SYSPRO Ribbon bar > Administration > Customization Management

Customization Management

You use this program to view and manage the various customization layouts that have been applied to operator roles within SYSPRO.

Elements of the user interface that you can customize range from flow graphs, docking panes and listviews to menus, display forms and entry forms. The nature of the customizations range from moving and removing columns, fields and panes, to configuring keywords for exclusion in selected listviews (e.g. whenever the title of a listview column contains the words unit cost, then the column must be hidden for the selected role).

This program also displays all VBScripts that have been written for the site and indicates what custom form fields, scripted fields, or master table fields have been added to all forms.

The displayed customizations can be deleted, copied between roles and workstations (the latter using the export/import functions).

Toolbar and menu

Field Description
Layout category Indicate the category for which you want to display and maintain customization. See Design UI Layouts.
OptionDescription
Role LayoutsSelect this to display and maintain customization by role.
System-Wide LayoutsSelect this to display and maintain customization applicable to the entire system.
IndustrySelect this to display and maintain customization applicable to the specific industry associated with the current SYSPRO company.
Select role Indicate the role for which you want to display the information and which you want to maintain.

This defaults to {ALL}.

Go Select this arrow to display the program descriptions for all programs that have role based changes against them for this role.

The program description is a hyperlink and you can use your mouse button on the link to call up the program.

Expand Select this to expand all the displayed role information
Collapse Select this to collapse all the displayed role information. Role information is displayed in the collapsed format by default.
Import Select this to import a previously exported customization file. This updates existing records and adds new ones, as required, but does not remove any records.
Export Select this to export customization settings to a text file. This enables you to create customization changes off-site, or on a test site, before deploying it to an end user site. Settings that can be exported include:
  • Docking pane layouts

  • Listview layouts

  • Forms layouts

  • VBScripts

  • Roles

  • Keyword exclusions

  • Operators

  • Groups

Import

This screen is displayed when you select the Import option from the Customization Management screen.

Field Description
Import file name Enter the name of the previously exported customization file you want to import. The full path name must be defined.

In a client/server environment, the import file must reside on the application server.

This defaults to the Customization.txt file on the SYSPRO application server.

You can use the Browse icon to select the location of the file to be imported

Import Select this to import the previously exported customization file.

When the file is imported, any entries that are in the export file that already exist in the new company are updated with the new information. New entries for the roles are added. Any entries that already exist in the new system that are not included in the export file are left as they were.

When the import is complete a message is displayed indicating statistics of the number of new items imported and the number of items changed.

Cancel Select this to return to the previous screen without performing an import.

Export

This screen is displayed when you select the Export option from the Customization Management screen.

The customization information for the roles that are selected is added to the export file. This includes the form, listview and docking pane changes.

When the file is imported, any entries that are in the export file that already exist in the new company are updated with the new information. New entries for this role are added. Any entries that already exist in the new system that are not included in the export file are left as they were.

See also: Notes and warnings.

Field Description
Export file name This indicates the name of the customization text file (including the full path) that you want to create.

The file name defaults to Customization.txt and the path defaults to your ..\work folder on the SYSPRO application server.

Email the export file Select this if you want to email the created export file as an attachment.
[Note]

To send email ensure that you have enabled the Fax/mail integration required option (Operators).

Options These options enable you to specify what must be included in the export file.

The sections you select are created when you import the file. Any that already exist are changed to match the imported entries.

Include roles Select this to include the roles in the export file.
Include keyword exclusions Select this to include the keyword exclusions for each role in the export file.
Include operators Select this to include details of operator codes in the export file.
Include groups Select this to include details of the operator groups in the export file.
[Note]

This excludes the operator group security.

Export layouts for these roles All roles currently defined are displayed in this listview.

This option enables you to indicate the roles for which you want to export the layouts.

Select All Select this to include the layouts for all roles displayed in the listview in the export.
Unselect All Select this to exclude the layouts for all roles displayed in the listview in the export. You would typically select this option if you only wanted to include a few role layouts in the export. You can exclude all role layouts and then select only the few you want to include.
Export these VBScripts

The VBScripts defined are displayed in a listview.

This option enables you to indicate the VBScripts to include in the export.
Select All Select this to include all VBScripts displayed in the listview in the export.
Unselect All Select this to exclude all VBScripts displayed in the listview from the export. You would typically select this option if you only wanted to include a few VBScripts in the export. You can exclude all scripts and then select only the few you want to include.
Export Select this to create the export file with the selected information.
Cancel Select this to return to the previous screen without performing an export.

User Interface Override List

This pane lets you define a list of programs for which customization takes precedence over any other program customization in SYSPRO.

If a program is listed here, then only the customization for that program is applied (i.e. all other program customizations are ignored for the roles indicated).

As a system administrator, you would typically use this to define a specific list of programs for which a lock-down is applied on the user interface for operators belonging to certain roles.

Customized Layouts by Role

This pane displays the menus, flow graphs, docking panes, listviews and/or forms that have been modified for either a specific role or 'ALL' roles.

The following information is included in the listview:

Column Description
Role/Program and Layout This displays customizations that have been made to flow graphs, forms, listviews, menus and docking pane layouts.
Description This indicates the description for the forms, flow graphs, menus and listviews which enables you to differentiate between them. All changes to the docking panes for this program/role combination appear as one entry.

If the form title cannot be determined then it defaults to the form name (e.g. ARSPENLV, or INVPENL1).

The form title was not being saved anywhere prior to this application being written, and so only recently compiled programs will save the form title in the ADMLAY file on the application server.

Reset This removes the customization from the form, listview or docking layout for this role.

Select Delete to remove the menu or flow graph designed for the role.

If the Reset option is used against a form, then the form is restored to the standard layout. Any fields that were added to it are still available for use by other forms, or can be added to this form again.

VBScripts associated with the program or role are deleted.

A warning message is displayed when you select this option, enabling you to confirm that you want to perform the reset function.

Copy Select this to copy the selected item to one or more other roles. When selected, the list of roles is displayed (excluding the one you are currently copying from). You can then select which one(s) you wish to copy to.
Associated VBScript If a script is associated with the form or listview, then its name is displayed in this column.

Selecting the hyperlink displays the script in the VBScript code for pane, and will expand and pin this pane in place.

Copy Layout

This screen is displayed when you select the Copy option against an entry in the Customized Layouts by Role listview pane.

It enables you to copy any level of customization from one role to one or more roles.

Field Description
Copy role This indicates the role from which you are copying the layout.
Program/form This indicates the source from which you are copying the layout.
Copy to  
Role This indicates the role descriptors currently defined.
Copy to You use the check boxes in this column to indicate the role(s) to which the layout must be copied. (i.e. a tick in this column indicates that the layout will be copied to that role).
Select All Select this if you want to copy the layout to all roles.
Unselect All Select this to reset all roles to being deselected from the copy process.
Refresh after copy Select this to refresh the Customization Management information after the copy has been completed.

If only one role was selected, then selecting this option does not change the displayed information, as it will still only display the contents of this role.

If you selected to display all roles using the {ALL} selection, then when the refresh occurs the role that the information was copied to reflects the change.

If the role was not displayed before because it contained no customization, it will be displayed after the refresh.

Expanding the Form using the plus sign will indicate whether Custom form fields / Master table fields / Scripted fields have been added/removed from the form.

Keyword Exclusion for Listviews

This pane indicates the columns within listviews that are not displayed for operators belonging to the selected role.

This allows you to 'hide' column headers for any role based on keywords.

[Note]

This is applies to advanced listviews only (i.e. those that display a menu when you use your mouse button on a column heading).

Field Description
Save Select this to save your changes.
Add Select this to add exclusions to the role.
Role This indicates the role against which the keyword is defined for exclusion.
Keyword This indicates the keyword defined as an exclusion from listviews.
Remove Select this to remove the keyword from the role.

Keywords

This screen is displayed when you select the Add option from the Keyword Exclusions for Listviews pane.

Keywords are saved in the file ADMKEY in the ..\base\settings folder on the application server. If you switch between roles dynamically then automatically the new keywords for that role are applied.

[Note]

The keyword exclusion ONLY applies to new-style listviews.

Field Description
Enter the keyword in your language Indicate the keyword you want to exclude from being displayed in listviews.

For example, if you define the keyword as cost, then operators belonging to this role will not see any columns in listviews that contain the word cost. These columns are simply not displayed.

You do not have to define the exact column header as the keyword. The keyword can be a fragment of the column header you want to 'hide'. For example, if you want to hide any column that contains the word 'bin' anywhere in the header text, then you define the keyword as bin.

[Note]

The keyword must be entered in the language of your choice. For example, if you have French column headers then you would enter keywords in French.

You can enter as many keywords as required in different languages.

The keyword is not case sensitive, but it is always be added to the displayed list of keywords in lower case.

Select all roles for which this keyword applies  
Role This indicates the role descriptors currently defined.
Apply

Use the check boxes in this column to indicate the role(s) to which the which the keyword exclusion must apply. (i.e. a tick in this column indicates that the keyword exclusion applies to that role).

Select All Select this to apply the keyword exclusion to all roles. These are the roles that should not be able to see this keyword.
Unselect All Select this to reset all roles to being deselected from the keyword exclusion process.
Apply Select this to apply the keyword exclusion to the role(s) indicated.
Close Select this to return to the previous screen.

Operators Linked to Role

This pane displays the list of operators defined for the current company and the roles linked to them.

You use the Operators program to link operators to roles.

As this display is a listview, the usual listview facilities are available such as sorting and grouping by column.

Column Description
Operator This indicates the operator code.
Name This indicates the name assigned to the operator code (Operators) and is used for identification purposes.
Primary role This indicates the primary role assigned to the operator code (Operators).
Role 2 - 5 This indicates any additional roles assigned to the operator code.

Customized Hyperlinks

This pane displays all the customized hyperlinks currently defined for forms and/or list views for the selected role(s) - see Customize Hyperlink-Exception.

These hyperlinks are global (i.e. not specific to a role or a form).

Customized Exceptions

This pane displays all the customized exceptions currently defined for list views for the selected role(s) - see Customize Hyperlink-Exception.

These exceptions are global (i.e. not specific to a role or a list view).

VBScripts

This pane displays all SYSPRO VBScripts that appear in the \Settings\Role_xxx folder on the server and the client.

A preview of each script is displayed together with the script name and matching program description.

Column Description
VBScript name

Click on the VBScript name hyperlink to expand the VBScript code for pane and populate it with the complete script.

Note that this is not a script editor; it merely displays the script.

Program Name Click on the Program Name hyperlink to run the program.

VBScript Code

This pane displays the VBScript for the selected VBScript name in the VBScripts pane.

[Note]

This is not a script editor; it merely displays the script.

Notes and warnings

Design role layouts

  • You can only design roles if the option: Allow role layout design is enabled against your operator code (Operators).

  • Defining UI layouts by role in a client/server environment must be done on the client machine. If done on the application server, it does not self-heal to the client.

  • Role layout design for listviews/docking panes is ignored for operators where the activities: Save listview layout when using roles and Save docking layout when using roles are enabled (Operators). The operator's settings are used.

  • Role layout design cannot be saved against the SRS Document Archive Viewer program, because the program applies to all document types and each document type has different archive columns.

  • When you design role layouts and customize the ribbon bar in SYSPRO's Main Menu, the changes are saved in the role folder as Tbar_IMPMENTB_Ribbon.XML.

    The changed ribbon bar is displayed when the operator for that role launches SYSPRO. Once a ribbon bar exists in the role folder, it cannot be customized by the operator.

Restrictions and limits

  • The sizing of programs on the screen and the size of panes within programs cannot be controlled at role level. These are controlled at operator level, because different operators typically use different size screens with different resolutions.

Layout design

  • Design layouts done without using roles, or without using the system wide layout, are computer-specific. This means that the same operator can access different computers and see a different layout for the same form.

Export considerations and limits

  • Flow graphs and menus for a role are not exported.

  • Custom form tables and scripted fields are not exported. Any scripts that refer to scripted and custom form fields on a form will report errors and/or may not work as expected.

  • The export only includes operators and groups. It does not include activities, fields, passwords, sub groups (only the main group), defaults, operator options, timeouts or access information (Wh, AR Branch, AP Branch, etc).

Treeview considerations

  • The customization information is presented in a treeview.

  • Selecting the plus sign in front of one of the program descriptions expands to show the content. Alternatively, the displayed role(s) can be expanded to show all the information using the Expand option, or compressed to show just the role name(s) using the Collapse option.

System-wide and industry role considerations

  • Menus created for system-wide and industry roles using the Design System-wide View program (Ribbon bar > Home tab) are not displayed in this program.

Activity considerations

Operator access to the following activities within this program can be restricted. You configure this using the Operators program.

Activity Description
Save docking layout when using roles / industry / system-wide Controls whether operator changes to docking pane layouts are saved when the operator belongs to a role (Customization Management). This includes resetting the layouts for an application.

When using roles, changes to your personal view of the role are saved when you exit an application (e.g. pinning and unpinning panes and making changes to the splitter positions).

If access to this activity is enabled, then changes to the personal view of the role made by the operator are retained and displayed the next time the operator accesses that application. The system always attempts to load the operator's own docking layout first followed by any specifically designed role layout.

If access to this activity is denied, then any changes the operator makes to docking pane layouts are ignored once the operator exits the application. The standard role designed layout is restored when next the application is loaded.

This option does not apply to an Application Help Pane that has been added to a role.

Save list view layout when using roles / industry / system-wide Controls whether operator changes to listviews layouts are saved when the operator belongs to a role (Customization Management).

If access to this activity is enabled, then the operator can rearrange and resize columns, remove columns and add them back, and apply grouping and sorting to listviews. These settings are preserved when exiting the application when the user is linked to a role. In addition, the operator can reset the listview layout, even if roles are in use.

However, if the administrator changes the design of the listview layout for the given role, then the newly-designed layout is automatically applied when the operator re-launches the application. In other words, the operator can adjust the listview column settings for personal use until such time as the administrator specifically designs that listview layout, when the new layout is applied.

If a listview layout has been designed for the application at role level, then pressing Ctrl+F5 will reset the view to the default role-based layout.