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Personalizing Your Workspace in the Dynamics Windows Client

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You can personalize, or customize, your workspace to suit your work and preferences by changing pages so that they display only the information you need, where you need it. The personalization changes that you make will only affect what you see, not what other users see. You can personalize many parts of the user interface (UI), including which actions to include on the ribbon, how fields are positioned on FastTabs or in FactBoxes, and which menu items to include in the navigation pane.

Note

You can also personalize pages by using the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client. To learn how personalization works between the two clients, see Personalization Overview.

How to personalize your workspace

You perform most of the personalization work by using the Customize feature, which you can access from practically all types of pages by doing the following:

  1. Open the page that you want to personalize.
  2. In the top left, choose the Application menu Application Menu button in menu bar icon, choose Customize, and then select one of the customization options.

There are also some basic UI changes, such as adjusting the size of any window or expanding the width of columns, which you do directly on the page, outside of the Customize option.

General Information

While customizing the UI, it is a good idea to keep these points in mind:

  • You can record multiple customizations of the same page based on different access points to the page. For example, the Sales Orders window can be customized to look different when it is opened from the Customer Card window than when it is opened from the Sales Order Processor Role Center. The point from which you access the page to be customized is recorded in that specific page customization. Accordingly, there may be multiple page-customization records in the database, as you can see in the Delete User Personalization window.

  • The application can be configured to show and hide user interface (UI) elements (such as fields, FatTabs, and FactBoxes)lbased on your license or permissions. You will only be able to view and customize elements fields that you have permission to.

Customizing Ribbons

The ribbon provides you access to several actions. By customizing the ribbon, you can optimize it for your work processes and preferences. For example, if you frequently use the Dimensions window, you can add the Dimensions action to the Process actions group. You can also remove actions that you never use for better overview.

You can perform the following tasks to customize ribbons on pages:

  • Add, rename, or remove tabs, groups, actions, and menus.
  • Change the order of actions.
  • Restore the ribbon to its default setting.

To customize a ribbon

  1. Open the page that you want to change.
  2. In the top left, choose the Application menu Application Menu button in menu bar icon, choose Customize , and then Customize Ribbon.

The Organize actions in the ribbon dialog box is divvided into two panes. The Available actions pane lists all the actions that you can choose to add to the page. The Show actions in this order pane shows the structure of all the actions currently shown on the page.

  • Root-level items define tabs.

    • Second-level items define a group in a tab.

      • Third-level item define a menu of actions in a group

To add a group

Select the tab under which you want the group, and then select Create Group. You cannot add a group under a menu.

To add a menu

Select the group under which you want the menu, and then select Create Menu. You can only add a menu to a group or another menu.

To add an action

Select it in the Available actions pane, choose Add to add it to the Show actions in this order pane, then use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to place it where you want it.

You cannot add an action to a tab; only to a group or menu.

Limitations and Recommendations

Be aware of the following limitations when you customize the ribbon:

  • System tabs or groups such as Home or New cannot be moved or renamed. The position of some groups, such as New Document is fixed.

  • Actions or groups that have dynamic visibility cannot be added or removed.

  • You can only create menus inside groups, not inside tabs.

  • You can nest a menu within another menu, but this is not recommended.

  • If you see unexpected behavior with groups and actions after having customized the ribbon, do the following:

    1. Empty, but do not delete, the group where the problem occurs.
    2. Close the dialog using the OK button.
    3. Open the dialog again and re-add the actions to the group.

Important

Any customization that alters the ribbon could affect the guidance provided in the Dynamics NAV Help, because navigation steps in Help may refer to a different ribbon layout.

Customizing FastTabs

FastTabs help organize information about pages into simple, manageable groups. You can customize FastTabs on pages so that they support your workflow. For example, you may want to show fewer FastTabs or hide specific fields on FastTabs. You can also promote the most important fields to be included in the FastTab headers when the FastTabs are collapsed.

To customize a FastTab

  1. Open the page that you want to change.
  2. Choose the Application menu Application Menu button in menu bar icon, select Customize, and then choose Customize This Page.
  3. In the Customize <Page Name> dialog box, choose FastTabs.

To add, move, or remove FastTabs

The Show FastTabs in this order box contains the FastTabs that are currently on the page, and the order in which they are displayed. Use the Add, Remove, and Move Up and Move Down buttons to make changes.

To show and hide fields on FastTabs

In Show FastTabs in this order box, select the FastTab that you want to change, and then choose Customize FastTab. Use the buttons to customize the fields you want to display and their order on the page.

Set the Importance as follows:

  • If you want to display the field in the FastTab header when the FastTab is collapsed, set this to Promoted.
  • If you want the field to be hidden unless the user chooses the Show More Fields action on the FastTab, set this to Additional.
  • Standard is the default or normal setting.

To set up a field for Quick Entry

Select the Quick Entry check box to add the field to the quick entry field list. When you work on the page, and press the Enter key in a field, the pointer jumps to the next field that is set to be a Quick Entry field.

Customizing FactBoxes

You use FactBoxes to see information that relates to the record that you have selected in the list or opened in a task page. You can select which FactBoxes to display in your FactBox pane. You can also customize FactBoxes to display only the fields that you need.

To show or hide the FactBox pane

FactBoxes are contained in a FactBox pane, which you can choose to show or hide on a page basis. This enables you to easliy hide multiple FactBoxes without having to remove them individually.

  1. Open the page that you want to change.
  2. Choose the Application menu Application Menu button in menu bar icon, select Customize, and then choose FactBoxes. A check mark indicates that the FactBox pane is displayed.

To customize the FactBox pane

  1. Open the page that you want to change.
  2. Choose the Application menu Application Menu button in menu bar icon, select Customize, and then choose Choose FactBoxes.

To add a FactBox

Select the FactBox that you want to add to the FactBox pane in the Available FactBoxes box, and then choose the Add button.

To remove a FactBox

In the Show FactBoxes in this order box, select the FactBoxes , and then Remove button.

To change the order of the FactBoxes

In the Show FactBoxes in this order box, select the FactBox that you want to move, and then choose the Move Up or Move Down buttons until it is positioned where you want it.

To change the fields in a FactBox

  1. In the Show FactBoxes in this order box, select the FactBox, and then choose Customize Part.

  2. The Available fields box list all the fields that you can choose from. The Fields shown box shows all the fields that are currently displayed in the FactBox. Use the buttons to add, remove, and move the fields.

Customizing Columns in a List or on Document Lines

To get a better overview of the information that you need, you can customize list pages and card pages by adding or removing columns in the grids, rearranging columns, and adding a freeze pane.

To add, remove, and arrange columns

  1. You can add, remove, or rearrange columns two ways:

    • Choose the Application menu Application Menu button in menu bar icon, choose Customize, and then Choose Columns.
    • Right-choose a column header and then choose Choose Columns.

  2. In the Choose which columns to show in list dialog boxThe Available columns pane contains columns that are hidden. The Show columns in this order pane contains columns that are shown. Use the Add and Remove buttons to move columns from one field to the other. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to position the columns.

Tip

Select the Quick Entry check box to add the field to the quick entry field list. When you work on the page, and press the Enter key in a field, the pointer jumps to the next field that is set to be a Quick Entry field.

To set the freeze pane

A list can have many columns, which can force you to scroll horizontally to see all the columns. There might be some columns that you always want to display even as you scroll. To achieve this, you can add a vertical freeze pane to restrict some columns from scrolling. This enables you to ensure that only less important columns move when you scroll.

To set the freeze pane, select the column after which you want the freeze pane to start, and then choose Add Freeze Pane.

Customizing the Navigation Pane

The navigation pane displays a menu of links to different list pages. Links are grouped under root-level buttons.

To customize the navigation pane

Choose the Application menu Application Menu button in menu bar icon, choose Customize, and then choose Customize Navigation Pane.

Renaming or Rearranging Buttons in the Navigation Pane

In the Customize Navigation Pane dialog box, in the left pane, select the button that you want to move, rename, or remove and then choose the relevant button in the middle of the window.

You cannot move, rename, or remove the Home button. The Departments button can be removed from the navigation pane, but not renamed or moved.

To add a new menu button

You can create a new root-level button, and then add a menu of links under the button to open different pages.

  1. In the Customize Navigation Pane dialog box, choose New, and then type a name in the Name field.
  2. Choose the OK button.

You can add links to the button.

If you have permission to view a list, such as the sales order list, you can add a link to the list from a button in your navigation pane.

  1. In the Customize Navigation Pane dialog box, in the Navigation pane buttons field, select the menu that you want to add the link to.

  2. Choose the Add button.

  3. Browse to the link that you want to add, and then choose the OK button.

    Tip

    If you find a link in the Departments pages, you can also add it to the navigation pane. For more information, see the section Adding a Link from Departments to Your Role Center.

  1. In the Customize Navigation Pane dialog box, in the Navigation pane buttons field, select the menu where the link currently appears.

  2. In the Lists pane, select the link that you want to move, and then choose Move To or Copy To

  3. Select the navigation button that you want to add the link to, and then choose the OK button.

  1. In the Lists pane, select the link that you want to move.

  2. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to position the link.

Sometimes you may find a link on a Departments page that you want to add to your Role Center for easy access. Where you can place the link on the Role Center depends the category of the link on the Departments page.

The following table describes the types of links in each category on the Departments pages, and where on your Role Center you can add them.

Category Contains Add link to
Lists List pages Home button in navigation pane
Tasks Task pages, batch jobs, worksheets, journals Actions tab in the ribbon
Reports and Analysis Reports, batch jobs, matrix windows Reports tab in the ribbon
Documents Documents such as invoices and reminders Reports in the ribbon
Archive/History Posted/finished documents, registers Home button in navigation pane
Administration Setup windows Actions tab in the ribbon

  1. Open the Departments page.

  2. Right-choose the link, and then choose of the following (only one of these options will be available).

    Select To add the link to
    Add to Navigation Pane The Home button in navigation pane on your Role Center.
    Add to Actions on Role Center Ribbon The Actions menu on the ribbon on your Role Center
    Add to Reports on Role Center Ribbon The Reports menu on the ribbon on your Role Center

  3. Confirm the message that appears.

    The new link now appears in the menu to which you added it. However, you may want to move the link to another position in the menu. For example, if you added a link to the navigation pane, it will appear on the Home menu, but you can move it to another menu in the navigation pane. For more information, see the section Customizing the Navigation Pane.

Adding Charts to Role Centers and List Pages

When you have complex information, you may want to view a visual representation of the data to help see trends and make decisions. For example, you may want to monitor the balances per bank account for your company in a chart. You use the chart pane to visually show data from a list on the following types of pages:

  • On your Role Center, where you can select from predefined generic charts.

  • On a list page, where you can select to view a list as a chart.

To add a generic chart to your Role Center

  1. On your Role Center, choose the Application menu Application Menu button in menu bar icon, select Customize, and then Customize this Page.

  2. In the Customize the Role Center window, in the Available parts field, select Chart Part, and then choose Add.

  3. Use the Move Up, Move Down, Move Left, and Move Right buttons to position the Chart Part on your Role Center.

  4. Select the chart part, choose Customize Part.

  5. In the Customize Chart window, select the predefined chart that you want to display, and then choose the OK button.

To view a list as a chart

  1. On the list page, select the Show as Chart action.

  2. Select a measure and a dimension to create a custom chart. To see additional information, select a secondary dimension. For example, to create a simple bar chart, select a dimension on the x-axis, and then select the Dimension Count dimension on the y-axis.

Note

By default, the chart pane is hidden because it can slow down performance. You should only show the chart when you must have the information.

Handling External Files and Automation Objects

When Dynamics NAV receives an external file, you are presented with a dialog box. In addition to selecting what to do with the file, you can decide how to treat that file type next time it is received.

When Dynamics NAV is required to run an automation object, you are presented with a dialog box. You can decide whether that type of object should always or never be able to run.

To specify how to handle external files

  1. When you are presented with the dialog box, clear the Always ask before opening this type of file check box if you want Dynamics NAV to remember the option that you select in step 2. Next time that type file must be handled, the dialog box will not appear, and the file will be treated as specified in step 2.

    Alternatively, select the Always ask before opening this type of file check box to always be presented with the dialog box when this file type is received.

  2. Select Open, Save, or Cancel. The file is treated according to your selection.

To specify how to handle automation objects

When you are presented with the dialog, select the Always allow check box if you want Dynamics NAV to always run that type of automation object. Next time that type of automation object is required to run, the dialog box will not appear, and the automation object will run directly.

Alternatively, select the Never allow check box to. Next time that type of automation object is required to run, the dialog box will not appear, and the automation object will not run.

Cancelling Personalization

Cancelling personalization can be divided into two categories:

  • Cancelling changes that you made by using the Customize feature.
  • Cancelling basic UI changes.

Canceling Customization

If you want to cancel all UI customization that you have ever made for a page under your current user logon or since you last canceled UI customizations, you can use the Delete User Personalization window. The layout of the page for which you delete your personalization is then reset to the default configuration for your profile.

If you only want to cancel UI customization that you have made to a specific UI area on a page, such as the ribbon, you can use the Restore Defaults button in the Customize window. The layout of the specific UI area on that page is then reset to the default configuration for your profile.

To cancel all UI customization that you have made to a page

  1. In the Search box,, enter Delete User Personalization, and then choose the related link.

  2. Select the page for which you want to cancel your UI customization, and then, on the Home tab, in the View group, choose Delete.

Note

All UI customization of the page that you have ever made under your current user logon or since you last used the Delete User Personalization window are canceled. The layout of the page is reset to the default configuration for your profile, as configured by the administrator or as installed with Dynamics NAV.

To cancel UI customization that you have made to a UI area on a page

  1. From the page where you have customized a UI area, such as the ribbon, choose the Application menu Application Menu button in menu bar icon, choose Customize, and then choose Customize <UI area>.

  2. At the bottom of the Customize window, choose the Restore Defaults button.

Note

All customization of the UI area that you have ever made for the page under your current user logon or since you last used the Restore Defaults button are canceled. The layout of the UI area on the page is reset to the default configuration for your profile, as configured by the administrator or as installed with Dynamics NAV.

Canceling Basic UI Changes

You cancel basic UI changes by opening the Reset User-Specified Settings window from your Role Center.

Basic UI changes include things like:

  • Changing the size and position of any window.
  • Changing the width of columns
  • Changing the height of column headers.
  • Sorting on columns in a list.
  • Displaying lists as chart.
  • Specifying how external files and automation objects are handled.

To cancel basic UI changes

  1. Go to your Role Center.

    On the Application menu Application Menu button in menu bar, choose Customize, and then choose Reset User-Specified Settings.

  2. Choose the Reset UI settings button. Alternatively, choose the Reset all button to also cancel your decisions for handling files and automation objects.

    All basic UI changes that you have ever made under your current user logon to Dynamics NAV, or since you last chose the Reset UI settings button, are canceled. The user interface is reset to the default configuration for your profile.

To cancel your decision for running or saving external files

  1. Go to your Role Center.

    On the Application menu Application Menu button in menu bar, choose Customize, and then choose Reset User-Specified Settings.

  2. Choose the Reset file handling decision button. Alternatively, choose the Reset all button to also cancel your view changes and decision for handling automation objects.

    All decisions for default handling of file types that you have ever made under your current user logon, or since you last chose the Client file access button, are canceled and reset to the default configuration for your profile. The next time Dynamics NAV receives an external file of any type, you are presented with a dialog with the options, Save, Run, and Cancel

To cancel your decision for handling automation objects

  1. Go to your Role Center.

    On the Application menu Application Menu button in menu bar, choose Customize, and then choose Reset User-Specified Settings.

  2. Choose the Reset automation decisions button. Alternatively, choose the Reset all button to also cancel your view changes and decision for running or saving external files.

    All decisions about how to run automation objects that you have ever made under your current user logon, or since you last chose the Reset automation decisions button, are canceled. The file handling behavior is reset to the default configuration for your profile.The next time Dynamics NAV must run an automation object of any type, you are presented with a dialog with the options, Always allow and Never allow.

See Also

Dynamics 365 Business Central
Personalizing Your Workspace in the Dynamics Web Client
Personalization Overview