Panel

This article is a stub.

Panels

Panels, in a software context, are windows, dialogs or similar generic interface elements which are presented to a user. They can be small prompts or dialogs which facilitate an inquiry or message towards a user. They can also be larger, more complex interface components with multiple texts and/or elements on them.

Panels in the Tygron Engine?

File:ReleaseNotesPanel.jpg

Release Notes Panel from Editor

In a project, panels are a term specifically used for a user-defined interface element, which can be created and configured in the editor. They are purposefully left generic and abstract. The contents are entirely left open for a project- or template-specific implementation. Panels can be placed in the 3D world, where they are represented by a popup which can be clicked to open the panel. They can also be opened via a client event, or left entirely unavailable.

Most panels render a html content. This means they can display text without additional formatting, but can also be styled using html, css, and javascript. This has the added benefit that those panels can also be opened in a web browser, or included in the rendering of a web interface.

Panel types

There are 5 types of panels available in the Tygron Engine.

Panel type	Description	Functioning
Text panel	The contents of the panel are defined directly as text.	The text is interpreted as html content and directly displayed as content of the panel. If it's html-formatted content, it will be displayed in that styled manner.
Web panel	The contents of the panel are defined by a url.	The web page at that url is used as content for the panel. When attempting to open the panel in a web browser, the web page will be accessed directly (i.e. not via the Tygron Engine).
Global panel	One or more globals are linked to this panel, allowing an end-user to edit the values of those globals during a session.	The panel has a predefined structure in the session interface, and a fixed location. For each linked global, an input field with that global's value is displayed. The value can be changed and submitted by an end-user in the session. This will change the value of the global to the entered value. This panel does not have an html representation, and cannot be opened in the web browser or be made part of the web interface.
Excel panel	The contents of the panel are defined by an excel file.	Each time data in the project or session is updated, the excel file is recalculated. The results are interpreted as (html-formatted) text, and displayed as such. Effectively, this panel is similar to a text panel, but rather than a static definition for the text contents, the definition is dynamically generated via the excel.
Template excel panel	This is not a panel by itself, but forms a definition by which panels can be generated automatically. The "instances" of these panels behave as regular panels.	Based on how the template panel is defined, a number of "instances" of the panel will be generated. Configurations such as the size, model, and attributes of the panel are carried over directly. The panel name, the assigned stakeholder, and certain queries in the excel are modified based on what the template panel is applied on.

Properties of panels

Panels have a number of properties which can be configured in the editor. They also allow for the definitions of arbitrary attributes.

Adding and editing single panels

Adding/removing panels

The left panel for panels in the editor.

How to add a single panel:

1. Select the desired panel type at the bottom of the left panel.
2. Select "Add Panel".

How to remove a single panel:

1. Select the "Single Panels" category in the left panel. Select the specific panel you wish to remove.
2. Select "Remove".

Configuring panels

Template:Editor ribbon When you select a single panel, the right panel will be filled with the information pertaining to the panel. A number of properties can be configured.

The right panel for panels in the editor.

Name

The field for the "name".

The name of the panel. You can change this by altering the text in the "Name" field.

Panel Layout

The fields for the location.

The location of the panel, in pixels of distance from the bottom-left corner of the screen. "-1" places the panel in the default location. You can change this by changing the value in the first input field for the horizontal location, and the second input field for the vertical location.

Panel Width & Height

The fields for the size.

The size of the panel, in pixels. The size set is the outer edge of the panel, there is some distance between the outer edge and the edge of the content placed in the panel. You can change the size by changind the value in the first input field for the width, and the second input field for the height.

Visible

The checkbox for visibility.

Whether the panel's popup should be visible in the 3D world. If the panel has a location in the 3D world, and the panel is visible, a popup is present in the 3D world, clickable by the end-user. If the panel has no location in the 3D world, or is not set to be visible, the panel's popup is not visible in the 3D world.

Request Attention

The checkbox for attention.

Whether the panel's popup should draw attention in the 3D world. If the panel has a location in the 3D world, and the panel is visible, and the panel draws attention, an arrow will appear for the end-user indicating where the panel is.

Assign to Specific Stakeholder

The checkbox and dropdown for the panel's stakeholder.

Whether the panel is only available to one stakeholder, or to all. If the checkbox is unchecked, the panel is available to all stakeholders. If checked, only the stakeholder indicated in the dropdown can see or access the panel. Other stakeholders will not be able to see the panel in the 3D world. If another stakeholder attempts to open the panel, for example via the web interface, they will get an error message that they are not allowed to access the panel.

Model

The model to use for in-map visualization.

The model used for the panel's popup. The model consists of both a 3D model for most zoom levels, and a 2D icon for the higher zoom levels and the web interface. Change the selection in the dropdown to change the used model and icon.

Overlay

The overlay to activate when the panel is opened.

When the panel is opened, this overlay should be activated to provide (additional) geographical information to the end-user. If set to "NONE", no overlay is used. Change the selection in the dropdown to change the used overlay.

Point in 3D World

The options to assign the panel to a geographical location.

A panel can be given a location in the 3D world. To do so, select "Set Point", and use the brush to select a position. To remove it from the 3D world, select "Remove Point".

Open Panel

The button to open the panel in the session interface.

To open the panel for testing purposes, you can select "Open Panel" to open the panel in the session interface. You can also open the panel in the web browser by selecting "Open in Web Browser".

Adding and editing template panels

Adding/removing template panels

How to add a template panel:

1. Select the desired panel type at the bottom of the left panel.
2. Select "Add Panel".

How to remove an instance of a template panel:

1. Select the "Single Panels" category in the left panel. Select the specific panel you wish to remove.
2. Select "Remove".

How to remove a template panel and all instances:

1. Select the "Single Panels" category in the left panel. Select the specific panel you wish to remove.
2. Select "Remove".