Read Part 1 of Modifying the System using Microsoft Dynamics Nav 2009

Customizing pages

Pages are the RoleTailored client's equivalent of forms, and are the building blocks of the RoleTailored user interface. They are used primarily to display information from the database and to allow data entry, but we can use them simply to put anything we wish on screen for the user to interact with.

To create a page, in Object Designer select Pages, then click the New button. The New Page form will assist you through the creation process:

Page properties

Unlike the New Form dialog, here you can only choose the source table and the type of page; but as soon as you make your choice, a blank Page Designer is shown, with only two properties filled out: SourceTable and PageType. Most page properties are called exactly the same and exhibit the same behavior as form properties, but there are four additional ones:

Page types

The most important of these properties is PageType, because it defines the behavior of the form when displayed in the RoleTailored client. There are exactly ten types of pages: Card, List, RoleCenter, CardPart, ListPart, Document, Worksheet, ListPlus, ConfirmationDialog and NavigatePage.

Let's take a closer look at their purpose, functionality, and anatomy.

Card

Similar to the card form, this type of page displays information about one record of a single table, such as one customer, one vendor, or one item. Typical examples of a card page are 21 Customer Card, or 30 Item Card.

The following is what a typical page looks like:

At the top of the page there are actions. Actions can be grouped into menus, or into toolbars.

The majority of the screen is used for information display and entry. The left part of the screen is occupied with a ContentArea, which consists of groups of fields called FastTabs. Values of fields in FastTabs are typically taken from a single record of a table.

The right part of the screen is occupied by the FactBoxArea, which contains several FactBoxes.

List

Similar to the list form, List pages display multiple records from the same table at once, such as a list of customers, list of vendors, or list of items. Typical examples are 22 Customer List, or 27 Vendor List.

This is what a List page looks like:

It has exactly the same elements as a card page, except its ContentArea is consumed by a single repeater group, which lists all information in a table.

RoleCenter

Pages of this type are used as home screens for different roles. They consist of different parts, and are used to provide quick access to the functionality most used by a user role, as well as the most relevant information, all at a glance. Examples of RoleCenter pages are 9005 Sales Manager Role Center and 9010 Production Planner Role Center.

The following is what a RoleCenter looks like:

It consists of groups displayed as vertical columns. In each group it is possible to have several page parts, such as Activities, My Items, and many more.