Facility Navigation Bar Tool – Configuring the Initial Filter

The Initial Filter property pre-filters facilities before returning facility data to the Facility Navigation Bar Tool. The drop-down levels only list facilities if they meet the Initial Filter criteria that you define.

Employing an Initial Filter improves search performance, as it allows searches to focus on a smaller subset of facilities. Irrelevant facilities are removed, so searches "drill down" to relevant ones more quickly. This is especially useful for a large Facility Service (FAC).

Creating Initial Filters is optional. If you specify just a SiteService and do not set up an Initial Filter, the Facility Navigation Bar Tool will return all facilities in the FAC.

This topic includes the following sections:

• To Configure an Initial Filter
• To Define Filter Attributes

To learn more about the General page of the CygNet Facility Navigation Bar Control Properties dialog box or to find out more about configuring the Facility Navigation Bar Tool, see Configuring the Facility Navigation Bar Tool.

To Configure an Initial Filter

1. In the CygNet Facility Navigation Bar Control Properties dialog box, click the General tab to display the following:

2. Select the SiteService.
3. To define attributes for the Initial Filter, click the Define Filter Attributes button to display the Edit Facility Navigation Bar Custom Attributes dialog box. Go to To Define Filter Attributes, below, to learn more.
4. To define rules for the Initial Filter, click the … button next to the Initial Filter field to display the Set Initial Facility Rules dialog box:

5. Click the Add button to display the Rule Definition dialog box.
6. Use the options in the Rule Definition dialog box to configure the facility filter rules. For details, see the Using CygNet Filter Rules topic.

Note: If you select the Reference Attribute option for the Comparison Type field, the Comparison Item field will list Facility Navigation Bar Custom Attributes. This includes the attributes you define using Define Filter Attributes. For details, see To Define Filter Attributes, below.

7. When you finish defining a rule, click OK.
8. If you want to compound rules, add another rule, then double-click the root of the rule tree in the Tree View of the Set Initial Facility Rules dialog box. The following dialog box appears:

9. Select the Rule Evaluation that describes the rule logic you want to apply and click OK.
10. When you finish configuring rules, click OK to save and close the Set Initial Facility Rules dialog box.
11. In the CygNet Facility Navigation Bar Control Properties dialog box, change any other settings and click Apply. Click OK.

To Define Filter Attributes

1. Click the Define Filter Attributes button on the CygNet Facility Navigation Bar Control Properties dialog box to display the Edit Facility Navigation Bar Custom Attributes dialog box:

2. Select the custom attribute you want to use with the Custom Attribute menu.
3. In the Attribute Description field, type a description for the attribute you are configuring.
4. If you want to include a specific attribute value in a rule as part of your filter, type it in the Attribute Value field. Otherwise, leave this field blank.
5. Repeat steps 2 - 4 to add more custom attributes.
6. When you finish, click OK.

Any custom attributes you define will appear in the Facility Navigation Bar Custom Attributes list under the Comparison Item menu.

7. To view the Facility Navigation Bar Custom Attributes list, display the Rule Definition dialog box, select the Reference Attribute option in the Comparison Type menu, then view the Comparison Item menu: