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Getting Started
Creating and Managing your Repository
In this tutorial, you will learn how to create your own repository and manage its contents (modules and ProtoDBs).
When you first open Proto Financial, you should see the following screen:
You’ll notice from reading the description next to the “Open…†button that modules must be opened from either the web gallery or a repository.
This means that each version of Proto must point to a repository (basically just a set of folders that Proto sets up to keep track of all of your modules/documents) in order for you to be able to create and save your own modules. Proto automatically creates a default repository in My Documents called Proto Repository.
In order to create your own repository, click on the “Repository…†button:
The following window will open:
Since we want to create a new category, you should select the “Create†radio button and then click on the “…†button next to the “Location:†field to select where you want to create your new repository.
You can choose anywhere to create your new repository, but it is recommended that you place it on a shared drive that everyone at your workplace has access to. This way, anyone you work with that has the Viewer can open the modules you have saved in your repository by simply joining it (we’ll go over joining a repository shortly).
Now that you have chosen a place to put your repository, you have to set up an administrator password as well as the password that will be used to join your repository (can be left blank if desired).
Once you have entered your passwords, click on the “Apply†button.
Proto will close automatically to apply your changes. Open Proto back up and press “New†in the “Start Action†window.
You should see an empty builder.
Go to the File menu and save this empty builder as “Test Module.†Note that in the “Save As†dialog there is an “Accessibility†option. This allows you to choose whether or not you want the module you are saving to be accessible to others who are using your repository. If you have a number of different people using a shared repository, there may be some modules that you don’t want them to see. If this is the case, you would select “Private.†Otherwise, leave it as “Public.â€
Now, close the module and restart Proto. On the “Start Action†screen, click on the “Open…†button (Note: you will NOT need to keep opening and closing Proto when you make new files and want to reopen others. All of the options in the Start Action window are also provided in the File menu of the Builder and Viewer).
The following window will appear:
Note that we have the option of opening the Test Module that we just made and saved. This list will grow with each new module you save, allowing you to create an entire library of your own custom modules for use by anyone else linked to your repository.
You additionally have the ability to select any module from the online gallery through this window. Click on the “Online Gallery†tab to see your options.
You can select from either Applications (custom build applications that are ready to use) or Components (custom building blocks that you can leverage to make your life as a builder much easier).
Suppose after you save a number of modules that you are happy with, you want someone else at your workplace to be able to use them on their local machine. If they have a copy of the Viewer, this is accomplished in a few simple steps (which can be followed by anyone with the Builder or Viewer that wants to switch repositories).
First, have them open up their copy of the viewer and click on the “Repositories button†from their Start Action window. You should now see the familiar “Repository Manager†window:
Make sure the “Join†radio button is selected and browse for the location of the repository using the “…†button.
Once you have found its location and entered in the repository password (which is the same password that the creator specifies in the “Join†field when creating a repository) click on “Apply.â€
Proto will automatically quit and incorporate your changes the next time you open the program. Anything you make and save in this repository using your computer will now be available for use in anyone else’s computer that is pointed to the same repository.
Let’s go back now to our Start Action screen and open up a module from the online gallery. Click on the Open button on the Start Action screen and then select the “Online Gallery†tab (demonstrated earlier). Find and open the “Dashboard 101†module.
Once you click open, you should see the following progress bar:
Once the progress bar has filled, Excel will open with the following file:
After a brief moment, the Viewer window will open and you should see the Dashboard 101 application:
Now save this module into your local repository. If the Excel files are still open, the following window will pop-up:
Close the Excel document and click “Retry.†The Excel document should immediately reopen signifying that the module has been saved successfully. Now you can open Dashboard 101 from your local repository and it will work as expected.
It may not be obvious, but a lot of work has been done for you in order to get this application working properly. In Proto, Excel data is read in using an “Excel Reader†module. In this module’s property panel you have to specify which Excel file you want to read in. This requires that you specify a path to the file. Suppose you have an Excel file on your computer that you use in conjunction with a module that you make and you save your module for other people in your repository to use. If they don’t have access to the Excel file that your module leverages, their copy of your module will not function correctly. To alleviate this problem, when Proto saves a module that uses an Excel file, it makes a copy of that Excel file in the “Shared Resources Folder†inside your repository folder. That way, anyone who has access to the repository will also have access to any Excel files in that folder. This process makes sharing Proto modules over a network drive easy.
The last thing we need to discuss before leaving this section of the Proto Tutorial is how to change existing module names/descriptions as well as erase modules that we no longer have a use for. Go back to the Start Action screen and click on the “Modules…†button:
The following window should appear:
Note that when you select a module, you have the option of deleteing it or renaming it.
If you select a specific version of one of your modules, you have the options of deleting the selected version, editing its permissions, saving it to a folder (aka exporting), or editing its description.
The use of all of these buttons is pretty self explanatory. If you press Delete, your module will be deleted. If you press Edit Description, your selected version’s description box will become editable and you will be able to edit the description as desired.