Timeline view interface and usage

Elements of the timeline view widget

1. Left and right arrow buttons. Use the arrow buttons to instantly scroll the slider to reveal more dates.
2. Data point. The data point dots represent a single date when changes have been made to the hierarchy (or anything else that the timeline might have been customized to watch).
3. Previewed data point. This point is the most recent data point to have the cursor hover over it (or have focus due to keyboard control). A brief description of the previewed point is displayed in the information bar.
4. Selected data point. This point is the currently selected data point. The widget returns information about this data point in the BPM binding. The information can be displayed in a list and used to trigger the MDM Hierarchy widget to display a snapshot of the hierarchy at the given point in time.
5. Information bar. Displays a brief description (a date) for the currently previewed data point.
6. Monthly divider. A divider to visually separate each month.
7. Greyed-out area. Any period of time outside of the defined start and end dates will have no data retrieved for it. The greyed-out area prevents users from scrolling to areas of the timeline that have no data.

Using mouse controls with the timeline view

Mouse controls are enabled from the moment the timeline is loaded.

• Preview a data point by hovering your mouse cursor over the data point.
• Select a data point by clicking on it with your mouse cursor.
• Scroll the timeline to show more dates:
  • Click and drag on the timeline to move left or right to reveal more dates.
  • Use the left and right arrow buttons to move left or right to reveal more dates.

Using keyboard and accesibility controls with the timeline view

To start using keyboard controls, direct focus to it in the web page using tab or by clicking on it with the mouse. The first time the timeline gains focus, the last available data node is automatically previewed.

• Preview the previous or next data point by pressing the left and right arrow keys to preview. The selected data point will automatically be previewed.
  Note: For accessibility users, the currently previewed data point is identified by the property aria-selected=true.
• Select the currently previewed data point by pressing the space bar.
  Note: For accessibility users, the currently selected data point is identified by the property aria-checked=true.
• Use the left and right arrow keys to preview different data points. The timeline widget will automatically scroll the timeline to bring the previewed data point into view.