Appointment Templates
Appointment templatesAppointment templateA set of extra fields added to the appointment card, scoped to source types, so planners can capture data beyond the defaults. let you extend the appointmentAppointmentA task scheduled to a resource for a specific period - the scheduled instance you see on the planning board. card with custom tabs and fields, so users can record data that is sent back to the back-office application. Use them whenever a customer needs to capture information that the standard appointment card does not cover.
You can define multiple templates (groups of custom fields) and assign each one to a different type of taskTaskA unit of work that belongs to a job. It appears in the open task list until it is scheduled to a resource., so the appointment card adapts to the task at hand. Field definitions are reused across templates, which keeps your data consistent and your master data clean.
How it works
An appointment template contains one or more sections, which appear on the appointment card as tabs. Each section contains one or more fields, and for every field you define a name, a type, and a default value. The same field can be used in more than one section.
Here is an example of how templates and sections fit together:
.
+-- Appointment Template 1
| +-- Section 1
| +-- Text field 1
| +-- Number field 1
| +-- Section 2
| +-- Text field 2
| +-- Date field 1
| +-- Yes/No field 1
+-- Appointment Template 2
| +-- Section 3
| +-- Text field 1
| +-- Yes/No field 1
| +-- Section 4
| +-- Text field 3
| +-- Date & time field 1
Setting it up
You set everything up from a single screen at Settings -> Appointment Templates. The screenshot below shows an example:
The upper three grids hold the definitions of templates, sections, and fields. A fourth grid, right below the fields grid, defines the options list for select fields. The remaining two grids are assignment grids and are contextual to the grids above them. As described later on this page, assigning fields to sections and sections to templates is as simple as clicking a button.
Manage fields
The fields grid is where you define the fields themselves.
The table below explains the columns in this grid.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | The name with which the field is stored. This code is also sent to the back-office application as the identifier of the field. |
| Display Name | The label or caption of the field on the appointment card |
| Type | Specify the type of data the user should enter in the field. The options are:
|
| Mandatory | Specify whether this field is required. If a field has a default value, then this requirement will automatically be fulfilled. |
| Default | Enter the default value for the field. The user can always modify this value afterwards in the appointment card. |
For fields of the "Select" type, define the options the user can pick from the drop-down list.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | The code with which the option is stored in the database and which is also sent to the back-office application. |
| Name | The label or caption of the option shown to the user |
| Default | You can specify one of the options to be the default value for the Field. |
Manage templates and sections
Templates and sections have similar functions and thus, they have a very similar data model.
Template
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | The identifier of the template. This code is used - by the back-office application - to define which template to use for a task. |
| Name | The name is only used for managing templates and allows you to give a more elaborate description than with the code. |
| Default | If a task is sent by the back-office application without a template code, then the template marked as default is automatically applied for that task. That is of course only when one of the templates is marked as default. If a task is sent by the back-office application with a template code then that template is applied and the default is overridden. |
Section
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | The code with which the section is stored in the database. |
| Name | The label or caption of the section shown to the user. |
Assign fields to sections
To build up a section, select it in the sections window, then click the plus icon next to the field you want to add. If the section already has fields, you can place the new field before or after an existing one by clicking the arrow buttons in the section fields grid. Reorder assigned fields the same way.
To remove a field from a section, select the assigned field and click the "Delete" button.
Assign sections to templates
You assign sections to templates the same way you assign fields to sections. Select the template in the templates area, then click the plus icon next to the section you want to add.
If the template already has sections, you can place the new section before or after an existing one by clicking the arrow buttons in the template sections grid. Reorder assigned sections the same way.
To remove a section from a template, select the assigned section and click the "Delete" button.