Setting up the main window and the result list

The main window

This section describes how a user with the “Search administrator” privilege can define, create, and manage the fixed or unit-specific searches that are displayed in the main window of the authority’s users.

Setting up fixed searches

F2 has a number of predefined standard lists. These are accessed on the left side of the main window. New lists can be created by users and administrators when saving advanced searches.

Fixed searches apply to one of the following:

The individual user (location: “Personal”)
An organisational unit (location: “Units searches”)
All (location: “Standard”).

The last two types of fixed searches can only be created by a user with the “Search administrator” privilege, but they can be used by all users in the F2 authority. Fixed searches can also be created from saved search templates (add-on module), if any has been configured. The following sections explain how fixed searches are created.

Create fixed searches

An administrator can create a fixed search for either a unit or the entire organisation. First perform an advanced search, then click on Save search.

Figure 1. Save search

Give the search an indicative title and determine its visibility. Besides saving it as a personal search, you can make the search available to all users ("Standard") or specific units ("Units searches"). For the latter, specify the unit(s) to which the search is visible.

Figure 2. Save a search as a unit search

Click on OK to save the search in the main window under either the “Standard” or “Units searches” list node.

Searches can be further qualified by entering more search criteria.

Standard lists and searches

F2 comes with a number of standard lists and searches defined by cBrain, which an administrator may remove or edit. In addition, an administrator can create fixed searches that are available either to all users in a unit (and any subunits), all users in an authority, or all users in the organisation (multiple authorities)

All users can view standard lists and searches to the left in the main window. They are divided into two nodes, Standard and Units searches. This division applies to both lists and searches that come with F2 and those created by administrators.

Delete fixed searches

Any user who creates and saves a personal search can also delete it.

If a technical administrator or an administrator creates a fixed search in either Standard or Units searches, it can only be deleted by an administrator.

The latter type of fixed search can be deleted as described below.

All unit searches must be shown in the main window before an administrator can access them. Go to the Administrator tab and click Show all unit searches.

Figure 3. The "Show all unit searches" menu item

The main window’s list view now includes all units across all authorities in F2. The relevant search in any given unit can then be deleted using the context menu.

Figure 4. Unit overview

Click Show all unit searches again to return to the standard view of the main window.

Shared folders in the main window

No privilege is needed to create, edit, and delete shared folders. However, it is important that the organisation considers the overall structure or develops guidelines for use of the shared folders.

Shared folders can be accessed by everyone within an authority. It is advisable to create two general folders:

An area of responsibility or organisational folder.
A folder for cross-organisational areas such as projects.

Figure 5. Shared folders in the main window

Setting up standard column layouts for search results and folders

In F2, the result list display settings are referred to as the column layout or the column settings. The column layout is used in the main, record, and case windows and contains information on:

Which columns are show in the result list
Column sequence
Column width
Sorting sequence
Grouping, if any.

F2 defines the following levels of column settings:

Basic column layout: Predefined column settings that are present in F2 upon installation.
Global standard column layout: Created by an administrator. In F2 also called “Global standard column settings”.
Standard column layout: Created by individual users. In F2 also called “Standard column settings”.

The following applies to all the three levels of column settings:

The basis column layout is delivered with F2 and cannot be edited.
If an administrator creates a new unit search, the current column layout becomes the global standard column layout for the new search.
If an administrator creates a new global standard column layout, it is applied to all users within the organisation.
If a user makes changes to their column layout, it can be saved as a standard column layout. If a user changes their column layout without saving it as a standard column layout, F2 remembers the column layout for the current list only.

Read more about setting up the personal column layout.

Setting up a global standard column layout

A user with the “Result list administrator” privilege can define, create, and maintain the global standard column layout in F2. This layout applies to all users within the organisation who have not created a personal column layout or a standard column layout. The global standard column layout is not applied to the user’s result list if they have set up a standard column layout or a personal column layout for the list or already accessed the list. Users who want to use the global standard column layout can reset their column layout to the global standard. Read more about resetting the column layout.

Generally, it is the administrator’s setup of the standard column layout that determines how the result list is presented to the users. This means that an administrator can help improve the result list for F2 users.

Four different types of global standard column layouts can be created based on the following views:

Records
Cases
Documents
Requests.

Figure 6. Result list views in the main window

A global standard column layout can be created for each view. The following elements are adjustable:

Which columns to display
Column sequence
Column width
Sorting sequence, so that results are sorted by a column, e.g. the “Responsible” field on records.
Grouping, if any. The administrator can decide whether auto grouping is toggled.

The following example goes through the steps of creating a global standard column layout for the record view:

Click on Show records above the result list.
Right-click on any column. Then select Columns from the context menu.
The “Select columns” dialogue opens. Select the relevant columns, then close the dialogue.
Rearrange the columns in the result list by dragging one column at a time to the desired location. Adjust the column width by dragging the sides of the column titles.
Select the column by which to sort the result list.
Toggle auto grouping on the “Settings” tab by clicking on Auto grouping.

Figure 7. Activate auto grouping

In order to update the new column layout in the database, F2 must be restarted. After a restart, the global standard column layout can be saved by clicking the drop-down arrow in the “Save standard column layout” field located on the “Settings” tab. Then click on Save global standard column settings.

Figure 8. Save global standard column settings

The standard column layout will then be applied to all users without a personal column layout or a standard column layout.

When you save new global standard column settings, you also overwrite the previously saved standard settings. It is always the most recently saved standard column settings that apply.

The same procedure is used for creating global standard column settings for the case, document, and request views.

F2 updates can affect metadata fields, i.e. add or delete fields. It is necessary to manually check how updates affect fixed standard searches.