Setup
Content:
- Overview
- Add new configuration
- Add new configuration (Run time data source)
- Add new configuration (Form extension)
- Setup controls
Overview
The Product Attribute Search implements the no code configuration approach. It means that attribute filters and/or attribute columns can be added to any form (standard or custom) via UI configuration without development.
From technical point of view there are no form’s extensions in the model. All filters are created during runtime. There is a generic engine that adds filters based on configurations.
The Parameters form is located under the path: Product information management > Setup > Product attribute search > Product attribute search parameters.
The add-on provides configuration for more than 70 forms from different modules across the system. Users can add new configuration for standard or custom form.
Add new configuration
For example, it is required to add the attribute search to the InventTrans form (the parameter record is created by default, but assume it is not).
To do this create a new record in the Parameters form, Search by attribute tab:
Mandatory parameters are:
- Filter group contains the form’s group name where the search pane will be added
- Data source name contains the form’s data source with item value field
- Value type: Product record Id, Item Id, Product name
- Field name contains the data source field with item value
Add new configuration (Run time data source)
For example, it is required to add the attribute search to the CustTable form. All customers with sales lines with products with specific attributes should be filtered.
To do this click the Advanced button and create a new record in Advanced attribute search setup form:
Open the Customers form and make sure the attribute search appears.
Add new configuration (Form extension)
It could be required to add much more data sources to the form to link item id(product id) with a main entity.
For example, it is required to add the attribute search to the CustGroup form. All customers groups with customers with sales lines with products with specific attributes should be filtered.
In this case more than one data source is needed to filter out the CustGroup form:
CustGrop -> CustTable -> SalesLine.ItemId.
If you have more than one data source, then you can create a form extension and specify all needed data sources and links between them.
- CustTable data source parameters:
- SalesLine data source parameters:
Open the Customer groups form and make sure the attribute search appears.
Setup controls
All controls (filters, buttons) that appear on the Search pane can be configured via the Advanced parameters form.
Attribute filters
The user can control whether category attributes are shown automatically when the category is selected.
The Show attributes parameter has two options: Category and None.
When the Category option is used, the category attributes are shown automatically when the category is selected.
When the None option is used, the attributes are not shown automatically when the category is selected. This allows to control what attributes must be shown per category. The user can add needed attributes to the search pane manually.
The user can control the number of attributes per line in the search pane via the Number of attributes per line parameter. A zero value means that all attributes will be shown on one line.
It can be useful to have all filters on the same screen without scrolling. For example, 6 attributes per line on the search pane look as follows:
Search button
When the Search button is enabled the search occurs only when the one is clicked. Otherwise, the search occurs each time the product attributes filters are modified.
Example of the Search button on the Customers form:
Copy button
The Copy button is used to copy needed values separated by comma to the clipboard.
User can select table and field from the form’s data sources to be copied. Note that fields from the data sources that are joined by Exist or Not Exists join cannot be copied.
Example of the Copy button on the Sales orders form:
Period filter
Period filter allows to filter any data by built-in or custom periods.
User can select table and field from the form’s data sources to be filtered.
Example of the Period filter on the Inventory transactions form:
Control order
The Control order allows to set up the place of each control on the search pane.
By the default the control order is populated automatically with the following value: PIMPeriodFilterPIMEcoResCategoryIdPIMSearchPIMCopyPIMClearFiltersPIMSearchParameterPIMAttributeGroupPIMAddProductAttribute.
- PIMPeriodFilter – period filter
- PIMEcoResCategoryId– category filter
- PIMSearch – search button
- PIMCopy – copy button
- PIMClearFilters – clear filters
- PIMSearchParameter – search parameter (And/Or)
- PIMAttributeGroup – attribute filters
- PIMAddProductAttribute – add attributes button.
The control order is changed by moving the control names in the string. If the control name is removed from the string, the control won’t be shown on the Search pane.
The Control order buttons helps to move controls:
For example, the Released product details form has the following search pane:
Let’s move Add attribute button between Copy and Clear:
- Open the Advanced parameters form and select the EcoResProductDetails form
- Set the following value to the Control order field: PIMPeriodFilterPIMEcoResCategoryIdPIMSearchPIMCopyPIMAddProductAttributePIMClearFiltersPIMSearchParameterPIMAttributeGroup
- Or, click the Control order button and move controls:
Open the Released product details form and make sure the Search pane has the following view:
