The menu bar is located on the left side of the user interface and contains central navigation entries such as Dashboard, Articles, Orders, Production Jobs, Automation, Color and Administration. Depending on the license in use and the role assigned to the user, not all menu items are always displayed in the menu bar.

The following main menu items are available in the menu bar:

• Dashboard [7] – currently contains only the Approval Project dashboard. It provides a quick overview of which Print Items are ready for output and which are still pending approval.
• Articles [8] – displays a list of all available Articles and provides access to the menu item Collections.
• Orders [9] – shows a list of all available Orders as well as all Print Items assigned to each Order.
• Production Jobs [10] – contains a list of all Production Jobs generated from various sources.
• Automation [11] – includes areas relevant to the automated processing of print data.
• Color [12] – covers all color-related areas such as Profiling Projects, Grid Charts, Color Books, and access to a Color Database.
• Administration [13] – includes all topics related to the application administration as well as the provision and management of master data.

Hovering the cursor over a menu displays the corresponding sub-items.

Figure 2: The menu bar showing the Automation menu items

The header bar is located at the top of the user interface. It provides access to activities, system status, application information, notifications, the user manual, inline help, and the user account, which also includes the language selection. The following information and options are available in the header bar:

• Activities [14] – provides an overview of all processes currently being executed by the application. Yellow and red indicators alert the user to issues or warnings during execution.
• System Status [15] – displays all system errors and warnings, such as missing configurations, inaccessible file directories, non-functional interfaces to external systems, and license-related issues.
• Information [16] – contains details about the hardware in use and its utilization, active interfaces, installed application components, license status and content, as well as a list of active users.
• Notifications [17] – shows all notifications for the currently logged-in user.
• User Manual [18] – provides access to the user manual, which is available in German and English.
• Inline Help [19] – if a corresponding article exists for the current area of the user interface, it can be displayed directly in a window. If no article is available, the button is disabled.
• User Account [20] – allows users to log out, change the language, customize the appearance of the user interface, and adjust additional settings.

Figure 3: The header bar of the user interface

The breadcrumb navigation is located below the header bar. It displays the path to the currently selected element within the application and informs the user about the functional area or hierarchical level they are currently in.

The breadcrumb navigation can also be used to navigate to higher-level hierarchy levels. To do this, click any label in the path to switch to the corresponding level.

The example below illustrates that the print data of a Print Item within the Production Job "Sample Production Job" is currently being displayed. By clicking "Sample Production Job", you can return to the Production Job; by clicking "Production Jobs", you can navigate to the overview of all Production Jobs.

Figure 4: The breadcrumb bar below the header bar

The filter bar enables users to filter the entries in the central area and to search for specific criteria. This section also allows users to define the sorting of entries in the list. The filter and function bar consists of the following four sections:

• Filter – this section includes Set Filter [21], Filter Menu [22], selected Filter Options [23], and the icon Remove Filter [24].
• Additional Functions [25] – depending on the context, further commands are available here.
• Sort – this section consists of the Sort Criterion [26] and the option to define the Sort Order [27].
• Search – this section includes the Search Field [28] and the option to select the fields to be searched [29].  

Figure 5: The minimum configuration of the Filter Bar

The function bar is located directly below the filter bar in the user interface. It allows selected functions to be applied to the highlighted Print Items or Articles in the list. Depending on the selected menu item, the available functions in the function bar may vary slightly.

Using the menu item Articles as an example, the following functions are available:

• Add [30] – create a new entry in the currently open settings area.
• Edit [31] – edit the currently selected entry in the settings area.
• Delete selected Articles [32] – delete the selected entry or entries in the settings area.
• Duplicate [33] – duplicate the currently selected entry in the settings area.
• Reports [34] – generate the desired report for selected Articles/Print Items – such as an Ink Cost Report, Spot Color Report or Approval Project including Approval Reports.
• Fixups [35] – apply a Fixup or Fixup Chain to the selected Articles/Print Items.
• Refresh Display [36] – refresh the list in the settings area. The displayed number indicates how many new entries have been added since the last refresh.
• Additional Functions [37] – this button provides access to further functions – e. g. creating an Order or Production Job – that can be applied to the selected Articles/Print Items.

On the right side of the function bar, users can also define the number of entries displayed per page and navigate to the previous or next list view.

Figure 6: The function bar of the user interface

All interaction with data (print, order, customer data, etc.) takes place in the central area. Depending on the requirements of the task at hand, different display formats are used:

• Lists – Article, Order, and Production Job lists, etc.
• Dialogs – Quick Print, Batch Processing, Print Dialog, Input Dialog, etc.
• Step-by-Step guides – Color Setup, creating Approval Reports, Imposition Reports, Mounting Instructions and Ink Cost Reports.
• Settings areas – Setting up printers, substrates, measurement devices, Fixup Chains, etc.
• Overview pages – Print Item detail view, before-and-after comparison, processing log, etc.

A detailed description of the various display formats can be found in the following Articles.