Configure the home portal

The home portal is the first page users see after logging in. It should provide a comprehensive view of priority tasks, key indicators, and quick access to essential features.

Portal principles

Portal role

The home portal serves several purposes:

• Overview: Display pending tasks and priorities
• Quick access: Shortcuts to frequent actions
• Management: Indicators and charts for decision-making
• Information: News and important communications

Modular architecture

The portal consists of building blocks called Widgets. Each widget fulfills a specific function and can be configured independently.

Accessing the portal editor

Access path: Menu Portal > Editor (or URL Portal/Editor.aspx)

Prerequisites: Administration rights required

Interface: The editor displays the portal in edit mode with:

• A library of available widgets
• The construction area (1, 2, or 3 columns)
• Configuration tools for each widget

Global configuration

Column layout

You can choose the general layout of the portal:

1 column:

• Simple and clean view
• Ideal for mobile display
• Widgets stacked vertically

2 columns:

• Balanced layout (50/50 or 70/30)
• Ideal compromise for most uses
• Allows information prioritization

3 columns:

• High information density
• Ideal for large screens
• Risk of visual overload

Recommendation: Use 2 columns for good balance

Adding widgets

Procedure:

1. In the widget library, select the desired widget
2. Drag and drop to a portal column
3. The widget appears in the target area
4. Click the Gear icon to configure it

Widget organization

Reorganization:

• Drag and drop widgets to move them
• Change their column if needed
• Place the most important widgets at the top

Deletion:

• Click the widget's Trash icon
• Confirm deletion

Widget catalog

Action Widget (My Tasks)

Function: Displays counters for pending tasks

Configuration:

Field	Description	Example
Title	Name displayed at the top of the widget	"My Tasks", "To Process"
Color	Widget colored banner	Blue, Red, Green
To validate	Active workflow tasks	☑ Display
To sign	Documents awaiting signature	☑ Display
Overdue	Tasks past their due date	☑ Display
To read	Documents distributed with acknowledgment	☑ Display
My documents	Documents authored by the user	☐ Hide
Collapse if 0	Hides counter if empty	☑ Enable

Recommended usage:

• Place this widget in first position (left column, top)
• Enable all critical counters
• Enable "Collapse if 0" to save space

Create Documents Widget (Shortcuts)

Function: Buttons to quickly start a process

Configuration:

For each shortcut, define:

Field	Description	Example
Process	Type of document to create	"Non-Conformity", "Action"
Label	Text displayed under the icon	"Report an NC"
Icon	Visual symbol	Exclamation mark icon
Color	Icon background color	Red for NC, Blue for Action

Available actions:

• Arrow buttons: Reorder shortcuts
• Trash: Delete a shortcut

Recommended usage:

• 3 to 6 shortcuts maximum (readability)
• Choose the most frequent processes
• Use distinct colors
• Name clearly (action verb + object)

Chart Widget (Indicators)

Function: Displays a management chart

Configuration:

Field	Description	Example
Title	Widget name on the portal	"NC Distribution"
Chart	GraphBuilder report to display	"NC by department"
Height (px)	Block height in pixels	300
Link to (URL)	Make clickable for detail	/NC/Liste.aspx

Prerequisites: The chart must be created beforehand in GraphBuilder

Recommended usage:

• Place in right column for management
• Use a height of 250-350 px
• Create simple and readable charts
• Favor pie charts and bars

Search Widget

Function: Search bar directly on the desktop

Configuration:

Field	Description	Example
Placeholder	Text invitation to input	"Search for an invoice, a customer..."
Target application	Restrict to an application	"All" or "Documents"
Advanced filter	Pre-filter results	Status = "Validated"

Recommended usage:

• Place at top of page for accessibility
• Use an explicit placeholder
• Leave "All applications" unless specific need

News Widget

Function: List of latest published documents or important information

Configuration:

Field	Description	Example
Title	Block name	"Latest publications"
Source view	Data list to display	"Recent procedures"
Number of items	Display limit	5
Display mode	List or Carousel	Carousel

Prerequisites: The source view must be created beforehand

Recommended usage:

• Display 3 to 7 items maximum
• Use Carousel mode to save space
• Filter on "Validated" and recent documents

My Favorites Widget

Function: Folders bookmarked by the user

Configuration:

Field	Description
Title	Block name (e.g., "My shortcuts")

Particularity: Content is managed dynamically by each user via the ⭐ star in lists

Recommended usage:

• Personal widget, much appreciated by users
• Place in lateral column
• Let users manage their content

Cartography Widget

Function: Interactive image for navigation by process

Configuration:

Field	Description
Background image	JPG/PNG file of the process
Clickable areas	Define active zones
Link per zone	Action on click (view, creation, URL)

Drawing tool: Allows tracing rectangles or polygons on the image

Recommended usage:

• Ideal for quality portal (process mapping)
• Clear and readable image (high resolution)
• Sufficiently large areas (mobile)
• Maximum 10-15 clickable zones

Use cases by profile

Portal for contributor

Objective: Facilitate daily task management

Recommended widgets:

1. Left column (70%):

   • Action Widget (My Tasks)
   • Create Documents Widget
   • My Favorites Widget

2. Right column (30%):

   • News Widget
   • Search Widget

Portal for manager

Objective: Overview and management

Recommended widgets:

1. Left column (50%):

   • Action Widget (focus on "To validate")
   • Chart Widget (Department NC)

2. Right column (50%):

   • Chart Widget (Monthly evolution)
   • News Widget

Portal for Quality Manager

Objective: Complete dashboard with quality management

Configuration: 3 columns

1. Left column (33%):

   • Action Widget (My Tasks)
   • Create Documents Widget

2. Center column (34%):

   • Chart Widget (NC Distribution)
   • Chart Widget (Actions in progress)

3. Right column (33%):

   • Chart Widget (Monthly evolution)
   • News Widget

Portal for workshop personnel

Objective: Simple access to procedures and instructions

Configuration: 1 column

Recommended widgets:

• Search Widget (at top)
• News Widget (daily instructions)
• Cartography Widget (workshop layout with access to procedures)
• My Favorites Widget (frequent procedures)

User customization

Multiple portals

You can create several different portals:

• Default portal (all users)
• Portal by profile (Managers, Contributors, Readers)
• Portal by department (Quality, Production, Purchasing)

Assignment: Via user or group settings

Individual customization

Depending on configuration, users can:

• Reorganize their widgets (Drag & Drop)
• Hide certain widgets
• Add personal widgets

Configuration: To be defined in global settings (allow or not)

Best practices

Design

Visual hierarchy:

• Place essentials top-left (reading direction)
• Charts on the right (management)
• Actions at top, information at bottom

Density:

• Don't overload (6-8 widgets maximum)
• Leave breathing space (spaces between widgets)
• Adapt to screen resolution

Consistency:

• Use consistent colors
• Harmonize widget sizes
• Align elements

Performance

Optimization:

• Limit the number of heavy charts
• Restrict the number of items in lists (5-10)
• Avoid overly large images

Loading:

• Widgets load independently
• A slow widget doesn't impact others

Maintenance

Regular review:

• Gather user feedback
• Adjust according to evolving needs
• Remove unused widgets

Documentation:

• Document portal structure
• Explain configuration choices
• Train users

Business case (Quality): Quality home portal

Context: The Quality Manager wants a complete visual dashboard

Configuration: 2 columns (60/40)

Left column (60%):

1. Action Widget "My Tasks"

   • To validate ☑
   • Overdue ☑
   • To sign ☑
   • Collapse if 0 ☑

2. Create Widget "Quick actions"

   • "Report an NC" (red, alert icon)
   • "Create an Action" (blue, check icon)
   • "New document" (green, file icon)

3. News Widget "Latest procedures"

   • View: "Validated procedures"
   • Number: 5
   • Mode: List

Right column (40%):

4. Chart Widget "NC by department"

   • Chart: Pie chart "NC Distribution"
   • Height: 300px
   • Clickable to detailed list

5. Chart Widget "Monthly evolution"

   • Chart: Curve "NC over 12 months"
   • Height: 300px

6. My Favorites Widget "My documents"

Result: The Quality Manager has a complete overview upon login. At a glance, they identify their priority tasks and visualize the quality status.

Troubleshooting

Widgets don't display

Solutions:

1. Check user access rights
2. Verify that the data source exists (view, chart)
3. Clear cache (AdminTools > Cache)
4. Check error logs

Portal is slow

Possible causes:

• Too many resource-intensive widgets (complex charts)
• Lists with too many items
• Non-optimized images

Solutions:

• Reduce the number of charts
• Limit the number of items in lists
• Optimize images (compression)

Modifications are not visible

Solution:

1. Save your modifications in the editor
2. Clear application cache
3. Refresh browser (F5 or Ctrl+F5)

Resources

Inspiration

• Consult portals from other Avanteam modules
• Benchmark similar applications
• Gather user requirements

Training

• Train administrators on the portal editor
• Create user guides
• Organize feedback sessions

Support

For advanced needs (custom widgets, external integration), contact Avanteam support.