Specifying Default Columns

A number of lists in Workspace contain default columns.

They are:

  • Work view list
  • Work item list
  • Business service list
  • Process view list
  • Process instance list
  • Event view list
  • Event Viewer (event list)
  • Process template list(1)
  • Process templateEx list

You can modify the columns that are displayed by default in these lists by modifying the following corresponding files in the ...\JSXAPPS\base\components\xml\ directory:

  • WorkViewDefaultColumns.xml
  • WorkItemDefaultColumns.xml
  • BusinessServiceDefaultColumns.xml
  • ProcessViewDefaultColumns.xml
  • ProcessInstanceDefaultColumns.xml
  • EventViewDefaultColumns.xml
  • AuditEventDefaultColumns.xml
  • ProcessTemplatesDefaultColumns.xml
  • ProcessTemplateExDefaultColumns.xml

As an example, the following shows the default contents of the WorkItemDefaultColumns.xml file: 

<columns>
    <column width="24" id="StateImage" />
    <column width="120" id="AppName" />
    <column width="120" id="Name" />
    <column width="120" id="Description" />
    <column width="56" id="State" />
    <column width="120" id="AppInstanceDescription" />
    <column width="110" id="AppInstance" />
    <column width="40" id="Priority" />
    <column width="130" id="StartDate" />
    <column width="24" id="DeadlineImage" />
    <column width="130" id="EndDate" />
    <column width="40" id="ID" />
</columns>

This file defines which columns on the work item list to display by default (and their associated default column width in pixels). The order they are defined in this file determines the order they are shown in the list by default. The value of the id attribute must correspond to the name of the field as it is known on the server.

The values in ...\JSXAPPS\base\components\xml\listTypeDisplayFields.xml provide a reference of the available field names (in the jsxid attributes), where listType indicates the type of list (for example "WorkItem").

The location of the files that are modified to implement this customization depends on whether you are customizing a deployed Workspace application or a custom WCC application, as follows:

  • If you are customizing a deployed Workspace application, see Location of Files on a BPM Runtime Machine for information about the location of the files and directories mentioned above.
  • If you are using a deployed custom WCC application, you must make the appropriate changes to the files in your WCC development environment, as the files on the BPM runtime machine are not accessible. Therefore, you must make the changes, then redeploy the application. (Or if the application had not been deployed yet, make the changes before deploying the application.)

Bear in mind that changing listTypeDefaultColumns.xml will only change the default set of columns. If a user has made changes to the columns on a list prior to the changes made in listTypeDefaultColumns.xml, they won't see the effect of those changes (since they are not using the default columns, but rather their own persisted set of columns). Users that have not made any column changes of their own will see the new default. The Column Selector tool, available from each list, has a Use Default button to revert the list of columns to the defaults defined in the listTypeDefaultColumns.xml file.

1

The process template list is displayed when using the Start Process Instance function, whereas the process template Ex list is displayed when creating a process view with the wizard.