Tasks
A Commerce Server Business Desk task is what ties one action page to another action page, sometimes performing some work during the page transition. In some circumstances the resultant action page can be the same as the originating action page. For example, the Delete task is likely to present a confirmation dialog box, delete the selected record(s) if confirmed, and then return the user to the originating page.
Another way to think about tasks is that they are the mechanism through which Business Desk users initiate high-level actions within the Business Desk. Examples of high-level actions include opening an edit page for a particular selected item, deleting a selected item, and creating a new item. High-level actions can be contrasted to low-level actions that take place within a single page. Examples of low-level actions include scrolling, paging, and changing the value of a displayed field.
Frequently, a task provides a mechanism for performing some more detailed manipulation of data that has been selected on the originating page. For example, suppose a user selects a row that corresponds to a particular record on one action page. By clicking the button for the Open task, the user is presented with a new action page that displays that record in more detail, showing additional fields that were not visible on the originating action page. The new page is likely to allow editing of at least some of the fields being displayed, allowing those fields of the record to be changed by the user.
Tasks are presented in Business Desk user interface as a horizontal row of buttons, known as the taskbar, located at the top of the content pane. There are two types of task buttons: standard task buttons and task menu buttons. Task menu buttons are one of several ways for handling what is known as task branching. The aspects of Business Desk tasks are discussed in more detail in the following topics.
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