My Attribute Dream

[Cosmo]

OK...this is a little off topic but since I'm trying to get a "Due Date" field to actually show up as a "Date", I thought I'd share my dream attribute creator tool. Attached are two images from a software application that we use at our company.
The first image (dream_1.gif) shows a list of the variety of different attribute types you can create in this tool. You can create any of these for virtually any object/function that you like (workflows, assignments, users, objects, etc).
The second image (dream_2.gif) is the second step in a two-step process for creating a new attribute field. This tool actually lets you define attributes about your attributes. This screen in step 2 varies based on the type of attribute you chose in the first image/step. For example, this image is the second step for configuring the characteristics of a "Long Text" attribute type. So you can control how many lines are visible, how many characters you can enter, the pop-up description....you get the point. Each attribute type will have it's own set of characteristics to vary.
Just after the second step is the "page layout" screen.....where you can then drag your newly created attribute anywhere you want on the screen for placement and manipulate it a bit (ex. to make it wider for more visible input or less visible input). Then you save the page layout and it's locked in that location for everyone to use. Beautiful.
All of this occurs in a web-based application that's friendly and easy to use.
I'm not saying PTC will implement something like this for attribute/variable creation and placement.....but a man can dream can't he.

Mike -

[ptc-568593]

Dear Michael,

You are not the only one with this “dream”. Sometime ago we implemented an extension for ProjectLink for a client that was all about this. It allowed them to completely customize the layout of the attributes for the UI and reports, including adding tabs and restricting the view and update of various attributes. However the admin did have to learn some very basic XML to configure it, no magic UI.

We were thinking of revisiting this one day and maybe packaging it up, but it should be ootb (we will see what UI changes are in X20).

Best Regards,
Simon

[Cosmo]

Hi Simon,
Yes...that would definitely be getting closer. The three things I wanted to point out with those images were:
1. there should be a larger list of attribute "types" available. There are some really great ones in that list and that's not even the full list. For example, it would be nice to have a "hierarchical Lookup" field that you just add to a Workflow task for a user assignment. In the tool I'm referencing, when you click in the field, you can start typing a name and it auto-finds/fills as you type or you can have it pop-up the full list of users.
2. there should be "characteristics" that you can change for each attribute type.....essentially defining rules for the attribute. In the example of the hierarchical lookup field for users, you could filter the types of users that would show up in the list (based on role, team, etc.). Now, technically, you can do this currently in the Workflow, but it's not as intuitive as it should be.
3. there should be a very quick and simple way to add it the attribute to virtually any page, place it where you want it. When you create a new task in a workflow, you should be able to edit the page layout of that task assignment right there and then in the workflow. The task properties show all the other characteristics about the task except for what it will look like to the end user. Add another tab in the properties of the task for page layout......it should show an html preview of the page and also let you move around the fields to make it look "pretty" and "unique" per the assignment. It's ok to have templates but one of the complains I hear a lot is that all the notifications look exactly the same or so similar that you really have to look closely to tell them apart. I've heard there is a way to edit these but still, it's not as straightforward as it should be.
I'm just sharing with PTC and the community here another piece of software that we use that has these capabilities already built-in. It's very slick and easy to use. I think they would translate well over to Windchill.
It allows us to focus on the business processes we want to implement and less on the "how do we implement it" side of the technology. I would rather leave the difficult "implementation" of the capabilities up to PTC and have them deliver the "easy to use" results back to me 🙂

Mike -