Type Editor

Type Editor

 

 

 

The Type Editor is to create and edit object types, their metadata fields, forms, and icons. To Create a new object type, click on the dropdown menu at the top left of the editor window and type in the name of the new type then click the add object button . To edit a pre-existing object type select it from the dropdown list. The Base Date that a classification would be applied to can be selected from the dropdown below the object add and metadata add buttons. It can be selected from any of the metadata fields that exist for that object.

 

 

Adding/Editing Metadata Fields

 

Metadata fields can be added with the large plus button underneath the add object button. This will add a textbox and dropdown to the list of metadata fields to the right of the object list for the name and data type respectively. Enter the name of the new metadata field and select the data type from the dropdown, from: Boolean (true/false), Date, Object (for other objects to be related), Percentage, and String (text). These fields are also needed for importing data and should reflect the columns or fields from external databases or data that is required from physical records.

 

 

The metadata fields can be reorganized using the three dots to the left of them. Simply click and drag up or down to change their position, this has no effect on the form.

 

Image Selector

 

The default icon for an object type is a box , this can be edited by clicking its image to the top right of the metadata fields. This will open the image selector below the example form, at the bottom right of the application window.

 

 

The current image selected appears below the Image Selection title, to change this simply click on the desired image in the browser to it’s right. Images can also be searched with the search box which will filter the browser.

 

 

Click the save button at the bottom right of the image selector, this will change the icon image as well as the Image Selector button to the desired image.

 

Type Form Editor

 

The form for an object type can be edited by opening the Type Form Editor using the button below the Image Selector button. This opens the editor at the bottom right of the window, below the current form layout.

 

 

Every form has the Name and Object Type at the top by default which cannot be changed, new lines can be added using the button at the bottom left of the form and removed with the button at the top right. A metadata field can be added using the button and removed with the button. The desired field can then be selected from the dropdown labeled “Property”, this will change the available options below. All the metadata field types have a Width and Label Width field, Label Width is the width of the label ending with a “:” while the Width includes the label as well as the data field like the text box or dropdown width. Both Width and Label Width require numerical inputs, the form width is 637 wide. The form is saved by clicking the save button at the bottom right, this will not close the editor but will update the form layout above. To close the editor click the button.

 

 

Data Property Types

 

Boolean

A Boolean metadata field only has the basic Width and Label Width fields, it displays a checkbox at the end of the Width declared not immediately after the Label for example the following image shows the Width being much longer than the Label.

 

 

Default Value

 

Default value specifies if the checkbox should be checked or unchecked when clear or creating a new object.

Date

Date fields only require the Width and Label fields, but also have options for formatting the date selection.

Stack

The Stack checkbox changes how the label is display, if it is unchecked the label is to the left, while if checked the label is stacked above the selection box and does not require a Label Width to be entered.

 

 

Format

The Format field may be left blank to use a default date format: yyyy-MM-dd (i.e. 2020-04-22), or a custom format may be entered.

 

Object

Object fields require the standard Width and Label Width fields but can also have a customized information display. The Display field can be edited to show metadata fields from the related object, in the format: “separator,metadatafield,metadatafield” for example: ‘-‘,Name,Description  which would display: “Name-Description” in the form. Object fields are by default dropdowns that display all objects of that type that can be connected.

Depends

The depends parameter specifies another object that this Object Property depends on. For example if we had a Primary Secondary relationship, we would want our Secondary Object Property to depend on the Primary we’ve selected else where on this form.

Percentage

Percentages only require the Width and Label Width fields and appear with a percent sign (%) after the text box created.

Strings

Strings will appear with width, label width, multiline, height, allow dropdown, regex, and tooltip, as shown:

 

Multiline

Multiline can be checked off if the textbox needs to be more than a single line and the height can be changed to show the desired number of lines, height can be left blank if multiline is left un-selected.

Allow Dropdown

Allow dropdown changes the textbox to a dropdown list that shows all already existing options for that metadata field, new entries can be added by typing them into the field and saving.

RegEx

The RegEx field is where you can write a regular expression for the text field.

ToolTip

Text entered into the ToolTip field shows up as a popup bubble when the mouse hovers over the field, which allows instruction for data-entry.

Auto Incrememnt

Property that require a running incremental value can be flagged as Auto Increment. This adds an addition plus button next to your textbox that will auto populate with the next available value. Auto Increment values will also auto populated when clearing a form to begin creating a new object.