Formatting Profiles

A Web Client profile can include formatting elements to make the profile display easier to read. You can add headings, blank lines, and static text. The figure below illustrates all three of these items for the Personnel profile included with InterAction.

Using Headings, Blank Lines, and Static Text on a Profile

[A] A heading. The heading text is formatted in larger, bold type and includes the line below it.

[B] Blank lines inserted for spacing.

[C] Static text added to provide other information. Note that the item shown in this example is not part of the out-of-the-box Personnel profile.

When defining a heading or static text item for a profile, you can enter any text up to 80 characters long. Headings appear in bold and are intended to group together a set of items; static text is normally used to provide instructions or other informational messages for the Web Client users. It appears as a simple block of text on the profile.

In addition, you can use Application Server variables to insert information about the user or the specific contact. For example, you could use the contactName variable to make the “More Information” heading in the Personnel profile more specific.

[A] The heading now uses a variable to put the contact’s name into the heading.

To achieve this effect, you would set the heading text to:

More Information about $(contactName)

For another example, see When Would I Use Variables in a Web Profile Heading or Text Item?

Headings, static text items, and blank lines are not included when displaying the summary version of a profile. They only appear on the full page version.

For headings, the Web Client only displays a heading if the user has access to view at least one field below the heading. If the user does not have access to any of the items under a heading, then the heading and all items below it are completely hidden. For more about how access to profile items is determined, see Web Client Profiles and Folder Access Rights.

When Would I Use Variables in a Web Profile Heading or Text Item?

Most of the time, variables are useful for passing information about the contact (such as the contact’s name, or an ID value) to other pages or sites in links. Displaying contact-specific information in static headings and text is less common, but can be useful in particular situations.

For example, suppose you have a profile that only applies to people and primarily displays information about the person being viewed. This profile also includes a group of fields that display information from the contact’s employer. In this case, using the variables for the contact’s first name and employer’s name can help clarify where the information comes from.

The heading text shown above is defined as follows:

Information about $(contactFirstName)'s Current Employer $(contactEmployerName)

For details about using variables, see Using Variables for InterAction Information.

Group Web Client Profile Items Under a Heading

1. Log in to InterAction Windows Client as a user with permission to create contact types.
   • The Manage contact types permission is required to create or edit Web Client profiles. This is because profiles are typically created in conjunction with contact types.
   • This permission is granted using InterAction Administrator. For details, see Give Users Permission to Manage Web Client Profiles.
2. Edit the profile you want to change, as described in Edit a Web Client Profile.
3. Under Profile Attributes, select the item above where the new heading should go, and choose New.
4. Select Heading and choose OK.

5. Enter the text for the heading. If necessary, you can include Application Server variables in the heading.

   For example, to include the contact’s name in the heading, you would enter $(contactName). For a list of available variables, see Available Application Server Variables.

6. Choose OK to save the new heading. The heading will be added after the selected item in the list of attributes.
7. If necessary, use the Up and Down buttons to move the heading up or down to the desired position in the profile display.
8. When you are finished adding items to the profile, choose OK to save the profile with your changes.

9. Choose Close to close the Manage Web Client Profiles dialog box.

   Your changes become available in InterAction Web Client after the next InterAction Application Server cache refresh. For details about manually refreshing the Application Server cache, see Refreshing the Application Server Cache.

Add Informational Text to a Web Client Profile

Static text is normally used to provide instructions or other informational messages for the Web Client users. It appears as a simple block of text on the profile.

1. Log in to InterAction Windows Client as a user with permission to create contact types.
   • The Manage contact types permission is required to create or edit Web Client profiles. This is because profiles are typically created in conjunction with contact types.
   • This permission is granted using InterAction Administrator. For details, see Give Users Permission to Manage Web Client Profiles.
2. Edit the profile you want to change, as described in Edit a Web Client Profile.
3. Under Profile Attributes, select the item above where the new heading should go, and choose New.
4. Select Text and choose OK.

5. Enter the text you want to display. If necessary, you can include Application Server variables in the text.

   For example, to include the contact’s name in the text item, you would enter $(contactName). For a list of available variables, see Available Application Server Variables.

6. Choose OK to save the new text item. The text will be added after the selected item in the list of attributes.
7. If necessary, use the Up and Down buttons to move the item up or down to the desired position in the profile display.
8. When you are finished adding items to the profile, choose OK to save the profile with your changes.

9. Choose Close to close the Manage Web Client Profiles dialog box.

   Your changes become available in InterAction Web Client after the next InterAction Application Server cache refresh. For details about manually refreshing the Application Server cache, see Refreshing the Application Server Cache.

Add a Blank Line to a Web Client Profile

Blank lines can make profiles easier to read by providing white space between items.

1. Log in to InterAction Windows Client as a user with permission to create contact types.
   • The Manage contact types permission is required to create or edit Web Client profiles. This is because profiles are typically created in conjunction with contact types.
   • This permission is granted using InterAction Administrator. For details, see Give Users Permission to Manage Web Client Profiles.
2. Edit the profile you want to change, as described in Edit a Web Client Profile.
3. Under Profile Attributes, select the item above where the new heading should go, and choose New.
4. Select Blank Line and choose OK. The line will be added after the selected item in the list of attributes.
5. If necessary, use the Up and Down buttons to move the item up or down to the desired position in the profile display.
6. When you are finished adding items to the profile, choose OK to save the profile with your changes.

7. Choose Close to close the Manage Web Client Profiles dialog box.

   Your changes become available in InterAction Web Client after the next InterAction Application Server cache refresh. For details about manually refreshing the Application Server cache, see Refreshing the Application Server Cache.