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Creating a Navigator

Introduction​

This guide details step by step how to create a navigator in Process Studio. A navigator organizes access to records through views grouped by headers.

Prerequisites:

  • Have created at least one view (see Creating Views).
  • Know the forms to make accessible.

Step 1: Access​

  1. Open Process Studio.
  2. Go to Navigation → Navigators.
  3. Click on New → New Navigator (not "New navigation bar").

Step 2: General Properties​

Fill in the description fields:

FieldDescriptionExample
NameTechnical name of the navigator (no spaces or special characters).ReclamationsClients, DocumentsQualite
DescriptionReadable description for designers."Navigator to manage customer complaints"
CategoryClassifies the navigator in a category (facilitates search)."Users", "Administration", "Quality"

[!TIP] Create a new category by simply typing its name in the "Category" field. It will be automatically created.

Step 3: Header Management​

Headers are the visual categories that appear in the left menu of the web application.

Add a Header​

  1. In the Headers section, click the Add button (➕).
  2. Configure the header:
    • Title: Name displayed in the navigator (e.g.: "Customer Complaints").
    • Icon: Click on the icon 🖼️ to select a representative icon.
    • Content type: Choose between View set or Folder.

Header Content Types​

A header can have two types of content:

1. View set (Default)​

  • Description: The header contains a list of views accessible directly.
  • Usage: Classic structure to organize views related to the same theme.
  • Display: The user clicks on a view under the header → The list of records is displayed.

Example:

Header: "Customer Complaints" (Type: View set)
├─ View "All"
├─ View "In progress"
└─ View "Validated"

In the web application:

Customer Complaints ▼
  ├─ All (view)
  ├─ In progress (view)
  └─ Validated (view)

2. Folder (Dynamic Generation by SQL)​

  • Description: The header dynamically generates navigation entries based on a custom SQL query.
  • Usage: Create folders or categories based on existing data (e.g.: document categories, services, regions).
  • Display: The user sees a list of dynamically generated entries, each pointing to a filtered view.

How it works:

  • You define a SQL query that returns two columns:
    • ViewName: Name of the view to use
    • value: Label displayed in the navigator (can be dynamic)
  • The query can combine fixed entries (standard views) and dynamic entries (based on data)

SQL query example:

-- Fixed entry: "All FAQs"
select distinct 
    'QDMFaqDefault' as ViewName,  
    dbo.LocalizeValue('All FAQs','Localize_string',@UserLang) as value,
    1 as colTri

UNION

-- Fixed entry: "Recent publications"
select distinct 
    'QDMFaqNew' as ViewName,  
    dbo.LocalizeValue('Recent publications','Localize_string',@UserLang) as value,	
    2 as colTri
	
UNION

-- Dynamic entries: one folder per Category/Section
select distinct 
    'QDMFaqDossier' as ViewName,  
    FRM.Categorie + '/' + FRM.Rubrique as value,
    3 as colTri
From 
    Documents D
    INNER JOIN FRM_FAQ FRM on D.id = FRM.id_document
Where 
    D.reference <> '' AND	
    ISNULL(FRM.Categorie,'') <> '' AND
    ISNULL(FRM.Rubrique,'') <> '' AND
    D.validity != 'I'
	
Order by colTri

Result in the web application:

FAQ Header ▼
  ├─ All FAQs (view QDMFaqDefault)
  ├─ Recent publications (view QDMFaqNew)
  ├─ Quality/Procedures (filtered view QDMFaqDossier)
  ├─ Quality/Instructions (filtered view QDMFaqDossier)
  ├─ Production/Operating methods (filtered view QDMFaqDossier)
  └─ HR/Training (filtered view QDMFaqDossier)

[!IMPORTANT] The SQL query must return the ViewName and value columns. The {0} parameter in the WHERE clause will be automatically replaced by the user profile filter.

[!TIP] Use the Folder type to automatically organize your records by business categories without manually creating dozens of views.

Organize Headers​

  • Move up (⬆️): Moves the header up in the list.
  • Move down (⬇️): Moves the header down in the list.
  • Delete (🗑️): Deletes the selected header.

[!NOTE] The order of headers in Process Studio corresponds to the display order in the web application.

Step 4: View Management​

Each header contains one or more views.

Add a View to a Header​

  1. Select the header in the left list.
  2. In the Views section (on the right), click Add (➕).
  3. Configure the view:
    • View: Select an existing view from the dropdown list.
    • Title: Name displayed in the navigator (can differ from the view name).
    • Parameters: Define filter parameters for the view.
    • Type: Default view / Public view / Private view.

Example:

Header: "Customer Complaints"
├─ View: QIMReclaToutes → Title: "All" (Type: Default view)
├─ View: QIMReclaEnCours → Title: "In progress" (Type: Standard view)
└─ [Private Views Location] → Title: "My custom views" (Type: Private view)

View Types​

TypeDescriptionUsage
Default viewView predefined by the designer. Identical for all users.Main views (All, In progress, Validated).
Public viewLocation allowing users to create shared views.Collaborative views created by administrators.
Private viewLocation allowing users to create personal views.Custom views visible only by their creator.

[!TIP] Always add a private views location in your navigators. This allows users to save their own filters without modifying the global configuration.

Procedure to create a private view (User - Web Application):

  1. The user opens an existing view (e.g.: "All").
  2. They apply custom filters (e.g.: "Service = Quality").
  3. They click on "Save as private view".
  4. The view appears in the "My custom views" location.

Organize Views​

  • Move up (⬆️): Moves the view up in the list.
  • Move down (⬇️): Moves the view down in the list.
  • Delete (🗑️): Removes the view from the header.

Step 5: Available Forms​

The Startup section (at the bottom) defines the forms that the user can create via the "Create" button in the web application.

There are two distinct sections to configure forms:

1. "Forms" Section (at the top)​

  • Function: List of forms accessible without workflow (direct recording).
  • Usage: For repository forms or simple records without validation process.
  • Behavior: The user creates and saves the form directly.

Examples:

  • Product Sheet
  • Customer Sheet
  • Supplier Sheet
  • System configuration

2. "Workflow startup" Section (at the bottom)​

  • Function: List of forms accessible with workflow (goes through the 1st step).
  • Usage: For forms with business process (validation, approval, processing).
  • Behavior: The created record automatically starts at the 1st step of the workflow.

Examples:

  • Customer Complaint
  • Non-Conformity
  • Purchase Request
  • Corrective Action

[!IMPORTANT] The same form can be checked in both sections if you want to offer both creation modes.

Configuration example:

"Forms" section (without workflow):
✅ Product Sheet
✅ Customer Sheet

"Workflow startup" section:
✅ Customer Complaint
✅ Non-Conformity
✅ Corrective Action

Result (Web Application):

  • The user clicks on "Create" → Dropdown list displays:
    • "Product Sheet" (direct creation)
    • "Customer Sheet" (direct creation)
    • "Customer Complaint" (starts in workflow)
    • "Non-Conformity" (starts in workflow)
    • "Corrective Action" (starts in workflow)

Step 6: "Display Workflow Name" Option​

This option allows displaying the workflow name in parentheses in the "Create" button.

Configuration​

  1. Check "Display workflow name".
  2. Customize the Display format:
    • {0}: Form name.
    • {1}: Workflow name.

Format examples:

FormatResult in "Create"
{0}"Customer Complaint"
{0} ({1})"Customer Complaint (Complaint Workflow)"
{1} - {0}"Complaint Workflow - Customer Complaint"
[{1}] {0}"[Complaint Workflow] Customer Complaint"

Usage: Useful if the same form can start with several different workflows.

Step 7: Save​

Click on Save (💾).

The navigator is now created and ready to be added to a navigation bar.

Best Practices​

Naming​

  • Technical name: No spaces, PascalCase (e.g.: ReclamationsClients).
  • Description: Complete explanatory sentence.
  • Header titles: Short and explicit ("Complaints", "My Documents").
  • View titles: Clear ("All", "In progress", "To process").

Organization​

  • Limit headers: 3 to 6 headers maximum per navigator.
  • Use folders: For more than 6 headers, structure in folders.
  • Hierarchy: Maximum 3 levels (Folder → Sub-header → Views).

Views​

  • Always add: A location for private views.
  • "All" view: Start with a view without filter.
  • Specialized views: In progress, Validated, To process, etc.

Forms​

  • Relevance: Check only forms related to the navigator's theme.
  • Workflow startup: Activate if the form has a workflow.
  • Repositories: Form startup (no workflow).

Troubleshooting​

Problem: I don't see my views in the list​

Solutions:

  1. Verify that the views are properly created (Navigation → Views).
  2. Refresh the interface (F5).

Problem: Sub-headers are not displayed​

Solutions:

  1. Verify that the parent header is of Type "Folder".
  2. Make sure the sub-headers are properly created as children of the folder.

Problem: The "Create" button is empty​

Solutions:

  1. Check at least one form in the "Startup" section.
  2. Verify user rights on the forms.

See also: