Archibus Navigator Tables
Archibus Navigator Tables
The Navigator definition tables are organized to support multiple products. This topic has the following sections:
- Navigator Tables: Diagram
- Fields of the Navigator Tables
- Additional Fields for the Archibus Processes (afm_processes) Table
- Additional Fields for the Archibus Process Tasks (afm_ptasks)Table
- Setting the Navigator Icons and View Header Icons for Web Central
Navigator Tables
The Navigator tables are:
Navigator Component | Table Name | Description | |
---|---|---|---|
Domains | afm_products |
Bundlings of applications. Not use in Archibus SaaS Navigator. |
|
Product Applications | afm_actprods | Assign applications to one or more Domains | |
Applications Modules (SaaS) |
afm_activities | House applications and modules, which are collections of Processes or Roles | |
Processes Roles |
afm_processes | House menus of tasks that are appropriate for specific staff members | |
Tasks | afm_ptasks afm_psubtasks | Specific views or actions that the staff member should execute |
Navigator Tables: Diagram
In diagrammatic form, the first levels of the Navigator hierarchy are as follows.
Domains are the top level of the hierarchy and are groups of related applications . In diagrammatic form, this relation is:
Domains (afm_products) are bundlings of applications.
|
+--- Product Applications (afm_actprods) assign applications to one or more Domains.
|
+ Applications and modules (defined in the afm_activities table) have assigned process and roles and tasks that complete a business-relevant result.
Note : For Archibus SaaS deployments , the domain is "Archibus Cloud." Modules are not grouped into higher categories in the same way that applications are grouped into domains.
Applications and modules organize tasks by process and role so that they communicate the business direction to staff in a form appropriate to each staff member’s role. In diagrammatic form, this relation is:
Applications (afm_activities) house applications and modules, which are collections of Processes or Roles.
|
+--- Processes or Roles (afm_processes) are menus of tasks appropriate for specific staff members.
|
+--- Tasks (afm_ptasks and afm_psubtasks) are specific views or actions that the staff member should execute.
Administrators can assign processes to the multiple staff members who require them to fulfill their role within the organization. In diagrammatic form, this relation is:
Archibus Users (afm_users) are the list of staff members that can sign in to the system.
|
+--- User Processes (afm_userprocs) assign processes to one or more staff members.
|
+--- Processes (afm_processes) are menus of tasks for those staff members.
Assigning Processes and Roles to Users
Administrators can alternately assign processes to the role of the users who require them. This assignment is easier to maintain than the assignment to users (afm_users) because you need only change the role assignment to change the process assignment for all users of that role. In diagrammatic form, this relation is:
Archibus Roles (afm_roles) are the list of roles that staff take on. Each user (afm_user) record has one role.
|
+--- User Role Processes Assignments (afm_roleprocs) assign processes to one or more roles.
|
+--- Processes (afm_processes) are menus of tasks for those staff members.
Note
: In addition to the
afm_ptasks
and
afm_psubtasks
tables, the schema includes
afm_tasks
and
afm_subtasks
. These were used by the Activity Navigator in
Windows Client/Serve
r. Beginning with V.25.1, Archibus Client/Server was discontinued.
Fields for the Navigator Tables
Each table of the Navigator has some of the following fields. Where a field is present in multiple tables, its use is similar in each table.
Field | Description |
---|---|
Active? |
Specifies whether the domain, application, process etc. is active and should be shown on the Navigator. If set to No, the item will not show, even if there is a license for it in the license file. |
Display Order | Order in which to show the items on the Navigator. |
Title | Title of item to display on the Navigator. |
Summary | Summary of item to display when user right clicks on the item on the Solution Explorer (obsolete). |
Help Link | Help topic to display if user right-clicks on the entry in the Navigator. |
SubFolder (afm_activities table only) | This value is currently unused. |
Data Transfer Status | Holds the result of the last data transfer operation used to move data into or out of this table. Useful for reviewing changes on processes and tasks that you have moved between projects. |
Internal Use 1 | Do not use this field. |
For example, here is the afm_activities table.
Additional Fields for the Archibus Processes (afm_processes) Table
Active? Field
Processes that are inactive out of the box (such as
AbAssetAM - Console Reports
and
AbAssetEAM - Console Reports
) do not appear on the Navigator even if they are assigned to a user role. In order for a process to appear on the Navigator, a System Admin needs to activate the process by using Smart Client to edit the field “Active?” field in the Archibus Processes table.
License Level field
If you are using level-style licensing, dictates the level the license level that the current user should have to use the views on that process. The "Assign Processes to Roles" and "Assign Processes to Users" views use this value to filter out processes that are inappropriate to assign to the selected user.
Note:
Some Add-in Managers create new processes by directly editing the Archibus Process and Archibus Process Tasks tables (
afm_processes
and
afm_ptasks
). If you follow this working method and if you make use of stock Archibus views, take care to use only views from processes of the same or lower level. For instance, if you are creating a process at Level 2 – Work Process, use only views of Level 2 or Level 1. If you use higher level views, your users will not be able to load them from their sign-in session.
Process Type field
Choose from the following values, depending on the interface on which this process should display:
Note : The Home Pages that ship with Archibus applications and modules typically do not contain tasks. Instead, the home pages focus on providing metrics. However, you can add tasks to home pages if you choose.
Process Type Value | Description |
---|---|
Web Process Navigator |
Originally, this was for processes that can appear only on the PNav (and the Application tab of the Home Page interface). However, it was later changed so that it could also cover home pages. |
Web Page Navigator | Defines a Home Page that displays in Web Central. |
Web Page Navigator Process |
Defines a process (bucket) that displays only on a Web Central home page. A process created in the Home Page Editor gets this process type. |
Web Pnav & Pages |
For processes that appear on both the Navigator and home page. By setting a process to this Process Type, you make sure that view files used on your home pages are also on the Navigator. This is a requirement for view-level security . |
Smart Client | Process will appear on the Smart Client's Navigator |
Smart Client Extension | Process will appear on the Navigator of Smart Client CAD tools |
Client Server | Process will appear on Client/Server's Process Navigator. (Beginning with V.25.1, Archibus Client/Server was discontinued.) |
Client Server Overlay | Process will appear on Navigator of Client/Server Overlay for AutoCAD |
Thus, a process that holds tasks in Web Central can have one of three process types:
- Web Process Navigator (WEB)
- Web Pnav & Pages (WEB&PAGES)
- Web Page Navigator Process (PAGES)
Additional Fields for the Archibus Process Tasks (afm_ptasks)Table
To define Navigator tasks, you must complete these additional fields.
Field | Description |
---|---|
Security Group | Names the security group that the current user needs to be a member of in order for the task to show. NULL if all users assigned this process should see the item. |
Hotlist User Name | Name of specific user who added the item to the My Favorites view in Archibus Web Central. Used if the item is to appear only for the current user |
Task Type | Determines if the entry presents a label or if a task loads a Web URL, Smart Client grid, etc. See the below table. |
Task File |
This field lists the .axvw file, action, program, etc that the task runs. The value entered in this field must correspond to the value entered in the Task Type field. See the below table. For example, if you want the Navigator to load an external URL (such as www.archibus.com) in a separate browser tab, enter a valid Web address (that includes "http://") in Task File and set Task Type to Web URL. |
Is a Hotlist Task? | The task will appear on the Shortcuts menu for the module or application. |
Task Type | See below discussion. |
Task Type field
The following describes the values for the Task Type field (
afm_ptasks.task_type
) and the action that should be executed when the user selects the
task.
Value for Task Type Field |
Description |
Action |
Label | A label that should appear on the Navigator but invoke no action. Use one or more dashes (e.g. "-", "--", etc.) to define blank lines on the Navigator. | |
Web URL |
A Web Central view file (ab-castd-define.axvw) or a valid Web address that includes "http://" or "https://" |
(None)
|
Smart Client Grid | A Web Central format view file (e.g. ab-ap-eq-by-dp-gd.axvw) that has one, two, or three datasources and is used to define a grid that appears in the Smart Client. See Displaying Views in the Smart Client Grid . | |
Smart Client CAD Grid | A Smart Client grid intended to be used with the Extension for AutoCAD. It typically holds one datasource with an asset table in it, shows the Drawing Name and Entity handle fields. The Smart Client shows the Drawing List after loading a CAD Grid view. | |
Overlay Action | None | The action that should be invoked at the command line the Extension for AutoCAD when the user clicks that PNav item. Use "^C" for the "Esc" character, and semicolons for spaces. |
Windows View |
.avw |
Used only by Windows Client/Server |
Drawing View |
.avw |
Used only by Windows Client/Server |
Fixed Format View |
.rpt |
Used only by Windows Client/Server |
Windows Console URL |
.htm |
Used only by Windows Client/Server |
Windows Browser URL |
.htm |
Used only by Windows Client/Server |
Shell execute |
.exe |
Used only by Windows Client/Server |
BasicScript Action |
.abs |
Used only by Windows Client/Server. Name of .abs function (e.g. "xBlVal"). |
Setting the Navigator Icons and View Header Icons for Web Central
In Web Central, the Navigator displays icons for applications (modules) and tasks. Likewise, the View Header displays an icon to indicate the module or application to which the currently-loaded view belongs. The icons are specified in the
afm_activities
and
afm_ptasks
tables.
With the default icons, the icon for the view header matches the appearance of the icon specified for the application (module). For example, the wrench-shaped icon for the Maintenance module appears in the view header for tasks loaded from the Maintenance module, and has the same shape as the Maintenance icon on the Navigator.
The following summarizes the Navigator and View Header icons:
Icon | Database Table | Database Field | Icon Dimensions | Folder | Default if Null |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
View Header Icon | afm_activities | icon_large | 30px x 30px | ab-core/graphics/icons/activities | ab-act-myarchibus.svg |
Application or Module Icon | afm_activities | icon_small | 16px x 16px | ab-core/graphics/icons/activities | ab-icon-xs-apps.svg |
Task Icon | afm_ptasks | icon_small | 20px x 20px | ab-core/graphics/icons/tasks | ab-icon-task.svg |
Note : In Smart Client and Smart Client Extension for AutoCAD, the Navigator does not display icons.