some users and in interactive mode for other users:
Set the component property to Interactive mode.
Select the Allow Expert Entry check box.
These settings enable security user profiles to control the users for whom deferred mode processing is possible.
Warning! Users who modify component properties from interactive mode to deferred mode or select the Allow Expert Entry check box should understand that this is an adaptation of the software and, as such, they are responsible for thoroughly testing and supporting this change.
The Expert Entry feature enables you to specify whether a Refresh button should be included on the component toolbar when the system displays the page. The Refresh button forces a transmission to the server to determine which fields have changed since the last transmission to the server and to run any processing logic that is associated with those changes.
Users can also refresh by pressing the Alt+0 hot key, which keeps the cursor in the same field when the page is refreshed. One can refresh any time during data entry to enable an expert users to:
Update related display field values for data that was already entered.
Recalculate totals and balances.
Provide defaults based on data that was entered previously on the page.
Validate data entered on the page thus far.
Invoke the code to hide or gray items associated with specific fields.
These limitations exist when Expert Entry is enabled:
|
Hide, Unhide, Gray, and Ungray |
The user must click the Refresh button after entering a value in a field that is associated with PeopleCode that hides, unhides, grays, or ungrays other fields on the same page. |
|
The user must click the Refresh button after entering a value in a field that is a high-order key that is used to control the values in a drop-down list box. |
|
|
Default values |
Whenever Expert Entry is properly enabled and selected by a user at runtime, the transaction runs in deferred mode. As such, defaults, totals, balances, and related displays are not updated until the next transmission to the application sever (for example, when the user clicks a button, icon, link, or another tab). If a user wants the page updated before then, she or he must click the Refresh button. |
Enabling Expert Entry in Security
To have the Expert Entry check box appear in the component at runtime, the security administrator must enable it in Security. The Expert Entry check box will then appear in any components for which you select the Allow Expert Entry property on the Internet tab of the Component Properties dialog box.
To enable Expert Entry in Security:
Sign in to the PeopleSoft system in your browser.
Select PeopleTools, Security, Use, User Profiles.
Select the General tab.
Select Enable Expert Entry in the General Attributes group box.
Click Save.
