Using Components

The web-based AASHTOWare Project system displays information in application components. A component is a container for the information and business functions on an application webpage. Components are made up of elements such as fields, lists, and links. An application webpage can contain one or more components. Some components contain a list of tabs along the left side, each of which corresponds to a subset of information related to the component entity.

Note: To protect the information contained in your agency's system, components and webpages only display the information and action features for which your active role has been assigned access.

Each component includes these features:

A blue header is displayed across the top of the component. The component header can contain several features, including the title of the component, a Save button, an Actions button , a Help button , and an expand/collapse button . The header might also contain contextual information related to the data contained in the component.
A vertical scroll bar is included on the right side of any component that contains more content than can be viewed in the browser window.
The most common elements found on components are fields in which information can be recorded. For more information about the types of fields you will use and features for entering data in fields quickly, see Working with Fields.
Most components contain lists of rows for a type of data, such as projects or proposals. For more information about the kinds of lists you will use and how to find and select the data you need in them, see Working with Lists.
Components with lists contain a variety of filters to make it easier to find specific rows. For more information about the different kinds of filters you can use and customize, see Sorting and Filtering Lists.
Actions menus allow you to choose a function or process to perform on data. Most components contain multiple types of Actions menus. For more information, see Using Actions Menus. All Actions menus provide access to the files and links attached to the active entity row (see Working with File Attachments and Working with Links).
Selection modal windows are used throughout the system to make it easier for you to add one or more rows of data to another entity (for example, to add projects to a proposal). For information about using modal windows, see Selecting Data in Modal Windows.
Keyboard keys have limited functionality in components. The Tab key can be used to move from one field to the next, the Enter key can be used to scroll through a drop down list of values in a field, and the arrow keys can be used to scroll through lists of rows.
Many components contain tabs arranged vertically on the left side of the component. Clicking each tab displays the fields and information on that tab. Clicking the Save button on a tabbed component saves the information on all of the tabs at once.