Navigation in IFS Online Documentation

This page explains how to use the IFS Online Documentation.

Read about:

• Introduction
• Details about the main screen areas
• Accessing IFS Online Documentation

Introduction

The IFS Online Documentation consists of process models, documents (process/activity/about descriptions and window descriptions), and What's This (help on fields).

Some things to emphasize are:

• Process models based on different perspectives, either sample models of entire business scopes (industry sample) or sample models by functional area.
• Are you looking at an activity diagram and want information about how the process above looks like? Just click the (Find this model in the navigator) in the toolbar and the navigator displays the context.
• The filtering feature in the navigators makes it easier to find a specific model.
• Quick and easy to copy information from the information area or to e-mail a link by using the toolbar icons.
• Integrated with IFS eLearning and Foundation1 documentation.
• Search feature based on different document types.

This is the IFS Online Documentation home page.

Main screen areas:

1. Banner
2. Documentation navigators with navigator bars
3. Information area
4. Toolbar with toolbar icons
5. Search
6. Related links bar with direct links
7. Toggle switches

Details about the main screen areas

A. Banner

The banner works in the same way as the Home icon. Click the banner to return to Welcome page and the default starting mode.

B. Documentation navigators with navigator bars

The documentation navigators organize the content of the IFS Online Documentation. There are four documentation navigators:

• Using IFS Applications Clients: Explains how to use IFS Applications Clients. You can browse through the different levels of the models.
• IFS Process Models: Use this navigator to explore the IFS Process Models by Industry Samples or IFS Process Models by Functional Area. These options provide different perspectives of the same models. To browse through the different levels of the models, you can either use the navigator or directly click on the model objects in the information area. By default the IFS Process Models navigator is active. The top nodes are displayed both in the navigator and in the Welcome page. Read more in IFS Process Models.
• Topics in IFS Applications: Use this navigator to view the descriptions of a certain functionality or subject. The descriptions may contain an entire concept within IFS Applications or a single functionality. On the navigator, all topic descriptions (also called about descriptions) are listed by main processes. Click on the required main process to view the topic descriptions of that process. Most of the topic descriptions are also possible to reach within a context through window descriptions and business processes.
• Help: Explains how to use the IFS Online Documentation. This section also describes the common procedures of IFS Applications clients.

You can only have one active navigator with a visible graphical object structure at a time. When clicking an inactive navigator bar (+ sign or heading) that one will unfold and display its graphical object structure.

Each navigator provides a navigation filter. Simply write the name of the model or a key word and click (Magnifying glass). The navigator displays all relevant models in IFS Process Models by Functional Area. If you want to view the filtering results in the IFS Process Models by Industry Samples, click the arrow. Clear the navigation filter by clicking (Clear the navigation filter).

C. Information area

Displays the model or the document. When it comes to models you can choose if you want to navigate from the graphical view in the information area or if you want to use the navigator.

D. Toolbar with toolbar icons

Displays the title of the model or document displayed in the information area. You can hover over an icon for a short description (ScreenTip). The following toolbar icons are used in the IFS Online Documentation:

• Home: Takes you back to the Welcome page. The same will happen when you click the banner.
• Find this model in the navigator (only available when the IFS Process Models navigator is active and a model is visible in the information area): Useful for example when you want information about the context in which a particular activity diagram (level 3) is relevant. Then it is easy to view the corresponding process models (level 2). The navigator displays all relevant models in IFS Process Models by Functional Area. Click the arrow if you want to view the filtering results in the IFS Process Models by Industry Samples, click the arrow.
• Open document/model outside of framework: The document or model is opened without any banner, navigators, documentation navigators, search, related links bar and toggle switches. The toolbar with relevant toolbar icons is present.
• Open document/model in framework: If the document or model is opened outside the framework, click this icon to return to the framework and still view the document or model.
• Copy the model image to clipboard: This is a quick and easy way to copy content from the information area.
• Bookmark this page: Adds the current page as a favorite in your browser.
• Email this page: Creates an email with a link to the current page.
• Print this page: Prints the current page.

E. Search

You can use this feature to search through the online documentation and IFS eLearning (if it has been installed), to locate a specific topic that you want. By using the list, you can limit the search to specific document types. For further information about the search functionality and how to use it, read Using Search.

F. Related links bar with direct links

Use the related links bar to get quick access to the Foundation1 Documentation as well as the eLearning material. The direct links are only visible if the corresponding information is installed. The information is displayed in a new window.

G: Toggle switches

By using the toggle switches you can hide/unhide the banner and/or the left-hand pane. Hiding panes gives you more space for the information area.

Accessing IFS Online Documentation

IFS Online Documentation typically has two entry points:

• Context-sensitive Help: If you are working with the Enterprise Explorer client, you can open the Help pane at the bottom of the user interface, and then click on the field or column you want more information about. you can also reach the associated window description from there. Further information about the What's This help can be found in Using IFS Applications Clients.
  • If you want to broaden your knowledge about a specific functionality, press F1 while you are working in any IFS Application window to view the online documentation for that window. Once the documentation is displayed, you can browse through the online documentation using the process models, the documentation navigators, and the document links.
  • In the web client, click Help on this page on the Help menu to open the online documentation for that page. Click Help on fields to get a list of all the field descriptions for that page.
• Start from the Welcome page: If you click on the address (the base URL) given by your system administrator, the IFS Online Documentation will be displayed. Normally, the base URL looks something like this: http://YourWebSite/Documentation/En/ where En is replaced by a language code that determines the language in which the IFS Online Documentation should be displayed.