Create a menu for the user profile

A new user profile is created with a default menu. You should change the configuration of the default menu items to enable their functionality. In addition, you can add links to Alfabet views or external URLs. In addition, you can trigger sending of an email to a defined email addresses, or empty parent level menu items to structure menu items, and separators.

• Enable the functionality of the default menu
  • Home: Opens by default an empty content area which is used as default for new user profiles and cannot be edited. Create a content area as an entry point for the user and set the Target attribute to your content area.
  • Recent objects: By default, the Recent_Objects_Report is added. This report evaluates which objects a user has worked with from the data collected via the user activity tracking functionality.

    The Recent_Objects_Report view will only show objects if the following settings are also done:

    • A system administrator must activate presentation usage tracking in the server alias of the Alfabet Web Application.

    Alternatively, you can either delete the menu item or activate the functionality that was provided in Alfabet 10.15 for display of all objects changed by the current user in the last seven days with the following settings:

    Delete a configuration object

    Right click the explorer node and select Delete in the context menu.

    • Target Type: Select BusinessFunction.
    • Target: Select Recent_Objects or New_Recent_Objects.

    The Recent_Objects or New_Recent_Objects will only show objects if the following settings are also done:

    • A system administrator must select the Client Settings > Save Recent Objects in the server alias of the Alfabet Web Application.
    • You must set the Consider in Recent Objects and, for New_Recent_Objects , the Consider in New Objects attribute to True for the relevant class settings of all object classes which shall be included in the list of new or recent objects.
  • Favorites: Giving access to the new standard functionality to save favorites.
  • Workflows: Opens the standard workflow explorer ( WFS_Explorer business function) for workflow activities. If your company do not use the workflow functionality, you can delete the menu item.

    Delete a configuration object

    Right click the explorer node and select Delete in the context menu.

• Add a link to an Alfabet functionality
  1. Do one of the following:
     • To add a first level menu item, right-click the node of the user profile and select Create Menu Item.
     • To add a sub-item to an existing menu item, right-click the node of the existing menu item and select Create Subordinate Menu Item. The menu can only have three levels.

     A menu item opening an Alfabet view or functionality must not have sub-ordinate menu items.

     You can copy existing menu items and add them as subordinate menu item to another menu item. to copy the item, right-click the item and select Copy. To paste the item, right-click the parent element and select Paste.

  2. Click the new menu item in the explorer and define the following:
     • Target Type: Select the type of configuration object the menu item shall open.
     • Target: Select the configuration object the menu item shall open.
     • Caption: Enter the text to be displayed in the left-side menu of the user interface.
     • Icon: If an icon shall be displayed in the left-side menu of the user interface on the left of the text, Select an icon from the icon gallery.

       Select an icon from the icon gallery

       Click in the attribute value field. Click the button on the right of the field. In the editor, select the icon gallery containing the icon and click the icon in the list. Click OK.

     • Arguments: If you have selected BusinessFunction as Target Type and you have selected any of the standard business functions listed below as Target, you must specify arguments to define the link target. The syntax for this entry is ContextArgs=<Type of Argument>:<Value of Argument> (for example:ContextArgs=Explorer:COMG_Explorer or ContextArgs=Class:Application):
       •  Simple Search functionalities (GenericSearch , Simple_Search , Browse):
         • If the search functionality should be limited to a set of object classes, specify the object class names in a comma-separated format with the argument ContextArgs=<ObjectClassName> . For example, to search for an object in the object classes Application , Component , and ICTObject , enter the following: ContextArgs=Class:Application,Component,ICTObject.
         • If the search functionality should be limited to a set of object classes and object class stereotypes, specify the object class stereotype in the comma-separated list as: <ObjectClassName>:<ObjectClassStereotypeName>. For example, to include the application stereotypes BusinessApplication and TechnicalApplication in the list, enter: ContextArgs=Class:Application:BusinessApplication,Application:TechnicalApplication,Component,ICTObject.
       •  Capture Projects functionalities (PRJ_CaptureProjects and PRJ_CaptureProjects_Ex ): If the functionalities should open with the filter preset to a defined project stereotype. You must specify the project stereotype with the entry ContextArgs=<ProjectStereotypeName> . For example, ContextArgs=ProjectStep. It is recommended to use a data workbench instead of this business function.
       •  Generic Object Viewer functionality (GenericObjectViewer ): You must provide information about which object class can be searched via the Edit Search interface control. You must specify the object class name with the entry ContextArgs=Class:<ObjectClassName> . For example, ContextArgs=Class:Application.
       • If you set a link to a business function that includes more than one sub-functionality you must specify which sub-functionality should be accessed. If no sub-functionality is assessed, the default sub-functionality will be automatically displayed. Go to the Functions tab and expand the node of the business function in the Standard Business Functions explorer to see whether there is more than one sub-functionality. The syntax to specify the sub-functionality is ContextArgs=<Value of the Type attribute of the sub-functionality>=<Value of the Name attribute of the sub-functionality>.
• Add an external link or trigger sending of an email

  To add an external link to the menu, you must first create the external link on the Alfabet user interface and add it to a menu item afterwards. With this method, you can change the link on the user interface if the target changes without the need to re-do the configuration in Alfabet Expand. You can link to an email address or an URL.

  This feature is not part of any of the preconfigured Alfabet solutions. You need to create a data workbench for the object class ALFA_EXTERNAL_LINK and link it to the menu of an administrative user profile to set the links.

  Build an environment for setting the link.

  1. In Alfabet Expand, go to the Data Workbenches tab.
  2. Click the Data Workbenches explorer node or any of the folder nodes structuring the data workbenches and select Create New Data Workbench.
  3. Define the attributes:
     • Name: Change the name of the new data workbench to a meaningful name.
     • Caption: Define the caption of the data workbench in the user interface.
     • Class / Stereotype Name: Select ALFA_EXTERNAL_LINK.

     These settings are mandatory to create a data workbench. You can further fine-tune the specification using the optional attributes.

  4. Go to the Admin tab.
  5. Expand the node of the user profile you want to add the data workbench to.
  6. Do one of the following:
     • To add a first level menu item, right-click the node of the user profile and select Create Menu Item.
     • To add a sub-item to an existing menu item, right-click the node of the existing menu item and select Create Subordinate Menu Item. The menu can only have three levels.
  7. Click the new menu item in the explorer and define the following:
     • Target Type: Select Data Workbench.
     • Target: Select the previously created data workbench.
     • Caption: Enter the text to bethat shall be displayed in the left-side menu of the user interface.
     • Icon: If an icon shall be displayed in the left-side menu of the user interface on the left of the text, Select an icon from the icon gallery.

       Select an icon from the icon gallery

       Click in the attribute value field. Click the button on the right of the field. In the editor, select the icon gallery containing the icon and click the icon in the list. Click OK.

  Create a link on the user interface.

  1. On the Alfabet user interface, go to the data workbench you added for the object class ALFA_EXTERNAL_LINK.
  2. In the toolbar, click New > Create.
  3. Define the attributes and click OK:
     • Name: The name is used in the data workbench and in Alfabet Expand to identify the link object.
     • Link: Enter the link target. A URL must start with http or https . Email addresses must be entered as mailto:email address.
     • Description: You can optionally add a comment about the purpose of the definition.
  4. Optionally, click the empty space in the field displaying the link target. In the Title field, define the text to be displayed in data workbenches and reports about the external URL instead of the link target. The title is not used in the left-side navigation panel. The caption displayed there is defined in the user profile menu definition in Alfabet Expand.

  Add the link to the user profile menu.

  1. Do one of the following:
     • To add a first level menu item, right-click the node of the user profile and select Create Menu Item.
     • To add a sub-item to an existing menu item, right-click the node of the existing menu item and select Create Subordinate Menu Item. The menu can only have three levels.

     A menu item opening an external URL or triggering sending of emails must not have sub-ordinate menu items.

     You can copy existing menu items and add them as subordinate menu item to another menu item. to copy the item, right-click the item and select Copy. To paste the item, right-click the parent element and select Paste.

  2. Click the new menu item in the explorer and define the following:
     • Target Type: Select External Link.
     • Target: Select the objet of the object class ALFA_EXTERNAL_LINK defining the link target.
     • Caption: Enter the text to be displayed in the left-side menu of the user interface.
     • Icon: If an icon shall be displayed in the left-side menu of the user interface on the left of the text, Select an icon from the icon gallery.

       Select an icon from the icon gallery

       Click in the attribute value field. Click the button on the right of the field. In the editor, select the icon gallery containing the icon and click the icon in the list. Click OK.

• Add a separator

  To add a separator line on the first level of the menu, right-click the user profile node and select Add Separator.

  To add a separator line on the first level of the menu between sub-menu items, right-click the parent menu item node and select Add Separator.

• Create an empty menu item as container for sub-menu items

  The following procedure will result in an empty container element that can be collapsed and expanded but opens no view. It is not possible to define a menu element both having sub-menu items and linking to an Alfabet functionality or an external link or email address.

  1. Right-click the node of the user profile or the superordinate menu item and select Create Menu Item. A menu can only have three levels.
  2. Click the new menu item in the explorer and define the attributes:
     • Caption: Enter the text to be displayed in the left-side menu of the user interface.
     • Icon: If an icon shall be displayed in the left-side menu of the user interface on the left of the text, Select an icon from the icon gallery.

       Select an icon from the icon gallery

       Click in the attribute value field. Click the button on the right of the field. In the editor, select the icon gallery containing the icon and click the icon in the list. Click OK.