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Show progress, age, due dates and comparisons with insight fields

How-to8 minPractitioner

Before you start

An insight field turns fields you already have into a small picture: a bar that fills as work moves along, an age that turns red, a strip showing how close a due date is, or bars that compare numbers. You choose the fields. Beezr writes the script and shows a live preview before you save.

Create an insight field

Section titled “Create an insight field”
  1. On the Fields page, click Insight field. The New insight field dialog opens.
  2. Under What should it show?, choose one of the four questions.
  3. Type a Label, for example Request progress. The system name appears under it.
  4. Fill in the settings for your question. The next sections list them.
  5. Check the preview on the right. Try a value lets you test sample values.
  6. Click Create insight field.

Insight field created. appears and the field shows in the list with the type Insight. It shows in data views and on the record page.

The New insight field dialog. The four questions sit at the top left, the settings for the chosen question below, and the preview with Try a value chips on the right.
    What should it show? offers four questions.
    The settings change with the question. This one asks for a Stage field.
    Try a value previews a sample record at each stage.
    The preview shows the field in a data view and on the record page.
    Create insight field saves it.

How do I show progress through stages?

Section titled “How do I show progress through stages?”

Choose How far along it is. It draws progress through the values of a Lookup, such as Requested, Approved, Ordered, Delivered.

  • Stage field: pick the Lookup field. Each record’s value decides its stage.
  • Style: Bar, Steps or Ring.
  • Stages, in order: drag to reorder. The first stage is 0% and the last is 100%.
  • Click the eye on a stage to hide it. Hidden stages move under “Not shown”, and records at those stages show as empty. Keep at least 2 stages. Click Show to bring one back.
  • Colour: pick a swatch or Custom… and type a colour such as #2f6fde. Change with progress shows amber at the start, your colour in the middle and green when complete.

A stage that you add to the Lookup later appears in the dialog with a New tag the next time you edit the field.

How do I show the age of a record?

Section titled “How do I show the age of a record?”

Choose How old it is.

  • Count from: pick a Date or Date time field.
  • Turn amber after and Turn red after: a number and a unit of days, weeks or months. The defaults are 7 and 14 days.

Red has to come after amber. A date in the future shows as “in 3 days” and stays green.

How do I show whether something is on time?

Section titled “How do I show whether something is on time?”

Choose Whether it’s on time.

  • Start and Due: two different Date or Date time fields.
  • Warn when less than a percentage of the time is left. The default is 25.
  • Colour: pick a swatch.

Past the due date the bar is red and reads, for example, “3 days late”.

How do I compare numbers?

Section titled “How do I compare numbers?”

Choose How numbers compare. It draws comparison bars side by side, scaled to the largest value on the record.

  • Pick a number field for each bar: Integer, Long, Decimal or Currency.
  • Give each a Short label.
  • Click the coloured dot to cycle the bar’s colour. Click Add a number for another bar, or the cross to remove one. Keep at least two bars.

What happens when a record has no value?

Section titled “What happens when a record has no value?”

Under When the value is empty, choose Show nothing or Show “Not set”. The preview shows the result.

Check your insight settings

Section titled “Check your insight settings”

The pickers list the module’s stored fields of the right type for each question.

Each save checks your settings and tells you what to fix, such as picking a start date or choosing number fields. Beezr saves the field once the checks pass.

Beezr saves an insight as a virtual smart field. Nothing is stored in the module, so the picture is drawn when the record or list loads.

How do I edit an insight later?

Section titled “How do I edit an insight later?”

Open the field from the list. The editor shows an Insight summary, for example “Progress · Bar · from Status · 5 stages”, and an Edit insight button. Change it, then click Save changes. The dialog says “Changes show on every record as soon as you save.”

Edit as script… turns the insight into a plain smart field. Beezr asks “Turn this into a script?” first. The field keeps its script.

After converting an insight to a script and saving, edit the calculation in the Smart Script editor.

Check yourself

Layla wants a bar that fills as a request moves from Requested to Delivered. Which insight question fits?
Show the answer

How far along it is. "How far along it is" shows progress through the stages of a lookup field.

Omar sets an Age insight to turn amber after 14 days and red after 7 days. What does Beezr do?
Show the answer

Refuses it with "Red has to come after amber. Enter a larger number.". The red limit must be larger than the amber limit.

What's next

Calculate a value with a smart fieldAdd a smart field that works out a value from other fields with a Smart Script, and choose between a stored and a virtual one.Virtual fields and encrypted fieldsUnderstand the two Storage switches in the field editor, Virtual field and Encrypt values, and decide when a field should use either.

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