How the mobile app is organized

The mobile app is organized as bottom tabs for the active app, an Apps drawer for switching apps, list screens for each record type and record screens for the detail. It uses the same ideas as the web: apps group the work, lists show records of one type, and records hold the detail. See Apps, entities and records if those are new. Almost none of the frame is fixed. The tabs, their order and whether there is a Home page all come from how your organization configured the app, so your app can look different from a colleague's or from pictures in this documentation. This page comes after you have signed in and finished the first sync (Using xMatix on mobile). It comes before the task pages, such as Capturing data in the field.

Overview

When to use it

Read this page when you first use the app, when a screen or tab you expect is missing, or when you train new field users. Administrators use the Configuration section to decide what each part of the frame shows.

How xMatix handles it

Tabs come from your app

The bottom tab bar is the active app's navigation items, sorted in the order your administrator arranged them. Items inside navigation groups are included too. On a phone the first three items become tabs. On a tablet (a screen at least 768 points on its shorter side) more fit, depending on the width, up to eight. Everything beyond the cap goes under a More tab. More opens a sheet rather than a screen: a list of rows under group headings, where a group that holds an app list opens inside the sheet with a ‹ Back control. If nothing overflows, there is no More tab.

A tab is one of three things:

• An entity: a list of records, such as customers, orders or visits, with the list tools described below.
• A page: a screen your organization designed, such as a home page with recent activity, quick actions and key figures. A page appears on mobile only if it has a mobile layout. The one exception is a Home page: without a mobile layout it shows the app's navigation as tiles.
• A built-in feature: Reports or Dashboards. These are the only built-in features the mobile app shows.

Items your administrator marked Web only, and hidden or inactive items, never appear on mobile. If none of an app's items can show on mobile, the app shows Nothing to show here with the explanation that the app has no screens you can open on mobile.

There is no built-in Home screen

A home page is an app page of the Home type. When one exists it takes the first tab, and its header shows the app name. If none exists, the first navigation item is the first tab. After a fresh start the app opens on the first tab. If the phone closed the app in the background, the app reopens on the screen you were last on.

Online-only tabs carry a cloud badge

While you are offline, a tab that needs the server shows a small crossed-out cloud. This applies to Reports, Dashboards and any entity whose records are not on your device, either because your configuration does not keep them offline or because they have not downloaded yet. The badge appears a couple of seconds after the connection drops, also shows in the More sheet and disappears when the connection returns. Pages are never badged.

Lists ask the server first

Unless your organization set the app to read Offline first, a list asks the server for its rows while you are online and uses the copy on your device only when you are offline. Offline, a list shows the records your configuration keeps on the device. A list with nothing on the device shows Not available offline. See How offline-first mobile works.

Records use your designed layout or a default

If your organization designed a mobile layout for the record type, the record screen uses it. Otherwise the app builds a default screen. This is a header with the record's title and status, a bar of the record's configured actions, and tabs. The tabs are one per line-item list (named after that list), Related, Details (the fields in collapsible groups, the first one open) and Activities where the record type tracks activities.

Prerequisites

• You are signed in, and the first sync has finished.
• Your security profile is assigned to an active mobile app configuration. Without one you can still sign in, but without that configuration's apps list, branding, offline policy or check-in rules.

Procedure

Step 1 — Open a tab or the More sheet

Tap a bottom tab to open its list, page, Reports or Dashboards. If what you need is not on the tab bar, tap More and choose it from the sheet. A row with a group heading above it belongs to that group. A row that opens another list of rows is an app list: tap ‹ Back to return.

Step 2 — Switch to another app

Tap the grid icon at the top left (Apps), or swipe in from the left edge of the screen. The drawer shows Apps with the number available and one card per app, in alphabetical order. Tap a card: the tab bar is rebuilt from that app's navigation. Tap the star on a card (Pin app) to pin it. Pinned apps then appear under Pinned, and the rest under All apps. Pins are kept on this device only. Tap the star again (Unpin app) to remove the pin.

Step 3 — Pick a view and find records

On an entity tab, the header shows the current view. Tap it to open the View picker and choose another saved view. The list always runs inside a view. There is no separate "all records" entry, so ask your administrator for a view if you need a wider one. The view your administrator set for this tab opens first. If none was set, the entity's default view opens first.

Tap the magnifier to search the list (Search followed by the list name). Tap the Filter icon to filter. The icon shows a dot while a filter is active.

Under the header you may see three rows, depending on your organization's setup:

• Recent record chips. Up to six records of this type you opened recently, on the web or on the phone. Tap one to open it.
• Summary cards. Tap a card to filter the list to that bucket, and tap it again to clear the filter.
• Filter pills. Quick filters your administrator added to the view's card design.

Step 4 — Change the sort or the card fields

Tap ⋮ (List actions) in the list header. Choose Sort to change the order, or Card fields to choose and order what each row shows. Your sort and card-field choices are remembered for this record type and view on this device. Filters are not remembered.

Step 5 — Scroll, refresh and read the rows

Rows appear as designed cards when the view has a card design, or as plain rows otherwise. On a tablet, cards can sit in a grid of two to four columns. A small icon at the right of a row is a row indicator. It shows that something about the record is true, for example a pin when a location is captured. Tap a location pin to open that place on a map.

Rows load a page at a time as you scroll. Page n of m shows at the bottom while more pages remain. Pull down to refresh the list.

Step 6 — Create a record

Tap the floating New button (it names the record type and shrinks to + as you scroll). It appears only where the web list would offer New. See Capturing data in the field for the form.

Step 7 — Act on a row without opening it

Long-press a row. A menu offers the row actions your organization configured for lists, plus Delete where you may delete and Cancel. On a card list with no configured row actions, a long press does nothing.

Step 8 — Open and work on a record

Tap a row to open the record. Scroll down and the header collapses. Initials in the header show up to three other people viewing the same record (Currently viewing). Tap ⋮ (More actions) for Edit, the record's configured actions and Delete. Edit and Delete appear only when the record type allows them, you have permission, and no background job is running on the record. On a record with a designed layout, the layout decides which actions the header offers.

Step 9 — Use the header icons

On Home, page, Reports and Dashboards tabs, the header has a bell for Notifications and a speech-bubble for the Sense Agent chat. The speech-bubble shows only when Sense AI is on for you. List headers show only the speech-bubble, and record screens show neither. See Sense on mobile.

Step 10 — Read the sync pill

A pill floats just above the tab bar when one of three things is true:

• You are offline. It reads Offline · 1 change waiting (or the number of changes), or Offline · changes sync when you're back.
• The server refused queued changes. It reads, for example, 2 changes need attention. You can dismiss it.
• A sync is running. It shows only a spinning icon, after a moment, and not over record screens, drawers or sheets.

Tap the pill. It opens Pending changes when you have changes queued or needing attention, and Sync Status otherwise. See Working offline.

Step 11 — Change preferences, organization or app

Open the Apps drawer:

• Preferences holds Appearance (Light, Dark or System, and the colour palette), Security (biometric unlock, where the phone supports it), Notifications (Push Notifications), Data & Sync (offline caching, Sync status, Storage & database, Refresh Metadata), Region & Format (Language, Locale, Time Zone) and Advanced (Diagnostics).
• Tap your account row to open Profile. Under Switch:
  • Switch Organization opens Choose a workspace. It shows only when you belong to more than one organization.
  • Switch App opens Choose an app. It shows only when you may use more than one mobile app configuration.
  • Sign Out signs you out.

  Your administrator can hide any of these three rows.

  On Android, pressing back on a top-level screen shows Press back again to exit. A second press closes the app. Back also closes the drawer when it is open.

  Example

  A field sales representative uses a Retail Sales app on a phone. Its navigation has a Home page, then Outlets, Visits, Orders, Reports and Collections.

  1. The app opens on Home, the first tab. The tab bar shows Home, Outlets and Visits, then More.
  2. The representative taps More. The More in Retail Sales sheet lists Orders, Reports and Collections.
  3. They open Outlets. The view picker shows "My outlets", the view set for this tab. They tap a "Due this week" summary card, and the list narrows to outlets with a visit due.
  4. They long-press an outlet and choose a configured "Start visit" action.
  5. In a basement shop the connection drops. The pill above the tab bar reads Offline · changes sync when you're back. In More, Reports now carries the cloud badge.
  6. They save a visit note offline, and the pill changes to Offline · 1 change waiting. Back on the street, the change uploads and the pill disappears.

  Training

  Practice exercise

  In a sandbox organization, sign in to the app on a phone:

  1. Count the bottom tabs and open More. Compare the sheet with the app's item list in Setup → Design Studio → Apps → Manage Items on the web.
  2. Pin a second app in the Apps drawer.
  3. On any list, change Sort from ⋮, close the app completely, and reopen the list.
  4. Turn on airplane mode.

  Expected result:

  • The first three items are tabs and the rest are in More, in the same order as Manage Items (web-only items are absent).
  • The drawer shows Pinned and All apps.
  • The sort you chose is still applied.
  • With airplane mode on, the offline pill appears above the tab bar, and Reports and Dashboards carry the cloud badge.

  Quick reference

  • Phone: three tabs, then More. Tablet: up to eight, depending on width.
  • Tabs follow Manage Items order. Web only items never show.
  • No built-in Home. A Home-type app page takes the first tab.
  • Grid icon or left-edge swipe opens Apps. The star pins an app on this device.
  • Lists always run in a view. There is no "All" entry.
  • ⋮ on a list has Sort and Card fields. Both are remembered per view.
  • Long-press a row for its actions. Tap ⋮ on a record for Edit and Delete.
  • The bell is on Home, page and feature tabs. It is not on lists or records.
  • The pill above the tab bar means offline, syncing or changes need attention. Tap it.
  • Crossed-out cloud on a tab: needs a connection right now.

  Permissions

  The app applies the same record-type, field and record security as the web. New, Edit, Delete and record actions appear only when you may use them. A list you may not read does not load, and a menu item for it is simply missing. Which mobile app configurations you get depends on your security profiles: a configuration reaches you only when one of your active profiles is on its Profiles tab and the configuration is active. Switch App and Choose an app appear only when that gives you more than one. Administrators need the Manage apps & navigation capability to edit apps and mobile app configurations in Setup.

  Configuration

  Everything in the frame is configuration, and it reaches devices without a new app build. The full reference is Configuring the mobile app. The settings that shape navigation are:

  What you want to change	Where	Notes
  Which items an app has, and their order	Setup → Design Studio → Apps → the app's Manage Items	Item kinds: entity, page, feature (Reports, Dashboards) and app list. Drag to reorder. The first three become phone tabs.
  Hide an item from mobile, or show it only on mobile	Manage Items → the item's Shows on: Web + mobile, Web only or Mobile only	Web only items are dropped on mobile.
  Which list view a tab opens	Manage Items → the item's List view	It overrides the entity's default view on that tab.
  Offer an app on mobile at all	The app's Mobile setting on Setup → Design Studio → Apps (the list's Mobile column reads Mobile or No Mobile)	Apps that are hidden, inactive or No Mobile do not appear in the drawer.
  A home page	An app page of the Home type, placed first in Manage Items, with a mobile layout	Other pages need a mobile layout or they are left out of the mobile navigation.
  Which apps a mobile configuration shows	Setup → Design Studio → Apps → Mobile Apps → the configuration's Apps tab (Enable app)	Empty means every mobile-capable app stays available.
  Who gets the configuration	The configuration's Profiles tab (Assign profile)	Only assigned profiles' users receive it. The configuration must be active.
  Profile screen rows	The configuration's Profile Screen tab → Actions: Switch Organization, Switch App, Sign Out	Turn Sign Out off only when users have another way out. Reset to default layout restores the shipped screen.
  Read mode (server first or device first)	The configuration's Offline & Sync tab	See How offline-first mobile works.
  List cards, filter pills and row indicators	The entity's Experience → Views → the view's Design Card row action (Card design dialog, Indicators tab for row icons)	Changes the mobile list only, not the web list. See Entity behavior.
  Record screens	The entity's mobile layouts	See Design a form layout.

  Common problems

  The app shows "Nothing to show here"

  The selected app has no item that can show on mobile. Every item may be Web only, hidden or inactive, or every page may lack a mobile layout. Open the Apps drawer and pick another app, or ask your administrator to set items to Web + mobile.

  A tab I use on the web is missing on the phone

  Check More first: only three items fit on a phone. If it is not there, the item is Web only, or it is a page without a mobile layout, or it is a built-in feature other than Reports and Dashboards. Ask your administrator.

  A list says "Not available offline"

  You are offline and your configuration does not keep this record type on the device, or it has not downloaded yet. Reconnect, or ask your administrator to add the record type to the Offline & Sync tab.

  I can't find a view that shows every record

  The mobile list has no built-in "All" entry. Each list runs in one of the entity's saved views. Ask your administrator for a view with no filter.

  There is no Switch App or Switch Organization on my Profile

  Switch App appears only when you have more than one mobile app configuration, and Switch Organization only when you belong to more than one organization. Your administrator can also hide either row on the Profile Screen tab.

  Common questions

  Why does my app look different from a colleague's?

  The shape of the app is configuration, and configuration is scoped. You may be in a different app (check the Apps drawer). Your security profiles may give you a different mobile app configuration, with a different set of apps. Views, card designs, filter pills and summary cards are designed per record type and per view, and the tab you open can name its own view. A tablet also shows more tabs than a phone. If something you need is genuinely missing rather than arranged differently, ask your administrator.

  Can I favourite a record on the phone?

  No. The record ⋮ menu offers Edit, the record's actions and Delete, but no favourite. To get back to records quickly, use the recent-record chips under the list header. They show up to six records of that type you opened recently, on the web or on the phone. Pinning in the Apps drawer applies to apps, not records.

  Why does a tab show a crossed-out cloud?

  That tab needs the server while you are offline. Reports and Dashboards always need it. An entity tab shows the badge when its records are not on your device, either because your configuration does not keep them offline or because they have not downloaded yet. Everything without a badge keeps working offline against the records on your device. The badge disappears when the connection returns.

  How do I switch organizations or apps?

  Open the Apps drawer and tap your account row to open Profile. Switch Organization opens the workspace picker, and Switch App opens Choose an app. Switching apps swaps the whole frame: apps in the drawer, branding, offline data and check-in rules. Switching organizations changes whose data you are working in. To move between apps inside the same configuration, tap a card in the drawer instead.

  Related topics

  • The xMatix mobile app
  • Using xMatix on mobile
  • Navigating xMatix: apps, lists and records
  • Apps, entities and records
  • How offline-first mobile works
  • Working offline: sync status and recovery
  • Capturing data in the field
  • Configuring the mobile app