PeopleTools 8.58 - New Window feature for Fluid

Previously, I wrote about how we can implement the New Window link as a workaround since it was missing in Fluid. The idea was to add the New Window link to the Actions menu.

Refer: Fluid UI - New Window Feature - Workaround

The good news is that in PeopleTools 8.58, the New Window link is available for Fluid components as well!

How does it work? It is implemented very similar to my workaround as a link in the Actions menu.

Further, the New Window can be enabled on a Fluid Component using the same approach that we use for Classic Components. That is, using the Component Internet Properties.

Few things I noticed while testing this feature.

Disable Pagebar

The Disable Pagebar checkbox in the Pagebar settings has no effect on the New Window link for Fluid. This is working as designed because the Pagebar is not available in Fluid. The New Window link is part of the Action Menu in Fluid.

I bring this up because we cannot simply use the Disable Pagebar and assume that the New Window link will be disabled at the component level for Fluid. In this case, we must disable the New Window link property specifically.

Web Profile Disable New Window Setting

There is a setting/option in the Web Profile - General 'tab' that allows us to enable or disable the New Window feature at a global level. If we disable the New Window feature in the Web Profile, then even if components have the New Window enabled, the New Window will not appear. That is how it works for Classic.

Although, when I tested this by disabling the New Window on my web profile and restarted the web server, I found that Fluid components do not honor this Web Profile setting. This appears to be a bug.

Refer: Configuring Web Profile - General Portal Properties

Fluid/Classic Components displayed in wrappers

I found this interesting PeopleBooks which describes the expected behavior and priority for displaying the New Window.

Refer: Opening New Windows

Adding Custom Links to Action Menu using DoURLWarning JavaScript Function

In the past, I wrote about how we can add custom links to the Branding - Action Menu at the system level.

Refer: Adding Custom Links to Fluid Branding

While testing this feature, I found that these custom links do not work in certain scenarios. For example, clicking those links from within the NUI Activity Guide framework (which is also used in Nav Collections).

I originally used the FieldChange event and the Response Class RedirectURL method to implement the redirection logic in Fluid Branding as shown below.

Since the Response Class RedirectURL method proved to be problematic in certain scenarios, I started investigating other options. In the process, I found this great delivered JavaScript function called DoURLWarning which is part of PT_HISTORY object in 8.55+ (PT_PAGESCRIPT_FMODE object in 8.54).

DoURLWarning function allows us to redirect to a URL using javascript. Additionally, the function will take care of checking for any unsaved data in the current page and if there is any it will display the "Save Warning" message. If not, it will redirect to the URL in the parameter list.

To use the DoURLWarning function, I removed all the redirect logic from the FieldChange Event. And added code in the RowInit event (as shown below) to utilize the DoURLWarning in combination with the Field Class JavaScriptEvents Property.

PeopleCode for reference

Demo

As we can see in the demo video, the custom link on the Action Menu works when invoked from the Activity Guide framework (which is also used in Nav Collections). The same approach described above can be used to implement custom links to internal PeopleSoft pages as well (e.g.: Process Monitor, Report Manager, etc.).

Save Warning Demo

Fluid UI New Window Feature Implementation

I used a similar technique as described above to implement the 'New Window' feature in Fluid UI as a custom link on the Branding - Action Menu.

Refer: Fluid UI - New Window Feature - Workaround

The only difference in the implementation is that instead of using the Response Class RedirectURL method (which would redirect/replace within the current window), I used the ViewContentURL method to open a new window as shown below.

We can see in the demonstration below, that the same problem described for the custom links also exists for this New Window implementation.

To workaround the problem, I took a similar approach and removed the existing logic from the FieldChange event and moved it to the RowInit event. In the RowInit event, I used the Field Class JavaScriptEvents Property in combination with the Window interface's open method as shown below. Additionally, I also updated the logic to include the %Request.QueryString to the URL to make sure that none of the additonal parameters are lost when opening the new window.

PeopleCode for reference

Demo

Fluid UI - New Window Feature - Workaround

Graham Smith created an idea on My Oracle Support Community to carry forward the "New Window" feature in Fluid pages especially for users on the desktop (or non-small form factor devices).

We can understand that Fluid user interface is designed with a mobile first and more importantly small form factor (SFF) first approach. This is one of the reasons why we don't get the Toolbar Actions (Save, Return to List, Next in list, Previous in list, etc.) by default on Fluid pages. But Graham has rightly pointed out that Fluid is not just an UI for mobile devices, we also need to account for users on desktops who are accustomed to opening new windows using the "New Window" feature.

This idea is trending and has already received several votes in a short period. I am hoping this would be incorporated as an enhancement in the future PeopleTools releases. I encourage everyone to continue voting. The more the merrier!
https://community.oracle.com/ideas/16701
 
Workaround while we wait?

Note: The workaround suggested in this post involves a minor customization. As with any customization, we will need to determine - based on our environment and circumstances - if the cost of maintaining this customization (until such time as we receive a solution from Oracle) outweighs the benefits!

Let us say that we decided to go down the path of introducing the "New Window" feature in Fluid, where would we put it? I am not convinced that bringing it back in literal terms and placing it exactly where it was located in Classic pages would be a good fit for Fluid (even if we are only talking medium, large and extra large form factors). If we notice, the traditional "Help" feature that links to context sensitive PeopleBooks, is now located in the Action Menu on the Fluid Header.

New Window and Help links in Classic:

Help link in Fluid:

It seems logical to similarly add the "New Window" functionality to the Action Menu in the Fluid Branding Header! That way, we will not be interfering with the content area of the page.

In my previous posts on Branding, I described how we can globally (across the application) add a link to the Action Menu in the Fluid Branding Header. I demonstrated the concept using an external link as an example.
Refer: Adding Custom Links to Fluid Branding

We can follow the same steps to add the 'New Window' link as well. In my case, I already created the custom subpage (CSK_HEADER_ACTION). I simply added a groupbox and a hyperlink (derived work field) to the subpage (similar to the external link example).

I added the following PeopleCode on the FieldChange event to open a New Window.

Updated on 04/26/2018

Please refer the below blog post for updated code/logic.
https://pe0ples0ft.blogspot.com/2018/04/adding-custom-links-to-action-menu.html#2

Results:

Suppress New Window feature on Small Form Factor (SFF) Devices (Optional):

If we would like to suppress the New Window feature for SFF devices, then we can simply configure this using the page field properties as shown in the following screenshots.

PeopleCode for Reference:

&fullURI = %Request.FullURI;

&pos1 = Find("/psc/", &fullURI);
&part1 = Substring(&fullURI, 1, &pos1 + 4);
&part2 = Substring(&fullURI, &pos1 + 5, Len(&fullURI));

&pos2 = Find("/", &part2);
&part3 = Substring(&part2, 1, &pos2 - 1);
&part4 = Substring(&part2, &pos2, Len(&part2));

&pos3 = Find("_", &part3);
If &pos3 = 0 Then
   &site = &part3;
Else
   &site = Substring(&part3, 1, &pos3 - 1);
End-If;

&newWinURL = &part1 | &site | "_newwin" | &part4;
ViewContentURL(&newWinURL);

Related Posts - Productivity Enhancements:
Fluid UI - CTRL+J - On Mobile Devices