Navigating the NexJ CRM user interface

The first time you start NexJ CRM you will see the Home workspace, which is a summary of the information that is most relevant to you. For more information about the Home workspace, see Home workspace. Each of the other workspaces focuses on a particular feature or function of the application. For example, the Contacts workspace allows you to view and manage client records and the Schedule workspace displays your calendar and enables you to schedule action items.

Using the navigator sidebar to open workspaces

The navigator sidebar displays on the left side of the application window and enables you to navigate between available workspaces. To expand the sidebar menu, and see the names of the workspaces, click the collapsed menu button at the top of the sidebar, or click directly on a workspace button to navigate to that workspace. For example, click the Schedule button

Button	Workspace
	Home
	Nudges
	Contacts
	Schedule
	Tasks
	Document Manager
	Opportunities
	Customize
	Reports
	Service Level Management
	Import
	Batch Processes

Using the application toolbar

The application toolbar is located at the top of the application window and contains the following buttons:

Button	Description
	The Conversations button opens the Conversations sidebar. When you have unread messages, the Conversations button indicates the number of conversations with unread messages, for example  .
	The Notifications button opens the Notifications sidebar. If there are unread notifications in your notifications stream, the Notifications button indicates the number of unread notifications, for example  .
	The User settings button opens a menu with the following options: User Preferences Opens the User Preferences dialog which contains options for setting the region and language preferences for NexJ CRM, choosing a default Document Manager folder, managing turned-off notifications, and managing reminders for tasks or schedule items. For more information, see Regionalization. When managing reminders, you should be aware of the following information: If you re-enable reminders within the same day that you have disabled them, you will see reminders for the times they were scheduled. An alarm will be displayed as a Reminders dialog at the times you selected for the reminders. If you don't re-enable reminders within the same day that you have disabled them, you will not receive an alarm for overdue reminders for previous hours.  For more information about setting reminders and responding to them, see Tasks and Schedule items. Batch Processes Opens the Batch Processes workspace where you can view the status and details of a batch process. For more information, see Batch operations. Files Enables you to download files when they are available for download. About NexJ CRM Displays information about the version of NexJ CRM. You can use this information when communicating with your system administrator or NexJ Customer Support, if required. NexJ CRM Help Opens the portal page for the product documentation.

Using cards on workspaces

Some workspaces contain cards, which are containers of information that you can interact with. Cards serve as entry points to information that is more detailed. Depending on the workspace, cards can display tables of data, lists of tasks, summary charts, or information fields. You can add, edit, and delete records on cards that contain a data table. You can also mark tasks as complete, run reports, or navigate to other workspaces from a variety of cards. For example, on the Home workspace, on the Today's Agenda card, you can add a schedule item using one of the available templates.

The placement of cards in the user interface is determined by the responsive design.

Summary cards

Summary cards display items containing information. Item details can be expanded to show quick actions that can be performed directly from the card. For example, on the Home workspace, you can expand a task on the My Tasks card and click Mark As Complete or Delete. Summary cards also contain the Add button

In addition, summary cards can have the following action buttons:

Chart cards

Chart cards graphically display information based on a mathematical formula.

Total amounts in the charts use the M character to denote millions. For example, 20 million is displayed as 20M and 1 billion (1 thousand million) is displayed as 1000M. The total amount in the charts is also a rounded number. For example, if the amount is less than or equal to 4.4 million then the amount displays as 4M, and if the amount is greater than or equal to 4.5 million, it displays as 5M.

Charts contain colored segments or bands and a legend that indicates what information is displayed. The size of the segments and bands is relative.

You can interact with charts in the following ways:

• To see a tooltip that provides details about the information represented by a segment or band, hover your cursor over it.
• To see more items in the chart legend, click the up and down arrows.
• To toggle between including and excluding the information represented by a segment in a chart, click the legend item for the corresponding segment.

Notes cards

Notes cards enable you to add, view, edit, delete, or print notes.

Using data tables

The majority of the workspaces contain data tables that display records. You can search for data records or filter a data table using the search and filter functionality that is available in the workspace. When your search returns many records, use the Items per page drop-down or cycle through the pages using the chevron buttons

As of NexJ CRM 9.5, a pagination summary has been added to data tables to display the range of rows currently in view along with the total number of rows.

At the top of the data table, use the data table toolbar to add new records and perform actions on existing records. Depending on whether you select a single record or multiple records, the action options vary.

Selecting records in data tables

Each time you apply or clear filter criteria, the number of records displayed in the data table is updated and shown in its upper-left corner. This number also updates when you switch between filters. Additionally, if you have explicitly selected any of the records, the total you have selected also displays. Your selections are retained only across pages of a data table. Switching between filters clears your selections.

To better regulate performance, the maximum number of records that you can multi-select in a data table is 1000 by default. A developer can override the default value at the project level for applicable tables.

There are multiple ways to select records and perform actions for the selected records from the data table:

• Hover over a record in the data table to reveal the action buttons and click one of the available buttons to take an action directly from the table. For additional options, click the More Actions button

  

  in the record row and select an option from the menu.
• Click a data record row, so that it is highlighted by an accent color line on the left, and click on an action button in the data table toolbar, or for additional options, click the More Actions button in the data table toolbar, and select an option from the menu.
• Use the checkboxes to select one or more records in the data table, or select the Select all checkbox to multi-select all the records currently displayed in the table. Selecting records with checkboxes reveals a different set of actions in the data table toolbar. Select an action you want to accomplish from the data table toolbar, or for additional options, click the More Actions button and select an option from the menu. To select records for batch processes, use checkboxes.

Using links in data tables

Data tables contain links that enable you to open records or send emails directly from the data table. Using a link to open a record, redirects you to the workspace that contains the record. For example, clicking a contact's name in the data table on the Tasks workspace, takes you to the contact's detail page on the Contacts workspace. The back arrow button on a detail page, takes you to the workspace that contains the record you are viewing, in this case the Contacts workspace.

Depending on the type of records in the data table, you can use links to do the following:

• To open an entity's detail page, click a link in the Name column or For column of a data table.
• To send an email using your native application, click an email link in a record row.
• To open a service request record, click a link in the Request ID column of a data table.
• To open an opportunity record, click a link in the Description column of a data table.
• To open a user's detail page, click a link in the Assign To column of a data table.

Displaying and viewing data table columns

Data table columns vary by workspace and display the most relevant columns by default. You can modify the information that displays in a data table by adding or removing columns. Click the More Actions button

When the data table contains more columns than you can see, use the right and left chevron buttons in the header row to view additional columns. To ensure that the most significant information about a data record stays visible, the first two columns in a data table are always pinned.

When viewing a list of activities in a data table, you can see the full notes associated with each activity. The note is displayed as a new row, below the row with all other information about the activity. To include the notes rows in the data table, use the Select columns command (which may be accessed from the More Actions menu for the data table) to select the Note field.

This feature is currently supported only in the Activities tab on the Contacts workspace.

Sorting data tables by columns

You can sort records in a data table in ascending or descending order. When you hover over a header of a column that can be used to sort the records, an arrow displays beside the column header. To sort the records in the data table by a sortable column , click the column header. A sorted column displays a n up or down arrow beside the header to indicate the sort order. To reverse the sort order, click the column header again.

When no records are selected, you can also use the data table toolbar to sort a table. Click the More Actions button, select Sort by, and select the column you would like to sort by.

Viewing records

Click a link in the data to open a record and view detail information. Contact, company, user, opportunity, and service request records have detail pages. A detail page contains a banner at the top with overview information and tabs below the banner that provide access to more detailed information. Tabs contain either cards or a data table.

Banners

Banners display badge icons and other relevant information to provide an overview of a record . They also contain the More Actions button 

Badges are icons that visually indicate information about action items, entities, opportunities, and service requests in NexJ CRM. Badges are highly versatile and can represent almost any conditions. Administrators can configure various badges to display in the banner when the defined conditions are met. Hover over a badge in a banner to see what information it represents.

Banners display different information depending on the type of record you are viewing. For example, contact banners display the contact's name, company, position, status, preferred address, and preferred communication method.

Previewing records

You can also see summary information about a record without opening the detail view. Instead, click the Preview button

The preview shows the summary information about the record. To open the detail view of the record, click the View Details button

This functionality is currently supported for contacts, companies, and households. You can also preview entities on the Tasks workspace by clicking a name in the For or Assigned To column.

Similar functionality is supported for activities on the Tasks workspace and the Activities tab on the entity profiles. When the Preview sidebar for an activity is open, you can click the Edit button

Using the floating action button

The floating action button

Button	Action	Description
	Add Contact	Opens the New Contact dialog.
	Add Company	Opens the New Company dialog.
	Add Schedule Item	Opens the New Schedule Item dialog. The Template field defaults to a Meeting type schedule item. You can select a different type of schedule item from the drop-down.
	Add Task	Opens the New Task dialog. The Template field defaults to a To Do type of task. You can select a different type of task from the drop-down.
	Add Opportunity	Opens the New Product Opportunity dialog. You can select a different product opportunity from the drop-down in the Template field.

Using common task buttons

The following buttons appear on various workspaces across the application and enable you to perform common tasks:

Button	Description
	Add
	Copy
	Delete
	Edit
	Email
	Filter options
	Generate predefined reports
	Mark as Complete
	Open More Actions menu
	Preview
	Print Document
	Save
	Select columns
	Sort by

For information about filters, see Searching and filtering in NexJ CRM.

Selecting dates and times

When you need to specify dates and times in a field, click the calendar icon

  

The calendar banner displays your date and time selections as you make them. Perform the following actions to select a date and time:

• To select the year, click the currently displayed year in the banner, use the scroll bar to navigate, and click the desired year to select it.
• To select the month, click the currently displayed date (day of the week, month, date) in the banner, use the left and right chevron buttons to cycle through the months, and click a date to select it.
• To select the hour, click the currently selected hour in the banner, and click a value.
• To select the minutes, click the currently selected minutes in the banner, and select a value.
• To select before noon or after noon, click AM or PM in the banner as required.
• To save your changes, click OK. The changes are reflected in the field.

Relative dates

When entering a date value in a filter or a date field in an activity record, you can specify either a specific date (such as May 23, 2023) or a date relative to the current date (such as a day 10 days in the past or a date 2 weeks in the future). Date pickers where relative dates are supported display the Fixed tab for entering specific dates. If you want to enter a relative date, navigate to the tab indicating the interval you want to use. In a filter date field, you can select Day, Month, or Year.  In activity fields, you can only select Day.

On the interval tab, use the slider to specify the number and direction of the intervals to use in calculating the target date.

Alternately, you can type the relative date formula in the date field, in the interval+number or interval-number format. For example:

• enter day+5 to indicate a date 5 days in the future
• enter month-1 to indicate a date exactly a month in the past

The relative date in a filter adjusts with passing time. For example, if a filter value is day-5 and the current date is May 23, 2023, then the value used for comparison with a field value is May 18, 2023. If you re-run the same filter tomorrow, the date used for comparison would be May 19, 2023.

The relative date set for an activity is fixed once the activity is created. For example, if the current date is May 23, 2023 and you create a task with the Due Date value of day+5, then the due date will be saved as May 28, 2023. If you open the task tomorrow, the due date will still be May 28, 2023.

Using selection dialogs

Selection dialogs allow you to select items to display or values to add to a field. Depending on the type of item you are selecting, a selection dialog can contain a:

• Drop-down menu
• Single-selection table
• Multi-selection table

Single selection dialogs

Single selection dialogs allow you to choose only one item. They can contain a drop-down list or a data table. For example, in the Select a custom field type dialog, you can only select one custom field type. If you select another, your previous selection is cleared.

To find an item in the data table in a selection dialog, use the text search field where available, use the predefined filters or add filter chips to find the required item(s), and cycle through the pages using the chevron buttons 

When you are creating the following items, you can create a new entity from a single selection dialog if the target entity does not already exist:

• Contact - create a new Company
• Company - create a new Parent company
• Opportunity, Service Request - create a new entity in the For field or in the Contacts tab

To create a new entity, click the Select button

for the field, click the Add a new item button

, provide the required information in the New Company dialog (for contacts) or New Contact dialog (for opportunities or service requests), and save your changes.

When modifying the information for a contact in the Detail tab, administrators can create a new custom field type from the Select a custom field type dialog and category from the Select a category dialog by clicking the Add a new item button and providing the required information.

The following screenshot shows how when you are adding a new contact you can also add a new company by clicking the Add a new item button in the Select a company dialog.

Multiple selection dialogs

Multiple selection dialogs contain data tables that enable you to select one or more items. For example, in the Select filter fields dialog you can choose multiple filter chips to add to a search area. In the New Schedule Item dialog, you can add multiple entities in the For field and multiple users in the Assign To field.

By default, the contacts multi-select limit is set to 300 records within multiple selection dialogs. A developer can override the default value at the project level for applicable tables.

To find an item in the data table in a selection dialog, use the text search field where available, use the predefined filters or add filter chips to find the required item(s), and cycle through the pages using the chevron buttons

To select individual items, select or clear checkboxes, or to multi-select all the items, click the Select All checkbox. When you select items, the number of selections is indicated at the top and highlighted with an accent color.  For more information about filters and filter chips, see Searching and filtering in NexJ CRM.

When you are creating the following items, and you don't find the required target entity, you can create a new entity in the For field:

• Schedule Item
• Task
• Document
• Call Record

To create a new entity, click the Select button

for the For field, click the Add a new item button

, provide the required information in the New Contact dialog, and save your changes.

When the selection dialog table spans numerous pages and you make selections on different pages, the number indicates the total amount of selected items. To review all selected items, click Manage Selection to open the Selected items dialog. You can remove selected items in the Selected items dialog and you can resume making selections by clicking Make Selection.

In some cases, the number of selected items includes items that are selected by default, in addition to your selections, to show you the total number of selected items. For example, in the Select filter fields dialog, default filter chips are counted as selected items, even though they are not listed in the dialog. This indicates the total number of filter chips you are making available to refine your search for the selected filter.

Searching and filtering in selection dialogs

Some selection dialogs in NexJ CRM support search and filter functionality. For example, when adding a relationship custom field for an entity, you can choose another entity as the field value. The Select an entity dialog allows you to search for the entity using filters, filter chips, and a text search field.

Selection dialogs, retain your selections across filters. Switching between filters, or otherwise changing the search criteria in a dialog, does not clear a selection. To change your selection, select another radio button in a single selection dialog or clear the checkboxes in a multiple selection dialog. To clear all your selections and close a selection dialog, click Cancel.

In data tables on workspaces, switching between filters clears your selections.

For more information about search and filter functionality, see Searching and filtering in NexJ CRM.

Refreshing and resetting the user interface

If elements on a workspace in your user interface appear misplaced, misaligned, are missing, or if they are extremely slow to load, refresh your browser.

You can also reset the user interface, which clears the client state from NexJ CRM. This means that, in addition to reloading any misplaced, misaligned, or missing elements, all unsaved filter or search criteria are cleared and any data table preferences, such as sort order and selected columns, are reset to default. This affects all NexJ CRM workspaces, not just the one you are currently using.

To reset user interface, click the User settings button on the application toolbar and select Reset User Interface. When the user interface is reset, the Home workspace

Responding to user input errors

Field-level validation messages, for example, using an invalid format, display under the field as you are completing the dialog. To dismiss the message, enter the corrected value into the field.

Dialog-level validation messages, for example, missing required fields, also display under the relevant field. In addition, an error message banner appears under the dialog title. To dismiss both messages, enter the corrected value and save the changes. To dismiss the error message banner without correcting the error, click Dismiss 

As of NexJ CRM 22.06, dialog-level validation messages have been improved to provide more details for general validation errors.

The error message banner appears even if the error occurs on another tab in the dialog. If you do not see the error on the tab you are viewing, navigate to other tabs to find the error.

For example, if you are saving the data in the New Contact dialog, and you have not entered all the required field information, the following error messages display. Enter the correct value in the First Name field and click OK to remove both messages and save the new contact.

Also, the error message banner remains visible when you have scrolled within a dialog. For example, if you are adding a new contact, forget to provide a last name, scroll down to the end of the dialog, and click OK, you will still see the following error message banner:

Observing interface loading progress

As a workspace or dialog is opening, you may see a green progress indicator below the workspace or dialog title. This indicates that the workspace or dialog is loading and will be displayed as soon as possible. You do not need to reload the workspace or re-submit the dialog.

Responding to a client session interruption

A session may be interrupted due to a timeout, a refresh requirement, or an error.

When your client session is interrupted due to a timeout or refresh requirement, a dialog displays to inform you that your session has expired. To log back into NexJ CRM, click Log In, and provide your user name and password.

If the session is interrupted due to an error, a dialog displays to inform you that an unexpected server response has been received, along with a snippet for the server response, and an option to email your Support team.