Most portal users don't need to know details of how to maintain data because they are using an application which should guide them to do the right thing.
If you're a power user or want to get started with development, you will need to delve a bit deeper.
This section gives you a quick introduction to how to create and maintain data in the portal.
If you prefer to start with examples, you can use the Examples product, which installs a whole load of examples into your account. If you have not got access to this, install it or ask your account administrator to install it for you. You'll need the reference metrici.products.examples.install to install the examples.
Getting started
Before we create data, we need somewhere to put it. the Metrici Portal provides a sandbox area for you to try things out in. Sign in and then use the link below to create a folder node to try things out.
Create folder in sandbox (opens in a new window)
Make a note of the URL at the top of the page so that you can find your stuff later (it'll be something like https://www.metrici.com/sandbox/Folder62.1). Anything created in the sandbox is deleted after a few days.
Look around
At the top of the page is a navigation bar. This shows the application or brand name ("Portal" in this example) and a drop-down menu with your name on it.
The body of the page shows the page title ("Folder" in this case), a breadcrumb trail showing where you are (in this case, Sandbox / Folder), and then the content of the page. In this example, the content of the page is an empty folder listing.
Click on the drop-down menu with your name to see options.
This shows you links to Sign out, Edit this page, Settings and More.
If you click on More in the navigation bar a full set of properties and options is revealed - known as the "more menu".
This contains more information about the node and additional options for maintaining the node. Use the icon to shut the more menu.
Creating a new node
Use the New button to create a new node.
This will look different depending on your recent activity and what's already in the folder. From the Frequently used list, select the Constant option.
Fill in a suitable name and description, and use Save to save the new node.
This will return you to your folder with the new node in it.
The foldering listing shows the new node's name, it's reference, it's node type, when it was last modified, and a list of actions. The name and reference both link to the node. The buttons are edit, copy, change reference (i.e. move) and delete.
To look at your newly-created node, click on its name.
The name of the constant has been used as the page title, and the description is shown. The constant also shows a Tag List with a link to the Constant tag. Tags are used to classify nodes. In this case, a link to the Constant tag has been auto-calculated.
Changing the node
When you are looking at your node, you can use the Edit link from the drop-down menu at the top of the page to edit your node. Use Save to save your changes and return to the constant. Use Apply to save your changes but to remain in edit.
Use the More menu to see other options. This lets you:
- Create a new node of the same type (Constant in this case). If you're looking at a node type, this also lets you create a node of that type.
- Copy the node.
- Delete the node. It asks for confirmation first, and will warn you of impacts.
- Switching audit and and off. This reveals additional fields that track exactly who changed what.
- Recalculation forces auto calculation to rerun. Full recalculation reruns calculation on this node and all its dependents.
- Settings - see Portal settings.
- Move - used to move to a different folder and to change the node's reference.
- Change type. Change the node type. This asks for confirmation, and will show impacts.
- Access the built in version control.
- Manage permissions. In most applications, additional components are used to manage permissions based on rules and roles, but you can set individual permission individual users or groups of users on a per-node basis.
- Change owner. All data is owned in the portal. As well as tracking ownership, this is used as the basis of securing the data.
- Associate a comment with the node (this is intended for audit comments, and is not considered part of the data of the node).
If you go back to the folder, you can use the edit, copy, move and delete icons to carry out operations on the constant.
Try creating, deleting and changing a few nodes. Use the Constant type, and also try out the Package type (used for folder listsings), the Page type (used for web pages) and the File type (for creating nodes that hold files). Try creating a hierarchy of folders with some pages in them.
Some fields let you create links between nodes. Create a second constant, and then go back to edit your first constant. Click on the link under Tag List. This will bring up the link dialog. Select the node you want to link to (in this case, Constant Two), and then click Done then Save.
Looking at node definitions
From the More menu, or from a folder listing, you get a link to the node type used to create the node.
If you do this for a constant, you'll see the definition of the Constant type.
This gives a description of the node type.
The node type is also a node. It has a description describing what the node type holds.
It lists the fields for the node type. The fields are also known as "member types", and the list of fields is known as the Member Type List. In this case, the fields are Name, Description, and Tag List.
From the Member Type List, you can click on the name of a field to find details of the field. For example, if you click on the Name you'll get the definition of the Name field.
The Name, Description and Tag List are low-level, built-in types which are not very interesting.
You can use this approach, of looking at type definitions and field definitions, to find out how any portal solution is put together. You can use descriptions on node types and fields to understand any data.
An an execise, use the More menu and click on the Type link to navigate to the node type, and repeat. Eventually you will get back to a type that is it's own node type - the Type Type. All portal solutions are built on top of this node type.