In an era marked by rapid technological advancements, IT departments, especially managers, CTOs, and CIOs, face a monumental challenge. What is it? How to deliver innovative applications and solutions quickly and efficiently without exhausting their resources. This is the point where we enter the world of low-code app development. Low-code app development is a development approach that empowers IT professionals to build robust, feature-rich applications with significantly reduced coding efforts.

This article explores the myriad advantages of low-code app development for IT teams, delving into how it accelerates application delivery, fosters collaboration and productivity, reduces development costs, and democratizes software development. So, join us on this journey as we unlock the potential of low-code, and discover how it is reshaping the future of IT.

Benefit No1 – Integration With Legacy And Other Systems

One of the foremost challenges that IT departments often face is integrating new software solutions with existing legacy systems and numerous third-party applications and systems. This process can be time-consuming, costly, and fraught with compatibility issues. However, low-code app development emerges as a powerful solution to this dilemma by offering seamless integration capabilities, thereby driving the first major benefit: facilitating the harmonious coexistence of legacy and modern systems.

Low-code platforms are designed with integration in mind. They provide a wealth of pre-built connectors and APIs that simplify the connection between new applications and legacy systems. These connectors enable IT teams to bridge the gap between old and new technologies without the need for extensive custom coding.

In addition, low-code platforms significantly reduce the time and cost associated with integration. IT professionals can drag-and-drop integration components, configure settings through intuitive interfaces, and achieve results in a fraction of the time it would take through conventional coding methods.

Benefit No2 – Speed, Cost And Resource Savings

Low-code app development offers a transformative advantage to IT departments by drastically accelerating the application development lifecycle while simultaneously reducing costs and resource demands.

Low-code platforms are designed to simplify and streamline the development process. By providing a visual interface and abstracting complex coding tasks, they enable IT professionals to work more efficiently.

What’s more, traditional software development involves ongoing maintenance and support. Low-code applications, being inherently modular and easily adaptable, incur lower operational costs. Updates and enhancements can be implemented with ease, reducing the overhead associated with long-term maintenance.

Low-code platforms empower business teams to address their specific needs without having to rely solely on the IT department. This means that many IT requests can be fulfilled directly by the relevant teams or individuals, eliminating bottlenecks and reducing the frustration of waiting for IT resources to become available.

All the above benefits encompass speed, cost, and resource savings, and fundamentally transform how organizations approach software development. Low-code platforms empower both IT professionals and non-technical users, enabling rapid application development, fostering collaboration, accelerating deployment, and driving down operational costs.

Benefit No3 – Productivity

Low-code app development doesn’t just empower IT professionals; it also serves as a powerful catalyst for enhancing productivity by bridging the gap between business users and IT teams. This benefit is centered around the idea that business users, who intimately understand the operational challenges, can actively participate in the creation of solutions without requiring an in-depth technical background. These individuals, who possess firsthand knowledge of the day-to-day operations and pain points, can now directly contribute to building solutions that address their unique needs. By enabling business users to create and modify applications, low-code development shortens the feedback loop between identifying a problem and implementing a solution. This agility leads to quicker issue resolution and the ability to adapt rapidly to changing business conditions.

As business users become more proficient in using low-code platforms, they can tackle a wider range of challenges, from simple departmental applications to more complex enterprise-level solutions. This scalability in the use of low-code tools adds to the productivity gains.

Benefit No4 – Democratization of Software Development

One of the most remarkable aspects of low-code development is its accessibility to non-technical individuals. Business analysts, subject matter experts, and even end-users can become citizen developers, contributing directly to citizen development. This democratization of app creation not only reduces the burden on IT but also harnesses the domain expertise of those closest to the business processes.

The democratization of software development allows organizations to address business challenges swiftly. When business users can create and iterate on applications themselves, they can respond rapidly to changing market conditions, customer demands, and emerging opportunities.

As more individuals engage in low-code development, it promotes digital literacy and a deeper understanding of technology within the organization. This knowledge can have far-reaching effects on an organization’s digital transformation journey.

Benefit No5 – Mitigates Shadow IT

Shadow IT, the practice of employees using unauthorized or unapproved software and applications to meet their specific needs has long been a concern for IT departments. It often leads to fragmented technology landscapes, security vulnerabilities, and compliance issues. Low-code app development presents a powerful solution to mitigate the risks associated with Shadow IT, offering numerous benefits in the process.

Shadow IT applications are notorious for their lack of security measures and adherence to compliance regulations. Low-code platforms often come with built-in security features and allow IT teams to enforce access controls, data encryption, and compliance requirements more effectively.

Low-code platforms, as discussed in previous sections, excel in integration with legacy systems and third-party applications. This integration capability enables organizations to address specific business needs through authorized channels, reducing the temptation for employees to seek out alternative, unapproved solutions.

One of the key drivers of Shadow IT is the frustration stemming from slow IT response to business needs. Low-code empowers business users to develop solutions quickly, reducing the incentive to bypass IT in search of immediate solutions.

All in all, by offering a controlled and secure environment for application development, aligning with IT policies, and enabling rapid response to business needs, low-code helps organizations bring shadow technology into the light, ensuring better security, compliance, and overall IT governance.

What Low-Code App Development Features It Pros Look For?

IT professionals and managers seek specific features in low-code app development platforms to meet their needs efficiently and effectively. These features help create a balance between ease of use, flexibility, security, agility, and scalability, while also aligning with the business-specific needs and strategy. Here are some key features that IT professionals typically look for in low-code app development platforms:

Technical Features

• Visual Development Environment: An intuitive and user-friendly visual interface is essential. IT professionals should be able to design, build, and modify applications without extensive coding.
• Drag-and-Drop Functionality: The ability to drag and drop elements like workflow components, and user field simplifies the creation of apps.
• Pre-built Templates and Components: A library of pre-designed templates, widgets, and components can speed up development and ensure consistency in app development.
• Integration Capabilities: Robust integration features, including connectors and APIs, enable seamless connectivity with other systems, databases, and services.
• Custom Code Integration: The ability to incorporate custom code or scripts when needed allows IT professionals to extend functionality beyond what’s offered out of the box.
• Customization and Extensibility: The platform should allow IT professionals to customize and extend functionality to meet specific business requirements.
• Version Control: Versioning features help track changes, collaborate with others, and roll back to previous workflow versions if necessary.
• Intelligent Automation: Built-in cognitive automation capabilities, such as RPA, AI and ML facilitate the end-to-end automation of business processes.
• Real-time Collaboration: Features that support real-time collaboration between IT and business enhance productivity and foster teamwork.
• Scalability: The platform should be capable of handling applications of varying complexity, from simple data-driven applications to end-to-end solutions. 
• Analytics and Reporting: Built-in analytics tools enable the monitoring of application performance, user behavior, and data trends.

Security Features

• Security Controls: IT professionals prioritize security features such as role-based access control, data encryption, and authentication mechanisms to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance.
• Compliance and Auditing: Features that facilitate compliance with industry regulations and auditing capabilities are crucial for organizations in regulated industries.
• Low-Code Governance: IT departments benefit from governance features that ensure adherence to organizational standards, security policies, and development best practices.

Additional Features

• Cloud and On-Premises Deployment: Flexibility in deployment options, including cloud-based and on-premises solutions, accommodates various infrastructure preferences.
• Documentation and Training Resources: Comprehensive documentation and training materials help IT professionals and citizen developers learn the platform quickly and efficiently.
• Support and Professional Services: Access to technical support and professional services can be invaluable when troubleshooting issues.

How To Start With Low-Code App Development

Embarking on a journey into low-code app development is an exciting step toward streamlining your organization’s application development process and fostering innovation. Whether you’re an IT professional, a business leader, or a curious individual, getting started with low-code app development involves a series of logical steps:

1. Define Your Objectives

Before diving into low-code development, it’s essential to clarify your goals. Understand the specific challenges you want to address, the types of applications you need, and the outcomes you expect. Whether it’s improving operational efficiency, enhancing customer experiences, or addressing compliance requirements, having a clear vision is paramount.

2. Select the Right Low-Code Platform

Choose a low-code platform that aligns with your organization’s needs and objectives. First, consider factors like ease of use, scalability, security features, integration capabilities, pricing policy, and compliance support. Second, keep in mind that many platforms offer free trials, which allow you to explore their features firsthand.

3. Start with Simple Projects

Begin your low-code journey with straightforward projects. Start small and gradually work your way up to more complex applications. These initial low-code projects will help you gain confidence and experience with the platform, while also reducing the risk of common pitfalls that can lead to low-code project failures.

4. Collaborate and Share

Low-code development often involves collaboration between IT professionals and business users. What do you need to do? Encourage cross-functional teams to work together, as this can lead to richer insights and more effective solutions. Share knowledge and experiences with your colleagues to foster a culture of innovation. Also, consider empowering the workforce, especially non-technical individuals within your organization to become citizen developers.

5. Scale Gradually

As you gain experience and confidence in low-code development, consider tackling more significant projects and initiatives. Scale your low-code efforts gradually to meet the evolving needs of your organization.

6. Monitor and Optimize:

Regularly monitor the performance of your low-code applications, addressing any issues or bottlenecks promptly. Then, continuously optimize and fine-tune your solutions to ensure they remain aligned with your organization’s objectives.

Conclusion

In conclusion, having explored the myriad benefits of low-code app development for IT and general the reasons why businesses need a low-code platform, we hope to have ignited your enthusiasm to embark on a journey of exploration with low-code platforms. These transformative tools have the potential to revolutionize your organization’s approach to application development, fostering innovation, agility, and efficiency. So, seize this opportunity to dive into the world of low-code, and discover firsthand the remarkable possibilities it holds for your IT endeavors.

The post Top Low-code App Development Benefits for IT Teams appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

The post Mastering Application Frameworks: Your Ultimate Guide to Seamless Development appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

Comidor App Designer offers a range of applications to cater to different needs. You can select the one that best suits your requirements from the following options:

1. Table applications: 
   • Sequential apps (with workflows)
   • Process-based workflow apps
   • Simple non-process-based apps (Data-driven)
2. Report applications
3. Kanban applications
4. Portal applications

Let’s explore a step-by-step guide on how to create and run a portal application.

Portal Application

A portal app serves as a gateway or entry point for employees, customers, partners, and other stakeholders, to access a wide range of services, information, processes, and functionalities allowing them to interact seamlessly with your company. A portal can take various forms, such as an employee self-service portal, a customer self-service portal, or a vendor self-service portal. These apps often provide personalized experiences by allowing users to customize their preferences, settings, and the design of the portal.

Comidor platform is revolutionizing the way businesses create portal applications with its user-friendly and visually appealing user interface. Users have the ability to create both public portal sites, which can be accessed by non-Comidor users, and internal portal apps that are accessible within the Comidor environment.

When designing a portal app, you have a wide range of components to choose from. These include text, labels, images, links, buttons, tables, grids, and more. Easily drag and drop these elements onto the canvas, arrange them according to your preferences, define the desired style, and effortlessly associate components with specific properties and data actions. You can even preview your design live as you build your portal.

Access App Designer

To access App Designer, navigate to the main menu on the left side of your screen and select the following options: App Factory > Application Builder > App Designer

In the newly opened unit, click on the “Create an App” button.

Create App

• To open the creation form, simply click on the “Create an App” icon.

• In the Application Type, select “Portal App”.

• Provide the Application Name.
• You can either choose from the existing options in the list or add a new Menu Header option. Depending on your selection, your app will be displayed in the corresponding menu header with a new icon. If you leave it empty, it will be included in the packages menu header.
• You can classify your app into a proper Category. Choose an existing category from the options provided or create a new Category. Categorization helps you easily locate your apps in the App Designer. Depending on the category you select, the app will also be displayed in the respective sub-menu.
• Collaborators are the users or groups who have access rights to this App. Choose one or more users(s), Group(s) from the list.
• Check the “Is Public?” option if you would like to make this portal accessible to non-Comidor users. By doing so, a public URL will be generated in step 6. If left unchecked, the portal app will only be accessible to Comidor users through the platform’s menu.
• There is an option to upload an Image for your App.
• Click “Save” to create your app or “Close” to cancel.

After saving your app, you will be redirected to the view form. Comidor will guide you through simple steps to design your app. Steps 1, 4, and 6 are available for this app type.

1. Dashboard

In the Dashboard step, you will get an overview of your application. Specifically, you will be able to view:

• Basic Info:
  • the Type, Category, and other parameters
  • To edit the above information, simply click on the pencil button.
  • You can lock your app by selecting the “Locked” option. By enabling this feature, only the user who locks the app will have editing permissions in all steps. Other users will only be able to view the app but will not be able to make any edits.
  • By selecting the “Has customizations” option, the application will not be exportable.
  • Add a flag to remember if this application Has application parameters.
• Collaborators: the users or groups who have access rights in this App.
• Comments: an interactive area that allows users with access to write and view comments.

4. Advanced

Maximize your use of the App Designer by taking advantage of this advanced options step. This includes incorporating Data Objects and Event Scripts into your portal app, allowing you to enhance its functionality and customization.

Data Objects

Data objects are discrete units of information that are structured and organized within a computer system or database. When we use the term “data object”, we are essentially referring to a set of data that should be considered as an independent entity. Data objects come in a variety of forms, such as data tables, lists, forms, pointers, records, files, and sets.

With data objects in Comidor App Designer, you can enhance the functionality of your event scripts in any app. It allows you to quickly and effortlessly create any type of data set you require.

• To create a new Data Object, simply click on the “+” icon.
• Create data sets, variables, lists, forms, records, or action data types and define their properties.
• Utilize those data objects in event scripts.

Event Scripts

In this tab, you ψαν write scripts for a specific Data Type to be executed before/after/during a specific event.

To create a new Event script, simply click on the “+” icon:

• Add the “Procedure Name“.
• Select the Data Type (apprec, task, process, dataset) and specify where you would like the script to be applied.
• An Event Type can be inserted, updated, deleted, etc.
• Add your code to the Procedure Body.
  •  This is designed for advanced users to document their procedures.

6. Template

In this step, you can set up your Portal template by defining all the elements, styles, CSS and Js functions you wish to include.

Layers

• On the left side of the template designer, you will find the available Layers that you have already included in your template design. Simply click on the layer you wish to edit, and the respective options will appear.

Actions in the design

• Select the preview of your portal design: Desktop, Tablet, or Mobile.
• To store all your latest changes, simply click on the Save icon.
• The refresh icon will display a preview of your portal application design, reflecting your latest changes.

• Simply click on the “View Components” option to highlight all components. This will apply a dotted border around each component.
• Get a preview of the Portal application simply click on the preview icon. Easily return to the edit mode by clicking on the respective icon.
• To view the code of your portal template design, simply click on the designated area. A pop-up will appear, allowing you to see and copy the code. When you’re done, just click on the “x” icon to close the pop-up.
• To import the code of your portal template design, simply follow these steps:
  1. Locate the pop-up window where you can type or paste the code
  2. Click on the Import button to apply the code to your portal template.
  3. If you wish to close the pop-up, click on the “x” icon.

• Toggle or Show all images in your design.
• Undo or redo your most recent changes.
• To clear your canvas, simply click on the bin icon.
• To enhance your design experience, toggle to fullscreen mode.

Blocks and Style Manager

• To add blocks to your portal app template design, simply click on the + icon located on the right side of your screen. You can then drag and drop one or more blocks onto your design. The following options are available:

  • Basic blocks: Label, Button, Div, Text, Image, Input, Textarea, Select, Check, Radio, Link, Text section.

• • Table blocks: 1 Column, 2 Columns, 3 Columns, 2 Columns 3/7, 1 Section, 1/2 Section, 1/3 Section, 3/7 Section.

• • More: Video, Map, Tabs, Custom Code, Tooltip, Form, Divider, Grid Items, List Items.

• After adding a block, you can click on the gear icon to apply settings. Each component may have different settings.

• To open the Style Manager, simply choose a block and click on the paintbrush icon.

• • Add Classes
  • Define General options
  • Dimension options
  • Decorations options
  • Extra options
  • Flex options

Custom CSS and JS

• Easily incorporate custom CSS and JS within the App Designer to unlock endless possibilities for personalization and enhanced functionality as you build your portal app.

Publish

Once you have perfected your design, simply click on the Publish button to Publish your app.

Your app is instantly published, and the HTML design is seamlessly generated. Access your portal effortlessly by using the external URL conveniently located above the designer canvas.

Share this public URL with your clients or vendors to involve them in your internal processes, or embed it on your website.

Edit Apps

If you want to edit an existing Portal Application, go to the main menu on the left side of your screen and select the icon App Factory > Application Builder > App Designer. From the list of applications, select the one you wish to edit.

• To apply any changes to the basic information of the Portal application, simply click on the pencil button.
• You can navigate through steps 1-6 by clicking on the respective step and making any desired changes. Do not forget to publish your changes.
• To export the current application, simply click on the Actions button and select Export.
• If you wish, you can delete a User App. Simply open the App you want to delete and click on the Delete option from the actions button.
  • A confirmation pop-up has appeared. Click “Confirm” to proceed with the deletion or click “Cancel“.
  • You can also check the Linked Entities that will be affected in the respective tab.
• Finally, you have the option to choose “copy” to duplicate the current application. A pop-up will appear, allowing you to define the name of the copied app.

Run App

You can view the result of your Portal Application after publishing your app by either navigating through the main menu or using the Public URL, as shown in step 6 of App Designer.

Find out more about App Designer and how to create other app types here.

The post Portal Application appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

The post Low-code Development: The Future of Business Agility appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

The post What is Rapid Application Development: A 2023 Guide appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

There are various types of applications provided in Comidor App Designer. You can choose the one that fits better your needs from the following options:

1. Table applications: 
   • Sequential apps (with workflows)
   • Process-based workflow apps
   • Simple Non-process based apps (Data-driven)
2. Report applications
3. Kanban applications

Let’s see step-by-step how to create and run a workflow app.

Workflow Application

The workflow app is a table process-based application. Choose this type when you want to monitor processes that include few or many steps, manual or automated, with multiple paths and business rules, with scheduling, state, completion, etc. With workflow apps, designers can easily map and orchestrate the business process steps with the Comidor powerful workflow engine, which is compliant with BPMN 2.0.

Access App Designer

In order to access App Designer go to the main menu on the left side of your screen and select the icon App Factory > Application Builder > App Designer

In the new unit that opens, click on the button Create an App.

Create App

• Click on the “Create an App” icon to create a new workflow app. The creation form opens.

• In the Application Type select Table Application.

• Give the Application Name and Description.
• You can either choose from the existing options in the list or add a new Menu Header option. Depending on your selection, your app will be displayed in the corresponding menu header with a new icon. If you leave it empty, it will be included in the packages menu header.
• You can also classify your app in a proper Category. Choose one Category from the existing options, or make a new Category. Categorization helps you find easier your apps in the App Designer. Based on the category you choose, the app is also displayed on the respective sub-menu.
• Collaborators are the users or groups that have access rights to this App. Choose one or more users(s) or group (s) from the list.
• Select whether this app is Basic or Supportive.
• Leave the option Process enabled checked. If so, you are able to link a Workflow to your App.
• Uncheck the option Is sequential.
  • If you leave it checked, you will create a Sequential app. You can then, switch to BPMN 2.0 in step 2. Once you switch to BPMN, you will be able to see the respective steps represented in a sequential workflow diagram, where you can add more steps and rules. Your app will no longer be sequential.
• Define if this app has a Kanban view. If enabled, table records can be displayed on Kanban boards.
• There is an option to upload an Image for your App.
• Click Save to create your App, or Close to cancel.

Once you save your app, you are redirected to the view form. Comidor guides you through simple steps to design your App.

1. Dashboard

In the step Dashboard, you get an overview of your application. In particular, you are able to view:

• Quick Stats:
  • Number of forms, Steps, and Widgets that are created in this App
  • Graphs that show the application activity timeline and the Apps Overview status.
• Basic Info:
  • the Type, Category, and other parameters
  • You can click on the pencil button to edit the above info
    • You can lock your app by checking on the Locked option. With this option, only the user who locks the app will be able to edit the app (in all steps). All the rest users will just be able to view the app, but can not edit it.
    • By checking the Has customizations option, the application will not be exportable.
    • Put a flag to remember if this application Has application parameters.
• Collaborators: the users or groups that have access rights in this App.
• Comments: an area where users who have access can write and view comments.

2. Process

In the second step, you can fully design your process in terms of the number and the looks of the process steps, your Data model, Table View, and User forms.

Data Model

• When the Data model tab is open, you see a sub-table with the following columns: icon, label, size, column name, created by, created on, last updated by, last updated on, the pin, and multi checkboxes.
• You can see the existing and/or add all fields that you want to be used in the App here.  You can click on the “+” to create your own custom fields.
• Click on the refresh icon, and the table should be updated.
• Type a keyword in the search area, click enter and the table should be refreshed displaying results that match the keyword.

• Click on an existing field, to view its basic info: By default, you will see Entity, Label, Auto-generate name, Column name, Type, Default Value, Store Type, Tooltip, and Security Level. In the Connected Forms tab, you can view the list of forms in which this field is used.

Workflow

Define one by one the steps of your workflow application, or Switch to BPMN design for more advanced applications. Each step is actually a workflow task in BPMN 2.0, with assignees, one form, and fields linked to it. Click on “Create the first step of your application”.

Find out more about Sequential apps here.

• You have the option to Switch to BPMN design, in the Process step.

• A confirmation pop-up appears.

• If you click Yes, you will be able to see the respective steps represented in a sequential workflow diagram, where you can add more steps and rules. Your app will no longer be sequential but a workflow app.

With Comidor BPMN 2.0 Designer, you can map and optimize any process that takes place in your company.

• Drag-n-drop any workflow components from the left side panel, into your pool.
• Define the attributes of each component
• Draw the sequence of your steps and define your business rules
• Make sure you connect all alternative paths with one or more End components.

Basic Components

Comidor offers the following BPMN 2.0 basic components:

• Tasks and escalations
• Subprocess
• Email
• SMS
• Notification
• Timer
• AND/OR/XOR gateways
• Annotation
• End

Integration Components

Additionally, designers can cover their integration needs with the following components:

• RESTful Web Service
• OpenAI API
• Message Queue
• Teams integration
• Google integration
• Zoho projects API
• Zoho leads API
• Freshdesk API
• Salesforce API

Data Components

Designers can use low-code data components for data input and output:

• Comidor DATA (insert/update/delete)
• Shell Command
• File Reader
• Export Data
• Convert Data
• Digital Signature
• Document Creator
• QR Generator
• Table Extractor
• Excel Processor
• Graph Creator
• Blockchain
• KPI Update
• DMN

RPA Workflow Components

Other workflow elements can be added within the workflow design to enhance automation in business processes with RPA and ML/AI. Those components are:

• RPA Caller/ Receiver
• Sentiment Analysis
• Document Analyzer
• Text Classification
• Predictive ML
• Selenium RPA
• Image Classification
• Web Scraper

Code Components

Enhance your processes without using any coding with the Workflow Code Components. Add the following code components into the workflows to replace commands and queries:

• Set values
• Existence check
• SQL Creator
• String Utilities
• JSON Array to Excel
• Deserialize JSON

My Plugins

Designers can upload their own plugins for custom code to perform any advanced functionality they wish. Drag and drop the My Plugins Component in any workflow, and then
choose which plugin to run. The response of your plugin can then be stored in an app field and used within your workflow.

Learn more about each Workflow Component in detail.

Table View

• Determine which columns you wish your App to have in the main table. By default, you should see all the table fields you have created in the steps, and will be added as columns in your application table. Each field has a pencil and x buttons.
• You can add more Columns, by clicking on the “+” icon and selecting the desired field, or drag-n-drop from the list of the available fields.
  • A pop-up appears to add a column. Choose a field from the list (both custom fields and process fields are available).
  • Add a label name. If left empty, the column gets the field name.
  • Prefix or Suffix to be displayed before or after the value of each entry
  • Select the preferred alignment
  • Define the preferred width in percentage to be displayed as default in the summary table
  • Other options like ALIAS Column, Not Sortable, and Hidden are available, too.
  • Check the “Is Kanban Field?” option in case you want to display this field on the Kanban boards.
  • Click save to add this column to your table, or cancel.

• Drag and drop the field columns, in order to re-arrange their position in the Table View.
• You can select one or more columns and delete them from Table View if you wish.
• Click on the edit button to make any changes you need to each column.
• Click on the x button to remove this field from the Application table.
• Switch to mobile view, to get a preview of your Application table in a browser of a mobile device. Choose a preferred device (mobile, tablet)

Forms

All forms included in this App are visible in the tab User Forms. Create a new one or edit the existing forms here.

•  By default, no form is chosen. The message “You haven’t selected a form. Please select one!” is shown. Select a form, OK, and plus buttons are available.
• Click on the “+” icon. A pop-up window appears to define the title of your new form. Click on Save to save your form and you are directed to the form designer.
• On the left side of your screen, under the Design tab, you will find the Elements (panel, section, code, paragraph, style, grid, group), a list of fields that you can include in your form, and a preview of the form. Easily search for the desired fields and add them to your form with a simple drag-and-drop action.
• Click on a field and a pop-up appears where you can add properties for each field. You can define various properties for the field, including mode, label, tooltip, translated value, pattern, pattern error message, required, alignment, placeholder, element CSS, Element CSS Class, label position, size, hidden, Trigger event scripts on user entry, Disable changes by scripts on this field, is Area, Has QR Input, and the Area Size.
• Under the Settings tab, you should see the following Basic fields: Record type, Title, Access, Main, Primary, Quick, Position, Form Division, Mobile form, Approve/Reject form, and Validity. In the Advanced section, you will find fields such as Script before open, Script before edit, Script before save, and Template File.
• The following buttons are also available in the form designer: Add tabs, mobile view, toggle fullscreen, publish, copy, and delete.
  • You can also make a form Main, which means it will be visible in the main record as a tab. State the position of each form that you want to display.
  • For the form, you want to start the App with, select the option “Replace existing form” in the field Primary, if you wish to initiate your app from the “+” icon of the summary table of the App.
  • In the Quick field, you can choose the form to be visible in the Quick Add menu or in the process templates list, if you wish to initiate your app from the Quick add menu.
• Don’t forget to Publish your form after finishing your design.

• Furthermore, you can edit the existing forms from the tab Forms. Select one from the list and click OK.

3. Graphs

In step 3, you can design your app Graphs or Widgets. Comidor Widgets are the ideal choice for data visualization. Get the most updated data on the visualization format you define.

• Create your own personalized dashboard in seconds.
• Combine multiple views of data to get richer insight.

You can easily create a new Graph, by clicking on the “+” icon.

Find out more about all types of Widgets and how to create them.

4. Advanced

Get the most out of the App Designer with this advanced options step by including user tabs in your records or the table of your app, event scripts, data objects, and field rules to show or hide fields, sections, or tabs in forms when specific conditions are met. This step is available only for Table applications (non-process & process enabled).

User Tabs

Use tabs to have complete control over the accessibility of your application.

• The tabs appear inside records (as a tab at the left part of the record) or at the summary table of the application.
• A tab can be a table from any Comidor entity, HTML, or widget.

• You can easily create a new Tab, by clicking on the “+” icon
• The Record type is by default the name of the App and disabled
• Select the Type of Tab you wish to create (Table, HTML, or Widget)
  • In Type Table:
    • Give a Title to the Tab
    • In the “View Tab in” choose record.
    • Select Query: the query to define which fields to be fetched as columns from which tables
    • Where Clause: type a specific condition to be met
    • Access Code defines who can access this tab
  • Select Type HTML when you want to add guidelines or other important information for a specific app:
    • Give a Title to the Tab
    • In the “View Tab in“: choose record or table.
    • Access Code defines who can access this tab
    • Unit-action – insert the HTML here

1. • Type Widget: a tab to monitor all the widgets (general or application widgets)
     • Give a Title to the Tab
     • In the “View Tab in“: choose the table option.
     • Access Code defines who can access this tab
     • After saving this tab, click on Add widget button to Select the widget you would like to be displayed
     • All added widgets are displayed on Linked widgets. You can click on the ‘-‘ to remove a widget from this tab.

Field Rules

Data Objects

Data objects are discrete units of information that are structured and organized within a computer system or database. When we use the term “data object”, we are essentially referring to a set of data that should be considered as an independent entity. Data objects come in a variety of forms, such as data tables, lists, forms, pointers, records, files, and sets.

With data objects in Comidor App Designer, you can enhance the functionality of your event scripts in any app. It allows you to quickly and effortlessly create any type of data set you require.

• To create a new Data Object, simply click on the “+” icon.
• Create data sets, variables, lists, forms, records, or action data types and define their properties.
• Utilize those data objects in event scripts.

Event Scripts

In this tab, you are able to write scripts for a certain Data Type to be executed before/after/on a specific event.

Click on the “+” icon to create a new Event script:

• Add the Procedure Name.
• Choose the Data Type (apprec, task, process, dataset) and define where you want the script to be applied.
• An Event Type can be inserted, updated, deleted, etc.
• In the Procedure Body add your code.
  •  This is for advanced users to write their procedures.

5. Configuration

In this step, you can make the configuration of the workflow application.

• Decide what you would like to include from the Basic options
  • Notes, Tags, and Links.
  • If the Kanban view is enabled, define the “Group by Field” and the “Title Field“. The “Group By Field” is used to categorize boards, while the “Title Field” will serve as the title for each board.
  • The ability to create, edit, and/or delete an entry.
  • The Activity history tab
  • Decide whether you would like to include the print/export options in the summary table of this application.
  • Allow user layout change; the ability to change the table’s categorization, and the pin button to remove columns.
  • Define a Primary Field (Record Identity: Appears in lists, etc). To define a primary field, select one of the fields you created in step 2 from the drop-down list.

• Customize your data by:
  • Defining a Numeric field as Incremental, and in every new record, it will automatically increase by one with every new record. Additionally, you have the option to specify the starting number.
  • Setting a Prefix and Suffix to the app and an Incremental No Field; select a number field from the Data Model for which you want to auto-populate a number. eg. for this app the requests will get SR.1, SR.2, etc.
  • Selecting a default categorization for the table view based on a specific field (Title, Priority, etc.) – up to level 3.
  • Choosing a specific field to display the Summary table ordered by ascending or descending order.
  • Granting rights to your app; define to whom each entry is assigned, send notifications, Admin 1,2, and Supervisor. Choose users, groups, or dynamic options such as Creator, creator’s Manager, etc.
  • Setting up to 3 numeric fields, to be displayed in the table as Totals (Sum fields 1, 2, 3).

• You can fully customize the app layout, by selecting font sizes and colors in CSS Design options.

• You can easily incorporate custom CSS and JS within the App Designer, unlocking endless possibilities for personalization and enhanced functionality as you build your app. Simply add your custom CSS and JS rules in the Configuration step of your app. Remember to publish the app to save your changes.

6. Analytics

The Analytics step provides the designers, with insights into each Workflow’s real-time usage.

Dashboard tab: Set Analytics Filters to get the results you wish.

• • Narrow your results to tasks that were assigned to a specific user or group.
  • Select the period of time you are interested in.
  • Click on Refresh and the following graphs are populated: Analytics Totals, Instances per State, Tasks per User, Delayed tasks per User, Tasks per Team, Delayed tasks per Team

• Pinpoint the total and delayed instances and tasks that were created within one workflow. Cost is calculated based on the duration of each task multiplied by the cost rate of the user that completes each task. See more in the Services unit.

Analytics Preview tab: Set Analytics Filters to get the results you wish.

• Choose between Total or Delayed Tasks to be displayed.
• Monitor the Duration and Cost of each step.
• Select the period of time you are interested in.
• Click on Refresh and the diagram is updated wholly. For each chosen filter a row is added with the data from the run time. (value & percentage).

• View workflow analytics with the “Delayed Task” Filter to measure the scheduled time and the actual time it took for a task to be completed. This feature enables users to identify bottlenecks.  Each task will have the chosen filters (Total tasks, Delayed tasks, Cost, Duration, ineffective KPIs) with counter & percentage. The tasks with delays will be highlighted in red, whereas those with no delays in green.

• View workflow analytics with the “Total Task” Filter to measure how many times every task is executed in total. This will identify your “critical path”, and your process “optimal path” and ultimately will help identify where the focus should be on, for better resource management.

Publish your App

Finally, click on the Publish button in order to Publish your app.

Your workflow app is ready to use!

Note that you can also create an Application with NLP in just 4 steps. Find out more here.

Edit Apps

If you want to edit an existing workflow app, go to the main menu on the left side of your screen and select the icon App Factory > Application Builder > App Designer. From the list of applications, select the one you wish to edit.

• You can navigate through steps 1-6 by clicking on the respective step and applying any change you wish. Do not forget to publish your changes.
• You can delete a User App if you wish.  Open the App you want to delete, and from the actions button, click on the Delete option.
  • A confirmation pop-up will appear. Click Confirm to proceed with the deletion or cancel.
  • You can also check the Linked Entities that will be affected in the respective tab.

Run an App

• While viewing an app in the App Designer, you can easily run your workflow app! Click on the Play button on the top right of your screen and the quick add form of this app is populated.
• In case there is no quick add form, a respective message appears and you are directed to step 2, in User forms to create a new quick add form.

See the Table

Users can apply the following actions in the table workflow apps:

• Access the table (based on the access rights that are specified by the designer)
• Print or export the table results
• Apply filters, categorize, and search within each table
• Access, edit, or delete each record
• View records in table, kanban, or graph views
• In the graph view, pie, bar, or stack charts can be easily created with real-time data and the desired filtering.
• To view the User Apps you created and published through App Designer, follow these steps:
  1. On the left side of your screen, locate the menu.
  2. Select either the Packages Icon or the Header Menu you chose in Step 1 of App Designer.
  3. A list of all the published apps will be displayed here, categorized based on your Category selection in Step 1 of App Designer.
  4. If no category is chosen, the app will be shown under “Packages”.

• Select the one you wish to access and it will open in a new tab.

By clicking on the “+” icon you can create a new entry of this app. (In order to see the “+” icon, you should have checked first the respective option in the Configuration step of App Designer). A new tab opens with the form that was created in the App Designer. Fill in the fields and click on Save to add this entry.

See the Record

In a workflow app, the record looks as below:

• In the process record, you will see all the default Process summary forms and any main forms you have created in the App Designer step 2.

• • Since the App is process-based and linked with a workflow it will have a State (Opened, Scheduled, Running, etc.) and also some more Tabs in the left-side menu, such as Workflow tasks, attachments, and workflow audit.
    • Keep in mind that the process state needs to be “Running” in order for the workflow to start.
    • Every time a new task is assigned to a user, the user will be notified in his calendar. The user can open the task and view the connected form (if any). Once the task is completed, the workflow moves on to the next step.
    • Click on the tab “Workflow tasks” to see the tasks that have been created so far in a table grid. In particular, you can view which task is completed, by whom, when, and its scheduled and actual duration.

• • • Get real-time data for every workflow step via the Workflow Run Diagram, which is the graphical representation of the entire workflow design that highlights the completed and pending steps in different colors along with start and end times and the paths that the flow follows.

The post Workflow application appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

Comidor App Designer offers a range of applications to cater to different needs. You can select the one that best suits your requirements from the following options:

1. Table applications: 
   • Sequential apps (with workflows)
   • Process-based workflow apps
   • Simple non-process-based apps (Data-driven)
2. Report applications
3. Kanban applications
4. Portal applications

Let’s explore a step-by-step guide on how to create and run a simple application.

Simple Application

The Simple app is a non-process-enabled table application. This type of table application is ideal for creating data-driven records. No workflows can be related to this type.

Access App Designer

To access App Designer, navigate to the main menu on the left side of your screen and select the following options: App Factory > Application Builder > App Designer

In the newly opened unit, click on the “Create an App” button.

Create App

• To open the creation form, simply click on the “Create an App” icon.

• In the Application Type, select “Table Application”.

• Provide the Application Name and the Description.
• You can either choose from the existing options in the list or add a new Menu Header option. Depending on your selection, your app will be displayed in the corresponding menu header with a new icon. If you leave it empty, it will be included in the packages menu header.
• You can classify your app into a proper Category. Choose an existing category from the options provided or create a new Category. Categorization helps you easily locate your apps in the App Designer. Depending on the category you select, the app will also be displayed in the respective sub-menu.
• Collaborators are the users or groups who have access rights to this App. Choose one or more users(s), Group(s) from the list.
• Select whether this app is Basic or Supportive.
• Uncheck the “Process enabled” option. If you do not, you will not be able to link a Workflow to your App. A warning pop-up will appear. Click on “Proceed“.

• Define if this app has a Kanban view. If enabled, table records can be displayed on Kanban boards.
• Connect your App to an existing entity in the database. This option enables you to seamlessly connect to external databases associated with your account. Effortlessly view, insert, delete, or update records in order to sync data from different databases.
• There is an option to upload an Image for your App.
• Click Save to create your App or “Close” to cancel.

After saving your app, you will be redirected to the view form. Comidor will guide you through simple steps to design your app. Steps 1-5 are available for this app type.

1. Dashboard

In the Dashboard step, you will get an overview of your application. Specifically, you will be able to view:

• Quick Stats:
  • Number of forms and Widgets created in this app
  • Graphs that display the timeline of application activity.
• Basic Info:
  • the Type, Category, and other parameters
  • To edit the above information, simply click on the pencil button.
    • You can define whether the application is Public or not.
    • You can lock your app by selecting the “Locked” option. By enabling this feature, only the user who locks the app will have editing permissions in all steps. Other users will only be able to view the app but will not be able to make any edits.
    • By selecting the “Has customizations” option, the application will not be exportable.
    • Add a flag to remember if this application Has application parameters.
• Collaborators: the users or groups who have access rights in this App.
• Comments: an interactive area that allows users with access to write and view comments.

2. Forms/Fields

In the second step, you have the opportunity to fully design your app in terms of the data structure and the visual elements. This includes designing the Data model, Table View, and User forms.

Data Model

• All fields can be found in the “Data Model” tab.
• When you open the Data model tab, you will see a sub-table with the following columns: icon, size, column name, created by, created on, last updated by, last updated on, the pin, and multi checkboxes.
• You can add all the fields that you want to be used in the App here.
  • To create your own custom fields, simply click on the “+” symbol. Remember to reload the DB after adding all your fields.
  • Click on the refresh icon to update the table.
  • Type a keyword in the search area, press enter and the table is refreshed displaying the results that match the keyword.
• Alternatively, you have the option to import multiple user fields from a CSV file. Simply click on the “Import CSV-automated” button, select your CSV file, define the separator, and click save. This will automatically add all the fields from the CSV rows to your app.

• To view basic information about an existing field, simply click on it. By default, you will see details such as Entity, Label, Auto-generate name, Column name, Type, Default Value, Store Type, Tooltip, and Security Level. If you navigate to the Connected Forms tab, you will find a list of forms where this field is used.

• Click on the “Export Data Model” button to export your data model, including all fields, in .xlsx format.

Table View

• Specify the columns you would like to include in the main table of your App. By default, all the table fields you have created in the Data Model will be added as columns in your application table. Each field will have pencil and x buttons for editing and removing, respectively.

  

• You have the ability to easily add more Columns by simply dragging and dropping from the list of available fields.

• To make any changes to each column, simply click on the edit button.

  • Provide a label name. If left empty, the column will use the field name.
  • Display a Prefix or Suffix before or after the value of each entry.
  • Select your preferred alignment.
  • Specify the preferred default width, in percentage, for the summary table display.
  • Other options, such as set “Not Sortable” and “Hidden” are also available.
  • Check the “Is Kanban Field?” option in case you want to display this field on the Kanban boards.
  • Click “Save” to update this column in your table, or click  “Cancel”.

• To re-arrange the position of the field columns in the Table View, simply drag and drop them.
• To remove this field from the Application table, click on the “x” button.
• Switch to mobile view to preview your Application table in a mobile device’s browser. Choose your preferred device (mobile, tablet)

Forms

All forms included in this App are visible in the “User Forms” tabs. You can create new forms or edit the existing ones here.

•  By default, no form is created. The message “You haven’t selected a form. Please select one!” is displayed. Select a form, OK and the plus buttons are available.
• Click on the “+” icon. This will trigger a pop-up window to define the title of your new form. Once you have entered the title, click on “Save” to save your form. You will then be directed to the form designer.
• On the left side of your screen, under the Design tab, you will find the Elements (panel, section, code, paragraph, style, grid, group), a list of fields that you can include in your form, and a preview of the form. Easily search for the desired fields and add them to your form with a simple drag-and-drop action.

• When you click on a field, a pop-up will appear where you can add properties for each field. You can define various properties for the field, including mode, label, tooltip, translated value, pattern, pattern error message, required, alignment, placeholder, element CSS, Element CSS Class, label position, size, hidden, Trigger event scripts on user entry, Disable changes by scripts on this field, is Area, Has QR Input, and the Area Size.

  

• Under the Settings tab, you should see the following Basic fields: Record type, Title, Access, Main, Primary, Quick, Position, Form Division, Mobile form, Approve/Reject form, and Validity. In the Advanced section, you will find fields such as Script before open, Script before edit, Script before save, and Template File.

  • Discover more about the various functionalities of form designs here.

• The form designer also offers the following buttons: Add tabs, mobile view, toggle fullscreen, publish, copy, and delete.

  • You can also make a form Main, which will be visible in the main record as a tab. Specify the position of each form that you would like to display.

  • To start the app with a specific form, select the option “Replace existing form” in the Primary field. This will allow you to initiate your app from the “+” icon of the summary table.

  • In the “Quick field”, you have the option to choose whether you want the form to be visible in the Quick Add menu or in the process templates list. This allows you to initiate your app from the Quick Add menu if desired.

• Remember to Publish your form after finishing your design.

• Additionally, you have the ability to edit existing forms from the “Forms” tab. Simply select the desired form from the list and click “OK“.

3. Graphs

In step 3, you have the option to design your app’s Graphs or Widgets. Comidor Widgets are the perfect choice for data visualization, allowing you to display the most up-to-date data in the format you define.

• Create your own personalized dashboard in seconds!
• Combine multiple views of data to gain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding.

Creating a new graph is easy – simply click on the “+” icon.

Discover more about various types of Widgets and learn how to create them.

4. Advanced

Maximize your use of the App Designer by taking advantage of its advanced options. This includes incorporating user tabs into your app’s records or tables, utilizing event scripts, and implementing field rules to dynamically show or hide fields, sections, or tabs in forms based on specific conditions.

User Tabs

Utilize tabs to maintain complete control over the accessibility of your application.

• The tabs can be found either inside records, appearing as a tab on the left side of the record, or in the summary table of the application.
• A tab can be a table sourced from any Comidor entity, HTML, or widget.

• You can easily create a new Tab by clicking on the “+” icon
• The Record type is disabled by default and is named after the app.
• Select the Type of Tab you wish to create: Table, HTML, or Widget.
  • In Type Table:
    • Provide a Title for the Tab.
    • In the View Tab in: choose “Record”.
    • Select Query: the queries used to define which fields are to be fetched as columns from specific tables
    • Where Clause: type a specific condition that needs to be met
    • Access Code determines who has permission to access this tab.
  • Select “Type HTML” when you want to add guidelines or other important information for a specific app:
    • Provide a Title for the Tab
    • In the View Tab in: choose “Record” or “Table”.
    • Access Code determines who has permission to access this tab.
    • Init-action – insert the HTML here

1. • Type Widget: a tab to monitor all the widgets (general or application widgets)
     • Provide a Title for the Tab
     • In the View Tab in: choose the “Table” option.
     • Access Code determines who has permission to access this tab.
     • After saving this tab, click on the “Add widget” button to Select the widget you would like to display.
     • All added widgets are displayed on the Linked Widgets tab. To remove a widget from this tab, simply click on the ‘-‘.

Field Rules

5. Configuration

In this step, you can configure the sequential application.

• Decide what you would like to include from the Basic options
  • Notes, Tags, and Links.
  • If the Kanban view is enabled, define the “Group by Field” and the “Title Field“. The “Group By Field” is used to categorize boards, while the “Title Field” will serve as the title for each board.
  • The ability to create, edit, and/or delete an entry.
  • The Activity history tab
  • Decide whether you would like to include the print/export options in the summary table of this application.
  • Allow user layout change; the ability to change the table’s categorization, and the pin button to remove columns.
  • Define a Primary Field (Record Identity: Appears in lists, etc). To define a primary field, select one of the fields you created in step 2 from the drop-down list.

• Customize your data by:
  • Defining a Numeric field as Incremental, and in every new record, it will automatically increase by one with every new record. Additionally, you have the option to specify the starting number.
  • Setting a Prefix and Suffix to the app as well as a Text Primary Field; select a text field from the Data Model that you want to auto-populate a number, eg. for this app the requests will be labeled as SR.1, SR.2, and so on.
    • Add the same text field as the Primary Field (Record Identity) as well.
  • Selecting a default categorization for the table view based on a specific field (Title, Priority, etc.) – up to level 3.
  • Choosing a specific field to display the Summary table in ascending or descending order.
  • Defining up to 3 key-value list fields to be included as custom filters on the left side of the table.
  • Granting access and change rights; select one or more users/ groups/roles.
  • Setting up to 3 numeric fields to be displayed as Totals in the table (Sum fields 1, 2, 3).

• You have the ability to fully customize the app layout by selecting font sizes and colors in the CSS Design options.

• Add your custom CSS and custom JS:

Easily incorporate custom CSS and JS within the App Designer, unlocking endless possibilities for personalization and enhanced functionality as you build your app. Simply add your custom CSS and JS rules in the Configuration step of your app. Remember to publish the app to save your changes.

Publish your App

Once you have perfected your design, simply click on the Publish button to Publish your app.

Your app is now ready to use!

Note that you can create an Application with NLP in just 4 simple steps. Find out more information here.

Edit Apps

If you want to edit an existing User App, go to the main menu on the left side of your screen and select the icon App Factory > Application Builder > App Designer. From the list of applications, select the one you wish to edit.

• To apply any changes to the basic information of the Portal application, simply click on the pencil button.
• You can navigate through steps 1-6 by clicking on the respective step and making any desired changes. Do not forget to publish your changes.
• To export the current application, simply click on the Actions button and select Export.
• If you wish, you can delete a User App. Simply open the App you want to delete and click on the Delete option from the actions button.
  • A confirmation pop-up has appeared. Click “Confirm” to proceed with the deletion or click “Cancel“.

  

  • You can also check the Linked Entities that will be affected in the respective tab.
• Finally, you have the option to choose “Copy” to duplicate the current application. A pop-up will appear, allowing you to define the name of the copied app.

Run an App

• When viewing an app in the App Designer, running it is a breeze! Simply click on the Play button located at the top right of your screen, and the quick add form of this app will be automatically populated.

  

• If there is no quick add form available, a corresponding message will appear and you will be directed to step 2 in User Forms to create a new quick add form.

  

See the Table

Users can apply the following actions in the table applications:

• Access the table based on the access rights specified by the designer.
• Choose to either print or export the table results.
• Apply filters, categorize, and search within each table.
• Access, edit, or delete each record.
• View records in either table, kanban, or graph views.
• In the graph view, you can easily create pie, bar, or stack charts using real-time data and apply desired filtering.
• To view the User Apps you created and published through App Designer, follow these steps:
  1. On the left side of your screen, locate the menu.
  2. Select either the Packages Icon or the Header Menu you chose in Step 1 of App Designer.
  3. A list of all the published apps will be displayed here, categorized based on your Category selection in Step 1 of App Designer.
  4. If no category is chosen, the app will be shown under “Packages”.

• Select the one you wish to access, and it will open in a new tab.

By clicking on the “+” icon, you can create a new entry of this app ( to see the “+” icon, you should have first checked the respective option in the Configuration step of App Designer). A new tab will open with the form created in the App Designer. Fill in the fields and click on “Save” to add this entry.

See the Record

In a simple app, the record appears as below:

• You can see the main forms you have created, with the primary form being the one you chose to replace the existing form.
• To edit any field of your record, simply click on the pencil button.
• The comments area and the actions button depend on the configuration options of your app in the App Designer.

Discover more about App Designer and learn how to create different types of apps here.

The post Simple Application appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

There are various types of applications provided in Comidor App Designer. You can choose the one that fits better your needs from the following options:

1. Table applications: 
   • Process-based Sequential apps
   • Process-based Workflow apps 
   • Simple Non-process-based apps (Data-driven)
2. Report applications
3. Kanban applications
4. Portal applications

Let’s see step-by-step how to create and run a Report app.

Report Application

Comidor platform offers the ability to easily build your own Report applications for a specific Entity, by choosing your own filters and data to be presented. Simply follow 3 steps in the App Designer, as presented below.

Access App Designer

In order to access App Designer, go to the main menu on the left side of your screen and select the icon App Factory > Application Builder > App Designer.

In the new unit that opens, click on the button Create an App.

1. Create App

• Click on the “Create an App” icon to open the creation form.

• In the Application Type select Report Application.

• Select the Report Entity you wish to create the report for.
  • You can choose between the default Comidor units (Processes, Accounts, Tasks, etc.) or a custom table application that has already been created.
• Give the Application Name.
• Choose from the list or add a new Menu Header option. Based on your selection your app will be displayed in the respective menu header with a new icon. If you leave it empty it will be included in the packages menu header.
• You can also classify your app in a proper Category. Choose one Category from the existing options or make a new Category. Categorization helps you find easier your apps in the App Designer. Based on the category you choose, the app is also displayed on the respective sub-menu.
• Collaborators are the users or groups that have access rights to this App. Choose one or more users(s), Group(s) from the list.
• There is an option to upload an Image for your App.
• Click Save to create your App, or Close to cancel.

Once you have saved your app, you are redirected to the view form. Comidor guides you through simple steps to design your App. Only the Dashboard and Columns/Filters steps are available in Report applications.

In the step Dashboard, you get an overview of your application. In particular, you are able to view:

• Quick Stats:
  • The number of Columns and the number of Filters that are created in this report app.
• Basic Info:
  • the Type, Category, and other parameters
  • You can click on the pencil button to edit the above info
  • You can lock your app by checking on the Locked option. With this option, only the user that locks the app will be able to edit the app (in all steps). All the rest users will just be able to view the app but cannot edit it.
  • By checking the Has customizations option, the application will not be exportable.
  • Put a flag to remember if this application Has application parameters.
• Collaborators: the users or groups that have access rights in this App.
• Comments: an area where users that have access can write and view comments.

2. Columns/Filters

In the second step, you can fully design your Report application, by defining your own filters and columns to be presented.

• You can add more Columns, by clicking on the “+” icon and selecting the desired field, or drag-n-drop from the list of available fields.
  • A pop-up appears to add a column. Choose a field from the list (both custom fields and process fields are available).
  • Check the option “Is Filter“, if you want this field to be shown as a filter in your report app. If you want a field to be shown both as a column and as a field, add it twice.
  • Add a label name. If left empty the column will get the field name.
  • Prefix or Suffix to be displayed before or after the value of each entry
  • Select the preferred alignment
  • Define the preferred width in percentage to be displayed as default in the summary table
  • Other options like set as Not sortable and Hidden are available, too.
  • Click save to add this column to your table, or cancel.
• Drag and drop the field columns, in order to re-arrange their position.
• Click on the edit button to make any changes you need to each column.
• Click on the x button to remove this field from the Application table.

3. Publish

Finally, click on the Publish button in order to Publish your app.

Your report app is ready to use!

Edit Apps

If you want to edit an existing User App, go to the main menu on the left side of your screen and select the icon App Factory > Application Builder > App Designer. From the list of applications, select the one you wish to edit.

• Click on the pencil button to apply any changes to the Basic info of the Report application.
• You can navigate through steps 1-6 by clicking on the respective step and applying any change you wish. Do not forget to publish your changes.
• Click on the Actions button and choose Export if you want to export the current application.
• You can delete a User App if you wish.  Open the App you want to delete, and from the actions button, click on the Delete option.
  • A confirmation pop-up appears. Click Confirm to proceed with the deletion or cancel.
  • You can also check the Linked Entities that will be affected in the respective tab.
• Finally, you can choose the copy option to copy the current application. A pop-up appears where you can define the application name of the copied app.

Run App

• In order to view the Report application, you have created and published through App Designer, go to the menu on the left side of your screen, and select the Packages Icon. A list of all the published apps is displayed here under the category you chose in Step 1 of App Designer. In case no Category is chosen, the app is shown below Custom Apps.
• Select the one you wish to access and it will open in a new tab.
• You should see a reporting app with your Title, the filters you defined on top of your screen, and the Fetch, Print, and Export buttons.
• Click on Fetch to generate your report.

• Click on Print, and your results are shown in a new tab. Choose your preferred printer options and print.
• Click on the Export.xls button to export the Report app in .xls format. In the pop-up, choose the desired delimiter.

Find out more on App Designer and how to create other app types here.

The post Report Application appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

There are various types of applications provided in Comidor App Designer. You can choose the one that fits better your needs from the following options:

1. Table applications: 
   • Sequential apps (with workflows)
   • Process-based workflow apps (with workflows)
   • Simple Non-process enabled apps (Data-driven)
2. Report applications
3. Kanban applications
4. Portal applications

Let’s see step-by-step how to create and run a sequential app.

Sequential Application

The sequential app is a table process-enabled application. Choose this type when you want to monitor processes that are simple with only sequential tasks, with scheduling, state, completion, etc.

Access App Designer

In order to access App Designer go to the main menu on the left side of your screen and select the icon App Factory > Application Builder > App Designer

In the new unit that opens, click on the button Create an App.

Create App

• Click on the “Create an App” icon to open the creation form.

• In the Application Type select Table Application.

• Give the Application Name and Description.
• You can also classify your app in a proper Category. Choose one Category from the existing options, or make a new Category. Categorization helps you find easier your apps in the App Designer. Based on the category you choose, the app is also displayed on the respective sub-menu.
• Collaborators are the users or groups that have access rights to this App. Choose one or more users(s), Group(s) from the list.
• Leave the option Process enabled checked. If so, you are able to link a Workflow to your App.
• Leave the option Is sequential checked.
• There is an option to upload an Image for your App.
• Click Save to create your App, or Close to cancel.

Once you save your app, you are redirected to the view form. Comidor guides you through simple steps to design your App.

1. Dashboard

In the step Dashboard, you get an overview of your application. In particular, you are able to view:

• Quick Stats:
  • Number of forms, Steps and Widgets that are created in this app
  • Graphs that show the application activity timeline and the Apps Overview status.
• Basic Info:
  • the Type, Category, and other parameters
  • You can click on the pencil button to edit the above info
  • You can lock your app by checking on the Locked option. With this option, only the user that locks the app will be able to edit the app (in all steps). All the rest users will just be able to view the app, but can not edit it.
  • By checking the Has customizations option, the application will not be exportable.
  • Put a flag to remember if this application Has application parameters.
• Collaborators: the users or groups that have access rights in this App.
• Comments: an area where users that have access can write and view comments.

2. Process

In the second step, you can fully design your process in terms of the number and the looks of the process steps, your Data model, Table View and User forms.

Workflow

Define one by one the steps of your application, or Switch to BPMN design for more advanced applications. Each step is actually a workflow task in BPMN 2.0, with assignees, one form and fields linked to it. Click on “Create the first step of your application”.

In the pop-up window, you can:

• Give the title to this form
• Define the assignee(s) of this task. Choose one or more users, one or more groups/roles from the list.
• Add fields in this form
  • Drag-n-drop the type of field of your preference (text, email, paragraph, etc) from the left side to the right side.
    • Find out more about User Forms & User Fields here.
  • Type a name for each field
  • Re-arrange the position of the fields with drag-n-drop
  • Remove the ones you do not want to be included
• Click Save to save this step, or the ‘x’ button to cancel.

Add more steps in the same way, by clicking on the “+” button.

Data Model

• Once you save a step, a new form is stored in the tab User Forms, and all fields can be found in the tab Data Model.
• When you open the Data model tab, you will see a sub-table with the following columns icon, size, column name, created by, created on, last updated by, last updated on, the pin and multi checkboxes.
• You can see the existing and/or add all fields that you want to be used in the App here.  You can click on the “+” to create your own custom fields.
• Click on the refresh icon, and the table should be updated.
• Type a keyword in the search area, click enter and the table should be refreshed displaying results that match the keyword.

• Click on an existing field, to view its basic info: By default, you will see Entity, Label, Auto-generate name, Column name, Type, Default Value, Store Type, Tooltip and Security Level. Connected Forms tab: you view the list of forms this field is used.

Table View

• Determine which columns you wish your App to have in the main table. By default, you should see all the table fields you have created in the steps and will be added ad columns in your application table. Each field has pencil and x buttons.
• You can add more Columns, by clicking on the “+” icon and selecting the desired field, or drag-n-drop from the list of the available fields.
  • A pop-up appears to add a column. Choose a field from the list (both custom fields and process fields are available).
  • Add a label name. If left empty, the column gets the field name.
  • Prefix or Suffix to be displayed before or after the value of each entry
  • Select the preferred alignment
  • Define the preferred width in percentage to be displayed as default in the summary table
  • Other options like set as Not sortable and Hidden are available, too.
  • Click save to add this column to your table, or cancel.

• Drag and drop the field columns, in order to re-arrange their position in the Table View.
• You can select one or more columns and delete them from Table View if you wish.
• Click on the edit button to make any changes you need to each column.
• Click on the x button to remove this field from the Application table.
• Switch to mobile view, to get a preview of your Application table in a browser of a mobile device. Choose a preferred device (mobile, tablet)

Forms

All forms included in this App are visible in the tab User Forms. Create new or edit the existing ones here.

•  By default, no form is chosen. The message “You haven’t selected a form. Please select one!” is shown. Select a form, ok and plus buttons are available.
• Click on the “+” icon. A pop-up window appears to define the title of your new form. Click on Save to save your form and you are directed to the form designer.
• On the left side of your screen, you can see the Blocks(panel, section, code, paragraph, style, group), a list of fields available to be included in your form and a preview of the form. Search the desired fields and add them easily to your form with drag-n-drop.
• Click on a field and a pop-up appears where you can add properties for each field. You can define mode, label, tooltip, pattern, pattern error message, required, alignment, placeholder, element CSS, Element CSS Class, label position, size, hidden, Trigger event scripts on user entry, Disable changes by scripts on this field, is Area, and Area Size.
• On the right side of the screen, you should see the following fields in the Basic tab: Record type Title Access Main Primary Quick. And in the Advanced tab: Position, Form Division, Script before open, Script before edit, Script before save, Template File, Mobile Form, Approve/ Reject form.
• The following buttons are also available in the form designer: Add tabs, mobile view, toggle fullscreen, publish, copy and delete.
  • You can also make a form Main, which means it will be visible in the main record as a tab. State the position of each form that you want to display.
  • For the form, you want to start the App with, select the option “Replace existing form” in the field Primary, if you wish to initiate your app from the “+” icon of the summary table of the App.
  • In the Quick field, you can choose the form to be visible in the quick add menu or in the process templates list, if you wish to initiate your app from the Quick add menu.
• Don’t forget to Publish your form after finishing your design.

• Furthermore, you can edit the existing forms from the tab Forms. You can select one from the list and click OK.

• You have the option to Switch to BPMN design, in the Process step.

• A confirmation pop-up appears.

• If you click Yes, you will be able to see the respective steps represented in a sequential workflow diagram, where you can add more steps and rules. Your app will no longer be sequential.

3. Graphs

In step 3, you can design your app Graphs or Widgets. Comidor Widgets are the ideal choice for data visualization. Get the most updated data on the visualization format you define.

• Create your own personalized dashboard in seconds.
• Combine multiple views of data to get richer insight.

You can easily create a new Graph, by clicking on the “+” icon.

Find out more about all types of Widgets and how to create them.

4. Advanced

Get the most out of the App Builder with this advanced options step by including user tabs in your records or the table of your app, event scripts and field rules to show or hide fields, sections or tabs in forms when specific conditions are met. This step is available only for Table applications (non-process & process enabled).

User Tabs

Use tabs to have complete control over the accessibility of your application.

• The tabs appear inside records (as a tab at the left part of the record) or at the summary table of the application.
• A tab can be a table from any Comidor entity, HTML, or widget.

• You can easily create a new Tab, by clicking on the “+” icon
• The Record type is by default the name of the App and disabled
• Select the Type of Tab you wish to create (Table, HTML, or Widget)
  • In Type Table:
    • Give a Title to the Tab
    • In the View Tab in: choose record.
    • Select Query: the query to define which fields to be fetched as columns from which tables
    • Where Clause: type a specific condition to be met
    • Access Code defines who can access this tab
  • Select Type HTML when you want to add guidelines or other important information for a specific app:
    • Give a Title to the Tab
    • In the View Tab in: choose record or table.
    • Access Code defines who can access this tab
    • Unit-action – insert the HTML here

1. • Type Widget: a tab to monitor all the widgets (general or application widgets)
     • Give a Title to the Tab
     • In the View Tab in: choose the table option.
     • Access Code defines who can access this tab
     • After saving this tab, click on Add widget button to Select the widget you would like to be displayed
     • All added widgets are displayed on Linked widgets. You can click on the ‘-‘ to remove a widget from this tab.

Event Scripts

In this tab, you are able to write scripts for a certain Data Type to be executed before/after/on a specific event.

Click on the “+” icon to create a new Event script:

• Add the Procedure Name.
• Choose the Data Type (apprec, task, process, dataset) and define where you want the script to be applied.
• An Event Type can be inserted, updated, deleted, etc.
• In the Procedure Body add your code.
  •  This is for advanced users to write their procedures.

Field Rules

5. Configuration

In this step, you can make the configuration of the sequential application.

• Decide what you would like to include from the Basic options
  • Notes, Tags, and Links
  • The ability to create, edit and/or delete an entry
  • Decide if you want to have the print/export options in the summary table of this app
  • You can set the app to Automatically start the process, which means the state of the app is set to running and the workflow starts as well.
  • Define a Primary Field (Record Identity: Appears in lists, etc). From the drop-down list, choose one of the fields you created in step 2.

• Customise your data by:
  • Setting a Prefix and Suffix to the app and an Incremental No Field; select a number field from Data Model for which you want to auto-populate a number. eg. for this app the requests will get SR.1, SR.2, etc.
  • Selecting a default categorization for the table view based on a specific field (Title, Priority, etc.) – up to level 3.
  • Choosing a specific field to display the Summary table ordered by ascending or descending order.
  • Granting rights to your app; define to whom each entry is assigned, send notifications, Admin 1,2, and Supervisor. Choose users, groups, or dynamic options such as Creator, creator’s manager, etc.
  • Setting up to 3 numeric fields, to be displayed in the table as Totals (Sum fields 1, 2, 3).

• You can fully customise the app layout, by selecting font sizes and colours in CSS Design options.

6. Analytics

The Analytics step provides the designers, with insights into each Workflow’s real-time usage.

Dashboard tab: Set Analytics Filters to get the results you wish.

• • Narrow your results to tasks that were assigned to a specific user or group.
  • Select the period of time you are interested in.
  • Click on Refresh and the following graphs are populated: Analytics Totals, Instances per State, Tasks per User, Delayed tasks per User, Tasks per Team, Delayed tasks per Team

• Pinpoint the total and delayed instances and tasks that were created within one workflow. Cost is calculated based on the duration of each task multiplied by the cost rate of the user that completes each task. See more in the Services unit.

Analytics Preview tab: Set Analytics Filters to get the results you wish.

• Choose between Total or Delayed Tasks to be displayed.
• Monitor the Duration and Cost of each step.
• Select the period of time you are interested in.
• Click on Refresh. The diagram is updated and in each task, for each chosen filter a row is added with the data from the run time. (value & percentage).

• View workflow analytics with the “Delayed Task” Filter to measure the scheduled time and the actual time it took for a task to be completed. This feature enables users to identify bottlenecks.  Each task will have the chosen filters ((Total tasks, Delayed tasks, Cost, Duration, ineffective KPIs) with counter & percentage. The tasks with delays will be highlighted in red, whereas with no delays in green.

• View workflow analytics with the “Total Task” Filter to measure how many times every task is executed in total. This will identify your “critical path”, and your process “optimal path” and ultimately helps identify where the focus should be on for better resource management.

Publish

Finally, click on the Publish button in order to Publish your app.

Your app is ready to use!

Note that you can also create an Application with NLP in just 4 steps. Find out more here.

Edit Apps

If you want to edit an existing User App, go to the main menu on the left side of your screen and select the icon App Factory > Application Builder > App Designer. From the list of applications, select the one you wish to edit.

• Click on the pencil button to apply any changes to the Basic info of the Sequential application.
• You can navigate through steps 1-6 by clicking on the respective step and applying any change you wish. Do not forget to publish your changes.
• Click on the Actions button and choose Export if you want to export the current application.
• You can delete a User App if you wish.  Open the App you want to delete, and from the actions button, click on the Delete option.
  • A confirmation pop-up appears. Click Confirm to proceed with the deletion or cancel.
  • You can also check the Linked Entities that will be affected in the respective tab.
• Finally, you can choose the copy option to copy the current application. A pop-up appears where you can define the application name of the copied app.

Run App

• While viewing an app in the App Designer, you can easily run it! Click on the Play button on the top right of your screen and the quick add form of this app is populated.
• In case there is no quick add form, a respective message appears and you are directed to step 2, in User forms to create a new quick add form.

See the Table

Users can apply the following actions in the table sequential applications:

• Access the table (based on the access rights that are specified by the designer)
• Print or export the table results
• Apply filters, categorize and search within each table
• Access, edit or delete each record
• View records in table or graph views
• In the graph view, pie, bar, or stack charts can be easily created with real-time data and the desired filtering.

• In order to view the User Apps you created and published through App Designer, go to the menu on the left side of your screen, and select the Packages Icon. A list of all the published apps will be displayed here under the category you chose in Step 1 of App designer. In case no Category is chosen, the app is shown below Custom Apps.
• Select the one you wish to access and it will open in a new tab.

By clicking on the “+” icon you can create a new entry of this app. (In order to see the “+” icon, you should have checked first the respective option in the Configuration step of App Designer). A new tab opens with the form that was created in the App Designer. Fill in the fields and click on Save to add this entry.

See the Record

In a sequential app, the record looks as below:

• In the process record, you will see all the steps, as created in the App designer
• Each step is actually a task with a form. Users can complete each step/task either from the process by clicking on the complete button, or by the task they received in their calendar.

• • When completing the step, the form will be editable, so the user can add information.
  • Once the step is completed, the user can go to the next one.
  • Users that have access to this process can navigate through the completed steps in the process to see the data input, whereas the next steps are not clickable.

Since the App is process enabled and linked with a workflow it will have State (Opened, Scheduled, Running, etc.) and also some more Tabs in the left-side menu, such as attachments, and workflow audit.

The post Sequential Application appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

There are various types of applications provided in Comidor App Designer. You can choose the one that fits better your needs from the following options:

1. Table applications: 
   • The Sequential process-based: Choose this type when you want to monitor processes that are simple with only sequential tasks, with scheduling, state, completion, etc.
   • The process-based workflow: Choose this type when you want to monitor process-enabled records, with scheduling, state, more complicated workflow steps, loops, automation steps, completion, etc.
   • Simple Non-process based: Choose this type of table application when you want to create a table of data-driven records. No workflows can be related to this type.
2. Report applications
3. Kanban applications
4. Portal applications: This type is used by developers to design a portal with custom objects and commands, to which non-comidor users can have access.

Access App Designer

In order to access App Designer go to the main menu on the left side of your screen and select the icon App Factory > Application Builder > App Designer

In the unit that opens, you can apply the following actions:

1. Create an App
2. Import an App
3. Reload the Database
4. Search for an existing App.
5. Apply filters based on the App type, Status (Pending Publish, Published), whether it is Basic or Supportive, and Categories, and click the “Apply” button to check the results counter and correspondingapps. 
   • In the preview of each app, you can see the title, category, and image of this app.
6. Reset all filters. All apps are shown again.
7. Open and edit an existing App.

Create Apps

• Click on the “Create an App” icon to open the creation form.

• Depending on the Application Type, different fields will appear.

• Give the Application Name and Description
• Choose a Menu Header from the existing options, or add a new Menu Header. By defining an option, the app will be displayed in your Menu icon. If left empty, your app will be shown in the menu, in the Packages menu header.
• You can also classify your app in a proper Category. Choose one Category from the existing options, or make a new Category. Categorization will help you find easier your apps in the App Designer. Based on the category you choose, the app will be also displayed on the respective sub-menu.
• Collaborators are the field where you determine which users will be able to see the application in the User Apps menu.
  • For a table app, you can also make it Process enabled, by clicking on the respective checkbox. If so, you are able to link a Workflow to your App.
• Select whether this app is Basic or Supportive.
• Define if this app has a Kanban view. If enabled, table records can be displayed on Kanban boards.
• There is an option to upload an Image for your app.
• Click Save to create your App, or Close to cancel.

Once you save your app, you are redirected to the view form. Comidor guides you through simple steps to design your App.

1. Dashboard

In the step Dashboard, you get an overview of your application. In particular, you are able to view:

• Quick Stats:
  • Number of forms, Steps, and Widgets that are created in this app
  • Graphs that show the application activity timeline and the Apps Overview status.
• Basic Info:
  • the Type, Category, and other parameters
  • You can click on the pencil button to edit the above info
    • You can define whether the application is Public or not.
    • You can lock your app by checking on the Locked option. With this option, only the user who locks the app will be able to edit the app (in all steps). All the rest users will just be able to view the app, but can not edit it.
    • By checking the Has Customizations option, the application will not be exportable.
    • Put a flag to remember if this application Has application parameters.
• Collaborators: the users or groups that have access rights in this App.
• Comments: an area where users who have access can write and view comments.

2. Process

In the second step, you can fully design your process in terms of the number and the looks of the process steps, your Data model, Table View, and User Forms.

Depending on the app type, different functionalities are available.

When the Kanban view is enabled, you have the ability to customize the fields that you want to display on the Kanban boards in the Table View. Simply click on the edit icon for each field that you want to show in the Kanban view and check the “Is Kanban Field?” option.

Before publishing the app, remember to go to the Configuration step and select the “Group By Field” and the “Title Field“. The “Group By Field” is used to categorize boards, while the “Title Field” will serve as the title for each board. This ensures that your boards are organized, structured, and tailored to meet your specific requirements.

3. Graphs

In step 3, you can design your app Graphs or Widgets. Comidor Widgets are the ideal choice for data visualization. Get the most updated data on the visualization format you define.

• Create your own personalized dashboard in seconds.
• Combine multiple views of data to get richer insight.

You can easily create a new Graph, by clicking on the “+” icon.

Find out more about all types of Widgets and how to create them.

4. Advanced

Get the most out of the App Designer with this advanced options step by including user tabs in your records or the table of your app, event scripts, and field rules to show or hide fields, sections, or tabs in forms when specific conditions are met. This step is available only to Table applications (non-process & process enabled).

User Tabs

Use tabs to have complete control over the accessibility of your application.

• The tabs appear inside records (as a tab at the left part of the record) or at the summary table of the application.
• A tab can be a table from any Comidor entity, HTML, or widget.

• You can easily create a new Tab, by clicking on the “+” icon
• The Record type is by default the name of the App and disabled
• Select the Type of Tab you wish to create (Table, HTML, or Widget)
  • In Type Table:
    • Give a Title to the Tab
    • In the “View Tab in“: choose record.
    • Select Query: the query to define which fields to be fetched as columns from which tables
    • Where Clause: type a specific condition to be met
    • Access Code defines who can access this tab
  • Select Type HTML when you want to add guidelines or other important information for a specific app:
    • Give a Title to the Tab
    • In the “View Tab in“: choose record or table.
    • Access Code defines who can access this tab
    • Unit-action – insert the HTML here

1. • Type Widget: a tab to monitor all the widgets (general or application widgets)
     • Give a Title to the Tab
     • In the “View Tab in“: choose the table option.
     • Access Code defines who can access this tab
     • After saving this tab, click on Add widget button to Select the widget you would like to be displayed
     • All added widgets are displayed in Linked widgets. You can click on the ‘-‘ to remove a widget from this tab.

Event Scripts

In this tab, you are able to write scripts for a certain Data Type to be executed before/after/on a specific event.

Click on the “+” icon to create a new Event script:

• Add the Procedure Name.
• Choose the Data Type (apprec, task, process, dataset) and define where you want the script to be applied.
• An Event Type can be inserted, updated, deleted, etc.
• In the Procedure Body add your code.
  •  This is for advanced users to write their procedures.

Field Rules

Data Objects

With data objects in Comidor App Designer, you can power up your applications and quickly and easily create any type of data set you need.

• Create data sets, variables, lists, forms, records, or action data types and define their properties. Use those data objects in event scripts.

5. Configuration

In this step, you can make the configuration of the Application.

• Decide what you would like to include from the Basic options
  • Notes, Tags, and Links
  • If the Kanban view is enabled, define the “Group by Field” and the “Title Field“. The “Group By Field” is used to categorize boards, while the “Title Field” will serve as the title for each board.
  • The ability to create, edit, and/or delete an entry
  • The History tab
  • Allow user layout change; the ability to change the table’s categorization, and the pin button to remove columns.
  • Decide if you want to have the print/export options in the summary table of this app
  • The ability to track file views
  • If the task window is maximized
  • For Process-enabled apps with workflow, you can set the app to Automatically start the process, which means the state of the app will be set to running and the workflow will start as well.
  • Decide if you want to block it from mobile
  • Decide if you want to hide the execution information
  • Define the Save and the Cancel Task buttons
  • Define a Primary Field (Record Identity: Appears in lists, etc). From the drop-down list, choose one of the fields you created in Step 2.

• Customize your data by:
  • Setting a Prefix and Suffix to the app and an Incremental No Field; select a number field from the Data Model for which you want to auto-populate a number. eg. for this app the requests will get CP-1, CP-2, etc.
  • Selecting a default categorization for the table view based on a specific field (Title, Priority, etc.) – up to level 3.
  • Choosing a specific field to display the Summary table ordered by ascending or descending order.
  • Apart from the default table filters (Period, Status), you can define your own custom filters. Choose up to 3 key value lists to be your filters in your table application.
  • Granting rights to your app; define to whom each entry is assigned, send notifications, Admin 1,2, and Supervisor. Choose users, groups, or dynamic options such as Creator, creator’s Manager, etc.
  • Setting up to 3 numeric fields, to be displayed in the table as Sums (Sum fields 1, 2, 3).

• You can fully customize the app layout, by selecting font sizes and colors in CSS Design options.

• You have the option to add your custom CSS in the Custom CSS settings.

• You have the option to add your custom Js in the Custom Js settings.

6. Analytics

The Analytics step is only available to process-enabled table apps and provides the designers, with insights into each Workflow’s real-time usage.

Dashboard tab: Set Analytics Filters to get the results you wish.

• • Narrow your results to tasks that were assigned to a specific user or group.
  • Select the period of time you are interested in.
  • Click on Refresh and the following graphs are populated: Analytics Totals, Instances per State, Tasks per User, Delayed tasks per User, Tasks per Team, Delayed tasks per Team

• Pinpoint the total and delayed instances and tasks that were created within one workflow. Cost is calculated based on the duration of each task multiplied by the cost rate of the user that completes each task. See more in the Services unit.

Analytics Preview tab: Set Analytics Filters to get the results you wish.

• Choose between Total or Delayed Tasks to be displayed.
• Monitor the Duration and Cost of each step.
• Select the period of time you are interested in.
• Click on Refresh. The diagram is updated and in each task, for each chosen filter a row is added with the data from the run time. (value & percentage).

• View workflow analytics with the “Delayed Task” Filter to measure the scheduled time and the actual time it took for a task to be completed. This feature enables users to identify bottlenecks.  Each task will have the chosen filters ((Total tasks, Delayed tasks, Cost, Duration, ineffective KPIs) with counter & percentage. The tasks with delays will be highlighted in red, whereas those with no delays in green.

• View workflow analytics with the “Total Task” Filter to measure how many times every task is executed in total. This will identify your “critical path”, and your process “optimal path” and ultimately help identify where the focus should be on for better resource management.

Publish

Finally, click on the Publish button in order to Publish your app.

Your app is ready to use!

Find out more here.

Edit Apps

If you want to edit an existing User App, go to the main menu on the left side of your screen and select the icon App Factory > Application Builder > App Designer. From the list of all applications, select the one you wish to edit.

• Click on the pencil button to apply any changes to the Basic info of the Portal application.
• You can navigate through steps 1-6 by clicking on the respective step and applying any change you wish. Do not forget to publish your changes.
• Click on the Actions button and choose Export if you want to export the current application.
• You can delete a User App if you wish.  Open the App you want to delete, and from the actions button, click on the Delete option.
  • A confirmation pop-up appears. Click Confirm to proceed with the deletion or cancel.
  • You can also check the Linked Entities that will be affected in the respective tab.
• Finally, you can choose the copy option to copy the current application. A pop-up appears where you can define the application name of the copied app.

Run Apps

• While viewing an app in the App Designer, you can easily run it! Click on the Play button on the top right of your screen and the quick add form of this app will be populated.
• In case there is no quick add form, a respective message appears and you are directed to step 2, in User forms to create a new quick add form.
• In order to view the User Apps you have created and published through App Designer, go to the menu on the left side of your screen, and select the Packages Icon. A list of all the published apps is displayed here under the category you chose in Step 1 of App designer. In case no Category is chosen, the app will be shown below Custom Apps.
• Select the one you wish to access and it will open in a new tab.

By clicking on the “+” icon you can create a new entry of this app. (In order to see the “+” icon, you should have checked first the respective option in the Configuration step of App Designer). A new tab opens with the form that was created in the App Designer. Fill in the fields and click on Save to add this entry.

If the App is process enabled and linked with a workflow it will have State (Opened, Scheduled, Running, etc.) and also some more Tabs in the left-side menu, such as Workflow tasks, attachments, and workflow audit based on the configuration of the App in the App Designer.

If you have selected the primary form of the app to be also visible in the quick add menu, you can easily initiate this App, from quick add and by clicking on the name of this form.

Import Apps

Comidor provides you with the functionality to Import User applications that are created in the App Designer in an XML format.

In order to Import an application, you have to open the App Designer.

• Click on the Import an App button.

• Choose the respective .xml file for the application you want to import and click on Save.

You can correlate the involved parties, by typing their name or choosing them from the pre-defined options in the drop-down list. The group mapping is available for:

• Groups
• Users
• Roles

After that, you have to reload the Database, by clicking on the “Reload DB required” red button on the bottom right corner of your screen.

If the Database is reloaded, go to the App Designer and publish the imported application.

Your app is ready to use!

The post App Designer appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.