Customization Management

This program lets you view and manage the various customization layouts that have been applied to operator roles within SYSPRO.

Exploring

Elements of the user interface that you can customize include the following:

  • Flow graphs

  • Docking panes

  • Listviews

  • Menus

  • Display forms

  • Entry forms

The nature of the customizations range from moving and removing columns, fields and panes; to configuring keywords for exclusion in selected listviews.

For example:

Whenever the title of a listview column contains the words unit cost, then the column must be hidden for the selected role.

The 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 and copied between roles / workstations (the latter using the export/import functions).

This program is accessed from the Program List of the SYSPRO menu:

  • Program List > Administration > General Setup

This program is accessed from the SYSPRO Ribbon bar:

  • SYSPRO Ribbon bar > Administration > Customization

Programs

Customization Profiler

Role Management

Operator Roles

Setup programs

Operator Maintenance

Starting

  • You can only design roles if the Role layout design option is enabled against your operator code in the Operator Maintenance program (SYSPRO Ribbon bar > Setup > Operators).

You restrict operator access to activities within a program using the Operator Maintenance program.

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.

Controls whether operator changes to listview layouts are saved when the operator belongs to a role (Customization Management).

If access to this activity is enabled, then the operator can perform the following functions:

  • Rearrange and resize columns.
  • Remove columns and add them back.
  • 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.

You can restrict operator access to programs by assigning them to groups and applying access control against the group (configured using the Operator Groups program).

You can restrict operator access to programs by assigning them to roles and applying access control against the role (configured using the Role Management program).

  • 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.

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

Solving

While in Role Design on a client or the server, the changes are stored in Role_### (memory) on both the server and the client. After exiting the design mode, the changes are saved to a Role folder (e.g. Role_001) on the server and the Role_### folder is deleted from the client.

If you are designing a new role, then the next time the operator who is linked to the newly-created role logs in, the new role folder self-heals to the client.

If you are changing an existing role, then the Role folder is updated immediately if the operator designing the role is linked to the same role, otherwise self-healing takes place on the next session the user linked to the role logs in.

The server checks the date-time stamp on the version.txt file, and if the file does not exist or the date-time stamp is different, then the folder self-heals to the client.

No, role design always takes precedence over system-wide design.

The VBScript must also be applied at role level.

For the server, a system account can be used, or a user account that is defined against the Communication Service and has all permissions except the following:

  • Full Control
  • Delete
  • Change permissions
  • Take ownership

For the client, a user account defined against the SYSPRO Client Service that has all permissions except the following:

  • Full Control
  • Delete
  • Change permissions
  • Take ownership

A role can be designed on the server or the client, but changes are always saved on the server and self-healed to the client.

The server checks the date time-stamp on the version.txt file. If the file does not exist, or the date time-stamp is different, then the folder self-heals to the client.

Role information is stored in the ADMRLP.DAT file in the \Work folder.

If you inadvertently deleted a role, you can restore this file from a backup to restore the role.

Using the User Interface Override List pane, you can define a specific list of programs for which a lock-down is applied on the user interface for operators belonging to certain roles.

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).

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.

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.

To provide operators within defined roles with the same customization experience across any machine (and in the event of a pod loss in a SYSPRO Cloud ERP environment) the customized role settings are stored in the \Base\Settings folder of the file system, as well as the following tables within the system-wide database in SQL:

  • Role customization files (e.g. \Settings\Role_xxx):

    Stored within the SysRoles table.

  • Role menu files:

    Stored within the SysMenu table.

When operators within a defined role log into SYSPRO, the system checks the SysRoles and SysMenu tables for any customized role settings or menus defined and returns these if found. If these settings are not found during the start-up process, the system checks the file system (\Base\Settings) and, if found, copies these to the respective SQL database tables and returns the saved settings to the SYSPRO instance.

Using

  • Columns in a listview are sometimes hidden by default. You can reinstate them using the Field Chooser option from the context-sensitive menu (displayed by right-clicking a header column header in the listview). Select and drag the required column to a position in the listview header.

  • Fields on a pane are sometimes removed by default. You can reinstate them using the Field Selector option from the context-sensitive menu (displayed by right-clicking any field in the pane). Select and drag the required fields onto the pane.

    The captions for fields are also sometimes hidden. You can select the Show Captions option from the context-sensitive menu to see a list of them. Click on the relevant caption to reinstate it to the form.

    If the Show Captions option is grayed out, it means no captions are hidden for that form.

  • Press Ctrl+F1 within a listview or form to view a complete list of functions available.

Referencing

This indicates the category for which you want to display and maintain customization:

  • Role Layouts

    Display and maintain customization by role.

  • System-Wide Layouts

    Display and maintain customization applicable to the entire system.

  • Industry

    Display and maintain customization applicable to the specific industry associated with the current SYSPRO company.

Indicate the role for which you want to view and maintain.

This defaults to {ALL}.

This lets you display the program descriptions for all programs that have role based changes against them for this role.

The program description is a hyperlink which you can to call up the program.

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.

Import a previously-exported customization file.

This updates existing records and adds new ones, as required, but does not remove any records.

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

This lets you expand all the displayed role information.

This lets you collapse all the displayed role information (i.e. default view).

This lets you import the previously exported customization file, as defined against the Import file name field.

Field Description

Import file name

Enter the name of the previously-exported customization file you want to import.

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

This lets you create the export file with the selected information.

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 export file

This lets you email the created export file as an attachment.

To send email, ensure that the Email integration required option is enabled against your operator code in the Operator Maintenance program.

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, and any that already exist are changed to match the imported entries.

Include roles

This include the roles in the export file.

Include keyword exclusions

This includes the keyword exclusions for each role in the export file.

Include operators

This includes details of operator codes in the export file.

Include groups

This includes details of the operator groups in the export file.

This excludes the operator group security.

Export 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

This lets you include the layouts for all roles displayed in the listview in the export.

This functionality is not available in the SYSPRO Web UI (Avanti) version.

Unselect All

This lets you 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.

This functionality is not available in the SYSPRO Web UI (Avanti) version.

Export VBScripts

The defined VBScripts are displayed in a listview.

This option enables you to indicate the VBScripts to include in the export.

Select All

This lets you include all VBScripts displayed within the listview in the export.

This functionality is not available in the SYSPRO Web UI (Avanti) version.

Unselect All

This lets you 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.

This functionality is not available in the SYSPRO Web UI (Avanti) version.

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

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.

If you list a program here, then only the customization for that program is applied and all other program customizations for the role are ignored (i.e. the system interprets all other programs for that role as no longer being role-based).

This main listview displays the layouts that have been modified for either a specific role or all roles.

Column Description

Role/Program and Layout

This displays customizations that have been made to the following layouts:

  • Menus
  • Flow graphs
  • Docking panes
  • List Views
  • Forms

Description

This indicates the layout description.

Reset

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

The Delete function removes the menu or flow graph designed for the role

Copy

This lets you 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 pane, and will expand and pin this pane in place.

Location

This indicates the location of the role or program's settings file.

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

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

This copies the customization as per your selections.

Copy From

Field Description

Role

This indicates the role description currently defined that will be copied from this role to the selected role(s).

Program

These specific customizations will be copied to the selected role(s).

Layout

This indicates the name of the layout being copied.

Refresh after copy

This lets you 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 indicates whether Custom form fields, Master table fields, orScripted fields have been added/removed from the form.

Copy To

Column Description

Role

This indicates the role to which you are copying the layout.

Role Code

This indicates the code of the role description.

Copy to

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).

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

The Operator Maintenance program is used to link operators to roles.

Column Description

Operator

This indicates the operator code.

Name

This indicates the name assigned to the operator code.

Group

This indicates the operator group to which the operator belongs.

Location

This indicates the operator's location.

Primary role

This indicates the primary role assigned to the operator code.

Role 2 - 5

This indicates any additional roles assigned to the operator code.

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

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.

This saves the details you entered or changed.

This lets you capture a new keyword for exclusion for the selected role.

The Keywords screen is displayed when you select this, from where you can define new keywords.

Column Description

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

This removes the keyword from the role.

Keywords

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

Field Description

Save

This lets you apply the keyword exclusion to the indicated role(s).

Keyword

Indicate the keyword you want to exclude from being displayed in listview.

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.

Roles

 

Role

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).

This pane displays all the customized hyperlinks currently defined for forms and/or listviews for the selected role(s).

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

The Customize Hyperlink-Exception program is where these exceptions are defined.

This pane displays all the customized exceptions currently defined for listviews for the selected role(s).

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

The Customize Hyperlink-Exception program is where these exceptions are defined.

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.

Field Description

VBScript name

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

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

Program Name

Click on the Program Name hyperlink to run the program.

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

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