Configuring XMod Modules

XMod provides a large number of options for customizing how it operates. Each module instance can be configured separately, enabling you even greater flexibility. XMod module instances are configured by selecting Configure XMod Module from the module's Actions menu.

The purpose of this help topic is to familiarize you with the various settings and features you'll encounter when using the Configure XMod Module page. It's broken into 4 sections, each represented by a tab: Required Settings, Data Settings, Display Settings and Security Settings

Shortcuts:

Required Settings Tab

Data Settings Tab

Display Settings Tab

Security Settings Tab

Required Settings Tab

Data Entry Form

Every module instance must be assigned a data-entry form. This tells XMod where to get the data it displays. If you haven't yet created a data-entry form, see Managing Forms.

Detail View Template

Select the template used for displaying the detailed view of a record. When a user clicks a link from a list of records to see a single record, XMod will use this template for displaying that record. Typically the list view will display a few summary values from the record and this detail  template will display more values. Of course, if your list view will not be providing the user any way to see the details of a record, you can safely ignore this field. However, you'll still need to specify some template as it is a required field.

List View Template

Select the template used for displaying a list of records. "List View" is used in a generic sense here. A list view template can be a List or a Grid type template.  It's primary intent is to allow the user to search or otherwise browse through a collection of records. If you have a lot of templates, you can tick the Show Only List View Templates check box to hide the detail templates.

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Data Settings Tab

On this tab, you can configure some of the data features for the module, such as filtering, limiting the number of records returned, the number of records to list per page, the user's ability to search, and integration with DNN's search facilities.

Choose Category

Optionally, you can choose to filter the displayed results to only those records which are assigned to a certain category. Categories are created by choosing Manage Categories from the module's Actions menu.

Page Size

Determines how many records will be displayed per page. The default value is 10

Content Scheduling

XMod allows you to schedule when content is displayed and removed from view using the <displaydate> and <expirydate> form tags. You can disable this feature for the module by checking the boxes. New to XMod 4, you can selectively choose to ignore the display date, the expiration date, both, or none.

Result Set Size

Enter the maximum number of records to retrieve. Leave this field blank to retrieve all records.

Randomize Record

This feature, new to XMod 5.0, enables you to display your records in a random order. It's a great way to show off your product line, testimonials, or other data.

Filtering

XMod enables you to restrict the kinds of records displayed to the user. You can filter based on the value entered in a form. You can pass a value via the URL and match that up with a value in the form. You can also show only records that have been added by the user current user.

• Filter Using Form Values: XMod will look for the specified value in the selected form field. HINT: Some XMod Constants like {XMOD_UserId} may be used in the Value field. You may select more than one field to filter on. All filters will be combined so that only records matching all the fields will be displayed. If a given field is a multi-value field (i.e. a list or certain other controls that can have a display text and hidden value), then a checkbox will appear in the "Use Value" column for that field. Checking that will instruct the filter to use the field's hidden value rather than the display text
   
• Filter Using URL Parameter: XMod will take the value of the named parameter(s) and look for it in the selected form field. Beginning in XMod 5.0, you can filter using multiple URL parameters. If a given field is a multi-value field (i.e. a list or certain other controls that can have a display text and hidden value), then a checkbox will appear in the "Use Value" column for that field. Checking that will instruct the filter to use the field's hidden value rather than the display text
   
• Show Only Current User's Record: If checked, XMod will only show records that have been added by the current user. NOTE: the user must be logged-in. If this box is unchecked, XMod will display records added by all users.
   
• Added in the Past Number of Days: New to 5.0, this filter will only show records that have been added within the past XX days where "XX" is a the number you enter into the text box. So, to create a "What's New" display, you would select this filter and put a number like 3 in the textbox. The result would be that only records added in the past 3 days will be included.
  
  
  
  
  
• Modified in the Past Number of Days: New to 5.0, this filter will only show records that have been updated within the past XX days where "XX" is a the number you enter into the text box. So, to create a "What's Changed" display, you would select this filter and put a number like 3 in the textbox. The result would be that only records modified in the past 3 days will be included.
   
• Default Approval Filter: New to XMod 5.5, this filter enables you to set which type of records will be shown by default. Typically, you would show approved records, but this filter allows you the option to show un-approved records or both approved and un-approved records as well.
   
• Show Approval Filter: New to XMod 5.5. Sometimes, your application calls for there to be no visible approval filter. In those cases, you can hide that drop-down box in your template by un-checking this box.

User Searching

In order to allow users to search you must check the Allow Users to Search check box. Next you must select at least one form field from the Search Fields list box. Finally, you can specify the text that will be used for the caption for the text box into which the user enters the search phrase and the text of the link the user clicks to initiate the search.

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Display Settings Tab

The Display Settings Tab is where you configure some of the characteristics governing the module's sorting, header and footer text, as well as messages displayed to the web site visitor.

Default Sorting

This provides default sorting for the module - the initial sort field and sort order of the data.

User Sorting

In order to allow users to sort you must check the Allow Users to Sort check box. Next you must select at least one form field from the Sort Fields list box. Additionally, you can specify the text that will be used for the caption for the drop-down list box used to select a sort field and the text of the link the user clicks to initiate the sort. Finally, you can also specify the text used for the checkbox the user ticks to indicate records should be sorted in descending order.

Header/Footer

Prior to XMod 4, only Lists provided the possibility of displaying content before and after the list of records. With XMod 4, however, Grids also provide this capability. The grid's header/footer is separate from the headers and footers at the top and bottom of each column. In these areas you can include text, HTML, and a subset of non-data-related XMod tags (like <xmod:addbutton>) as in the screen shot above.

Messages

Allows you to customize the XMod messages displayed by this module.

• "No Items Found" Message: Customize the message that is displayed to the user if no records were found that match the current search/filtering criteria.

Scrolling Configuration

Allows you to display your data in a "crawl" fashion - good for displaying headlines or any situation when you want to display a list but don't want to minimize the amount of space it consumes on the page.

• Enable Scrolling: Set this to True to have the module scroll its data.
  
• Pause On Mouse Over: If true, when the user hovers his/her mouse pointer over the module, the scrolling will temporarily stop. This allows them time to read the item should they choose or be more accurate when trying to click a link. When the pointer moves out of the module, the scrolling will resume.
  
• Scrolling Direction: You can direct XMod to scroll the records up (Vertical) or left (Horizontal).
  
• Scroll Speed: Adjusts the rate at which the records scroll.
  
• Scroll Delay: A period of time that XMod will wait before starting the scroll. The number represents milliseconds, so 1000 equals 1 second.
  
• Scroll Width/Height: The height and width (defined in pixels) of the viewport through which the records will scroll.
  
• Scroll Styles: CSS styles to assign to the viewport (the container in which the records are scrolling) 

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Security Settings Tab

Security

• Encrypt URL's: If checked, XMod will encrypt the data it sends in the URL when a user clicks a link to see a record's details. This helps prevent users from viewing data they don't have access to by editing parameters in the URL.
  
• Roles That Can Add Records: New to XMod 4, you can now specify which roles will be allowed to add records through via the XMod module. In previous versions, you had to grant a user edit permissions to the module or use the XMod FormView module. Now, simply select one or more roles and add an <xmod:addbutton> tag to your template (or in the header or footer section on the Display Tab).

When you've finished configuring the module, click Save Changes to save your settings and return or Cancel to abandon your changes and return.

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