Forms

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In Allegra you define any number of forms — for creating, editing, and moving items, for changing the status, or for adding comments.

Forms contain fields that map system attributes and custom attributes. When an attribute appears on a form, it is a field there. You assign forms to actions — such as creating items. You configure these assignments:

• globally

• item-type-specific

• workspace-type- and item-type-specific

• workspace- and item-type-specific

This approach supports efficient configuration with full flexibility.

Every form consists of:

• tabs

• panels

• fields

This is how you create a new form and put it to use:

1. Create the form with the interactive form designer.

2. Assign it to the desired action — globally or at a more specific level.

You can change forms at any time.

Tabs

Every form consists of at least one tab. Tabs contain panels, panels contain fields. The illustration shows a form with three tabs. You design the first tab freely. Allegra added the other two automatically — because the project has enabled watcher lists and billing. These tabs are predefined by the system and cannot be changed interactively.

In practice, you face hardly any limit on the number of custom tabs. You choose the label freely.

Panels

Tabs contain panels. All fields sit on panels. A panel consists of rows and columns — it organizes the space for fields in a grid.

The form designer marks unused grid positions specially; in the finished form they remain empty.

In practice, you face hardly any limit on the number of panels. You can move panels at any time by drag and drop.

Actions

In Allegra, forms attach to actions. For example, you keep the form for creating an item as simple as possible, while the form for editing shows all available properties. Adding a comment contains only a comment field — nothing else. When changing a status you usually need a comment, the status, and the responsible.

Allegra knows these actions:

• create item

• edit or change item

• move item to a new project or new item type

• add comment to item

• change item status

• add child item to an existing item

You assign a separate form to each action.

Managing forms

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You create, assign, change, and delete forms as follows.

Assigning forms to actions

This is how you assign a form to an action.

You must be logged in as a system manager or system administrator.

1. Go to Administration. In the main menu, choose Customize > Forms.

2. In the tree pane, select the node to which you want to assign a new form — global, item-specific, workspace-type-, or workspace-specific. In the example, we change the assignment only for the item type “Action item” — for creating, editing, and moving.

3. Drag the desired form onto the corresponding node in the tree.

Now, when you create a new action item in the workspace, you get not the default form “New item” but the modified form without the release field.

Creating forms

This is how you create a new form.

You must be logged in as a system manager or system administrator.

1. Go to Administration > Items > Forms for items.

2. On the new screen, click Add in the action menu.

3. Enter a name and description for the form.

4. Click Save in the action menu. Select the new form in the list and then click the Configure button.

5. The interactive form designer opens the new form. Now drag the desired attributes from the attribute list on the right to the positions marked for them in the form.

6. You change the properties of the tabs and panels by selecting the element in question and using the Layout Attributes tab on the right.

Attention

All changes take effect immediately, not only when you leave the editor.

7. Assign the form to an action. To do so, go to Administration > Items > Forms for items.

When you invoke the action, you see your newly designed input mask. You can change the layout at any time.

Changing forms

This is how you change an existing form.

You must be logged in as a system manager or system administrator.

1. Go to Administration > Items > Forms for items.

2. On the right, select the form to be changed and click the Configure button. The interactive form designer opens.

3. Make the desired changes and click Done.

You have changed the form. The next time the associated action is invoked, Allegra uses the new form.

Copying forms

This is how you copy a form.

You must be logged in as a system manager or system administrator.

1. Go to Administration > Items > Forms for items.

2. On the right, select the form to be copied and click the Copy button.

You have created a copy. You edit the copy without changing the original.

Deleting forms

This is how you delete a form.

You must be logged in as a system manager or system administrator.

Attention

You only delete forms that are no longer in use. For a form that is in use, Allegra does not display the delete icon.

1. Go to Administration > Items > Forms for items.

2. On the right, select the form to be deleted and click the Delete button.

Allegra has deleted the form.