Generic Features Alternative
The Configuration (Cog) Icon
Clicking on a cog icon opens a control’s default settings panel. This icon is only visible in configurable mode.
Note: The cog icon usually appears either in the top left corner of a control box or to the left of the text on a page tab.
Control Default Settings Panel
The default setting panel opens as a pop-up panel in front of the current web-page. The panel allows the defaults setting for the control to be specified
Note: The panel has to be closed (using the close control icon) in order to continue using the website.
In-Session Settings Icon
The in-session parameters panel is managed using the expand/collapse icons to show/hide a control’s session settings.
Note: The expand/collapse icon usually appears either in the top right corner of a control box.
Control In-Session Settings Panel
A control's in-session setting panel expands out below the control's title bar to allows the immediate-run setting for the control to be specified
Note: The panel remains open until the control's collapse is clicked; the website remains usable whether this panel is expanded or collapsed.
Control Title Bar
Each control has a title bar containing important information about the specific purpose and context of the control in its current state. It is possible to define a fixed description for a control to appear in the title bar. Ellserve also generates a context description for each instance of a control. Both fixed and context descriptions can be displayed at the same time, but only the fixed description can be turned off.
In the first picture, only the context description is displayed showing that the control is currently displaying data for sites with time of use metering, and broken down by business unit over the period September 2011 to September 2012.
In the second picture the fixed title (Consumption Pie) has been made visible. Note the font size of the context description is decreased when the fixed title is enabled.
The intended use for fixed description is to provide controls with useful title bars for those using non-configurable logins.
Common Control Settings
The following control setting elements are common to several controls.
Control Title
The title setting allows an individual control to be given a fixed title. The description is entered in the field provided. Checking the associated check box causes the fixed description to be displayed in the control's title bar.
Note: Control fixed descriptions are used (in preference to generic control type) by the page control to show the order in which display controls appear on a page.
It is worth giving all controls a fixed name, particularly where a page may contain several similar controls.
Date Range Selector
Most controls present data for a specified date range (e.g. a graph may chart energy costs from the beginning of the financial year, or an invoice browser may show only invoices received in the last three months). A date range is expressed as two (inclusive) values:
- From month
- To month
When a control is launched, the default date range is used to select the data to be displayed. A date range may be:
- Fixed: both start and end months are specified (e.g. May 2012 to August 2012 inclusive)
- Relative: both start and end months are set relative to the current month (e.g. from 6 months ago until now)
- Combined: Either the to or the from date is fixed while the other is relative (e.g. from June 2012 until last month inclusive).
On first opening the default settings panel shows the date selector in collapsed form, shows the current default range by converting relative dates to appropriate calendar dates.