Jump from Map to Map

The central functionality to create a “woven net” of maps, is the jump from one map to another. There are two methods to define these jumps. You can either start with the target where to jump to (Drag&Drop method) or you can start with a shape or symbol as a trigger element pointing to a manually selected target (Dialog method).

Drag & Drop Method

This is the easiest way to create a jump command: Pick your map of choice from the left-hand object list and drag it onto the empty canvas. The result is - based on the symbol mapping and notation - a symbol that carries the name of the map and automatically has assigned a JUMP command, indicated by a little grey command icon. The command automatically shows “on click jump to 'xyz map”.

You can see, edit and change the settings in the command dialog, e.g. if you want to jump to a specific viewport within the target map, or if you would like to ensure to jump to a specific version instead of the latest version (default).

If you have multiple potential representations of a process step or map in the modeling notation, you will want to choose which representation you want to be created. There are multiple ways to do this:

A. Drag & drop the target map onto the canvas
B. Press CTRL when dropping the map, then select from the quickmenu.
C. Firstly create the visual representation you want to use, e.g. pick the SUB PROCESS instead of the PROCESS STEP symbol and then drag & drop the jump target map onto the symbol.
D. Create a shape or use a shape from the shape library, then throw the target map onto this shape.


Dialog based Method

Here you start the process with the anchor object, which may be a shape or a symbol. Select the object, then go to the properties pane into the Command section and add a new command with the + sign.

The dialog box 'Add new Command' reacts interactively, based on the target you select*

* If you select ANCHOR then you can search and find a process map. When the process map is selected, you can select the anchor on the target object. This automatically sets the ACTION to JUMP.

* If you select OBJECT and then choose a process map, you can search and find that map and point to it. The ACTION is automatically set to Navigate.

* If you select VIEW then you will receive a tree of M-Files views and you can point to the desired view, which shall be launched. Select, if you want the view opened in a new or in the current window. The ACTION is automatically set to SHOW. Tip: the target view itself can be associated with a map in the central configuration. In this case, you jump both to a view and to a map which accompanies this view at the same time.


Testing the JUMPS

Many commands can be tested in the test mode of the Designer. This is true for all commands opening as an extra window. To facilitate those jumps, activate the test mode with the icon in the toolbar. This re-evaluates all objects and placeholders on the map and the grey command icons now become actionable.

Note: Typically navigation commands do not stay in the same window. This is why this cannot be tested in the Designer. You can only test these commands in the map preview. The reason is quite understandable: By jumping to another map you would lose the current context and therefore current (unsaved) work.

In order to test the navigation please the map.

Close the Designer and in the preview reload the map, to test the jump.

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