Section rules not auto-generated: advantages and risks
Summary
A developer asks:
The Process Commander guardrails indicate that hand-crafted HTML code in section rules is risky and unwise. However, our business users have requested user interface features that seem to be impossible to implement with auto-generated HTML. To meet what they consider as requirements, we must violate the guardrail.
What are your suggestions for balancing between the guardrail advice and our application requirements for customizing the user interface ?
Suggested Approach
There are situations where clearing the Auto-generated HTML check box on the HTML tab of a flow action or section rule is the right thing to do.
Carefully consider each case, as alternatives exist that may meet some or all of the user interface requirements. For example,:
- You can make many customizations by changes to style sheets, which are defined by Rule-File-Text rules.
- Dynamic Select controls can be helpful.
- HTML Properties can be useful when the requirement relates to a single property.
First, have users (or stand-ins for users) actually experiment hands-on with Process Commander work object forms that don't require hand-crafted HTML code. Don't rely on first impressions or looks alone.
Making a new input form look exactly like the form on an older system that being replaced can ease user training and acceptance, but the result may be less than the best user interface you can build.
If you do decide to clear the check box and hand-craft HTML code or JavaScript to support exotic user interface requirements, it is a good idea to consolidate all such code in a single section rule, rather than spreading it across multiple sections.