Native Reporting – 4.5.1
· Jeffery will be completing the SEAT report
· I will be implementing printing support – still needs to be defined.
MM Refactoring
This is a fairly large task that includes several items. The main idea is that Dwayne wants to re-use the same type functionality that is currently in MM in PS (Part Type Views and Part Type View Images at the Part Type level) and Native Reporting (user defined reports).
It should be noted that the term “widget” functionality refers to the types of things that are currently implemented in MM but weren’t implemented in the most re-usable way. I’ll be using “widget” functionality to refer to the re-usable component that will grow out of the current code used in PS.
User-Defined Reports
Users will be allowed to define reports using the widget functionality (placing charts, header information, customer logos, etc. on a canvas). These reports could then be used in the native Reporting Client for historical reporting or be used in MM for “live” reporting.
Native Reporting
In the current implementation the requirement is to include a “shrunk-down” image of a Part Type View configuration on certain reports (*). The reduced image would contain only the liter lines with dots at the end of the lines representing the points. In the case of an Inspection Point report this reduced image would only contain the single line and point that represented the Inspection Point. The point displayed in this case would not be interactive (cannot right-click to initiate further actions).
Plant Setup
The widget functionality would be incorporated into the current image display at the Part Type level and would replace the current Part Type View functionality.
At the Part Type level the same reduced image mentioned in the Native Reporting discussion above would be displayed as the image for the Part Type View. This image would contain all the lines and points and the points would be interactive as compact charts.
Required for 4.6
· See the Native Reporting section above (*).
Vector UI Usability Issues
The goal was to address specific issues that have been mentioned as problem areas with regard to Vector UI’s and their usage. There have been many comments regarding the tree control used in Plant Setup, the difficulty in finding specific functionality, whether within Plant Setup or first determining which application to execute. In addition other issues such as Cell branding or “walk-up” confusion have been mentioned.
Initial “Walk-Up”
Problems:
o Users don’t know where to start
o No Branding
Solutions:
o Desktop Management
o Folders with Icons linked to current UI functionality
This could be accomplished now by creating a Perceptron folder at install containing Setup, Maintenance & Reporting folders. The Setup folder would contain icons with links to functionality such as Limits, Offets, etc. allowing the user to launch Plant Setup for a specific purpose.
o Implement a Namespace Shell Extension
This approach is more involved. It would allow for a customized desktop with the Perceptron and customer logo’s along with access to the folder functionality mentioned above and possibly a note or graffiti area.
Plant Setup
Problems:
o To overwhelming
Solutions:
o Integrate the Navigator Toolbar into Plant Setup
o Allow for linking/jumping to functionality:
o Externally
§ For example, allow a user to launch reports from any display of an Inspection Point.
§ How many types of operations like this are not known but would need to be investigated.
o Internally
§ For example, allow the Tool Position or Feature information from an Inspection Point.
§ Whether this information would appear as pages on the Inspection Point property sheet or as menu items is unknown.
§ Additionally, the locking rules would have to be re-investigated. As it stands at the moment, the Platform must be locked in order to modify a Feature. Requiring the user to lock the Platform prior to launching the feature information from the Inspection Point would be cumbersome.
§ Also discussed was a new mode (Run/Program) to allow for more entities to be configured while in production.
o 2D graphic enhancements
o 3D graphic enhancements
o Part Type View enhancements
o Attach icons to all menu items
o Review tool bars for completeness at all levels
o Modify context menus to communicate functionality rather than having a “Properties” item only.
o Navigation View
In order to allow users to access functionality with or without the tree being visible the following modifications will be made to give the user a better feel for the level they are at:
o Additional list controls in the Navigation view where applicable. As an example when the user navigates to a specific Part Space (with or without the tree) the Navigation view will contain a Navigation window, Part Type list control, Phase list control and an additional list control with a combo or buttons that allows for switching between the remaining entities at that level (Inspection Points, Anchor Points, Relationships, Tool Positions & Visual Fixtures).
o Gradient title bars for each list control in the Navigation View to give the user a better feel for what they are viewing.
o Tree Control – New display options
Show/Hide:
o Allows the tree to be hidden and restored.
Full mode
o Displays the current complete configuration.
Minimum mode
o Displays fewer folders. This might be considered more of a novice mode but the idea is to allow for the tree to be displayed for navigation but remove a number of the folder levels that clutter up the user ability to locate functionality. Accompanied by the navigation pane changes the user would still have access to all entities.
