Classic Usage Conventions

Folding panel

Information is held in folding panels which allow you to hide or show information as required.  Click on the icon to expand or collapse this panel.

For example, here we see the Ownership folding panel with an appropriate icon. Clicking on the icon and heading or on the double arrows will hide the Ownership panel.

Drop-down list

This function is used throughout Covalent to allow the user to select an option from a number of alternatives.

You view the list of alternatives by clicking the downward arrow on the right of the drop-down box. Select the option by clicking on it in the displayed list.

Multi-selection list

Some lists will allow you to select more than one option at a time, for example if you want to highlight a number of items to delete from a list. You may use the following selection options:

Hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard; this allows you to choose non-sequential items from a list by clicking on each one.

Hold down the shift key on the keyboard; this allows you to select a sequential group of items. Click on the first item, hold down the shift key and click on the last item; all the items in between are selected.

Radio button

A radio button is used when the user must select an either/or option (the circle with a dot in the centre is the selected option).

Dots-in-the-box

The dots-in-the-box button is used to add further information.

This can be to:

1.Enter free text in a text box.

2.Select a date from a calendar.

3.Select available options in the Add/Remove dialogue box.

4.Choose from a pop-up dialogue box.

1. Text box

Throughout the system, notes or comments can be added or removed by clicking on the dots-in-the-box, for example adding a status update to an Action or a Risk.

Clicking on the dots-in-the-box button opens a text window.
Text may be formatted using the format buttons. There are also cut, copy and paste buttons.
URL links may be added.
The text will be spell-checked as it is entered.

Click the OK button to save and close the text box.
Click the Cancel button to close the text box without saving.

2. Calendar

Throughout the system, dates can be added by clicking on the dots-in-the-box, for example entering an Action's due date.

Clicking on the dots-in-the-box button opens a calendar.
Specify the date by selecting the month and year from the drop-down lists and the day by clicking on the appropriate number.
Click OK to finalise the selection.

You may alternatively type  the date into the date field.

3. Add/Remove Dialogue Box

Lists may have items added or removed by clicking on the dots-in-the-box, for example the list of people that have access to an item.

Clicking on the dots-in-the-box button opens  a dialogue box similar to that displayed below. The available options are listed on the left and the items already added on the right.

Select an item from the list on the left. Click the single arrow button. The item moves to the list on the right. Click OK.

Removing items from the right side list is a reversal of this process.
These are multi-selection lists.

The double arrows will add/remove everything in the list.

4. Pop-up Dialogue Box

You may sometimes need to choose an option from a pop-up dialogue box, for example if you are selecting a field to go on a report, or picking which chart to show on a PI.  Each pop-up will be different depending on the action being performed.