Business Desk Terminology

  • Article

This topic defines the basic concepts associated with Commerce Server Business Desk and the terminology associated with them. The following list contains the names and descriptions of these concepts:

  • framework
    A set of services provided for use by Business Desk modules. These services include navigation, security, and user interface controls. In addition, the framework provides a set of standardized mechanisms defining how to integrate Business Desk modules.
  • category
    An organizational construct used within the navigation pane that allows the grouping of related Business Desk modules.
  • module
    A set of ASP files that provide a particular type of related functionality that are organized with one or more entry points from the navigation pane.
  • master configuration file
    The XML configuration file that defines the categories and modules available within a particular instance of Business Desk. Each module entry identifies a module configuration file that contains the configuration information for that module.
  • module configuration file
    An XML configuration file that defines the actions, tasks, and entry points for a module (or set of modules). Module entry points identify the category with which they are associated.
  • HTML Components (HTCs), also known as DHTML Behaviors
    A set of data display and manipulation controls that are implemented as HTML Components that are used extensively within Business Desk modules. Business Desk includes the following HTCs: DynamicTable, EditField, EditSheet, ExpressionBuilder, ListEditor, ListSheet, QueryBuilder, and TreeView. For more information about these HTCs, see HTML Components in Business Desk.
  • action page
    A single ASP file that provides a particular aspect of the functionality associated with a module. It is typically displayed as a result of clicking a module name in the navigation pane, or as a result of clicking one of the task buttons on an action page.
  • list page
    One of two main types of action pages, list pages provide a read-only view of some type of data, and allow that data to be filtered, sorted, selected, and acted upon. List pages typically display a ListSheet HTC. Sometimes a find pane and its associated HTCs are displayed above the ListSheet HTC. List pages share the Business Desk workspace with the navigation pane.
  • edit page
    One of two main types of action pages, edit pages provide mechanisms for altering the data being displayed. Different edit pages employ different HTCs, depending on the nature of the data being edited. Edit pages do not share the Business Desk workspace with the navigation pane. The latter is hidden from view when edit pages are rendered, thereby preventing navigation to a different module until the edit page is dismissed and the user returns to a list page.
  • EditSheet group (or EditSheet section)
    A section within an EditSheet HTC on an edit page that has a collapsable heading, allowing the information in that section to be displayed or hidden as preferred by the user.
  • task
    An operation performed from an action page, often leading to the display of a different action page where the details of the task are performed. Tasks are initiated by pressing a task button. Some tasks, such as Open and Delete, are context-sensitive; they apply to whatever is selected in the current action page.
  • task bar
    The horizontal area at the top of the content pane where the buttons corresponding to various tasks can be found. (In the user interface documentation, the taskbar is referred to as the toolbar. They are the same, and the naming difference in the User Interface (UI) is due to a desire to conform to Windows standards where end users are concerned.)
  • navigation pane
    The window on the left side of list pages used to display the hierarchy of categories and modules.
  • content pane
    The window on the right side of list pages, and sole window of edit pages, in which action pages are rendered.
  • find pane
    An area in the upper portion of the module content pane in list pages in which find criteria are entered, and then used in a Find task. Most commonly, the lower portion of the module content pane consists of a ListSheet HTC in which the results of the Find task are displayed.
  • page title bar
    The horizontal area at the top of the content pane used to display the page title.
  • status bar
    The horizontal area at the bottom of the content pane used to display status messages.
  • HTML Application (HTA)
    A special type of browser instance in which the normal browser user interface is not displayed. Normally, HTAs will not have the full range of menu and toolbar choices found in a generic browser instance. The Business Desk is designed to run only as an HTA.

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