Form Modeling

Define form settings for the presentation of metadata in a client's graphical user interface.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Form modeling tile is available on the dashboard for users with the YUUVIS_TENANT_ADMIN or YUUVIS_SYSTEM_INTEGRATOR roles.

You can model the Metadata aspect area in CREATE and EDIT forms that are offered in your client to view and edit metadata. It also possible to combine the form modeling with situation-specific scripts. To check the current layout during modeling, yuuvis® architect provides a form preview presenting the modeled metadata form as it will appear in your client.

The labels displayed in the metadata forms for the client cannot be customized in the form modeler, but by means of the Localization view in yuuvis® architect.

Modeling Forms for Metadata

In your client, the properties of your business objects are presented in different aspect areas. The properties provided by document an folder object types themselves are displayed in the summary aspect area that cannot be customized in yuuvis® architect. However, the properties provided by assigned secondary object types are displayed in the metadata aspect area which can indeed be customized. For each type of your business objects, you can customize separate forms in yuuvis® architect for the Create and Edit working scenarios. For example, you can hide fields from an edit form that are only necessary to create an object. The corresponding form is provided to the user in yuuvis® client accordingly.

You can use default forms if you do not want to create custom forms. These forms are generally sufficient for technical data transfers.

Depending on your roles, you have different permissions. You can model only the metadata forms for which you are authorized by your roles. With the YUUVIS_TENANT_ADMIN role only object types defined in the tenant schema will appear in the architect. With the YUUVIS_SYSTEM_INTEGRATOR role only object types defined in the global system and app schema will appear in the architect.

In general, metadata aspect area forms consist of a form model with arranged groups of fields and optionally a script for manipulating field values. The following instructions will help you to customize the forms displaying metadata in your client for the edit and create situations.

  • Click the Form modeling tile to open the form modeling view. Alternatively, click the menu button on the top left and select Form modeling
  • In the column Select object type, find a tree to navigate through all object types for which you have the permission to model the metadata forms. In this view, you cannot distinguish pseudo-types determined by  primary-classified floating secondary object types from document (or forlder) object types.

    NodeContentRequired Role
    Application

    Further nodes are displayed, each of them corresponds to one specific application with its own app schema.

    Each node contains types defined in the specific app-schema:

    • Document and folder object types.
    • Pseudo-types determined by a primary-classified floating secondary object type.
    YUUVIS_SYSTEM_INTEGRATOR
    Extending Types

    Floating secondary object types without the classification primary or required defined in

    • the system schema,
    • the app schema or
    • the own tenant schema.

    For system and app schema: YUUVIS_SYSTEM_INTEGRATOR

    For tenant schema: YUUVIS_TENANT_ADMIN

    System

    Types defined in the system schema:

    • Document and folder object types.
    • Pseudo-types determined by a primary-classified floating secondary object type.
    YUUVIS_SYSTEM_INTEGRATOR
    Tenant

    Types defined in the own tenant schema:

    • Document and folder object types.
    • Pseudo-types determined by a primary-classified floating secondary object type.
    YUUVIS_TENANT_ADMIN
  • Click either EDIT in order to customize the edit form or CREATE in order to customize the create form displayed in your client. In case you have saved a model for the EDIT situation but not the CREATE situation, you are asked whether to reuse the EDIT model for CREATE.

The browser window is now divided in 3 areas: On the left a building set area, the Model tree and the Layout area. After clicking on a field in the Model tree or Layout area, an additional Properties area is opened on the right-hand side.

Building Set Area

The left-hand area shows the selected type and the form situation (EDIT or CREATE) you are currently modifying. Below, you can find a list of all available elements you can use to build your metadata aspect area form. On the top, there are two structuring elements: Group and GroupStack. Below, metadata properties are listed that are always assigned to the selected object type via secondary object types. All these properties will be assigned to each object of this business object type, independently of the form of presentation.

The properties are characterized by their names that are displayed in the form, by their data types in italic (-string-, -boolean- etc.) and by their schema-intern property IDs in lower-case letters below.

If a property is displayed in grey letters, it is already part of the metadata form for your client.

If a property is displayed in white letters, it is currently not part of your form presenting the metadata in your client. You can drag and drop the property into the Model tree area.

Note: Properties provided by the document or folder object type itself are not available for form modeling. However, they are always assigned to all instances of the corresponding object type and are provided in the Summary aspect area in the client.

Model Tree Area

In this area you define the structure of your metadata aspect area form. By means of drag and drop, you add elements from the building set on the left. You can arrange the form elements using drag and drop to design groups and GroupStacks of properties. Click x to delete unwanted GroupStacks, Groups, and properties from the form. Properties, groups and GroupStacks can be rearranged by drag and drop within a form.

By default, form layouts are organized into a Main Area for the most important metadata and a Data Area. This layout structure is optional. You may only use the Main Area. Later in time, the Data Area should be used for grouping the metadata in the Summary aspect of the object details in yuuvis® Momentum client.

All Groups and GroupStacks in the model tree can be collapsed or expanded for a better overview.

You can use the Import and Export buttons in order to download your form model as JSON file and import it again later on. The file can only be used  for the specific object type. During import, the file is validated and specific errors are reported.

The Clear model button removes all properties from the Model tree together with allmost all Groups and GroupStacks. Only the Main Area Group and the Data Area GroupStack remain.

Click Save to save your form and apply it to your client.

Group

Groups combine properties and group them visually. Properties whose contents are related, can thus be logically combined (e.g., a person’s name, contact details, and postal address, etc.) like in an address book entry. The corresponding fields in the form are visually grouped by means of background color and layout.

Elements within a group are arranged vertically by default. In order to arrange them horizontally, go to the Properties area and select Row instead of Column.

For example, you can arrange a person’s first and last name next to each other in the first row in an address book entry and place the contact details below in a block with full lines.

In the Properties area, you can give groups a unique technical name for identification. This technical name is required in order to display a label for the Group in your form. Customize the labels via Localization. If not specified in the corresponding localization configuration, the technical name will be displayed in the metadata form.

GroupStack

GroupsStacks combine several groups. Groups combined via GroupStack are shown as tabs within the GroupStack area. The name of the Groups in a GroupStack is shown as title of the tabs.

The Data Area is per default an empty GroupStack. Thus, no property fields can be arranged here outside of groups.

Layout Area

In this area you can see the properties as fields displayed in their Groups and GroupStacks. The arrangement corresponds to the structure defined in the Model tree. If you select an element in the Model tree, it will be highlighted in the Layout. The highlighting of elements within a GroupStack will be visible only if the corresponding tab is selected.

The Layout area displays an overview of the structure and does not distinguish between arrangement in rows or columns.

Via Open form preview you can have a look at your model to see what it will look like in your client.

Via Open script you can open a scripting window providing further form modeling possibilities. Thus, yuuvis® architect makes it possible to assign situation-specific scripts to the current form. As a scripting support, IntelliSense is available: Click Copy to clipboard in the left corner to select a technical field name. Add the selected string surrounded with the correct syntax to your script at the position of your cursor via Ctrl+V.
>> Form Scripting (Client-side)

Properties Area

After clicking any element in the Model tree or Layout area, an additional Properties area is opened on the right-hand side. Information on the selected element is provided here.

On the top, the name and element type are displayed in a first block.

The second block below differs for different types of elements:

  • For a single property field, you can tick or untick the checkbox Read-only in order to define the behavior in the client. For a string property, you can modify the number of Lines that will be provided for the property field in the client.
    Under Schema, you can see the attributes of the schema property definition for the selected property.
  • For a table property, you see a Read-only checkbox together with the Schema attributes of the property definition, too. Additionally, an overview of the available columns is provided. They are named with their technical names and their types (string etc.). By clicking one of them, you can define for each individual column the number of Lines for each entry and for the entries to be Read-only or not. By drag and drop, you can change the order of the colums or move them between Colums used and Columns not used. Thus, you can include or exclude columns from the metadata form.
  • For a Group, you can select either Row or Column as Layout for the arrangement of the included property fields. Except for the Main Area, you can define a unique technical name for the identification of the Group. This technical name is required in order to display a label for the Group in your form. Customize the labels via Localization.
  • For a GroupStack, no second information block is displayed.

Summary

The form modeling in yuuvis® architect allows for users with the YUUVIS_TENANT_ADMIN or YUUVIS_SYSTEM_INTEGRATOR roles to customize CREATE and EDIT forms that are offered in their client. These roles authorize users to model forms in the metadata aspect area for object types of either tenant-specific or global schema definition, respectively. Furthermore, situation-specific modeling is possible via form scripting.

The labels displayed in the metadata forms for the client cannot be customized in the form modeler, but by means of the Localization view in yuuvis® architect.

Read on

Localization

Customize the labels describing the different metadata properties displayed in your client for different languages. Keep reading

Form Scripting

If you configure custom forms for objects, you can additionally use executable scripts to, e.g., validate data, change data, change field properties - such as "read-only" or "mandatory" - and show context-related messages. Form-related scripts enhance your options by adding further functionalities to support your use cases and processes the best.  Keep reading

yuuvis® client as reference implementation

yuuvis® client is a reference implementation, browser-based working environment for the daily work with the yuuvis® Momentum system. The client enables the work with documents and metadata (Document Management System) and provides a basis for further modeled business applications. Keep reading