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5.5 Navigation TreeLocate this document in the navigation structure

You create and configure the role menu tree and extra attributes for NWBC on the Menu tab page in transaction Role Maintenance ( PFCG).

For more information, see Role Menu and the documentation that is displayed by choosing the i icon on the Menu tab page.

Tree Structure

The figure below shows the role menu tree on the Menu tab page in PFCG and is followed by an explanation:

Menu tab page

The first node in the tree, labeled Role menu , is a pseudo node that contains the root folder (or folders) as children. This specific node is not part of the navigation tree and is not visualized in NWBC. A menu tree contains a root folder as the starting point. The root folder is the navigation element at the first level. The root folder is the first element that is rendered within the client. Usually, there is only one root folder per node, but you can specify several root folders.

Below the root folder, a menu tree can contain any number of levels. Each level is represented by a folder in the tree. We recommend a two-level menu or three-level menu at the start of your development work. With a two-level menu, the first level is in the root folder and the second level contains the transaction items. With a three-level menu, a second folder level comes after the first level and the transaction items are on the third level.

The concept described above is illustrated in the following figure:

Mapping of PFCG menu tree onto NWBC shell

You can change the sort sequence of folders and individual menu items by choosing the arrow icons to move items up or down:

Arrow Icons

Use drag and drop to move folders to different positions in the tree. For information about troubleshooting-related functions provided in the toolbar, see PFCG.01 Searching for Technical Names .

Program Types
Diverse objects can be specified as items in the menu tree according to normal PFCG procedures. To do this, choose the appropriate option from the Insert Application dropdown menu of the Insert node function in change mode. Note that each application has its own attribute screen that is dependent on its application type.
Note

Note that you cannot insert applications at level 1 but only folders.

NWBC supports only the following objects in the menu tree:

  • Transaction code

  • Web Dynpro ABAP application

  • BSP application

  • Web address or file*

  • Generic Web address (URL template)*

  • WebClient UI applications (for systems with WEBCUIF 7.02 upwards, for example, CRM 7.0 EHP1).

    Note that navigation with NWBC may differ from the common look and feel in SAP CRM. This integration is aimed primarily at users whose applications are not based on the WebClient UI with NWBC and need to access only a few WebClient UI applications. For example, you use Financial Accounting in SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (SAP ERP) and, in addition, you wish to use account details of SAP Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM).

    Users who work primarily with WebClient UI applications should continue to use the standalone WebClient UI to have the full set of features available with WebClient UI components and the roles that were designed for the WebClient UI.

    Note that there are certain limitations and specifics regarding WebClient UI applications and NWBC. For more information, search for Integration with SAP NetWeaver Business Client in the SAP Help Portal under the WebClient UI Framework section.

* Replacing Variables in Web Addresses (URLs) - For Web addresses, you can define variables that are then replaced by the appropriate value at runtime. Doing this makes it possible, for example, to change a server address without making the Web address entered in a role suddenly invalid. In the Web address, you must enter the variables in pointed brackets <...>. You can define the variables in transaction SM30 in table SSM_VAR. For example, a row is created with the key SERVERNAME and the value http://www.my-server.com. Here, the Web address <SERVERNAME>/home.htm is interpreted as http://www.my-server.com/home.htm when you run it in the NWBC.

For each folder, you can specify a description that is rendered on service maps. To edit the short text, select the folder and choose Change Folder in the context menu.

The settings described above are illustrated in the following figure:

Example of inserting a Web Dynpro ABAP application

Node and Folder Properties and their Relationship to NWBC

For NWBC, detailed attributes are available in transaction PFCG for each folder or node. These additional attributes are used to achieve specific runtime effects on the NWBC shell. To maintain these attributes, select the relevant folder or node and choose the Other Node Details pushbutton. For more information, see 5.2 Improvements in PFCG User Interface .

The settings described above are illustrated in the following figure:

Other Node Details

The entries in the menu can have the following attributes:

Level

Attributes

Folders at root level

Folder Option ( Service Map , Link Collection , Menu or Side Panel )

Single Top Level

Other folders

Folder Option ( Service Map , Link Collection or Side Panel )

Single entries (applications)

Node Option ( Side Panel or blank)

Application Type

Visibility

Launch Application

The settings lead to different visualizations in the shell and in the content area. The table explains the settings available under Other Node Details :

Settings on Folder Level

Field Name

Level

Description

Service Map Icon

*

You can select the icon that is to be displayed for this role on the service map. For more information, see the field help.

Work Center Icon

1

You can select the icon that is to be displayed for this role on the navigation tab for the work center. For more information, see the field help.

Folder Option

* (except Link Collection and Menu )

The following options are available:

  • As Service Map

    Specifies that this folder has a special content area that displays the next level navigation entries.

  • Link Collection (only on level >1)

    Specifies that this folder, along with its entries, is a collection of links with additional functionality, for example, See Also links.

  • Menu (only on level =1)

    Specifies that this folder is displayed as an additional menu entry in the NWBC menu bar.

  • Side Panel

    Specifies that this folder and all its subfolders are side panel applications.

Single Top Level

1

Specifies that this folder is displayed with the root folder on the top of the shell and the second level navigation entries on the navigation panel of the shell.

Settings on Application Level

Field Name

Level

Description

Node Option

*

Side Panel

Specifies that this folder and all its subfolders are side panel applications.

Application Type

*

These options are used to group entries together within home pages that were built by using Page Builder and that have the correct CHIPs.

The following options are available:

  • Report

    Specifies that this application is a report so that all reports can be grouped together on home pages.

  • New

    Specifies that this application can be used to create a new type of business object. All transactions of this type are grouped together on home pages so that the end user can easily access them.

  • Search

    Specifies that this application can be used to find business objects, to then be able to work with them. All transactions of this type are grouped together on home pages.

  • <blank>

    This is the default setting and groups all applications.

Visibility

*

The following options are available:

  • Visible

    Specifies that the application is shown on the navigation panel. This is the default setting.

  • Visible and Highlighted

    Displays the link for this application in bold letters in the navigation panel for more emphasis.

  • Visible and Deactivated

    Displays the link for this application grayed out to indicate that it cannot be opened by the user.

  • Invisible

    Specifies that the link for this application is not displayed in the navigation panel.

  • Invisible in Navigation Frame

    Specifies that this application is not shown in the navigation panel, but is displayed on a service map or on the home page if the specific CHIPs are available to show the sections from the navigation tree. Use this setting for applications/entries that are rarely used, for example, end-of-quarter transactions. These entries should not be visible in the navigation panel but in the more detailed views of the content area.

Launch Application

*

The following options are available:

  • In-Place

    Specifies that this application is started in the content area by default.

  • In Application Window

    Specifies that the application is always started in a separate application window without navigation frame. Typically, you use this option for large standalone applications that can run in their own window.

  • Stand-Alone

    Specifies that this application is started directly in a browser. Typically, you use this option for scenarios where NWBC is the only access point to the system and where NWBC integrates other applications that are not designed to run in the NWBC shell, for example, SAP Enterprise Portal and SAP CRM. In this case, the application is started in a browser session that is independent of NWBC. This option is only available for nodes of type Web address or file or Generic Web Address (URL Template) .

Default Page

*

Specifies that an application is displayed when the folder is selected.

Force SAP GUI in HTML

* (only SAP GUI transactions)

Specifies that a transaction is started in SAP GUI, not in SAP GUI for HTML. You can select this checkbox to force a transaction to be started in SAP GUI. Some transactions only run in SAP GUI, but not in SAP GUI for HTML.

For more information, see the Maintain Transaction Code ( SE93) transaction. However, note that this information is not always up-to-date.

Prerequisite: You have installed SAP GUI on the presentation server.

Note

This checkbox is relevant only for NWBC for HTML.

Remote SAP GUI for Windows calls cannot be supported and are converted into remote SAP Web GUI calls, unless the administrator explicitly prevents this using Customizing. In particular, you must be careful with the PFCG setting Force SAP GUI in HTML when defining OBN targets if you want to ensure that NWBC for HTML is fully supported by the role maintained.
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