Interface Mechanisms in 1C:Enterprise 8.2 Managed Application
1C:Enterprise 8 platform’s interface mechanisms provide interaction of a user with an applied solution.
Managed application dramatically improves the interface level, compared with previous versions of the platform (1C:Enterprise 8 ver 8.1 and earlier): specifically in the command interface, forms and windowing system.
This section describes the new main interface functionality.
Windowing System in 1C:Enterprise 8.2 (Managed Application)
1C:Enterprise provides a modern GUI design giving improved user convenience for intensive users of the system. It is implemented for line of business and managerial tasks and focused on providing high ergonomic efficiency in working with business applications.
General Interface Description
1C:Enterprise 8 Managed Application implements a new ’task-oriented’ user interface. Its specific feature replaces a more complex view, where there is a main application window and some child windows opened inside of it.
Now the system interface is based on separate, independent windows, each of them dealing with a separate task: there is a main window to navigate across an entire application, there are auxiliary windows to process some ’big’ tasks (such as document entry, report generation, etc.) and there are other windows where all ’brief’ actions are performed.
This new interface makes it easier for casual users, with little experience of using computers. It is focused on usage in corporate applied solutions with a fair volume of functionality. With the new interface, users can operate instinctively with little or no instruction. For big companies it means a reduction in staff training costs and IT-consulting costs; also an increase in staff operating efficiency.
User Operation
As the system starts, the main application window is opened. In the window users can see all the options available in the applied solution:
Main application window
The main range of options are shown at the top of the window, in the partition panel. This corresponds to the configuration’s subsystems.
The subsystems define functionality sections
When a subsystem is activated, all its functionality (including nested subsystems) is accessible in two panes (the navigation pane on the left and action pane at the top).
When a user selects a command to open lists, they are displayed in the working area of the application main window, replacing a form opened before:
’Items’ command selected
When input commands or object edit commands are called, and also when opening reports and data processors, separate (auxiliary) application windows are opened. These windows are displayed independently from the main application window. Therefore, the classic MDI interface is not used.
Click on ’Item’ command causes a separate auxiliary window ’Item (create)’ to appear
To enter objects, containing little properties, auxiliary windows are used. They block working with the main window so that users could quickly enter necessary data and close the window (see picture).
Small auxiliary window opened to enter new warehouse information
Auxiliary windows can also have a navigation panel, within the windows the user can move on to forms (without opening a new window) which are logically linked to the main window form. For example, one can move from a catalog item’s form on to a list of subordinate catalogs.
So all navigation — moving between some types of activity or work stages — is done in the main application window, while most of work is done in separate auxiliary windows.
Reports
All reports in MA are made based on the data composition system, with its extended set of report settings. The settings are split into report variants and user settings.
Variant for sales flow chart
Report variants benefit from all the customization capabilities of the data composition system. In fact, report variants allow both developers and users to create specific reports based on one data composition scheme, predefined in a report.
User settings represent a limited set of frequently used settings that all users are likely to need. A set of the settings is specified for each report variant, considering which settings are needed for a particular variant. This allows significant simplifying adjustment of reports for ordinary users.
There are several service tools in the managed application to make users’ navigation across the application easier.
Desktop
The main application window supports desktop mode. It is a special mode when several forms are displayed at a time, providing the most up-to-date and frequently used information.
Application desktop window
Links
There is a possibility to get string references to various data blocks and system operation modes. Naturally, there is a way to go to the links:
Getting a link for the current window
History
History mechanism keeps information on added or modified data with the possibility of quick navigation to them.
History functionality
Favourites
Users can compose a list of favourites — some most used data and operation modes, to use them quickly.
Favourites window
Messages
Messages displayed to users now appear close to the corresponding fields. This allows the system to activate the elements containing mistakes and mark them visually:
Messages mechanism
Continuous Processes State
For continuous processes (such as department payroll calculation), a status panel is used. It displays some text information and a progress indicator.
