Example Two - Complex Custom Screens

The following example is a more complex Custom Screen, which incorporates more than one field on the same line, and a mixture of check boxes, option buttons, and drop-down (combo box) fields, as shown in the example below:

1. From the ‘Configure’ menu, select ‘Custom Screens’ (if this window is not already displayed).
2. Click on the button to add a new Custom Screen.
3. Enter ‘HYGDET’ as the unique Code.
4. Enter ‘Hygiene Details’ as the Title.
5. Click on the button to add the required fields. The first one will look similar to this example:

   
   Note that it is a 'Label' type field, and that the 'Bold' checkbox is ticked, as we want it to stand out from the other labels on the screen.

6. Click the 'OK' button to save the field.
7. Following the same steps as outlined in Example One (steps 5-8) add the following fields to create the ‘Hygiene’ Custom Screen.
   Note that for each checkbox, we need to add an offset from the previous one on the same line.
   To keep them nicely lined up, we'll make this an even increment of 75.

   To work out the 'Field left offset' for even spacing with no overlap, take the number of characters plus spaces for the longest field (apart from the right-most one), multiply this by 7, and add 15. So for our example, this is 'Dark Red', with 8 characters (including the space). This comes to (8 x 7) +15 = 71. To make the increment easier to calculate, this could be rounded off to 75 or even 80 (if we wanted a bit more space between fields). So, the label has an offset of 5 (to space it out from the edge of the window, and subsequent fields have offsets of 75, 150, 225, and so on.

   	a) Add a check box for 'Firm'	b) Add a second check box for 'Boggy'
   	The first two fields will look like this:
   	Rather than show each window, below is a summary of the settings for each field for the first three lines of the table. (Note that inapplicable fields have been omitted from the table).

   	Type	Title	Line	Field left offset	Other
   	Label	Gingiva	0	5	Tick 'Bold'
   	Check box	Firm	0	75
   	Check box	Boggy	0	150
   	Check box	Fibrotic	0	225
   	Check box	Hyperplastic	0	300
   	Label	Colour	1	5	Tick 'Bold'
   	Check box	Pink	1	75
   	Check box	Red	1	150
   	Check box	Dark Red	1	225
   	Check box	Blue/Red	1	300
   	Label	Papilla	2	5	Tick 'Bold'
   	Check box	Pink	2	75
   	Check box	Red	2	150
   	Check box	Dark Red	2	225
   	Check box	Blue/Red	2	300

The next group of fields are slightly different, in that they are Option Groups and Option Buttons.
They are also arranged in two columns, on five lines each. They are set up as summarised in the following table:

The last group of fields insert the last line which contains a label and two combo boxes regarding Bleeding.

Click on the button to view your completed custom screen and select the required default entries.

Tips and Tricks With Custom Screen Layout

Our finished screen in the example above has lots of fields, and looks a little 'busy' as a result. If we add some blank lines between blocks of fields, by skipping line numbers 4 and 10 (and adding one to the line number of the fields that were on lines 4 to 8, and make what was line 8 line 11 instead), it gives us a screen that is still compact, but easier on the eye.

Another problem is that the drop-down items (Combo Boxes) for 'Bleeding' drop down to obscure the 'OK' and 'Cancel' buttons. One way to get around this, is to add another field on line 12 which adds an extra line between the other fields and the buttons. (We could also add it on line 13 to add two extra lines, if required). If we add a 'Label' field on line 12, and save it with a blank 'Title', space is allocated in the window for it, moving the 'OK' and 'Cancel' buttons down, but it is effectively invisible, with a width of 0. The resultant screen looks like this:

Field Order and Default Values

Another trick for usability is considering the order of fields, and what default values (if any) you assign. With our example above, you will note that for each data entry field, the most commonly chosen (or 'most healthy') options are positioned next to the prompt or label for the field, and the 'least healthy' are furthest away. This consistency makes it more logical for the user. If for example, the order of the 'Oral Hygiene' options were reversed, it would be not unlikely that the user would select the wrong option first, then correct it.

Whether you set default entries for each field, and what defaults you choose, is up to you. On the one hand, if you set the defaults to the most common options, it minimises data entry. On the other hand, leaving fields blank forces the user to enter a value, which tends to make them check the defaulted values are correct. However, unlike other screens in EXACT, custom screens do not force mandatory data entry for fields. If there is a label on the window instructing users that particular fields should not be left blank, it will help minimise missing data.