Designing Modules

How to create your own module

Written by Robert Jan van der Waals | July 18, 2014 |

Version 1.1 | Based on Data Crow 4.0
I NTRODUCTION
Since Data Crow 3 it is possible to create your own modules. I have had many
requests to add additional modules like a coin and a wine module. Using the
module creation wizard you can now easily create the modules you are missing
from the standard Data Crow installation. Additionally you can change existing
modules by adding new fields for example.

Using the module creation wizard you can quickly create a new module. This
manual has been created to ensure you can create the module you need.

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G ENERAL TIPS

1. Always create a module in a clean installation of Data Crow. Just install

a version of Data Crow to a different location then your production
version. In this new and empty version you can experiment without
having to worry about messing up your current installation. How to do
this? Navigate to [Settings > Change Folder] and select a new user
folder for testing purposes.

2. You can share a module with someone else or copy a module you have
created in your test installation to the production version. Use the
[Modules > Module Export Wizard] to export your module. Import the
module by at any other Data Crow installation by using the [Modules >
Module Import Wizard]

3. Describe on a piece of paper the fields you will need. Also define if you
need lists of options a user can select from. You can create managed
lists within your module. Meaning you can define a field called
“genres” and make the content (the genres) manageable from within
Data Crow.

4. If you want to use lists as described in point 3, create the modules

which will hold the items first. Most common these will be simple
property modules for items like categories, genres, etc. Items of these
modules have a name and an icon, nothing else. This will be explained
further on in this document. Just remember that the fastest way to
create your module is from the bottom to the top.

5. Make sure to visit the field settings for your newly created modules.
For example; the “is descriptive” setting determines the label of your
items. This label will be used to display your items in the views, the
grouping pane and in the reference fields.

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M ODULE T YPES
One of the first things you need to know is what every module type is and what
it can be used for. There are three types of modules; property modules, media
module and ‘other’ modules.

The type of module determines how the module can be accessed and which
predefined fields a module has. Predefined fields (such as the ID) cannot be
removed from the module (though they can be hidden using the normal field
settings editor).

P ROPERTY MODULE TYPE

A property module is the simplest module type. Examples of property modules
are the movie and music genres, the software category, the storage media and
the platforms. Important to note is that a property module can’t have any
reference fields and can’t have a picture field either.

A property module will never show up in the module bar. In fact it will not
show up anywhere until used within another module. Its existence depends on
other modules. This will be discussed later on in this document when we get to
the field creation.

When a property module has been used within another module you can
manage its items via the [Administration] menu. Note that this is the
[Administration] menu of the module using this property module.

Managing referenced property module items

P R ED E FI N E D FI E L DS
Among other, system related fields, the following fields will always be present
for property modules:

 Alternative Names (for synonyms of the same items)

 Name (name of the item)

 Icon (icon to represent the item)

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M EDIA MODULE TYPE
This type of module is a fully functioning module. After its creation it will show
up in the module bar from where it can be opened and used.

Module List

Items created within this module can also be managed by using the media
module. The media module allows all items from modules of type “Media
Module” to be shown in one overview.

Media module

P R ED E FI N E D FI E L DS
Among other, system related fields, the following fields will always be present
for media modules:

 Countries (Countries where the item was released)

 Languages

 Description (item description, long text)

 Location (free form location description of the item)

 Rating (10 star based rating)

 Title (title of the item)

 Year (year of release of the item)

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P ERSON M ODULE TYPE
The Person Module type has all the fields required for registering person
information. Just as a property module will never show up in the module list
neither will a person module. Person modules need to be used by other
modules to be become apparent as a sub-module (see field creation chapter).

P R ED E FI N E D FI E L DS
Among other, system related fields, the following fields will always be present
for person modules:

 Webpage

 Description

 First name

 Last name

 Name (the full name of the person)

 Photo

 Tags (tag word registration)

‘O THER ’ M ODU LE TYPE

The other module type is almost the same as the media module type. The only
difference is that it has less predefined fields (such as rating, title) and its items
cannot be managed by using the media module.

P R ED E FI N E D FI E L DS
Only system related fields are added for modules of this type.

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C REATING A NEW MODULE
There are two ways to create a new module. One way is to manually create a
XML file which describes the module and its fields. The second and easiest way
is to use the module creation wizard. This document will describe the creation
process using the wizard.

Start the wizard: [Modules > Create Module Wizard]

S TEP 1: SELECT THE MODULE TYP E

As described in the previous chapter you need to select the correct module
type for your purposes. This information cannot be changed at a later stage.

Module wizard step 1 of 3

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S TEP 2: ENTER THE BASIC MODU LE IN FORMATION
In this step you have to enter the basic information for the module such as its
name, its icons and a description. Most of this information can be changed
after the module has been created.

Module wizard step 2 of 3

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Below you find an overview of the information you have to fill here and
whether this information can be changed at a later stage or not.

Field Description Can be

changed later?

Name Name of the module. Example: Coins. N

Item name Name of an item belonging to the module. N

Example: Coin.

Item name Plural name of items belonging to the N

(plural) module. Example: Coins.

Items can be Indicates if the loan system should be Y

lent to other activated for this module. If so, contact
persons persons can lend items belonging to this
module. This option is not available for
property modules.

Items represent This adds file managements features and Y

actual files the necessary fields for file registration:
filename, file size, file hash and file hash
type. This enables the Drive Manager
functionality for your created module.

Items can be Adds a container field (where is the item Y

assigned to a located?). Having this field present will
container allow the item to be represented in the
container module.

Description A short description of this module. The Y

description is shown when you move your
mouse over the module in the module list
panel.

Icon 16x16 Small icon. This icon is used for the item Y
form, reports, the table view and various
settings panels.

Icon 32x32 Large icon. This icon is used for the Y

module list panel.

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S TEP 3: C REATING FIELDS
The third step of this wizard is where you can define the fields for your module.
These fields will hold the information for each of your items. In the upper part
of the screen you can see the predefined fields for the module. These fields are
fixed and cannot be removed or changed. In the lower part all fields are shown
which have been defined by you.

To create a new field you click the “Add Field” button. To remove a field you
select the field in the list and press the “Remove Field” button. You can only
remove fields from the “New Field” section.

Module wizard step 3 of 3

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A DDING A NEW FIELD
After clicking on the “Add Field” button a dialog is opened. This dialog is used
to define / create your field. It is very important to know that created fields
cannot be changed at a later stage. They can only be removed and recreated.

Dialog for defining a field

The information to enter is detailed below.

 Name.
The label for this field.

 Field type.
Indicates what kind of value the field can hold and how it’s displayed.
Each of the options here will be discussed in the next chapter.

 Referenced module.
In case you have selected one of the reference field types the
referenced module list will appear. This is where you select the (for
example) property module you have created such as a “Status”
module. The referenced field will show all the items contained within
the referenced module.

 Can be searched?
Indicates whether users should be able to search on this.

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 Required?
Indicates whether it is mandatory for the user to fill this field. This can
be changed using the [Settings > General Field Settings] option from
within the Data Crow application.

 Descriptive?
Data Crow needs to know how to describe the item of a module; what
is the name of the item. By checking one (or multiple) fields as a
descriptive field its content will be used to describe the item. For
example, the title field of the book module is the descriptive field. This
can be changed using the [Settings > General Field Settings] option
from within the Data Crow application.

 Is key field?
In case Data Crow has been configured to check whether an item is
unique before saving it Data Crow will compare items based on the
content of the key fields. Internally items are always unique as an item
always has a unique identifier assigned. This can be changed using the
[Settings > General Field Settings] option from within the Data Crow
application.

 Item form tab.

Here you can indicate on which tab of the item form the field should be
displayed. This can be changed by using [Settings > Item Form Settings]
at a later stage.]

 Maximum text length.

The maximum length of the value to enter. Only applicable and shown
for text fields.

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F IELD T YPES
The field type decides what kind of value you are going to store in the field
(number, text, etc), how it will be displayed and it even determines how other
modules are displayed!

Field Type Description

Checkbox Stores a yes / no value.

Date Field A date field with a calendar or date selection.

Decimal Field Numeric field, decimal representation. The representation of the value
(example: 1,000,000.00) depends on the locale settings.

File Field A simple file field. Contains a browse button.

File Launcher Can store a filename and is able to launch the associated file using the launch
Field button. A file can be selected by using the browse button.

Number Field Numeric field (example: 1000000).

Picture Field Holds an image and is displayed in a separate tab of the item form.

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Rating Field A 10 star-based rating field.

Reference This field allows you to select items belonging to another module. The items of
Field, the module are displayed in this list. The module from which the items should
Dropdown be displayed should be selected as the referenced module. A good example of
such a field is the storage medium field of the software module.

Reference Same as above but allows multiple items to be selected. Example: the
Field, Multi- countries field of the Software module.
select

Text Field, A large text field.

Multi-line

Text Field, A single line text field.

Single-line

URL Field This field stores HTTP URLS and is able to launch them in your browser.

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C REATING A R EFERENCE TO A M ODULE
Referencing one module from another is done through the field creation.
Creating a reference has implication in how modules are shown within Data
Crow;

- Property module; not shown until referenced. Shown in the

[Administration] menu after it has been referenced. One property module
can be referenced by multiple modules.

- Person module; not shown until references. Shown as a sub module in the
module list after referencing. One person module can be referenced by
multiple modules.

- Media and Other module; shown in the module list as a main module (just
like the Movie, Book and Software module). Shown only as a sub module in
the module list after referencing. One media / other module can be
referenced by multiple modules.

R EFERENCE F IELDS
As shown above you have the option to use information from other modules in
your own module. It is very common within Data Crow to use other modules to
allow list content to be edited. Deciding to reference another module will also
change the way that module is displayed.

How do you create a reference to another module? Simply by creating a

reference field (“Reference Field, Single-Select” or “Reference Field, Multi-
Select”) to another module. The screenshot below depicts adding a languages
field to the software module. As a field type the “Reference Field, Multi-select”
has been selected. The module “Language” is used to fill the content of the
Languages field.

This is essential; you first create the referenced module (Language in this case)
and then you add a field to the main module (Software in this case).

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R E F E R E N CI N G A P RO P E RT Y MO DU L E
The property module type has been described earlier. One of the most
important things to know is that this module will only be displayed once it has
been referenced by another module. After you have created a reference to a
property module it will become available from the [Administration] menu. A
menu option called [Maintain <item name>] will be shown there. Using this
option you can manage the items for this property module and thus also the
available content of the reference field.

In the example below a references field was created to the Language module
for the Software module. The languages can now be maintained through the
[Administration] menu of the Software module.

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R E F E R E N CI N G AN Y O T H ER T YP E O F MO D U LE
Creating a reference to any other kind of module works exactly the same as for
property modules. However the result is little bit different. The referenced
module will be displayed in the module list, underneath your module. An
example is shown below. The software module has two reference fields, one to
the developer module and one to the publisher module. These modules are
shown by clicking on the arrow icon underneath the software module.

Main module with its sub modules

Selecting either of these sub-modules allows you to administer the containing

items.

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R ELATING MODULES
It is possible to create a parent child relation between two modules. A parent
child relationship is something different then creating a reference between two
modules. When a module becomes a child module its items can only exist
when they have a relationship with a parent item. An example of this is the
audio track module, which has a parent child relationship with the audio CD
modules. Audio tracks can simply not exist when there is no audio CD.

In case of a reference between two modules this is not the case. An actor can
exist even when it is not referenced by a movie.

Creating a parent child relationship can be accomplished by using the “Relate

Module” wizard (as can be found in the modules menu).

After the relationship has been created the items belonging to the child module
can only be managed via the parent module. The item form of the parent
module now has a separate tab where the child items are shown. This tab also
allows you to create, update and remove child items. In case you want to
manage the child items using a view the table view would be your only choice.
The table view is capable of showing the parent item and its children in one
view. The audio CD module and the music album module are good examples
where you can see this in action.

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D ELETING MODULES
Custom modules, modules not delivered with the Data Crow product, can be
deleted by using the “Delete module” wizard (which can be found in the
module menu). The last step of this wizard shows all the changes that have to
be performed before the module can be deleted. Sometimes a module is
referenced by other modules or the module is part of a parent child
relationship. The wizard will alter these modules so that they remain functional
after the selected module has been removed.

As stated before you cannot remove a standard module (delivered with the
Data Crow product). However you can hide this module via the settings.

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D ISTRIBUTING YOUR MOD ULE
After you have created and tested your module you might want to distribute it
to other persons.

E XPORTING YOUR MODULE

The easiest way to do this is to use the Module Export Wizard [Modules >
Export Module Wizard].

 Export the items of the main module

In case you want to make items of the main module part of the export,
check this box. This is great in case you want to deliver one or more
example items.

 Export the items of the related modules

In case you are using reference fields checking this option will also
extract the information from these modules. This option is checked by
default and it is recommended to leave it enabled.

 Export path
Path where the module will be exported to.

Press Next to export the custom module. It will include all the referenced
modules, making this a complete package, perfect for distribution to other
persons / installations of Data Crow.

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I MPORTING A MODULE
To import a module you can use the Import Module Wizard. Just select the zip
file as delivered to you and import it into Data Crow.

A LTERING MODULES
To customize an existing module start the [Modules > Alter Module Wizard].

Select the module you would like to alter. It is not possible to alter property
modules.

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