Menu Definition

Overview

Menu Definition creates navigation structures that allow users to access different functions and data sections within your application. Menus can be displayed as traditional menu bars or as tabs, providing flexible navigation options. They support hierarchical structures, user permissions, and integration with flows and pages.

Menu Definition interface showing menu structure, properties, and configuration options

What are Menus?

Menus are navigation structures that:

Organize Functions: Group related application features into logical navigation structures
Control Access: Implement user-based permissions for different menu items
Trigger Actions: Launch flows or display pages when users click menu items
Support Hierarchy: Create parent-child menu relationships for complex navigation
Enable Reusability: Include menus from other solutions for component reuse

Example: A Customer Management menu might include "View Customers", "Create Customer", and "Customer Reports" options, with different users seeing different subsets based on their permissions.

Menu Item Types

Parent Menu Element

Purpose: Contains child menu elements for hierarchical organization
Configuration: Should not have Flow or Page attached
Behavior: Expands to show child menu items when clicked
Use Case: Organizing related functions under logical groupings

Leaf Menu Item - Flow Trigger

Purpose: Triggers a specific flow when clicked
Configuration: Should have Flow attached but no Page, or use "Call another menu"
Exclusivity: Cannot have both Flow and "Call another menu" settings
Behavior: Executes the specified flow with menu parameters
Use Case: Launching business processes and data operations

Leaf Menu Item - Page Display

Purpose: Displays a specific page when clicked
Configuration: Should have Page attached but no Flow
Behavior: Shows the specified page to the user
Use Case: Show tabs for data entry where users browse different sections without moving in the flow

Menu Configuration Properties

Menu Name

Purpose: Display name shown to users in the navigation
Visibility: This is what users see in the menu interface
Best Practice: Use clear, descriptive names that indicate functionality
Localization: Consider multi-language support if needed

Call Another Menu

Purpose: Include another menu for reusability
Use Case: Reuse menu structures from imported solutions
Modularity: Promotes component reuse across different systems
Maintenance: Changes to referenced menu automatically apply everywhere

Flow

Purpose: Specify flow to trigger when menu item is clicked
Requirement: Used for leaf menu items that execute business logic
Exclusivity: Cannot be used together with Page property
Integration: Flow receives menu parameters and executes in menu context

Read-Only

Purpose: Make DataSet attached to Flow read-only
Scope: Applies to the entire DataSet context
Use Case: View-only menu items that prevent data modification
Security: Enforces data protection at menu level

Create New

Purpose: Create blank record for DataSet associated with Flow
Equivalent: Having a "new" action at the beginning of the flow
Use Case: Menu items for creating new records
Efficiency: Eliminates need for explicit new action in flow

Id (Optional)

Purpose: Group menus by logical meaning for user permission control
Permission System: Links to MENU_OPTIONS in Basic Configuration
User Control: Determines which users can see which menu groups
Flexibility: Allows fine-grained access control

Permission Example:
Menu Items: "Security" (Id: 1), "Customer read" (Id: 2), "Customer write" (Id: 3)
Manager MENU_OPTIONS: "YYY" (sees all menu items)
Read-only User MENU_OPTIONS: "YYN" (sees Security and Customer read only)

Depth

Purpose: Define menu/sub-menu hierarchical structure
Multiple Depth 0: Creates separate menu systems
Use Cases: Main system menu, data capture tabs, specialized toolbars
Organization: Controls visual grouping and nesting of menu items

Parameters

Purpose: Pass parameters to associated flows, pages, or scripts
Syntax: param1=value1;param2=value2
Flow Control: Parameters can control flow behavior and script execution
Use Case: Reuse the same flow for multiple project types by passing different parameters
Inheritance: Parent-level parameters apply to all sub-menu items
Override: Child-level parameters can override parent values

CSS Class

Purpose: Apply custom styling to menu items
Customization: Control appearance, icons, and visual behavior
Branding: Maintain consistent visual identity
User Experience: Enhance navigation with visual cues

Menu Structure Examples

Customer Management Menu

Customer Management (Parent, Depth: 0)
- View Customers (Flow: CustomerSearch, Id: 1, Depth: 1)
- Create Customer (Flow: CustomerEntry, Create New: Yes, Id: 2, Depth: 1)
- Modify Customer (Flow: CustomerEntry, Id: 2, Depth: 1)
- Customer Reports (Parent, Id: 3, Depth: 1)
  - Monthly Report (Page: CustomerMonthlyReport, Id: 3, Depth: 2)
  - Annual Summary (Page: CustomerAnnualReport, Id: 3, Depth: 2)

Project Management Tabs

Project Overview (Flow: ProjectDashboard, Depth: 0)
Project Tasks (Flow: ProjectTaskManagement, Depth: 0)
Project Timeline (Page: ProjectGanttChart, Depth: 0)
Project Reports (Page: ProjectReports, Depth: 0)

Parameter Usage Examples

Parent-Level Parameters

Menu: Customer Management
Parameters: department=sales;region=north
Effect: All child menu items receive these parameters
Use Case: Department-specific data filtering

Child-Level Parameters

Menu: Create Customer
Parameters: status=active;priority=high
Effect: Flow receives these specific parameters
Use Case: Pre-populate form fields with default values

Best Practices

Menu Design

Logical Grouping: Organize menu items by business function
Clear Naming: Use descriptive names that users understand
Consistent Depth: Maintain consistent hierarchical levels
User-Centric: Design menus based on user workflows

Permission Management

Principle of Least Privilege: Give users minimum necessary access
Role-Based Design: Group permissions by user roles
Regular Review: Periodically review and update permissions
Documentation: Document permission schemes and rationale

Performance Considerations

Menu Complexity: Avoid overly deep menu hierarchies
Parameter Efficiency: Use parameters judiciously
Flow Integration: Ensure menu-triggered flows are optimized
User Experience: Test menu navigation for responsiveness

Integration with Other Components

Flow Integration

Parameter Passing: Menu parameters available in flow context
DataSet Context: Flow executes with menu-specified DataSet
User Context: Flow has access to user permissions and settings
Error Handling: Plan for flow execution failures from menu triggers

Page Integration

Parameter Access: Pages can access menu parameters
Context Preservation: Page maintains menu context
Navigation: Pages can trigger other menu items
User Interface: Consistent styling with menu CSS classes

Security Integration

User Authentication: Menus respect user login status
Permission Enforcement: Menu visibility based on MENU_OPTIONS
Data Security: Read-only flags enforce data protection
Audit Trail: Menu actions can be logged for compliance

Getting Started

Ready to create menus? Follow these resources:

Basic Configuration: Understand MENU_OPTIONS for user permissions
Flows: Learn how to create flows for menu integration
Your First Application - Part 2: See menu creation in practice

Opadeez Help Center