A directory of Appian users is available as a record type in the Tempo interface. This directory is accessible to end users by navigating to the Users record type in Tempo and browsing or searching the record list. The Users record type can also be added to a site page.
Each user in Appian has a User record, which by default includes a Summary, News, and Related Actions view. In a site, the news view is available based on a site design configuration and can be turned off. The sections below describe the aspects of this record type that you can modify and/or extend to best meet the specific needs of your organization.
The content below assumes a basic familiarity with record design and focuses more on the specifics of configuring the Users record type. Consider familiarizing yourself with Appian Records before proceeding.
See also: Appian Records and Records Tutorial
For more information on user management in Tempo, refer to User Management.
Since user profiles are records, you can configure the format of user profiles by configuring the corresponding Users record type. Take the following steps to do so:
You will see the following screen, from which you can edit the record type:
See also: Create a Record Type
You may need to modify the name and description of the Users record type, especially if you need to translate it to a different language to fit the locale of your users. The Singular Record Type Name, Plural Record Type Name, and Description fields of the Users record type are all editable. If your user base speaks multiple languages, populate the fields accordingly with all relevant languages. For example:
By default, all users have Viewer permission to the Users record type, which means that all users who can access Tempo can see the Users record type from the Records tab. This cannot be changed. However, you can configure additional security by assigning users the following permission levels:
See also: Appian Records Security
The record list view for the Users record type is set to use the system function a!userRecordListViewItem by default. This default list view displays the first and last names, email, office phone, and mobile phone for each user in the Users record list.
You can replace the system function with your own rule that defines a different list view for the Users record type. For example, you could create a rule with the following expression to display each user's city and state instead of email and phone numbers:
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a!listViewItem(
title: rv!record[recordType!User.fields.firstName] & " " & rv!record[recordType!User.fields.lastName],
details: rv!record[recordType!User.fields.city] & ", " & rv!record[recordType!User.fields.state],
image: touser(rv!record[recordType!User.fields.username])
)
In this expression, we used record fields available in the UserProfile record by using the rv! domain to access them. See the UserProfile Record Fields section below for the full list of record fields available in the UserProfile record. The above expression results in a different looking list view:
See also: a!userRecordListViewItem(), Configure a Record List
The User Filters field of the Users record type is set to use the system function a!userRecordFacets by default. This default function contains a "Status" user filter with filter options "Active" and "Inactive", with "Active" selected by default. As a result, users see only active users in the Users record list by default. Inactive users are users whose accounts have been deactivated.
Removal of the default "Status" user filter is not recommended. Doing so will result in the Users record list displaying all inactive users, with no way for users to filter out the inactive users. However, you can add your own user filters in addition to the default "Status" user filter. For example, if your users span multiple countries, you could add a "Country" user filter.
To do so, create an expression rule called userRecordUserFiltersExtension. Define the rule with the following:
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a!recordFilterList(
name: "Country",
options: {
a!recordFilterListOption(
id: 1,
name: "China",
filter: a!queryFilter(
field: "country",
operator: "=",
value: "China"
)
),
a!recordFilterListOption(
id: 2,
name: "France",
filter: a!queryFilter(
field: "country",
operator: "=",
value: "France"
)
),
a!recordFilterListOption(
id: 3,
name: "United States",
filter: a!queryFilter(
field: "country",
operator: "=",
value: "USA"
)
)
}
)
Now edit the Users record type to modify the User Filters field to include your expression rule:
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{
a!userRecordFacets(),
rule!userRecordUserFiltersExtension()
}
After saving the record type, you will see your new "Country" user filter in the left-hand navigation when viewing the record list.
See also:
The Users record type does not have any related actions defined by default, but you can add related actions to this record type just as you would any other record type. Additionally, you can configure related action shortcuts from any record view for the Users record type.
You have access to the record fields in the rv! domain to define the Context Expression fields for related actions.
See also: Add Related Actions
The Summary record view for the Users record type is defined by default. While the Summary view has edit capabilities, you can also define additional record views to display more user information on user profiles.
Adding record to the Users record type is the same as adding record views to any other record type. You have access to the record fields in the rv! domain to define the record view interfaces.
See also: Define a Record View
If you edit the Users record type in the Designer interface, you will notice that the Source Data Type for the record type is UserProfile. All the fields of the UserProfile CDT are available to you as record fields in the rv! domain. The fields of UserProfile are as follows:
See the previous sections for examples of how to make use of these field values for the Users record type.
Once you have made changes to the Users record type in one environment, you may need to deploy those changes to other environments. For example, you might make changes in a development environment that you need to deploy in a test or production environment.
The steps for deploying changes to the Users record type are the same as those for deploying changes to any other record type. Simply create an application containing the Users record type and any dependencies, export the application, and import it to the new environment.
