Box Properties

On–screen graphics are just a small part of what components can do. Components can also contain vast amounts of information which can be entered, edited, exported and even printed out. An important area for the manipulation of this information is the Box Properties interface. (This area has two tabs. The image below shows the Box Properties menu with the Edit Data tab selected).

Box Properties: Box Properties interface

Once a component is selected, the Box Properties interface can be accessed in the following ways:

1. Go to the Home tab and select Properties.
2. Double click an empty area inside a box component (an area with no text or graph­ics, etc.).
3. Right-click a component to launch a pop– up menu. In the pop– up menu choose Properties.
4. Use the hotkey combination of Alt+Enter.

Box Properties: Scope

Scope is a powerful and intuitive interface which allows you to quickly set the range and locations of the data changes in your chart. It is found in the Apply Tosection at the bottom of both Box Properties tabs. It has the following options:

1. Selection – only applies changes to the currently selected component(s).
2. Entire Chart – applies changes to every component in the chart.
3. Active Division – only applies the changes to the division of the currently selected component.

Scope is one of OrgChart’s most useful features because it can be applied to any data field in any combination anywhere on the chart. This means that you can set certain fields, like the company’s name or telephone number, to appear in every component in the division or chart, but leave all the other data fields unaffected. Since you can have any data (or field) appear anywhere, the pos­sibilities and time saving features of scope are almost limitless.

Box Properties: Edit Data

This area is used to define what data will be associated with certain component(s). To use this section:

1. Click in the right hand column of the data field you want to edit. The area will turn blue.
2. Enter the data.
3. Press ENTER or click in another field to apply the data.
4. Set the scope of the changes by going to the Apply To area and clicking one of the available choices.
5. Click the OK button to apply the changes and close the menu.

This tab consists of the following areas:

Box Properties: The Data Field area

Displays what data fields are available (this changes depending on what field data view you have chosen). It contains the following:

• Drag the fields you want in the chart box to the layout window.

Box Properties: The Preview Pane

The Preview Pane – displays a simple diagram of the component. It shows:

1. Data fields that will be visible – to change this, drag and drop foelds from the Data Fields area.
2. Order of the data fields – to change the order, highlight the desired field in the Data Fields area, then click the Move Up or Move Down but­tons. Note: The Move Up and Move Down buttons will only become active if a data field with a check in the visibility box is selected. These buttons will also either activate or deactivate depending which data field is selected.
3. Components text font – this is selected in the Display Properties area (see below).
4. Components text alignment – this is selected in the Display Properties area (see below).

Box Properties: The Display Properties area

The Display Properties area – determines certain visual properties of the component. It contains the following:

• Display Column Name – check this box to make the title of the data field appear in the component (for example, with the box checked a person named “Mr. Sample” would appear in the component as “Title: Mr. Sam­ple”.)
• Text alignment buttons – click any of the three buttons to determine if the text will be aligned on the left, center or right of the component.
• Font Style – click this button to open the font menu (for more details, please see the Font Style section of this manual).
• The Apply To area – determines the scope of the changes which have been determined in the other areas (for more details, please see the Box Properties: Scope and Apply Scope sections of this manual).

Once you have made your selections from the above sections, click the OK button to apply the changes and close the menu.

To change the order of Data Fields (by moving them higher or lower on the list), choose the desired field in the Layout tab of the Box Item menu, then click the MoveUp or Move Down button.

Box Properties: Data Fields information types

1. Text – text information can be typed directly (or cut and pasted) into these fields. Single click to open.
2. Salary – used for dynamic, on-the-fly calculations of bud­gets and expenditures. It is used in conjunction with the Headcount and Team Budget fields. To use this function, single click the Salary data field and type in numbers (note: this field accepts numbers only). When finished, hit the ENTER key. The input will be applied and a dollar sign ($) will automatically be placed in the field.

3. Link – this is where links are created. Double click in the field to open the Link Data menu (see below):

Image – this field links stored images to a component (see Appen­dix B). Double click the field to open the Image Data menu (see below):

Attachment– stored information files are linked to a component through this field. Double click the field to open the File Attachment Data menu (see below):

Calculated field– enables the automatic tally­ing of personnel, salaries and team budgets. The scope can be set to branches, managers and subordinates (see below):

This menu is accessed by double clicking in the following two data fields.

1. Headcount – default configuration for calculating number of personnel.
2. Team Budget – default configuration for calculating budget.

To view totals for a group of components, click on the parent component to display the tallies for the parent and all its subordinates.

Box Properties: Dynamic Calculations with Headcount, Salary and Team Budget

Headcount, Salary and Team Budget all work together to make certain calculations possible. This occurs because the Team Budget is determined from information gathered from both the Headcount and Salary fields.

Chart Data Set: Mastering global data fields

In addition to the default Data Fields present in the Box Properties menu, new fields can be created, modified or deleted globally through the Chart Data Set interface (see below):

The Chart Data Set stores and creates data fields that can become available to every component (globally). However, although these fields are avail­able, they are not automatically included or visible in the final component. Only after you set the data field to be accessible and visible will it then be available for the chart building process.

Accessing the Chart Data Set interface – Go to the Data tab, Chart Data Set.

Chart Data Set: Editing an existing data field:

There are five fields which can be edited in the Chart Data Set:

1. Name – to edit this field, do the following:
   • Click on the Name column of the chosen data field. The area will turn blue, signifying that it is now editable.
   • Enter the new information.
   • Press ENTER, or click in another data field and the information will be applied.
2. Type – there are nine different types of data fields: 1) text, 2) numerical, 3) cur­rency, 4) calculated, 5) link, 6) image, 7) attachment, 8) FormTool document and 9) supervisor. To edit this field, do the following:
   • Click on the Type column of the chosen data field. The field will turn blue and a small button will appear on the right side.
   • Click the button to open a dropdown menu displaying the nine types of fields listed above.
   • Click on your choice in the dropdown menu.
   • The selection will now appear in the Type field.

3. Visible – determines whether the data field will be visible. Check this box to toggle between visible and hidden.
4. Display Name – determines whether the title of the data field (such as Name, Title, Photo, etc.) will appear in the component. (For example, in a component with a person named “Mr. Sample”, the name would appear as “Title: Mr. Sam­ple” if Display Name was checked.) Check this box to toggle the data field title between visible and hidden.
5. Formula – formulas are only available if certain types of data field were selected in the Type column (i.e. numeric, currency, calculated, etc.). To edit this field:
   • Click on the Formula column of the chosen data field. The field will turn blue and a small button will appear on the right side.
   • Click the button to open a drop down menu displaying the Calculated Field menu (see below):

• Choose options from the drop down menus in the Operation, Affected Column and Affected Scope areas and click OK.
• The Calculated Field menu will close and your selection will now appear in the Formula area of the Chart Data Set.

Chart Data Set: Create a new data field

1. Click the New button. The Name column will turn blue and a new entry enti­tled “Unnamed” will appear.
2. Type in a name for your new data field, then either hit ENTER or click in another field to apply the change.
3. Choose your options, from the Type, Visible, Display Name and Formula areas.
4. When you are done editing the data sets, click OK to close the interface.
5. The Add Columns in Data Views menu will open. This interface provides the option to add your newly created data field to already existing Defined Data Views(see below):

Chart Data Set: Add your new field to an existing Defined Data View

1. Check the box next to the views you want your new field to appear in.
2. Click OK.
3. The interface will close and you will be returned to the main work area.
4. (From this point on, whenever any of the views you checked is chosen in the Box Item: Current Box Layout or Outline View: Data View Quick Selector menus, your new data field will appear along with the other data fields.)

Chart Data Set: Load a predefined data field

OrgChart comes with a library of predefined (previously designed) data fields. To load from this library:

1. Click the Add Predefined button.
2. The Add Predefined Columns menu will appear (see below):

1. Highlight the data field you wish to add and click the Add button.
2. The Add Predefined Columns interface will disappear and your selected, predefined data field will appear in the Chart Data Set area.

Chart Data Set: Additional buttons

1. Delete – removes a data field from the Chart Data Set area. To use, simply highlight the field you wish to remove and press Delete.
2. Set Title – sets the currently chosen data field as a title. If the currently high­lighted field has already been set through this option, the button will automati­cally switch to Remove Title.
3. Move Up – moves an item higher on the list. This option is inactive if the selec­tion is already at the top.
4. Move Down – moves an item lower on the list. This option is inactive if the selection is already at the bottom.

To complete the Chart Data Set process, choose from the following:

1. OK – accepts your choices and applies them universally to the data fields of every component.
2. Cancel – closes the panel without making any changes.
3. Help – launches the Help menu.

Data View: Viewing & Controlling Data Views in Outline View

The Outline View Control Bar is one of the main interfaces used to work with data views. Sitting atop the Outline View, it provides a convenient, central location to access all the tools necessary to view, create and manipulate these powerful resources.

Although this control bar has many options, this section will only focus on those directly related to data views.

Data View: Edit Current Data View

launches the Edit Data View menu. By modifying the currently selected data view, this interface determines what data fields and data views will be available in the Box Item: Current Box Layout and Outline View: Data View Quick Selector dropdown menus. It also determines the order in which these fields are displayed (see below):

Data View: Creating a new data view in Edit Data View

1. Type a new name in the Data View Name field.
2. Use the Add and Remove buttons to shift data fields between the Avail­able Data Columns and Selected Data Columns areas. Items may also be dragged and dropped across panes.
3. Once all the desired data fields are present in the Selected Data Columnspane, use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to determine how those fields will appear in your final data view. Items may also be dragged and dropped into the desired order.
4. Click OK to close the interface and apply the results.
5. Back in the main work area, notice that the name of your new data view appears in the Outline View: Data View Quick Selector.

Data View: Editing an existing data view in Edit Data View

Follow the above instructions but do not type a new name in the Data View Name field.

Data View: Define Data Views

Launches the Define Data Views menu. This interface is used to add new data views which will then become available in the Box Item: Current Box Layout and Outline View: Data View Quick Selector drop down menus. It can also be used to edit currently existing data views.

Data View: Adding a data view using the Define Data Views menu

1. Click the Add button.
2. The Edit Data View menu will appear.
3. In the Edit Data View menu, type a new name into the Data View Name field and choose which items you wish to populate your view (for more information on using the Edit Data View menu please see the Edit Cur­rent Data View section).
4. Click OK to close the menu and return to the Define Data Views menu.
5. Arrange your data views by using the Move Up and Move Down buttons.
6. When you are satisfied with the entries and their arrangement, click OK to close the interface.
7. To see the results of your change, open the Outline View: Data Quick View Selector. Notice that your changes have been applied and are avail­able for immediate use.

Data View: Editing a data view using the Define Data View menu

1. Click the Edit button.
2. The Edit Data View menu will appear.
3. In the Edit Data View menu, choose which items you wish to populate your view (for more information on using the Edit Data View menu please see the Edit Current Data View section).
4. Click OK to close the menu and return to the Define Data Views menu.
5. Arrange your data views by using the Move Up and Move Down buttons.
6. When you are satisfied with the entries and their arrangement, click OK to close the interface and return to the main work area.

Data View: Data View Quick Selector

This dropdown menu enables rapid selec­tion of available data views. This menu performs the same function as the Cur­rent Box Layout drop down menu available in the Box Item area. To use, simply open the menu and select the data view. It will be immediately applied.

Data View: Options

Provides a selection of display choices available in Outline View. By using sophisticated identification, ordering and tagging techniques these options utilize intelligent filtering – thereby allowing you see exactly the information you need to see, when you need to see it.

View Options can be accessed in the following ways:

1. Main menu – go to the View tab and check Data Outline Pane to choose the desired option.
2. Outline View Control Bar – click the View Options button.

The following choices are available:

1. All records – displays all the components on the entire chart, including all divisions and subdivisions.
2. Smart – displays only the selected components and their subordinates.
3. Division – displays only the components in the currently selected division
4. Division with Subdivisions – displays the current division and the subdi­visions below it.
5. Found Results – this option works in conjunction with OrgChart’s Find feature. Note: This option only becomes active after a successful search has been initiated. Found Results then displays the latest results of the search. To test this option, go to Edit > Find and run a search for an item you are certain is in the chart. After Find returns a positive result, go to View Options and select Found Results. The found component will appear in the Outline View area.
6. Show Hierarchy – toggles the Outline View between hierarchy and list formats (for visual examples of these styles, please see the Outline View section).