Using the Screen Interface

See also

Filtering and Sorting Data

Logging In To a Laboratory

Logging Out Of a Laboratory

Overview

CCLAS EL is designed to be easy to use, using Windows-style screens and operation. Varying levels of experience are taken into account, from the novice user who needs guidance at all times, to the expert user who wants to take as many short cuts as possible. This is achieved in the following manner.

  • The customisable CCLAS ELmenu, which is very simple to use, can be progressively by-passed as the system is learnt.
  • The terminology and concepts used within CCLAS EL are given in terms that are familiar to the analytical chemist.
  • Data entry into CCLAS ELis via a Windows-oriented-forms approach. Relevant information and defaults are displayed on the screen in the appropriate places.

This section gives an overview of the interface structure, and the interaction with it. It also describes the functionality of the components and how they are used within CCLAS EL.

Process

Depending on the application launched, the screen displays a number of different components designed to help you carry out a task. The components used in an application can be moved around, renamed, removed and so on.

Icons

CCLAS EL applications have the ability to point to a set of user-definable (or replaceable) icons for all the major toolbar controls. These icons are stored in a folder that is referenced by a global setting folder name, ensuring that all staff accounts in the laboratory have the same icons. These icons can be changed by an authorised staff member. There are two different sets of icons: those for form browse and those for form edit.

Colours

CCLAS EL allows for the configuration of the skin colours used in its main applications, allowing for the use of corporate colours or for individual preferences. Foreground and background colours can vary by control types.

These control types are grouped into:

  • Input controls—Those that request an input from the user (for example, combo drop-downs, date controls, text entries).
  • Display controls—Those that give information to the user (for example, labels, frame captions). Check boxes and radio controls are a combination of input and display, so that these display the text in the same way as labels.
  • Form controls—Those that host the form (basically the background colour of the forms).

The colours used in CCLAS EL forms are definable for a staff member.

The background colour of protected fields is defined by the ProtectedFieldsBackgroundColour CCLASMGR global setting.

Language
Setting the LANGUAGEID

The LANGUAGEID setting controls the language in which all prompts, tool-tips and any other text is displayed in the user interface.

Before a user logs in, the LANGUAGEID is set in the appsettings.json file for V3 and the CCLAS.INI file for V2.

After a user logs in, the user's Language CCLAS program setting defines the LANGUAGEID.

That is, the LANGUAGEID is set, in precedence, from one of the following levels:

  • The user's staff code
  • The Role template associated with the user's staff account
  • The CCLASMGR staff account
  • The CCLAS initialisation file.
Accessing the Language Text based on the LANGUAGEID

V3 User Interface:

  • Where the LANGUAGEID is 0 or higher, then the language set is taken from the LANGUAGE and LANGUAGE_ITEMS tables which cater for non-ASCII character sets such as used by Asian and Russian languages.

    Note: Language resource DLLs which supply the prompts to the applications, located in the Exe » Language folder, are used for the Licence application which is version 3.0.4. Any 3.0.5+ application will use the language tables.

V2 User Interface:

  • Where the LANGUAGEID is 0 or 1, then the language set is taken from the CCMESS<xx>.DLL and CCERR<xx>.DLL files, for screen prompts and error messages, respectively.

    This is because, the DLL files can only contain screen prompts and error messages for English and one other language.

    For example,in the CCLAS.INI file, these two DLLs are referenced as:

    ErrorDLL=C:\CCLAS\EXE\CCERRES.DLL

    MessageDLL=C:\CCLAS\EXE\CCMESSES.DLL

    and the Language setting specifies the active language: 0 for English, and 1 for the other language:

    Language=0

    or

    Language=1

  • Where the LANGUAGEID is 2 or higher, then the language set is taken from the LANGUAGE and LANGUAGE_ITEMS tables which cater for non-ASCII character sets such as used by Asian and Russian languages.

    Notes:
    Datamine provides other language sets in Access Database table format for easy portability, and form import into the CCLAS EL.
    A script supplied with the CCLAS EL installation manages translation of either custom form prompts or core interface prompts and messages, from one language within the CCLAS EL database to another within the CCLAS EL database. The script also manages the import of language sets from an Access database into the CCLAS EL database. This allows for easy movement of the language sets between Datamine and CCLAS EL sites

    Within the LANGUAGE and LANGUAGE_ITEMS tables, the LANGUAGEID, LANGUAGE and DESCRIPTION denote the two-digit language identifier, and the name and description of the language. The first LANGUAGEID used in the LANGUAGE table is 2, since 0 and 1 refers to the two languages contained with the DLL files.

    Where the determined LANGUAGEID is 0 or 1, then the language set is taken from the DLL files, and where it is 2 or higher, then the language set is taken from the LANGUAGE and LANGUAGE_ITEMS tables.

    Notes: 
    Where the Language setting is 0 or 1, then ensure the files referenced in the defined for MessageDLL and ErrorDLL files exist in the appropriate folder.
    For a user to reference and access a language from the CCLAS EL language tables, the CCLAS EL initialisation file must have the Language setting as 2 or higher, that is, where the CCLAS EL initialisation file has the Language setting as 0 or 1, then no user can access the CCLAS EL language tables for their session language.

    Where the ExtendedErrorMessage setting is enabled, then any error messages returned from the system comprise additional information:

    ExtendedErrorMessage=Enabled

    The MESSAGETYPE field in the LANGUAGE_ITEM table relates to the language item use:

    1. 1—screen prompt
    2. 2—error message
    3. 3—screen prompt for a matching control name on a customised form
    4. 4—error messages from a customised form.
Application Desktop Placement

All CCLAS EL applications can retain their last desktop position and window size. This is most useful when you run multiple CCLAS EL applications and wish to retain their desktop layout.

The Restore option (the controls on the top-right of all CCLAS EL screens) allows for the adjustment of the size and position of the application window, and the closing of the application. After the application is opened again, the application's screen displays with the same size and in the same position as previously.

  1. Run a CCLAS EL application.
  2. Move or resize the application window.
  3. Close the application.
  4. Using the same user account, and ensuring that start the application again to open the application in the same position on the window.

Note: If the Window Restore button (top-right controls on all CCLAS EL application forms) is used, then the window restores to the same position and size as it was left.

Tip Files

Where the ShowTipOfTheDay program setting for a particular CCLAS EL application is set to Enabled, and the TipOfTheDay program setting for the application contains the name of a tip file, when the application launches, then a tip from the file displays. This is customisable for each staff account that has access to that application.

The tip files are created and edited using a text editor (for example, Notepad). Each tip is entered on a separate line in the file.

The tip file must be saved as <FileName>.TIP in the Tips sub-folder.

  1. Click Next Tip to display the text in the next line from the tip file.
Working with Grids

To scroll across columns in list views:

  1. Click a column heading.
  2. Use the mouse wheel to scroll backwards and forwards to view columns of data that are currently off the page.
Working with Date Fields

To clear a date field, perform the following:

  1. Select the date field.
  2. Press the Ctrl-Del keys.

Note: Any date before 1/1/1900 is treated as an empty date by CCLAS EL.

Working with CCLAS Entities

To add a new entity:

  1. Select a node in the Folder Items tree on the left-hand side of the screen.
  2. Right-click in the right-hand pane and select New from the menu to open the AddNew form.
  3. Enter a code name for the entity.
  4. Update the fields for the entity in the usual way.

To copy an entity:

  1. Select an existing entity.
  2. Right-click the entity and select Save As from the menu.
  3. Enter a code name for the entity.
  4. Update the fields for the entity in the usual way.

To edit the code of an entity:

  1. Double-click an existing Code.
  2. Enter the new Code.