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Navigating Explorer

The main data manipulation tool that Rapid provides is the Explorer application. Explorer lets you view entities, modify, add and remove data. It is the primary front end experience that nearly all users interact with.

There are three main components which provide Explorer with its basic functionality: the Jumbotron, the Sidebar, and Pages. Each of these are explained below.

Jumbotron​

The Jumbotron is found at the top of all pages within Explorer.

A screenshot that shows the location of the jumbotron at the top of the Rapid site. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to highlight its location.

The Jumbotron contains several features, such as Breadcrumbs, Buttons, and the Rapido Chatbot. Each of these are explained in detail below.

The Jumbotron displays the current Page's title, as well as a series of Breadcrumbs showing previous navigation steps. When viewing a Data Table, the Table's name will be presented in the breadcrumbs; in an item context, the item's title will be displayed.

Terminology

The term "Breadcrumbs" comes from the fairytale Hansel and Gretel collected by the Brothers Grimm. In the story, the two children leave breadcrumbs behind them to find their way home. In web design, this term has come to mean a series of links that allow you to return to previous webpages that you have visited. Essentially, this type of component allows you to "retrace your steps".

A screenshot of the breadcrumbs section of the Jumbotron. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to highlight the series of links know as "breadcrumbs". The series of links reads: "Projects > Office Building Construction". The words "Officer Building Construction" are bold, an annotation explains that this is the current page name (item) and represents the current page being viewed. These words do not act as a hyperlink, as they are the current page. The word "Projects" is written in regular text. An annotation explains that this is the previous page name (for a table) and represents the table where the item is stored. Clicking this word would cause the user to be navigated back to the table.

The current page will be rendered in the Breadcrumbs as bold text, and cannot be clicked. Previous pages, however, will be rendered as regular text, and can be clicked on.

Buttons​

On the far right of the Jumbotron there are three buttons.

A screenshot showing the location of the Jumbotron buttons: Environment Switch, Notifications, and User Token. The screenshot is annotated with a red box demonstrating the location of the buttons.

Each of the buttons and their functionality are explained below.

Button NameDescriptionScreenshot
Environment SwitchA button to quickly switch between the Explorer and Designer applications within the current item or list context. For example, if you are viewing the Employees table in Explorer and press this button, it will open the Employees table in Designer. Note that when you are in Designer, this button will changeA screenshot demonstrating the location of the Environment Switch button. The button's icon resembles a set square and a ruler. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to indicate the location of the button.
NotificationsA button to access a quick popup window that presents the current users notifications.A screenshot demonstrating the location of the Notifications button. The button's icon resembles a bell. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to indicate the location of the button.
User TokenA button to access information about the current user, including a log out button.A screenshot demonstrating the location of the User Token button. The button's icon is a coloured circle with the user's initials inside. In this example, the icon is green with the initials "JF" inside. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to indicate the location of the button.

Rapido Chatbot​

To the right of the Jumbotron is a button to access the Rapid ai-powered Chatbot. For more information please see our docs on how to use the Chatbot.

A screenshot showing the Rapido Chatbot, and its location on the jumbotron. The Rapido button is blue, and has a white icon of a robot head with a smiley face. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to highlight its location.

Explorer Sidebar​

The side bar is used for navigation, which can be found on the far left of any page inside Rapid Platform. This menu is fully customisable. Items in the sidebar can point to Rapid pages, external links, and can also open forms or applications.

By default, all Tables created in your Rapid site will be added to the Explorer sidebar.

A screenshot of a sidebar from Rapid Standard as an example. The sidebar is dark blue and has the Rapid name and logo at the top. Underneath are a list of menu items that will navigate the user. The menu items from top to bottom are: Organisation, Tasks, Assets, CRM, Finance, Projects, Human Resources, WHS, Policies, Support, and System. At the very bottom of the sidebar are buttons to navigate between core applications. This is explained further below.

Application Buttons​

Explorer​

At the base of the Sidebar are several buttons used for navigating to other applications. When you are using Explorer, you will note that the Explorer button, which has an icon of a house, is highlighted.

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Workflow​

You can navigate to Workflow using the centre button, which has an icon of a flow chart.

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Designer​

You can also navigate to Designer using the button on the right. This button's icon resembles a ruler and a set square.

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Pages​

The Page component is how all data is conveyed. A page can be set up in countless ways as there are a multitude of page components which can be added to a page. All entities that are present in the Explorer Sidebar can have pages added.

A screenshot demonstrating the location of a page. The page in this example is a projects page with a tab strip, and a projects form included. The screenshot is annotated with a red box that surrounds the page component.