Smart sections
Smart sections are similar to form sections in that they both contain fields. Smart sections are different from form sections because they are connected to a specific smart section of the associated business object. A smart section can have actions a person can click to control what records are referenced by the connected smart section.
The specific actions that a smart section can offer and the way it displays the contents of the smart section depends on whether it is a single-record smart section or a multiple-record smart section. The basic setup and properties for smart sections are the same whether they are connected to a single-record smart section or a multiple-record smart section. The aspects of smart sections that are independent of the kind of connected record smart section are discussed in the following paragraphs. The details of laying out fields in a single-record smart section are discussed in "Form field properties". The details of laying out fields in a multiple-record smart section are discussed in "Multiple-record smart sections".
Like other kinds of sections, you can create a smart section by selecting the tab that will contain the section and clicking the Add Section action. You then set the value of the Type property to Smart Section.
There is a shortcut that can get you to this point in the creation of a smart section in fewer steps. When you select a tab in the Navigation panel, the Components panel contains a list of the smart sections in the business object that have not been connected to a smart section in this form.
You can use the list of smart sections in the Components panel to create all the smart sections you want in a single step. Check the check box of each smart section you want to use to create a smart section, then click the Add action at the top of the Components panel. That's all there is to it.
When you create a smart section you may not need to add any fields to it. A smart section starts out with a data field for each of the fields in the smart section it is connected to. You can delete any of these fields. If you change your mind, you can add them back in.
- Fixed Data Cols
- If you would like some of the left columns in the display to be fixed and not move as the display is scrolled horizontally, enter the number of columns in Fixed Data Cols. You can identify the fixed columns because they are to the left of a thicker grey demarcation line. The default value is 0 (zero). Performance degrades as the number of fixed columns increases. Set Fixed Data Cols to no more than 5.
- Hierarchical Fields
This property is visible only for smart sections that are backed by a Vertical Table business object section. Vertical sections are described in "Record organization".
When selected, fields in vertical table sections have + and - icons that allow the user to expand parent fields to show child fields below or to collapse the display. A field has a parent when its Hierarchical Parent property identifies a field, as described in "Form field properties".
- Comparison
This property is visible only for smart sections that are backed by a Vertical Table business object section. Vertical sections are described in "Record organization".
When selected, the Comparison property indicates that the section will compare numeric field values of the records in the section to the same field in a compare to record. The number type fields that have the compare ability are Number, Financial Rollup, and Classification Rollup fields. The compare to record also must be a record in the section and is designated by an association in the Comparison Association property.
A comparison vertical section displays all records that are compared to the compare to record with a delta value next to the actual value of the field. The delta value is configured in the Delta Type property as either a numeric difference, a percent difference, or as not displayed. If the compare to value has a different UOM than the compare from value and a conversion is available between the two UOMs, the compare from value is converted first.
If there are fewer than two records in the section, the platform displays the section without the comparison functionality.
The user will be able to change the compare to record during runtime. When the user changes the compare to record, the platform refreshes the comparison vertical section showing updated delta values and updates the association. The order of the records in the section does not change.
The compare to record can be changed during workflow by removing the previous association and associating a new compare to record.
- Comparison Association
This property is visible only when the Comparison property is selected. The association designates the compare to record in a comparison vertical section. This association is a temporary association.
The drop-down list contains all associations that associate to the same business object that is referenced by the section and that are defined on the business object of the form. The list does not include the association that the section uses.
The compare to record must be in the smart section and there should be at most one associated record at a time.
If no association is found, the platform uses the first record in the section as the compare to record. If more than one record is associated with the Comparison Association, the platform sorts the records alphabetically by their names and uses the first record from the sorted list.
- Print Preview Link
This property is visible only on vertical table sections. When selected, a Print Preview link shows on the vertical table section bar.
At runtime, when a user selects the Print Preview link, the platform displays the vertical table section in a new window. The display is read-only and retains the expand/collapse state of the fields in the original section.
After you have finished setting up the properties of a section, you may want to set up actions that can be performed within the section. Section actions are described in "Section actions".