Create a content area

You can create a new content area from scratch or base it on a copy of an existing content area to re-use part of the content.

• Create a class-based content area
  1. Go to the Presentation tab in Alfabet Expand.
  2. Right-click the Content Areas node in the explorer and select New Class-based Content Area.

     Alternatively, you can create the content area as a copy of an existing content area. Right-click a content area and select New Content Area as Copy.

  3. Select the object class in the selector.
  4. Click the new content area in the explorer and define the following:
     • Name: Change the name to a meaningful technical name.
     • Automatically Hide Content Page Tabs: If a content area consists of only one page, no tab is displayed on top of the page. You can set this attribute to False to show the tab even if only one page is available.
     • Enable Class Operations: Button interactions for the Operations of an object class are by default added to a class based content area. If the button interactions are not applicable to the use of the content area, set this attribute to False to hide the buttons for the standard class operations.

       Individual class operation buttons can be excluded from a class-based content area on the class level and on the class settings level.

     • Format String: You can change the information about the object displayed in the header of the content area with these attributes. Open the editor of the attribute and specify the header in two lines. In the first line, provide a comma separated list of property names including all properties that shall be visible in the header information. In the second line, write the complete headline with property values added as property name enclosed in curly brackets.

       Open an editor for an attribute

       Click in the attribute value field. A button for opening the editor appears on the right of the field.

       To change the header for an application content area to show not only name and version, but also the status of the application, you can define the following: Name,Version,Status Application: {Name} {Version} ({Status})

     • Group: You can move content areas to sub-folders of the Content Area node in the explorer. Define the name of a new or existing folder to display the content area under a folder with the defined name.

     All attributes not mentioned above are currently not in use.

• Create a content area for a single object
  1. Go to the Presentation tab in Alfabet Expand.
  2. Right-click the Content Areas node in the explorer and select New Class-based Content Area.

     Alternatively, you can create the content area as a copy of an existing content area. Right-click a content area and select New Content Area as Copy.

  3. Select the object class in the selector.
  4. Click the new content area in the explorer and define the following:
     • Name: Change the name to a meaningful technical name.
     • Automatically Hide Content Page Tabs: If a content area consists of only one page, no tab is displayed on top of the page. You can set this attribute to False to show the tab even if only one page is available.
     •  Base Object Query: Define a native SQL query returning the REFSTR object class property value of a single object.

       For example, to show a content area with information about the current user, you can use the following query:

       • SELECT REFSTR FROM PERSON WHERE PERSON.REFSTR = @CURRENT_USER
     • Enable Class Operations: Button interactions for the Operations of an object class are by default added to a class based content area. If the button interactions are not applicable to the use of the content area, set this attribute to False to hide the buttons for the standard class operations.

       Individual class operation buttons can be excluded from a class-based content area in the class settings of the object class.

     • Format String: You can change the information about the object displayed in the header of the content area with these attributes. Open the editor of the attribute and specify the header in two lines. In the first line, provide a comma separated list of property names including all properties that shall be visible in the header information. In the second line, write the complete headline with property values added as property name enclosed in curly brackets.

       Open an editor for an attribute

       Click in the attribute value field. A button for opening the editor appears on the right of the field.

       To change the header for an application content area to show not only name and version, but also the status of the application, you can define the following: Name,Version,Status Application: {Name} {Version} ({Status})

     • Group: You can move content areas to sub-folders of the Content Area node in the explorer. Define the name of a new or existing folder to display the content area under a folder with the defined name.

     All attributes not mentioned above are currently not in use.

• Create a class independent content area
  1. Go to the Presentation tab in Alfabet Expand.
  2. Right-click the Content Areas node in the explorer and select New Non-Class-based Content Area.

     Alternatively, you can create the content area as a copy of an existing content area. Right-click a content area and select New Content Area as Copy.

  3. Click the new content area in the explorer and define the following:
     • Name: Change the name to a meaningful technical name.
     •  Automatically Hide Content Page Tabs: If a content area consists of only one page, no tab is displayed on top of the page. You can set this attribute to False to show the tab even if only one page is available.
     • Group: You can move content areas to sub-folders of the Content Area node in the explorer. Define the name of a new or existing folder to display the content area under a folder with the defined name.

     All attributes not mentioned above are currently not in use or not relevant for class independent content areas.