After installing Fixed Assets I noticed that the menu is completely different but, more logical than that of the rest of ADempiere. So, how about establishing a menu standard that will ensure that consistency and therefore professionalism is maintained throughout the product?
Something like:
Menu
>Quote-to-Invoice
>>Sales Orders
>>>Rules
>>>Transact
>>>Report and Inquire
>>>Processes
>>Shipments
>>>Rules
>>>Transact
>>>Report and Inquire
>>>Processes
Etc...
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>After installing Fixed Assets I noticed that the menu is completely different but, more logical than that of the rest >of ADempiere. So, how about establishing a menu standard that will ensure that consistency and therefore >professionalism is maintained throughout the product?
>
>Something like:
>
>Menu
>Quote-to-Invoice
>>Sales Orders
>>>Rules
>>>Transact
>>>Report and Inquire
>>>Processes
I like such organization.
If you could help me to create a xml file with suggested by you structure we could have a easily importable xml file with new menu.
I have been thinking about this for some time now and it is not as simple as I initially thought. There are so many menu options that don't make sense where they are currently. I also think that the Menu is very important in creating an impression of what the system's capabilities are.
So, I'll be working on this a bit more.
If anyone else has some thoughts on this, please comment.
For example; should we have a Master Data Management section where all Business Partners, Products, etc. are kept or should it remain where they currently are?
I am of the opinion that a central Master Data Management section is better than the current menu options.
André
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I'm not against changing the menus but a couple of points I think we should consider.
Firstly, I have no doubt that there can be improvements but I think we should keep in mind when compiere "designed" [? :)] these menus they were attempting to break away from the typical application menu setup of Master Data, Process & Reports and trying to restructure them more in line with what people actually do day to day in their jobs ... especially in smaller businesses were roles that might have strict separation in larger businesses are sometimes blurred or merged into one. So the purchasing for example include goods receipts which is quiet strange for many I think.
Secondly, is that the menus are completely customizable through the AD ... but that's not realy my point. I think we as developers often view the application from our own perspective we are using it every day with perhaps with multiple test clients setup & different DBs and servers. We probably only use the Admin role and mostly have access to ALL menus ... but I would have assumed that many implementation would customise the menus for the roles identified during that implementation ?? ... for example the warehouse guys in mine only receive & ship goods ... so I the custom menu assign to their roles has only these windows & process and a couple of extra options ... there is no point confusing people with information they don't need. And believe me it two menu options to do the same thing can do that.
I often feel that enhancements like the new quick menu for example was developed with us developers in mind ... not the real users... we typically have access to ALL menu items so it make sense to put the large number of typical windows & processes we use in a quick list that is really a nice enhanced menu :) Likewise that nice new addition of including the Document number in the window, the doc number is create but I'm sure the server & db info [which very useful to us] has many users scratching there head wondering what it's all about :)
So I'm not saying don't change them just let us think about it from the users perspective and try and be innovative.
colin
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I just provided understandable and transferable way to store menus in xml file.
I also store access rights in xml files.
In most of the cases i sit together with customer and organize menus as he wants. Requirements are really different in each case.
All this means that i do not plan to change core Adempiere menu organization, unless community vote positively and someone support the effort for transformation.
Kind regards,
Trifon
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>> i sit together with customer and organize menus as he wants. Requirements are really different in each case.
Yeah that's what I meant.
I did this too but I used System Admin role to create a new menu tree, then the tree maintenance window in to add menu items ... but the tree maintence is it's not very user friendly and it's easy to make mistakes. I have more then once the move all button instead of move one and then have to manually remove all the menu items I mistakenly moved. :)
Then I assigned these stripped down custom menus to the different roles.
colin
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Hi All,
After installing Fixed Assets I noticed that the menu is completely different but, more logical than that of the rest of ADempiere. So, how about establishing a menu standard that will ensure that consistency and therefore professionalism is maintained throughout the product?
Something like:
Menu
>Quote-to-Invoice
>>Sales Orders
>>>Rules
>>>Transact
>>>Report and Inquire
>>>Processes
>>Shipments
>>>Rules
>>>Transact
>>>Report and Inquire
>>>Processes
Etc...
Hi Avdalen,
>After installing Fixed Assets I noticed that the menu is completely different but, more logical than that of the rest >of ADempiere. So, how about establishing a menu standard that will ensure that consistency and therefore >professionalism is maintained throughout the product?
>
>Something like:
>
>Menu
>Quote-to-Invoice
>>Sales Orders
>>>Rules
>>>Transact
>>>Report and Inquire
>>>Processes
I like such organization.
If you could help me to create a xml file with suggested by you structure we could have a easily importable xml file with new menu.
Here you could find template xml file:
http://www.adempiere.com/wiki/index.php/User:Trifonnt#Reorganization_of_Adempiere_menu
Kind regards,
Trifon
Hi Trifon,
I have been thinking about this for some time now and it is not as simple as I initially thought. There are so many menu options that don't make sense where they are currently. I also think that the Menu is very important in creating an impression of what the system's capabilities are.
So, I'll be working on this a bit more.
If anyone else has some thoughts on this, please comment.
For example; should we have a Master Data Management section where all Business Partners, Products, etc. are kept or should it remain where they currently are?
I am of the opinion that a central Master Data Management section is better than the current menu options.
André
Hi Guys
I'm not against changing the menus but a couple of points I think we should consider.
Firstly, I have no doubt that there can be improvements but I think we should keep in mind when compiere "designed" [? :)] these menus they were attempting to break away from the typical application menu setup of Master Data, Process & Reports and trying to restructure them more in line with what people actually do day to day in their jobs ... especially in smaller businesses were roles that might have strict separation in larger businesses are sometimes blurred or merged into one. So the purchasing for example include goods receipts which is quiet strange for many I think.
Secondly, is that the menus are completely customizable through the AD ... but that's not realy my point. I think we as developers often view the application from our own perspective we are using it every day with perhaps with multiple test clients setup & different DBs and servers. We probably only use the Admin role and mostly have access to ALL menus ... but I would have assumed that many implementation would customise the menus for the roles identified during that implementation ?? ... for example the warehouse guys in mine only receive & ship goods ... so I the custom menu assign to their roles has only these windows & process and a couple of extra options ... there is no point confusing people with information they don't need. And believe me it two menu options to do the same thing can do that.
I often feel that enhancements like the new quick menu for example was developed with us developers in mind ... not the real users... we typically have access to ALL menu items so it make sense to put the large number of typical windows & processes we use in a quick list that is really a nice enhanced menu :) Likewise that nice new addition of including the Document number in the window, the doc number is create but I'm sure the server & db info [which very useful to us] has many users scratching there head wondering what it's all about :)
So I'm not saying don't change them just let us think about it from the users perspective and try and be innovative.
colin
Hi Colin, Avdalen,
I just provided understandable and transferable way to store menus in xml file.
I also store access rights in xml files.
In most of the cases i sit together with customer and organize menus as he wants. Requirements are really different in each case.
All this means that i do not plan to change core Adempiere menu organization, unless community vote positively and someone support the effort for transformation.
Kind regards,
Trifon
Hi Trifon,
>> i sit together with customer and organize menus as he wants. Requirements are really different in each case.
Yeah that's what I meant.
I did this too but I used System Admin role to create a new menu tree, then the tree maintenance window in to add menu items ... but the tree maintence is it's not very user friendly and it's easy to make mistakes. I have more then once the move all button instead of move one and then have to manually remove all the menu items I mistakenly moved. :)
Then I assigned these stripped down custom menus to the different roles.
colin