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Add/remove columns on shared page

  • 1.  Add/remove columns on shared page

    Posted Oct 18, 2018 02:02 PM

    I have a very weird thing happening to my users. I'm not sure if this was always the case, because this is the first time someone pointed it out to me. But here it goes.

    There is a custom page that I created and shared with all the teams here. It has the 'custom list' app in it. The weird thing is they are not able to add/remove columns to the page. The button is greyed out. 

    I'm just very surprised it's behaving the way it is. I don't understand why it could/should be a permissions thing, because the app is available to them anyway, how does it matter how they want to see the data?

     

    Regards,

    Niveditha



  • 2.  Re: Add/remove columns on shared page

     
    Posted Oct 18, 2018 04:30 PM

    Hi Niveditha, 

     

    Do you mean they aren't able to change the Layout of the page itself, or are you saying that users can't add Columns to the Custom List app on the page? 



  • 3.  Re: Add/remove columns on shared page

    Posted Oct 18, 2018 04:39 PM

     

    They aren't able to use the "show columns" button. It's greyed out. Screenshot is from one of their computers. The app you see in the screenshot is a custom list app, set up to show defects. This page was created by me and shared with the teams.



  • 4.  Re: Add/remove columns on shared page
    Best Answer

     
    Posted Oct 18, 2018 04:39 PM

    I suppose I should clarify - if you're talking about the Custom List app itself, this is working as designed. Only the administrator that created the the shared page with the custom list is allowed to add or subtract columns. Please refer to the help pages for the Custom List app at https://docs.ca.com/en-us/ca-agile-central/saas/custom-grid as well as the note on that help page:

     

     

    I recommend the users copy that shared page to the menu on which it is located.

     

    As the owner of the copied page they can then add or remove columns as they wish, regardless of their permissions (viewer/editor). 



  • 5.  Re: Add/remove columns on shared page

    Posted Oct 18, 2018 04:51 PM

    Hey John,

    Thanks for clarifying. 

    However I'm still wondering why it is designed this way. What is the scenario in which allowing everyone to add/remove columns would affect something negatively?

     

    Regards,

    Nivi



  • 6.  Re: Add/remove columns on shared page

     
    Posted Oct 18, 2018 05:02 PM

    I think it was meant for Administrators to be able to configure pages with views of certain data for users, especially for those users who might want to mess with configuring their views. 

     

    That's why the option is always there for the user to simply create their own page to view the data they want to see. 



  • 7.  Re: Add/remove columns on shared page

    Posted Oct 18, 2018 05:32 PM

    But there are views for that. We can always create and share views.

    To not let people change columns inside an app is just too restricting. And it doesn't happen with other apps on shared pages. The other apps let the users change settings/views. e.g. Release and Iteration burndown app.

    And for me to have anyone ask me create their own page again is an unnecessary extra step. 

     

    Sorry, I know you didn't make this decision, but I really don't see any benefit in restrictions, while the rest of Rally is very customizable (bordering on being over customizable).



  • 8.  Re: Add/remove columns on shared page

     
    Posted Oct 19, 2018 09:53 AM

    "(bordering on being over customizable)"

    I personally agree with that statement. It's hard to balance between letting people do what they want with their data/views and providing it in the way that we know works. What would Steve Jobs do here?

     

    I think it's just the way the app was designed, meant to share certain views that Administrators .. administer. There have been others who desired that lockdown so people couldn't "mess up" what they'd shared.  I suppose it can go either way.

     

    Now we at least have other options for sharing views that we didn't have before, even when the Custom List app came out. Work Views, for instance, is a huge upgrade to Custom List. Sure it's still got some work to do, but the ability to share multiple views of data and have it show up on an actually performant page is a huge improvement. At least one can show/hide columns on a shared view if they want to. If they want to save that change to their own view in Work Views, they certainly can!

     

    I'm still working to switch all my Custom List views over to Work Views, and can't wait for custom filter logic to be added so I can finish the transition. 



  • 9.  Re: Add/remove columns on shared page

    Posted Oct 19, 2018 10:21 AM

    *(It's hard to balance between letting people do what they want with their data/views and providing it in the way that we know works)*

    Haha. Fair point. When it comes to "creative" decisions like these, we could just go on and on and never come to a consensus as to what is the "right" way. 

    What you said about the team members being able to add/remove columns to a shared view is very encouraging. 

    Is it also planned to be made available as an app? I ask because, then I'll be able to create a view and share it as a page under a certain tab. 



  • 10.  Re: Add/remove columns on shared page

     
    Posted Oct 19, 2018 11:25 AM

    I don't think there are currently plans to make it available as an app and I actually believe we're trying to move away from even providing the ability for "tab clutter" like that. Instead, Work Views can be shared within the existing page, and users wouldn't have to navigate from the page or have yet another page to view data. Instead, they can just select the shared view from the drop-down list. 



  • 11.  Re: Add/remove columns on shared page

    Posted Oct 19, 2018 11:32 AM

    Ah okay, that would make it simple I guess. Thanks John. 



  • 12.  Re: Add/remove columns on shared page

    Posted Oct 25, 2018 09:42 AM

    Yes, the Custom Filter logic is KEY. I can't wait for that.

     

    In addition, there should be a way to either add a query or filter based on parent/child etc. criteria. I have MANY custom list apps with queries pulling in data based on conditions on their parents or children.  For example, show me any Epic with associated Risks - whether the risks are directly on the Epic, on child Features, or on User Stories below that. When I learned how to look up or down the hierarchy within a query it made a huge difference in the information and reporting I'm able to provide users.  This change would really make Work Views my go-to!