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HTML editor

Basics

The HTML editor in CURSOR-CRM/EVI/TINA is both a WYSIWYG and a text-based editor:

WYSIWYG

text-based

Using the context menu on the mask of an activity, you can open the editor in text-based mode, provided that the administrative settings allow this action.

Figure: Open editor in text-based mode


Note that an apparently "empty" HTML document contains at least the following HTML tags:

XML
<html>
<head>
<title></title>
</head>

<body>
</body>

</html>

The most important requirements for the editor in CURSOR-CRM/EVI/TINA:

  • Reader-friendly display of content in the memo field via formatting

    • Font (Arial, Tahoma, etc.)

    • Font style (bold, italic)

    • Font size

    • Font color

    • Headings (level 1 to 6)

    • Lists with standard bullets (first level only)

    • Numbering (first level only)

  • Integration of navigation elements (HTML links)

  • Integration of links to external graphics

  • Simple and intuitive operation via ribbon (like in Word)

    • Copy & paste, cutting technique

  • Broad interoperability between the most common Windows applications and browsers

Result

  1. HTML page in the browser/editor and its source code (WYSIWYG vs. text-based) are two different views of the same content.

  2. Using the HTML editor, you can quickly and easily format the contents of the memo field to improve readability.

The HTML editor is an external component of a third-party provider that can be used within CURSOR-CRM/EVI/TINA specifically for the activity text. As a result, CURSOR Software AG is dependent on the scope of services and support of the third party provider.

Using the HTML Editor for activity text

For the text field in activities, you can include an HTML component (the HTML editor) in addition to the text component contained in the standard system. Using the HTML editor, basic HTML functions such as formatting fonts, numbering, bullet lists, paragraphs, and the integration of navigation elements (links, images) can be used in the "memo field". After activation, a toolbar is added to the activity text editor, which provides the corresponding formatting options.

Figure: The memo field on the mask


Double-clicking takes you directly to the editor view.

Figure: HTML editor


For pasting text:

  • unformatted text (e.g. from Notepad) is inserted with the font of the current caret position (including bold, italic, underline),

  • formatted text (e.g. from a browser) is inserted at the current caret position with the formatting contained in the text.

Apart from this, the handling of the default font from the user preferences has been modified. A major advantage of the changes is that the default font is retained even if the editor is completely empty and that the HTML text of a new activity no longer needs to contain a non-breaking space, which significantly improves editing. Disadvantage of the change: The default font is no longer displayed in the editor toolbar. However, the toolbar still works when the font for a paragraph is explicitly selected.

When you edit a text with both the Windows client and the Web Client, situations can arise in which the font properties of a paragraph can no longer be corrected in the Web Client. This is due to the use of the deprecated <font> tags in the HTML editor of the Windows client, which the HTML editor of the Web Client cannot interpret. Similarly, the font of formatted text inserted via paste can no longer be modified, depending on the type of formatting information it contains.

Using the HTML editor for email templates and signatures

The HTML editor can also be used to create email templates and signatures. To do this, read the chapter Templates for emails and signatures.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

The following questions regarding using the editor are currently known and are answered by CURSOR Software AG.

Question

Answer

Can I insert content from MS Office programs via clipboard (via copy & paste)?

MS Office, especially Word, also works with an HTML syntax in the background that is invisible to the user. This syntax should be regarded as an HTML dialect, which adds a lot of additional formatting information. If you now insert Word text, this HTML syntax information from Word is also inserted. This can increase the size of the HTML text by a factor of 10, which significantly slows down working in the HTML editor.

As a user I copy web pages via the clipboard (via copy & paste). But they look completely different in the editor. Many elements are not visible at all. Why?

Copying HTML from web pages via the clipboard is possible, but leads to objects such as JavaScript or Flash being displayed incorrectly. An HTML editor cannot replicate the environment of a web server (e.g. additional script languages such as Java or PHP).

Can I include images in the memo field?

Under certain conditions - Yes. In this case, the HTML editor must reference images that can be accessed on a web server. In this case, you must work in text mode and specify the absolute path to the image on the server instead of the relative path.

  • (relative path) Does not work:

XML
<img src="Bild.png">
  • (absolute path) Works correctly:

XML
<img src="http://www.domain.com/Bild.png">


In fact, the image is located outside the CRM system and is only displayed when the memo field is opened.

Such graphics are ignored when reports are created (if the memo field occurs in a report).


As a user I copy web pages via the clipboard (via copy & paste). Not all images are visible in the editor. Why?

The decisive factor is how the HTML source code for the images is defined on the page. See: Explanation above.

  • Does not work:

XML
 <img src="Bild.png">
  • Works correctly:

XML
 <img src="http://www.domain.com/Bild.png">

Other elements of the website control whether the relative paths to graphics are displayed correctly. Since these elements are not available in the editor (e.g. CSS stylesheets), the graphics cannot be displayed.

Can I create multiple nested numbering and bullet lists in the editor?

Yes. Formatting is only possible in text mode.

Tip

Create such formatting with an external editor and insert the HTML syntax.

Several users have unknowingly edited the same memo field at the same time. The person who last saved the dataset unknowingly overwrites other users.

The conflict dialog has no way to match HTML text. In other words, if several users edit and save the activity text at the same time, changes to the text in the conflict message cannot be evaluated.

The font is displayed oversized. The lines partially overlap.

The HTML editor cannot correctly interpret the style 'line-height'. If the style 'line-height' is removed, the text will be displayed correctly.

Background: The 'line-height' style describes the distance between consecutive lines. The distance depends on the font size.

Integration

After activating the HTML editor for the activity text, all activities formatted as text in the system are formatted in HTML format when they are edited and saved. As long as the existing text is not changed, the plain text remains in the database.

If the setting is reversed, the formatting required for the HTML format, and the HTML syntax, are displayed in the activity text in addition to the plain text.

Step 1

Configuration of field attributes

For the Text.Activity field, the following value must be entered in the 'Mask field' row in the dialog for editing the field attributes:

CODE
de.cursor.gui.mrv.RecordableHTMLEditor

To change the configuration for this field:

  1. Open any activity (you need administrator rights)

  2. Move the mouse pointer over the Memo field

  3. Right-click and select the Field attributes option

  4. Go to Configuration /Mask field

  5. Click the field in the right column

  6. Enter the value de.cursor.gui.mrv.RecordableHTMLEditor and confirm with OK.


Step 2

Then close your client and restart the JBoss server. The HTML editor is available after the client restarts.

Step 3

Activate changes

Now you have to edit and save the activity mask once with the GUI-Builder, so that the settings take effect.

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