Images: Jay Manaloto
Navigating UX Guiding your way through the new IBM TRIRIGA UX apps and tools
By Jay Manaloto
WHAT'S NEW? By now, you might've seen my first few articles, where we explored the concepts, built a simple app, and extended that app. But this article will be a little different. This time, we'll navigate UX apps and tools not as developers, but as everyday users and administrators. Ready? Navigating UX What are Perceptive apps? What is UX? What are the new Perceptive apps? The standard What's new in the classic platform tools? definition of "UX" is What are the new UX App Designer tools? user experience. What are some best practices for UX? But for simplicity, I'll Still want more? refer to the TRIRIGA UX framework as "UX".
What are Perceptive apps? Before we take a peek at the new UX apps and tools, let's take a moment to refresh our memories once again, reinforce a few definitions, and introduce a new one. Even now, you might still be wondering: "What are Perceptive apps?" Hopefully, the following distinctions will make sense.
Term Definition UX framework Used generically as our "user experience" (UX) application framework, or more specifically as our IBM TRIRIGA UX Framework for Perceptive Applications, this term refers to our MVC-based approach for UX applications. The model-view-controller (MVC) approach separates the application into three components or layers: the model, view, and controller. The view layer is built upon the Polymer library of reusable web components.
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Term Definition UX application During the app-designing process, this term refers to the (or app) application metadata that pulls together related model metadata and view metadata in the MVC-based approach, all of which are built upon our UX framework. The model metadata defines the data sources which retrieve the data and trigger the business logic, while the view metadata defines the HTML components which render the interfaces. Perceptive This term refers to an advanced type of UX application that application is designed, developed, and delivered exclusively by our (or app) IBM TRIRIGA software team. Built upon the Polymer library of reusable web components, Perceptive applications enable organizations to more easily meet business requirements with an intuitive user interface, compatibility with touch interfaces, and improved performance. Classic This term refers to our familiar form-based type of IBM application TRIRIGA application that is built upon our classic IBM TRIRIGA application platform.
In other words, if you built and extended your first UX apps by following the examples and exercises in my earlier articles, those wouldn't be called "Perceptive" apps. I'd call them custom UX apps, but not "Perceptive" apps. By comparison, the following Space apps would qualify as full- fledged TRIRIGA-built "Perceptive" apps. Are you ready to take a peek?
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What are the new Perceptive apps? As we've seen earlier, our TRIRIGA-built Perceptive apps enable you to "more easily meet business requirements with an intuitive user interface, compatibility with touch interfaces, and improved performance". Also, part of this means that instead of tying forms to "things" like people and locations, views are tied to "actions" like creating and submitting requests. Here are the new Perceptive apps that were built upon our UX framework: . What's the new Space Assessment app? o Access the App. o Space Walker. o Exclude from Assessment. . What's the new Space Management app? o Access the App. o Space Manager. . What's the new Move Me app? o Access the App. o Self-Service Requester. . What's the new Group Move app? o Access the App. o Self-Service Requester. o Search What Items to Move. o Review What Items to Move. o Choose Where and When to Move. o Add Why and How to Move.
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What's the new Space Assessment app? To set the context, our classic TRIRIGA space application enables you to "track space utilization data in buildings" by allocating and auditing your spaces. Here's a basic diagram of the TRIRIGA space process flow.
So, in terms of the space process diagram, the Audit Spaces box loosely represents our new Perceptive apps -- the Space Assessment app and companion Space Management app -- in our UX framework. Keep in mind that this box still also represents the Space Audit functionality in our classic space application. But here, let's focus on the two Perceptive apps.
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Our new Space Assessment app is a mobile-friendly Perceptive app. By using this Perceptive application on your tablet device, you can easily create an assessment for a floor plan, select a space, add or remove people or assets from that space, and move on to the next space. Access the App. From your mobile browser, enter the following URL address: http://[hostname:port][/context_path]/p/web/spaceAssessment, where [hostname:port] and [/context_path] are the values for your TRIRIGA environment. Feel free to create a browser bookmark or shortcut. From your desktop browser, enter the following URL address: http://[hostname:port][/context_path], where [hostname:port] and [/context_path] are the values for your TRIRIGA environment. From the navigation bar, select Space > Assess Space > Space Assessment. Security Group Access.
Security Group Access Space Assessor This group has limited access to the Space Assessment app, where users can select an existing assessment and assess spaces, but cannot create new assessments. Space Manager This group has full access to the Space Assessment app. Space Planner This group has full access to the Space Assessment app.
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Space Walker. Here are the basic steps for a Space Walker contact role: . Open your list of space assessments. . Create or open an individual space assessment. . Assess the space (Verify or Discard Changes). o Add any missing people or assets (to be marked by bold text). o Remove any extra people or assets (to be marked by hatch lines). . When 100% of the spaces are assessed, click Complete. o A notification is sent to the Space Manager contact. Space Assessments
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Individual Space Assessment
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Exclude from Assessment. To exclude certain space classes from assessments, you can select the Exclude from Assessment check box in the space class current record. To exclude multiple space classes at one time, you can open My Reports, run the triSpaceClassCurrent – Editable – All Space Classes query, and select the Exclude from Assessment check box for each space class. My Reports > All Space Classes
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What's the new Space Management app? Our new Space Management app is a mobile-friendly Perceptive app. By using this Perceptive application on your tablet device or desktop, you can easily review completed assessments, accept or reject any suggested (add or remove) actions for a space, and move on to the next space. Access the App. From your mobile browser, enter the following URL address: http://[hostname:port][/context_path]/p/web/spaceManagement, where [hostname:port] and [/context_path] are the values for your TRIRIGA environment. Feel free to create a browser bookmark or shortcut. From your desktop browser, enter the following URL address: http://[hostname:port][/context_path], where [hostname:port] and [/context_path] are the values for your TRIRIGA environment. From the navigation bar, select Space > Assess Space > Space Management. Security Group Access.
Security Group Access Space Assessor This group cannot access the Space Management app. Space Manager This group has full access to the Space Management app. Space Planner This group has full access to the Space Management app.
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Space Manager. If you don't see your completed assessments, make sure that you've been added as a Space Manager contact role for the assessed building. Here are the basic steps for a Space Manager contact role: . Open your list of completed space assessments. . Create an individual space assessment if needed. o Assign a Space Walker contact to perform the assessment. o When an assessment is completed, a notification is sent to you. . Open a completed space assessment. . Review or comment on the space assessment details. o Exclude any suggested (add or remove) actions. o Undo any suggested (add or remove) actions. . When all of the suggested actions are reviewed, click Apply. Completed Space Assessments
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Suggested Assessment Actions
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What's the new Move Me app? To set the context, our classic TRIRIGA move application enables you "to submit and process... move requests, create move designs, and plan move projects". Here's a basic diagram of the TRIRIGA move process flow.
So, in terms of the move process diagram, the Request Move box loosely represents our new Perceptive apps -- the Move Me app and companion Group Move app -- in our UX framework. Keep in mind that this box still also represents the Move Request functionality in our classic move application. But here, let's focus on the two Perceptive apps.
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Our new Move Me app is a mobile-friendly Perceptive app. By using this Perceptive application on your tablet device or desktop, you can easily create an individual move request, search when or where you want to move, select an available room, and submit the request. Access the App. From your mobile browser, enter the following URL address: http://[hostname:port][/context_path]/p/web/moveMe, where [hostname:port] and [/context_path] are the values for your TRIRIGA environment. Feel free to create a browser bookmark or shortcut. From your desktop browser, enter the following URL address: http://[hostname:port][/context_path], where [hostname:port] and [/context_path] are the values for your TRIRIGA environment. From Request Central, select Space > Move Me. Security Group Access.
Security Group Access Move Manager This group has full access to the Move Me app. Move Planner This group has full access to the Move Me app. Request Central This group has full access to the Move Me app.
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Self-Service Requester. Here are the basic steps for a Self-Service Requester role: . Open your list of move requests. . Create or open an individual move request. . Add, change, or review the move details. o Search where, or when to move, or other criteria if needed. o Select an available room from the floor plan or room list. o Add why and how to move the group if needed. . Review the move request. Click Submit. My Requests
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Search for a Room
Available Rooms
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What's the new Group Move app? Our new Group Move app is a mobile-friendly Perceptive app. By using this Perceptive application on your tablet device or desktop, you can easily create a group move request, search whom and what items to move, select where and when you want to move them, and submit the request. Access the App. From your mobile browser, enter the following URL address: http://[hostname:port][/context_path]/p/web/groupMove, where [hostname:port] and [/context_path] are the values for your TRIRIGA environment. Feel free to create a browser bookmark or shortcut. From your desktop browser, enter the following URL address: http://[hostname:port][/context_path], where [hostname:port] and [/context_path] are the values for your TRIRIGA environment. From Request Central, select Space > Group Move. Security Group Access.
Security Group Access Move Manager This group has full access to the Group Move app. Move Planner This group has full access to the Group Move app. Request Central This group has full access to the Group Move app.
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Self-Service Requester. Here are the basic steps for a Self-Service Requester role: . Open your list of move requests. . Create or open a group move request. . Add, change, or review the move details. o Search and Add any people, assets, equipment, or room function. o Select where to assign each item, and when to move the group. o Add why and how to move the group if needed. . Review the move request. Click Submit. My Requests
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New Move Request
New Move Request
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Search What Items to Move. Now, let's dig deeper into the next few screens. You can select the Search tab to search for people, assets, equipment, and room function. You can also Add or Remove line items. The addition or removal of line items will be automatically saved. Search Items
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Review What Items to Move. Next, you can select the Details tab to review the line items that are grouped by people, assets, equipment, and room function. You can also Remove line items. The removal of line items will be automatically saved. Item Details
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Choose Where and When to Move. Next, you can select the Move tab to choose where to assign each item, and when to move the group. You can Add or Remove space assignments by highlighting a line item and then selecting an available (vacant) space. You can also Remove line items. The addition or removal of space assignments, and the removal of line items will be automatically saved. Move Items
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Add Why and How to Move. Next, you can select the Detail Information tab to add a reason for the move, and any other comments or instructions about the move. Move Details
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What's new in the classic platform tools? To switch gears, our classic TRIRIGA platform tools enable you to "configure... and extend the use and value" of TRIRIGA applications. With these classic tools, you can take advantage of globalization, object migration, security groups, and other administrative options. Here are some of the new classic options that support our UX framework: . What's new in the Admin Console tool? o Translated UX File Cache. o Translated Dictionary Cache. o Refresh Cache. . What's new in the Globalization tool? o Dictionary. o Dictionary Export. o Translatable Text. o Globalization Manager and Dictionary Records. . What's new in the Navigation tool? o Application. o Application Navigation Item. . What's new in the Object Migration tool? o Application. o Web Component. o Object Export. o Search for Dependents. o Object Import. o Object Compare.
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. What's new in the Security tool? o Models. o Model Access. o Model Permission.
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What's new in the Admin Console tool? Our classic TRIRIGA administrator console enables you to view and edit settings in "analyzing and optimizing the health of the system". These settings include starting or stopping agents, controlling the number of threads for an agent, and refreshing the cache for a specific process. Translated UX File Cache. To support our UX framework, you can select the new Translated UX File Cache option to refresh the Polymer-based components and HTML files that make up the translated UX views. This will regenerate the translated UX views the next time they are requested from the server. Translated Dictionary Cache. Similarly, you can select the new Translated Dictionary Cache option to refresh the translatable and translated text that are stored as records of the triDictionaryEntry business object in the System module. Again, this will regenerate the translated UX views the next time they are requested. Refresh Cache. Here are the basic steps to refresh the translated cache: . Open the administrator console tool. . Select Cache Manager. . Refresh the translated cache. o Select Translated UX File Cache from the table. o Or select Translated Dictionary Cache from the table. Be aware that if you select the new Dictionary option in our classic TRIRIGA globalization manager, you don't need to refresh either cache.
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Administrator Console > Cache Manager
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What's new in the Globalization tool? Our classic TRIRIGA globalization manager enables you to "export labels and record data... [which] can then be translated by you or a third party". From there, you can import your translations with the same tool. Dictionary. To support our UX framework, you can select the new Dictionary option to export the labels and tooltips from your HTML views as XLIFF files of unique translatable text. So, if a specific label appears in multiple views, only one unique entry will appear in the dictionary. Be aware that the new triDictionaryEntry business object is required to perform this export. Dictionary Export. Here are the basic steps for a Dictionary export: . Open the globalization manager tool. Click Export. . Select the export type, process type, and target language. o Select Dictionary from the Label drop-down list. . Perform the export. Globalization Manager > Export Dictionary
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Translatable Text. As part of the UX framework, the TRIRIGA platform can parse static translatable text from the UX view. Each view is made up of one or more HTML files. In turn, each HTML file can be made up of the following components: TRIRIGA components, custom components, Polymer elements, and traditional HTML elements, as discussed in earlier articles. The translatable text is stored as records of the triDictionaryEntry business object in the System module. When you open the UX view, the platform checks the language setting in your profile. If the language is not US English, the platform generates a translated version of the HTML files and components, and pushes the translated UX view to your web browser. Conditions for Translatable Text.
Condition Examples The HTML element
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Condition Examples The text contains City: {{item.city}} has at least one Translatable text: City: {{item.city}}
Sources of Translatable Text.
HTML Element Translatable Text Examples Any element The alt attribute , , individual translatable text ApplicationApprover
HTML Element Translatable Text Examples See the following The inner HTML Move Planner List of Inner Tags
Projects
, The inner HTML You don't Grab the full inner HTML have any requests