Research Output Category Layout Designer

This page is used to customise the layout or properties of fields for Research Output Category pages using the Page Layout Designer feature.

You can drag-and-drop fields to add or remove them, change the position, change field properties, create sections or groups of fields, add, remove or reorder tabs, and add a horizontal divider line.

Prerequisites

• It is advisable that you should have some knowledge about web design principles and an understanding of user experience design to avoid usability issues.

• This feature is designed to be used on a PC. Due to the space required to view and edit page layouts, it is not designed for tablets or mobile devices.

• You should be familiar with RME Research Output module pages and categories.

Menu path: RME > Research Outputs > Research Output Categories (Search) > Research Output Categories > Layout Designer button

Configure field properties

2. In the Properties panel on the right, edit the field properties. Some system field properties cannot be changed.

If you want to change the grid settings for the fields in the Research Outputs Category results page, go to Page View Field for PUB004 and adjust the relevant field/s.

Properties: Fields (in order)

Customise a page layout

1. In the Page View, click the Layout Designer button. The current layout will be displayed.

2. Drag-and-drop items from the Design panel on the right into an empty space on the canvas, or move items around. To remove items, click the X in the top corner of the item.

• Keep holding the mouse-click while you drag the item into an empty space on the canvas. As you hover over the canvas, dotted lines appear over the spaces in which the item will be placed when you "drop" it. You can only add or move an item to an empty space that will fit the default size.

3. You can also add design elements to the page, such as a group box, section, tab or horizontal line. In the Design panel on the left, drag an element into a space in the canvas. In the Properties panel - Title field, enter a relevant name for the item.

4. To see how the page will look, select the Preview Layout button on the toolbar.

5. When you are happy with your changes, select Save. If the Page View is assigned to one or more roles, or has the highest precedence if more than one exists, it will be displayed to users. In the Page Views search page, the Use Custom ... column is ticked to indicate that a custom layout is applied.

• Mandatory fields (marked with an asterisk *) must be included in the page layout or you will not be able to save.

• There is a maximum of 12 spaces across in the canvas to prevent overcrowding.

• The default number of rows is 15. You can add further rows but be aware that additional rows increase the need for scrolling.

• Fields default to 3 spaces. Related items default to 12 spaces. If you try to drag an item to a smaller space than the default, it will move to a different space in the layout that has room for the default width, usually at the bottom.

• If decreasing the field, make sure the size of the field will suit the field data it will display.

• There is no Undo option so take care when deleting large groups of fields in boxes, sections or tabs. If you make a mistake, you either have to go back to the default, or reconstruct the group.

• Empty lines will be ignored in the displayed page.

• Be aware that a large number of fields on a page may impact performance.

• Avoid using too many levels, such as tabs within tabs within tabs, or sections within sections, otherwise your users may get lost.

• Online help is written for default page layouts. If you significantly change the layout, you may want to replace the generic help page with your own custom help page. You will need to design your own CSS and manage your custom help pages. For details, see: Page View, Help page field.

Layout of the Designer

The Layout Designer comprises of a toolbar across the top, the middle "canvas", and a right panel for field properties. If licensed and Use Custom Layout is enabled, it also includes a left Design panel.

7. Design panel
The Design panel on the left is where you can drag fields, related items and design elements into your layout. When you add a field or related item, it no longer appears in this panel, to prevent duplication. To collapse each list, click the header of the section. For more, see: Customise a page layout below.

8. Canvas
The canvas in the middle is the page layout. This is where you edit or design a custom layout. To add a field, related item or visual element, drag it from the Design panel into the canvas. You can also move these around in the canvas by dragging-and-dropping. See: Customise a page layout below. You also select a field to display the details in the Properties panel on the right for editing.

9. Properties panel
The Properties panel on the right displays the properties of a selected field for editing. For more, see: Configure field properties below.

You can toggle this panel to keep it open, or minimise it using the Pin icon at the top right. This can be useful for allowing more screen space when you're not using the panel. The panel is pinned open by default. To minimise it, click the Pin icon. A Properties button will display at the left of the page instead. Click this button to open the panel temporarily; the pin icon will be shown on its side. To pin the panel open permanently, click the Pin icon again so that it is upright.

Add a field

To add a field, drag-and-drop it from the Design panel. You can add a field directly in the layout, or within a group box, section or tab.

Add a related item

2. If you want to display a custom label for the related item on the page in place of the default, click the related item to highlight and display the Title field in the Properties panel. Enter a custom title.

• The default size of a related item is 12 spaces wide by 1 space high on the canvas.

• While you can add a related item as a field directly on the layout or in a group box, this is not ideal. In either case, the summary grid will display on the page directly and cannot be collapsed. We recommend adding a related item in either a tab (default) or in a collapsible section.

• If a user has not been assigned the Page View for a related item, they will not see it in the page. If there is a group box, section or set of tabs containing only related items which the user has not been assigned, that box, section or tab will not be displayed.

Add a group box

1. In the Design panel, display the Other option and drag-and-drop a Group Box into an empty line.

3. Click the group box to highlight and display the Title field in the Properties panel. Enter the title for the group box to display on the page.

• The default size of a group box is 3 spaces wide by 3 spaces high in the canvas. You can change the width to suit.

• This option is designed for grouping fields that are related or of a similar type together. You can use it for other reasons and add related items, and even sections, but you may find you need to adjust sizes for the best look.

Add a section

1. In the Design panel, display the Other option and drag-and-drop a Section into an empty line.

3. Click the section to highlight it and display the Title field in the Properties panel. Enter a title for the section to display on the page.

• The default size of a section is 12 spaces wide by 3 spaces high in the canvas. You can change the width to suit.

Add a tab

1. In the Design panel, display the Other option and drag-and-drop a Tab into an empty line.

2. Click the Add tab within the tab and drag an item into it. If you want more than one tab to display in a row of tabs, as in the RME default layout for related items, create a tab set by adding more items to the tab.

4. Click the tab to highlight it and display the Title field in the Properties panel. Enter a title for the tab to display on the page. For a set of tabs, highlight each tab within a tab set to enter a title as well.

• The default size of a tab is 12 spaces wide by 3 spaces high in the canvas. You can change the width to suit.

• You can add more rows by clicking the green plus + icon at the bottom. You cannot add more columns.

Add a horizontal line

To add a light grey divider line across the entire width of the page, go to the Design panel, display the Other option, and drag-and-drop a Horizontal Line into an empty line.

• The default size of a horizontal line is 12 spaces wide by 1 space high in the canvas. You cannot re-size this line.

Change the width of an item

You can increase or decrease the width of an item after placement on the canvas.

To change the width, select the field and mouse over the side you want to change so that an arrow displays. Drag it to a size that will suit the field data.

• If decreasing, be wary of making the item too small for the data that will be displayed. Too many small fields will also make the page look very "busy".

Move items around

Select a field or design option (except tabs) and drag-and-drop it to an empty space in the canvas. You can only move an item into an empty space that is large enough to fit it. If it is too big for the space you have in mind, re-size it and then move it. Be mindful of the data that the field will display.

If you want to move something into the middle of the page, you need to move other items to make an empty line for it. For example, you can move everything down to create an empty line and then move the item.

For a series of tabs, select a tab so it is highlighted and drag it to the position you want to place it in the row (over another tab) and drop it.

Remove an item

To remove an item from the canvas, click the x at the top right of it. The item will display under the relevant section in the Design panel.

When you delete a group box, section or tab group, all fields within it return to the Design panel. Take care when deleting large groups of fields. If you make a mistake, you either have to go back to the default, or reconstruct the group.

Field	Description
Title	Only for some Design Option elements Label of the selected group box, section or tab in the layout that will display in the page
System Field Key	Read only System field label that is used in the database tables
Label	Name of the field that will display in the page If a label displays in square brackets, for example, [Research Output], you must keep the brackets in place. The brackets indicate global labels that can be customised. If you remove them, the global labels you set will not be applied. See: Global Label Preferences
Description	Details to explain what the field is used for This may be populated automatically, for example, when Is Linked List? or Is Lookup? is selected.
Restore Defaults	Used to return all the field properties to the original default RME settings
Access Type	Indicates whether the field is required by the system to correctly function, if it is read-only, or whether it is displayed in the page Depending on the type of field, the following options may be available in the dropdown: • Optional: Data entry for the field is optional • Required: Data entry for the field is mandatory; the page will not save until a valid value is provided
Is Essential?	Indicates whether the system should prompt the user to let them know the field is blank The user will be notified and asked if they want to continue to save without the missing details, or go back to provide the information. It will not prevent the user from continuing if they choose not to complete the details. The access type for the field should be Optional for this to work as designed.
Is Linked List?	For dynamic fields that have different types of formats available, indicates if the field displays as a dropdown, with a list of options defined by the Category Group field (below) • When selected, the Description text changes to match this option, for example, "Select publisher from category". • You can only select one format. • If format fields Is Linked List?, Is Lookup?, Is Book? or Is Journal? are available but none are selected, the field will be a text box for the user to enter details.
Category Group	Read only; only for fields with a defined category group or if Is Linked List? is Yes Indicates whether the field displays a dropdown with a defined list based on a specified category group (by table name) Example: Publisher Category can be set to offer the list defined in the Publisher category group. Important! If you save the layout without setting a category group, the dropdown will not list any options. Some other fields that allow a list of values are mapped to a system list.
Is Lookup?	For dynamic fields that have different types of formats available, indicates if the field displays as a lookup where the user can search for items from the system • When selected, the Description text changes to match this option, for example, "Publisher". • You can only select one format. If format fields Is Linked List?, Is Lookup?, Is Book? or Is Journal? are available but none are selected, the field will be a text box for the user to enter details. • For the Conference field, if Is Lookup? is selected, an additional field is added to the Design panel: Title (HTML) with the field name, CONF_TITLE which you should add to the layout. See: Additional Fields below.
Is Book?	Indicates if the field displays as a lookup for parent outputs • When this is selected, an additional field is added to the Design panel: Title (HTML) with the field name, BOOK_TITLE which you should add to the layout. See: Additional Fields below. • You can only select one format. • If format fields Is Linked List?, Is Lookup?, Is Book? or Is Journal? are available but none are selected, the field will be a text box for the user to enter details.
Is Journal?	Indicates if the field displays as a lookup for parent outputs • When this is selected, an additional field is added to the Design panel: Title (HTML) with the field name, JOURNAL_TITLE which you should add to the layout. See: Additional Fields below. • You can only select one format. • If format fields Is Linked List?, Is Lookup?, Is Book? or Is Journal? are available but none are selected, the field will be a text box for the user to enter details.

Field	Description
Additional Fields	Only when a lookup field is set via the Properties panel Fields that are recommended to add to the layout to augment lookup fields Lookup fields are only plain text. Title (HTML) fields display the full title with correct formatting. This can be important for titles with symbols, subscript or superscript. Additional fields are added to the Design panel to allow you control over where they display in the layout. If you choose not to add a Title (HTML) field to the layout, a Confirm popup will display on saving. You can continue without adding it if you wish (OK), or return to the page and add the field (Cancel). If you change the field format or remove it, the corresponding Title (HTML) field will be removed.
System Fields	Fields that you can add, from a list of system fields available for the Page View that are not currently in the layout When you drag a field into the canvas, it is removed from this list and the count decreases by 1. See: Add a field
Custom Fields	Custom fields created for the Page View that you can add, from a list of custom fields not currently in the layout You can place a custom field anywhere in the layout, "mixing and matching" system fields and custom fields to suit your needs. When you drag a custom field into the canvas, it is removed from this list and the count decreases by 1. See: Add a field Custom category fields are configured in Table Auditing > Custom Fields for the RM_PUBLICATION table.
Related Items	Related items that you can add, from a list of related items not currently in the layout When you drag a related item into the canvas, it is removed from this list and the count decreases by 1.
Design Options	Design options	Used to ...
	a. Group Box	Group fields together in a box with a light grey border and a title By default, this is commonly used for Primary fields and date fields.
	b. Section	Create a collapsible/expandible section with a title By default, this is commonly used for Details sections.
	c. Tabs	Create a tab that the user selects to view the content By default, tabs are used for all related items.
	d. Horizontal Line	Add a light grey divider line across the entire width of the page
Pin icon	You can toggle this panel to keep it open, or minimise it to a button using the Pin icon at the top right. This can be useful for allowing more screen space when you're not using the panel. The panel is pinned open by default. To minimise it, click the Pin icon. A Design button will display at the left of the page instead. Click this button to open the panel temporarily; the pin icon will be shown on its side. To pin the panel open permanently, click the Pin icon again so that it is upright. To make more space for the designer on your screen, toggle the RME menu closed using the arrow icon at the top left.

Field	Description
Edit Layout	Displays in place of Preview Layout Returns you to editing mode
Preview Layout	Displays the page layout and turns off editing mode If licensed, allows you to see what the page will look like without saving Once selected, this changes to Edit Layout.
Save	Saves any changes to the layout or field properties and applies them to the page If you leave this page without saving, any unsaved changes will be lost.
Apply Default Layout	Discards any saved changes by overwriting them to return to the original default layout For a new category, which displays with a blank layout, this will insert the default field layout, which you can edit.

Research Outputs Category Layout Designer

About this page