Using Polaris Workforms

In Polaris, the windows where you create, view, and edit records are called workforms. Each workform has its own menu bar and toolbar for performing the tasks related to the record or records displayed in the workform. Some workforms display a single record, such as the Bibliographic Record workform, and you can edit only the data related to that record. Other workforms, such as the Bibliographic Record Set workform, list more than one record and you can perform actions on multiple records from the same workform.

Workforms have color-coded banners along the left side that correspond to the subsystem. For example, the Bibliographic Record workform has a dark blue banner.

See also:

Working with Multiple Workforms

You can have multiple workforms open simultaneously, and switch from one workform to another by clicking the workform or by pressing ALT+TAB. You can also use the following options on the Window menu:

Tip:
To use the key combinations to maximize, minimize, or close multiple workforms, the cursor must be in the Polaris Shortcut Bar.

  • Cascade - ALT+W+C - Restores minimized Polaris windows to the desktop. Each consecutive window is positioned below and to the right of the previous window.
  • Minimize All - ALT+W+M - Minimizes all Polaris desktop windows, and places each with an icon on the Windows taskbar.
  • Close All - ALT+W+A - Closes all open Polaris windows. However, the Shortcut Bar remains displayed and available for use.

Workform Features

All Polaris workforms have a menu bar and a tool bar with options to perform tasks on the displayed record, link to other records, create records, see record properties, and get online help. Many workforms have more than one view, and you change the workform view by selecting an option from the View menu, by clicking an icon on the left banner of the workform, or by pressing CTRL+TAB on the keyboard. The status bar at the bottom of a workform displays information such as The record was saved successfully.

Workforms contain fields in the form of drop-down list boxes, text boxes, checkboxes, date pickers, or other types of controls. For more information on entering dates in Polaris workforms, see Using Date Pickers.

You can move from one field to another in a workform using the mouse or the TAB key. If you use the TAB key to go to a list box, press the ALT key and the down arrow key to open the list box.

You can enter or edit data in boxes with a white background; boxes with gray backgrounds are read-only for system-generated information or information that you cannot edit. Bold labels indicate required fields, and the record cannot be saved without information in these fields. If the bottom right corner of the workform has a dotted arrow resize.gif, you can resize the workform by dragging the corner.

If a workform has a Find button, the Find Tool opens with the appropriate type of record selected. For example, the Title field on the Item Record workform has a Find button that opens the Find Tool with Bibliographic Records selected in the Object box. For more information about the Polaris Find Tool, see Finding Polaris Records.

Workform Actions

You can do the following actions on Polaris workforms.

Using Date Pickers

To open the calendar, click the down arrow next to a date box. The default date selected in the calendar is today’s date, which is displayed in the bottom of the calendar. Select a different date in the same month, or move to the previous or next month by clicking the right or left arrows at the top of the calendar.

To go to a date in a different month, click on the date at the top of the calendar to display months of the year, and select a different month. To go to the previous or next year, click the arrows at the top of the calendar.

To select a different year, click the year at the top of the calendar. The calendar changes to display the years in the current decade. Select a different year. To go to the next or previous decade, use the left and right arrows at the top of the calendar.

To select a different decade, click the decade at the top of the calendar. The calendar changes to display decades. Select a different decade.

Date Picker Keyboard Shortcuts

You can use the following keys to select dates in the date picker calendar control.

Note:
The keyboard commands and resulting actions listed below are for the calendar control as it is first displayed with the days of the month. You can also use these keys to move around in the calendar displaying the months of the year, the years in a decade, or decades.