Approval gateway structure
The F2 Gateway Approvals add-on introduces the following elements:
-
Preview for viewing and managing the approval in the main and record windows (3)
-
Four columns in the result list (4).
From the main window, it is possible to process and get an overview of the gated approver’s approvals, including their location and deadlines.
The "Gateway approvals" tab
The "Gateway approvals" tab is available to gatekeepers in the main and record windows when a relevant record is selected in the result list. Gatekeepers with more than one gated approver have a tab for each approver. The tab is named after the gated approver.
The tab is used to perform various actions related to the approval. The tab’s menu items are active or inactive depending on the current status of the approval.
The ribbon is divided into four menu groups:
-
Approval management
-
F2 Manager display options
-
Navigation (only visible in the main window)
-
Reports (only visible when synchronisation reports are available).
The menu items of the "Gateway approvals" tab are described below.
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
|
Click Send to F2 Manager to send the approval to the gated approver’s F2 Manager. Once the approval is sent to F2 Manager, this menu item changes to "Withdraw from F2 Manager", which allows you to withdraw the approval from the gated approver back to the gatekeeper. 
Figure 3. The "Withdraw from F2 Manager" menu item
Read more in Send approval to F2 Manager. |
|
Have F2 perform one or more actions automatically in connection with the approval process. The possible actions are: |
|
Have F2 perform one or more actions automatically in an approval process where the gated approver is a copy recipient. The possible actions are:
The menu items are only shown on approvals where the gated approver is a copy recipient. |
|
Click to execute the approval, return it, or mark it as read after the gated approver has processed it. The menu item is only active once the gated approver has made a decision regarding the approval. The menu item’s function and text depend on the decision made by the gated approver. |
|
Select a flag from the "Flag" drop-down menu to sort and prioritise approvals on F2 Manager. Flags are defined in the "Gateway approval flags" value list by a user with the "Value list administrator" privilege. Therefore flags may vary between installations. The flags are also displayed in the result list in both record and approval views in F2 Touch. |
|
Add a sorting deadline to the approval. This function is used to sort and prioritise approvals on F2 Manager. |
|
Click on Edit F2 Manager display order to open a dialogue where it is possible to adjust the display order of approvals on the gated approver’s iPad. |
|
Click on Show in list of gateway approvals to open the approval in the relevant search list. The menu item is only visible in the main window. |
|
Click on Synchronisation reports to open an overview of the approval’s synchronisation reports. A red exclamation mark on the icon indicates that there are synchronisation reports that have not been handled. The menu item is only visible if the approval has any synchronisation reports. |
Gateway approval search lists
Once the approval gateway has been set up, gatekeepers get access to a group of five search lists. They are located under the "Gateway approvals" node below the standard lists of the main window. The lists are named:
-
[Gated approver’s name]
-
Pre-F2 Manager
-
On F2 Manager
-
Post-F2 Manager
-
Upcoming approvals.
The lists provide the gatekeeper with an overview of the gated approver’s approvals. If the gatekeeper services multiple gated approvers, each approver will have their own group of search lists.
| List | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|
The list provides a comprehensive overview of all ongoing and completed approvals on which the gated approver is an approver or a copy recipient. |
|||
Pre-F2 Manager |
The list provides an overview of approvals currently awaiting gatekeeper action before being sent to F2 Manager. |
||
On F2 Manager |
The list provides an overview of approvals currently on the gated approver’s F2 Manager. |
||
Post-F2 Manager |
The list provides an overview of approvals currently awaiting gatekeeper action after the gated approver has processed them on F2 Manager. The gatekeeper can either apply or adjust the gated approver’s decision. |
||
Upcoming approvals |
The list provides an overview of approvals with the gated approver at a later step than the approval’s current step.
|
Approval gateway preview
The approval step of a gated approver is divided into three parts to illustrate that the approval is handled by a gatekeeper both before and after being processed by the gated approver. A blue highlight indicates the current location of the approval: at the gatekeeper before the approver, at the approver, or at the gatekeeper after the approver.
The three partitions are shown both in the record window and the main window preview. It can also be seen on F2 Touch.
Approvals can be viewed and processed directly from the preview in the main window. It is therefore possible to process an approval without opening the record window. Click on the "Approval" tab in the preview to display the approval.
From here the approval can be approved or adjusted, and it is possible to add a comment. Read more in the Manage approvals section.
Learn more about the general options for processing approvals from the preview in the Approvals add-on.
Approval gateway columns
It is possible to display four columns in the result list which are related to the approval gateway. These columns are:
-
Days to gateway sorting deadline
-
Gateway flag
-
Gateway location
-
Gateway sorting deadline.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
”Days to gateway sorting deadline” |
Shows number of days to the gateway sorting deadline. |
”Gateway flag” |
Shows which flag has been assigned to the approval by the gatekeeper. |
”Gateway location” |
Shows the current location of the approval relative to the gateway. |
”Gateway sorting deadline” |
Shows the gateway sorting deadline set by the gatekeeper. |