Screen Customizer Fourth Shift Release 7.50

Transcription

1 Screen Customizer Fourth Shift Release 7.50

2 Fourth Shift Help 2008, Release SoftBrands, Inc. All rights reserved This documentation is copyrighted and all rights are reserved. This documentation may not, in whole or in part, be reproduced in any form. SoftBrands, Inc. provides this publication as is without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties or conditions of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall SoftBrands, Inc. be liable for any loss of profits, loss of business, loss of use of data, interruption of business, or for direct, special, incidental, or consequential damages of any kind, even if SoftBrands, Inc. has been advised of the possibility of such damages arising from any defect or error in this publication. Fourth Shift is a registered trademark of SoftBrands, Inc. Microsoft, SQL Server, and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Crystal Reports is a registered trademark of Crystal Decisions, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Screen Customizer 2

3 Contents Screen Customizer Module Customization Implementation Planning Preliminary Customization Customization Review and Update Customization Implementation Customization Administration Screen Customizer 3

4 Screen Customizer Module The Screen Customizer feature is available when you complete the workstation installation for the Screen Customizer (SCRM) module. The Screen Customizer enables you to tailor the terminology (or field labels) used on Fourth Shift screens to best correspond to your needs. You can use Screen Customizer to hide fields or make them view only, when necessary. You can also define specific data entry requirements, such as a required minimum or maximum number of characters. The Screen Customizer module is accessed from the Fourth Shift Tools folder in the Start menu. What Is Screen Customizer? The Screen Customizer feature enables you to select customization options while running the system, so there are no new programs to learn. The module adds menu options and functionality to the Fourth Shift program. Additionally, screen label customizations are automatically reused so that a single customization can affect more than one screen. Customization can be completed for the following types of information: Screen Labels Screen labels (or field names) are the descriptions displayed above or next to fields on a screen. Screen labels are identified by a unique tracking number so that the label can be reused throughout the system when the same characters and spaces are available. Unique identifiers are also assigned to the same word which may have more than one meaning in other languages. For example, order can have three meanings: customer order, purchase order or manufacturing order. Screen Data Fields Screen data fields are the area where information is displayed or entered. You can prevent or require data entry, restrict or require a specific number of characters, or hide a field entirely. These customizations can be made available company-wide or for specific groups or individuals. Note: The workstation installation for the Screen Customizer (SCRM) module should only be completed on workstations used to create customizations. Users do not need to have the module installed in order to view customized screen labels or data fields. Screen Customizer 4

5 Screen customization includes selecting and changing the desired screen label and field information. Your changes are saved to a set of *.DAT files, located in the directory specified for the ScreensDir setting in the FSMSS.INI file. The location specified can be a local directory or a network location. See Customization Administration for more information on this file. The customization process should contain the following phases in this recommended order: Customization Implementation Planning Preliminary Customization Customization Review and Update Customization Implementation Customization Implementation Planning Screen customization enables you to modify the Fourth Shift screen display that your users view. You can provide the assistance your users may need to better understand how to use the system. Before you begin, we recommend creating an overall implementation plan for screen customizations. Consider the following during your planning: What standard terminology needs to be changed? Are there department-specific and/or company-wide customizations needed? What internal training materials need to be updated to support the customizations? Note: The features listed below are not affected by screen customizations and will continue to use standard terminology. You should consider what additional methods are needed to support the differences between your customizations and the standard terminology. Element Screen and batch reports generated in RTF format Reports generated by SQL Server Reporting Services Error messages Screen help Online manuals Mentor and other Fourth Shift training materials Batch process standard parameters Modules that do not use the Fourth Shift core program (such as SOPM, RBPM, SAAM, and ENGM) Possible Options Create custom reports using data extracts or a report writer. Customize RDL definitions in SQL Server Reporting Services. See Printing and Reporting in Reporting for SQL Server Systems for more information. Create internal documentation to cross-reference standard terminology with screen label customizations. Use the Site help feature to create site-specific documentation where needed. Create site-specific training materials which include your customizations, using documentation files as a starting point. Create internal documentation to cross-reference standard terminology with screen label customizations. Create internal documentation to cross-reference standard terminology with screen label customizations. Screen Customizer 5

6 Preliminary Customization Note: Customizations can only be applied from workstations where the Screen Customizer module is installed. You may want to complete this customization using an off-line copy of your system or change the location of the ScreensDir variable to a local directory while you complete and test the changes. 1. Click Start, then point to Programs (the folder containing) Fourth Shift Tools Screen Customizer. 2. Sign on to Screen Customizer using your Fourth Shift User ID and Password. 3. Go to the screen where you want to make customizations. 4. Right-click the screen label or field you want to modify to display the pop-up edit menu. Note: In some cases, field names may be stacked on top of each other. - To select a field name that may be located behind the original selection, hold down the Shift key and right-click again. 5. Select Customize a Field. 6. Select all applicable customization options. The Screen Customizer window is displayed. The options available vary depending on whether you are customizing a screen label or a data field. - Always Hide Select this option to remove the screen label or data field from the screen. In most cases, you need to hide both the screen label and the data field. - Disable Data Entry (View Only) Select this option to permit users to view screen labels and data without allowing data entry. - Require Data Entry Select this option to require users to make an entry in the field. For example, you may want to require data entered in a reference field that is, typically, optional in Fourth Shift. - Ignore TitleCase Preference Select this option to force a screen label or data field to display all uppercase characters. - Change Value Displayed To Select this option to change the text for the screen label. For example, you can change the screen label from Item to Part. - Use this option to enter the new text in all uppercase and let each user's titlecase preference determine how to display the text. - Use this option to maintain an exact display of upper and lower case characters use in combination with the Ignore TitleCase Preference option. - User-Defined Minimum Length Enter the minimum number of characters this field should accept. - The Minimum Length must be greater than 0. - The following message is displayed if data entered does not meet the required length: Data entered is less than the user-defined length. Screen Customizer 6

7 - User-Defined Maximum Length Enter the maximum number of characters this field should accept. - The Maximum Length must be greater than 0. - For fields with a maximum length restriction, system generated data can exceed the maximum limitation defined; however, manually entered data cannot. 7. Click OK. - Customized fields are displayed with a yellow background. - Hidden fields are displayed as grayed out. 8. Review the result of your customization transport to another screen and return to the screen you customized to refresh the display. You should also complete test transactions. 9. Save your changes when you are satisfied the results. a. Right-click on a field label or in a data-entry field to display the pop-up edit menu. b. Select Save Customizations. Note: If you do not save your changes manually, the changes are saved automatically when you exit the program. 10. Repeat customizations on the current screen and other screens as needed. You may need to repeat the customization for specific text, such as Item, several times because unique identifiers are assigned to the text based on the space and other information included in the screen label or data field. 11. Exit Screen Customizer when you have completed your customizations. Customization Review and Update 1. Click Start, then point to Programs (the folder containing) Fourth Shift group Fourth Shift. 2. Sign on to Fourth Shift with your Fourth Shift User ID and Password. 3. Go to the screen where you made customizations. 4. Review the screen operation by entering a sample transaction. Note: - Make sure that your transactions do not interfere with your production system. - If additional changes are needed, exit Fourth Shift and use the Screen Customizer to to edit your selections. Screen Customizer 7

8 Customization Implementation Once you have completed all the necessary changes, you need to make the customization files available to the set of users to which the changes apply. The following instructions assume that all users will use the customizations. See Establishing Different Customization Options for Different Users for more information. The customization changes are saved in the following files: File SCUSTLAB.DAT SCUSTVAR.DAT Screen label customization file Data field customization file Description Both files are located, by default, in the MFGSYS\SCREENS directory. This location is specified by the ScreensDir setting in the FSMSS.INI file. 1. Verify that the *.DAT files are located in a directory that all users can access. 2. Copy the files to the MFGSYS\SCREENS directory, if you created the files in a local directory. 3. Verify that the ScreensDir setting in the FSMSS.INI file specifies the MFGSYS\SCREENS directory. 4. Test the screen customizations by having several users sign on to Fourth Shift and use the customized screens. Customization Administration Disabling Customizations Note: Customizations can only be applied or disabled from workstations where the Screen Customizer module is installed. To disable individual customizations, complete these steps: 1. Click Start, then point to Programs (the folder containing) Fourth Shift Tools Screen Customizer. 2. Sign on to Screen Customizer using your Fourth Shift User ID and Password. 3. Go to the screen where you want to make customizations. 4. Right-click the screen label or field where you want to disable customizations. 5. Select Customize a Field from the pop-up edit menu. 6. Clear all customization options. 7. Click OK. 8. Repeat this process for any additional customizations you want to remove. 9. Save your changes when finished. a. Right-click on a field label or in a data-entry field to display the pop-up edit menu. b. Select Save Customizations. Screen Customizer 8

9 Note: If you do not save your changes manually, the changes are saved automatically when you exit the program. To disable all customizations, complete these steps: 1. Go to the location specified by the ScreensDir setting in the FSMSS.INI file. 2. Delete the SCUST*.DAT files. Establishing Different Customization Options for Different Users The customization data files are accessed from the ScreensDir location in the FSMSS.INI file. You can create multiple individual customization files or use single set from a shared location. Each option has advantages and disadvantages including: Option Multiple / Individual Single Description Allows each user to have separate customizations. This method could be useful when a department or group of users requires different customizations. However, when customizations are needed for all users, the customizations must be repeated for each unique set of individual customizations. Once the customizations are complete, you can copy the *.DAT files to other locations as needed. Allows you to maintain all customizations in a central location and allow all users to access the standard customizations. This method assumes that all users will use the same customizations. Using Data Import with Screen Customizer The following features of the data import tasks (IMPT, RCVR, and FSTM) are not available if you use Screen Customizer. These tasks need unrestricted access to the standard Fourth Shift data entry fields, and must disregard any modifications made using Screen Customizer. If you execute a data import task on a workstation using customizations: You cannot view transaction processing on screen while running an import task. You cannot step through an import macro one keystroke at a time. The minimum/maximum data import restrictions are not enforced. You can enable these features by removing the SCUST*.DAT customization files from the directory specified by the ScreensDir setting in the FSMSS.INI file. Restore the customization files after you have finished working with the data import tasks. Screen Customizer 9