Grid Browser - Administration Guide : Introduction

21 March 2016

1. Introduction

The Grid Browser can be used for viewing and/or working with the intersections/connections between objects in a grid/matrix view. Two different sets of objects are loaded and they are displayed on the Y- and X- axis (also referred to as row- and column- axis). The intersection between an object on the X axis and an object on the Y axis represents a connection between these (either directly connected, or indirectly via some intermediate object).

Note that in some special cases, you can view/work with intersections/connections from a relationship to an object or a relationship pointing to another relationship.

The main features of the Grid Browser Component are:

  • Makes complex relationships between objects understandable and visible.

  • Easy to configure – an XML file is used to configure the whole Grid Browser instance.

    • The XML file can be stored in the database as a page object OR as a file within the web-application directory.

  • Powerful configuration, complex relationships with several intermediate objects can be handled.

  • Connect and disconnect of relationships

  • Editing of relationship attributes.

  • Easy to perform mass-operations. Built-in functions for creating connections, deleting connections and modifying attributes exists. Extendable and allows plugging in custom functionality written in Java/JPO.

  • Built upon the Structure Browser and uses the same rendering engine. A large number of features from the Structure Browser is also visible in the Grid Browser, for example:

    • Using the standard Structure Browser UI for editing of the row and/or column objects/connections and also the intersections.

    • Excel Export, CSV Export, PDF Export

    • Clipboard/Collection available in the Grid Browser

    • Follows the same pagination settings

    • Cell Renderer / Data Handlers can also be used in the Grid Browser to create more advanced UI rendering and/or complex data retrieval.

    • Same Look & Feel.

1.1. System Requirements

The same system requirements as the Structure Browser defines are also applicable to the Grid Browser.

When installing the Grid Browser, you must also ensure that the Structure Browser is installed.

1.2. Structure Browser

The Structure Browser has a large number of features, but not all of them are available from within a Grid Browser view.

The following list shows features that are not supported in the Grid Browser UI:

  • Go There / Go Back

  • Data Grouping

  • Flatten (E.g. converting a structure into a flat list)

  • "Simple Mode". The rendering is done in "Standard Mode" and this cannot be changed.

  • Use of custom Table Renderer’s

    • The Grid Browser uses its own table renderer in order to be able render the complex UI of the Grid Browser.

  • Remembering of the column sort settings and the visible flag.

  • Changing view / table.

  • Search/Find will only match on meta-data related to the row-axis. It is not possible to filter/find based upon any data within the intersections.

1.2.1. Default Features

When a Grid Browser is instantiated, the following features are enabled by default.

  • Search/Find

  • Printer Friendly

  • Export

  • Reload

  • Advanced Sort

  • Preferences

  • Row Select type = Multiple