Whilst you can manually add and maintain (from the Control Panel) any of the configuration records discussed in these pages, you will often find Example Blueprints – these are snippets of text that contain the configuration of one or more records, which you can load immediately. Simply click the icon in the top-left of each snippet, select Load Blueprint from the Control Panel, and paste the text into the Blueprint Text box and click the Load Blueprint button.
Make sure you understand these fundamental concepts first.
Unless all you intend to do is add a couple of fields to the built-in Person or Organisation records, you will need to add one or more Record Types. A typical solution will have at least one new Record Type being the main or ‘master’ records associated with the business need. If any of your new fields are Categories then you will also add Record Types for each list of values. Read More…
Fields are used to add fields to your new Record Types and/or to built-in records such as People and Organisations. Read More…
If any of your fields need to refer to a List of Values, you will want to create a Category. This is a Record Type which may optionally have additional Fields, and you will also need to list the actual values as records of that Record Type. Read More…
Pages are the standard mechanism for presenting any free-form information in PYXI. A Page can be any information you like. Pages can include links to any records or other Pages and Views in PYXI, as well as links to external applications or other web pages. You can also use Pages to provide additional content specific to individual records. Read More…
You are strongly recommended to get a grasp of these basic PYXI topics before you go too much further.
Calculations are used all over PYXI configuration. There is a wealth of functions to help with everything from calculations on record data to date and time comparisons to help build time-dependent logic. You also use calculation functions in any but the simplest of templates. Calculations are easy to use and understand – if you can deal with spreadsheet formulas, then you’ll have no problem understanding and using PYXI calculations. Read More…
Templates are the way you control the details of what is displayed in PYXI, whether it is on your own Pages or in template Fields. Templates can be very simple references to field names, can include more sophisticated Calculations, or can be comprehensive whole dashboard pages or lists of records and other information. Read More…
Filters are the way you select a sub-set of all the available records of a particular type. The PYXI Filtering system is easy to use – filters are written as text with simple English commands and structures. Read More…
These slightly more advanced concepts are also essential understanding, but make sure you’ve covered the Basic Topics above first.
This is about as close as you’ll ever need to get to programming when developing a PYXI Application (unless you work on developing another system or website that talks to PYXI using the Application Programming Interface, of course). Read More…
Form Scripts are how you describe the layout of a Form used to input data as part of a Step on a record, or of an HomePage Item used to maintain configuration and setting information. Read More…
Steps are how you deal with allowing the user to make changes to records in a controlled way, or to add new information related to an existing record. They are a powerful concept that is essential to understand if you are going to make the most of PYXI to implement and run business processes. Read More…
HomePageItems are for advanced use enabling you to create customised wizards that manage one or more Forms used to set-up application configuration. HomePageItems differ from Steps in that they do not relate to a single record, or even to a specific Record Type. Read More…
If you haven’t already, you may like to read about Branding – how to provide a consistent look to your configuration using Colour and Icons. Read More…