Navigating Preceda
The folders and windows that you have access to will be displayed in the Navigator on the left side of the window. These options will vary depending on your setup. The opening window displays selected information about your session on the top right area.
The Desktop contains the navigational and user interface components that can be used to interact with the system. The components displayed will vary according to the setup of your system and the security privileges granted to you.
Menu
This area displays the list of available Preceda modules (e.g. Administration, Time, Payroll). The visibility of the items depends on your Access Profile. Favourites, your selected screens or the usual screens you use, may also be made available on this Top Level Navigator.
Found at the left side of your Preceda screen, the Second Level Navigator is populated with the relevant menu items when a Top Level Menu is clicked.
If you have your navigator panel collapsed and unpinned, selecting a Top Level Menu item will cause the panel to expand briefly to allow you to select the Second Level item. The panel will remain visible as long as your mouse is within the panel, and will automatically collapse when you move your mouse away from the panel.
You can also pin the panel so that the Second Level Navigator is always visible /collapsed.
Main Window
This special type of toolbar allows the user to quickly find records in the database by entering a code or a description on the tool bar and pressing the Enter key. The search fields are always available on the desktop and the user can easily change search criteria and re-run the search.
This contains rows of information returned by the Search option.
This area is where your selected screen displays the content of your selection (i.e. details for an employee that has been selected).
This is also where you can view a record, make a new record, edit an existing record, or delete employee record, depending on the access profile linked to your account.
Once data has been entered and saved, or refreshed, a status message appears on this window.
Messages such as "Payroll in Progress" and "Payrun Header record must exist before timecards can be entered" are also displayed to inform users on the status of a particular screen.
Notifications / Widgets
The To Do List will display any workflow tasks which have been assigned to the user currently logged in. To approve and mark the task as complete, double-click on any of the tasks to review and action them.
This section shows who has a birthday in the next seven days.
Your profile is displayed here along with a link (or contextual actions) to edit them (e.g. Edit Profile). It also lists your leave balances and an option to apply for leave (e.g. Apply for Leave, Leave Planner) or link to view your pay slip/s.
If you have your Navigator Panel collapsed, selecting a top level menu item will cause the panel to expand briefly to allow you to select the Second Level item The panel will remain visible as long as your mouse is within the panel, and will automatically collapse when you move your mouse away from the panel. You can also expand a collapsed panel by hovering your mouse over the coloured bar at the edge of the window.
Top-Right Menu Items
This is only available when Dashboard is enabled (i.e. check box ticked on the Advanced User Setting). Clicking this icon directs you to the Dashboards screen.
The Help (question mark) icon gives you the option to view the Knowledge Base (Content) and review information related to the current Preceda version/session/database (Session Information, About, Display Log). It also provides the option to contact Preceda's Support Team.
This icon displays a list of Preceda Tools (e.g., Console, Extractor, Report Manager, and Mapper) and an option to update the overall Preceda colour theme (via User Interface).
This icon displays options such as:
- Personalisation - This allows you to set Hotkeys and Favourites, or Reset All Panels.
- Change Password - This enables you to update your current password and set up two secret questions for a more secured account.
- Log out - This will log you out of Preceda.
This section displays the database being used and the username.
Navigator
A special shortcut to find a window quickly is available. <Ctrl> + Q displays the Navigator Dialog box.
To initiate a search of all Preceda Activities:
- In the Activity Name field, type the letters of the window that you are looking for. Partial letters will display a list of all windows either beginning with or containing those letters.
- You can also right click on a tab in the Second Level Navigation, and select Find. This will display the Navigator Dialog box as well.
Preceda caters for both mouse bound users and keyboard users.
Using the Mouse - The mouse can be used to access menu items, buttons and icons on windows. Icons on toolbar have been introduced to quicken the mouse process by enabling the user to select frequently used commands via a shortcut.
Using the Keyboard - Use of the keyboard has been made as easy as possible with the introduction of shortcut keys for frequently used commands and navigation within windows and the Navigator.