About Panels

Panels are used nearly every time any record, task, document, or other item is added to SmartAdvocate, or when editing existing records and items. A panel is a rectangular structure, generally much smaller than the browser window, that when opened appears over the SmartAdvocate page you are on. Some panels prevent you from performing any action elsewhere on the page while they are open; others do not. Most panels consist of a set of fields, which are individual places where information can be entered or choices made within the panel. There are panels for actions other than adding or editing items, but the vast majority of panels are used for adding and editing. This manual refers to such panels as Add/Edit Panels. In general, if there is a panel for adding some item to SmartAdvocate and a panel for editing that same type of item, the panels appear identical or nearly so, and their fields function the same way. For that reason, this manual will generally describe the adding panel for an item and the editing panel for that item as if they were the same panel (i.e. the Add/Edit Panel for that type of item). If there are differences in the content of the two panels, they will be noted within the panel description.

Field Description Format

Individual fields in panels will be described with some or all of the following information:
Field Type: How the field accepts input. See Field Types, below, for a description of each of the types used in SmartAdvocate.
Meaning: The information the field is intended to contain.
Required?: Whether it is necessary to enter something into the field. If a field that is required is left blank, SmartAdvocate will not allow the item to be saved; it will either flag the field with a warning icon, declare an error, or both. Most required fields are distinguished in the panel by an asterisk next to the name of the field. However, this is not true in all cases; some required fields do not have asterisks, and some fields with asterisks are not required.
Related Links: Links to other pages in the manual where an aspect of the field is described. This descriptor is often used for dropdowns where the set of options is drawn from a pick list in the Picklist Maintenance administrative page.
Options: A list of the possible selections in the field. This descriptor is used for dropdowns and radio buttons where the set of options can be efficiently listed or described and is not directly modifiable by the user.
Other Notes: Any notes or warnings that help describe the field.

Field Types

The following is a list of the most common field types in SmartAdvocate.

Text input

Text input fields are simply blank areas into which you can type any text. They can be any size. They do not limit input or guide as you type. Note, however, that though you can technically type anything into a text input field, some panels will declare an error if you enter the wrong type of input. This is most often true when the expected input is a number or dollar amount. If a text input field declares an error for certain inputs, this manual will usually mention that in the description of the field.

Numeric input

Numeric input fields are similar to text input fields, but only accept numbers. They also have two arrow buttons on the right side of the field, which can be used to increment or decrement the number in the field. You can either type input into the field directly or use the buttons to produce your desired input.

Checkbox

Checkboxes are used when the field only requires a yes-or-no response. In general, checkboxes are either selected (i.e., they contain a checkmark), meaning yes, or deselected (i.e., they contain no mark), meaning no. Click the checkbox to switch between selected and deselected. A few check boxes have a third option: a blue square filling the box, meaning "undetermined." When this option is available, this manual will make special note of that fact. Otherwise, the manual will never mention whether an entry in a checkbox is "required," because a checkbox always contains information (either a yes or a no).

Dropdown

Dropdown fields look like text input fields but have a button with a downward-pointing triangle at the right side of the field. Clicking this button causes a menu to appear from which you can choose the entry for the field. There are various types of dropdowns, some of which are separately listed below; which is which depends on the type of menu that appears upon clicking the button. When the manual describes a field as simply a "drop down," with no other modifier, the menu is simply a listing of various options. Clicking the desired option will fill the field with that option.
It is also usually possible to type directly into the text input fields. Doing so will usually cause the menu to be limited to the options containing the text in the field; this can help you search for the option you want. For some drop downs, if none of the options contain the text you type, the field will automatically undo your typing; others will allow you to keep typing even if there are no remaining options (though trying to save an entry that matches none of the options will almost always cause an error).

Date widget dropdown

Date widget dropdowns are used when the field requires a date. Clicking the dropdown button brings up a small calendar showing a single month (either the month of the date already in the field, or the current month). There are two buttons each at the top left and top right corners of the calendar: << moves the calendar back one year, < moves the calendar back one month, > moves the calendar forward one month, and >> moves the calendar forward one year. Click any day in the calendar to fill the field in with that date. You can also click the Today button at the bottom of the calendar to fill the field in with the current date, or the Clear button to empty the field (this will technically fill the field with a placeholder date that SmartAdvocate translates to an empty field).

Date-time widget dropdown

Date-time widget dropdowns are extensions of date widget dropdowns. In addition to the calendar for selecting a date, they contain a clock for selecting a time.

Contact-list dropdown

Contact-list dropdowns are used when the field requires an existing SmartAdvocate contact. Clicking the dropdown button brings up a table containing contacts. The table may contain all the contacts in SmartAdvocate, or may only contain a subset of all contacts (e.g., only those of a certain Contact Type, or employees of an organization previously selected elsewhere in the panel, or contacts that have already been attached to the case you are in). Clicking on any row of the table will fill in the field with the contact in that row. The table will commonly contain columns for the contact's name, address, city, state, ZIP code, and phone number, but there may be more or fewer in different fields. The table will also often include a button or hypertext allowing you to create a new contact, if the desired contact has not already been entered into SmartAdvocate. Clicking the button or text will bring up the Add New Contact panel.

Checkbox-select dropdown

Checkbox-select dropdowns are used when the field requires a selection from a limited set of options but allows more than one option to be selected. The precise appearance of a checkbox-select dropdown varies among fields, but the consistent aspects are a list of options and a checkbox for each option. Clicking on any checkbox includes the associated option in the selection. Most checkbox-select dropdown fields automatically separate the selected options with semicolons.

Radio button

Radio buttons are sometimes used when the field requires a selection from a limited set of options. The options are all simultaneously visible on the panel, each of which is associated with a round button that is either selected (i.e., it contains a blue dot) or deselected (i.e., it is empty). Only one of the buttons can be selected at a time; selecting one deselects whichever was previously selected. The option associated with the selected button is considered by the panel to be the chosen option. Radio buttons serve a similar purpose to drop downs. While they are less common, they are most often used when the selected option itself influences another part of the panel; for example, when another field may or may not be editable, depending on which radio button was selected.