Workflows

Common daily workflows in GlyphFex: from quoting jobs to shipping orders, using the Shop Floor kiosk, and exporting data.

Quote-to-Order Lifecycle

A typical job in a manufacturing shop starts as a quote and, if won, converts into a production order. GlyphFex supports this entire lifecycle with dedicated features.

Creating a quote

1. Create a new job — Press Ctrl+3 and select a quote template (e.g., "Standard Quote"). The template pre-fills tags, fields, and assigns the quoting workflow.
2. Fill in details — Enter the customer name, quantities, pricing, and any specifications. Tag with material, process, and other relevant categories.
3. Set pipeline status — The entry starts in the first quoting stage (e.g., "Estimating"). Advance through stages as the quote progresses: Estimating, Quote Sent, Awaiting Approval.
4. Quote validity — If the stage is marked as a quoting stage, GlyphFex automatically sets the quote_valid_until field based on your configured default validity period.

Advancing through the pipeline

As work progresses, change the entry's status to the next pipeline stage. You can do this from:

• Entry page — Select the new status from the pipeline dropdown
• Dashboard — Right-click an entry card and choose Change Status
• Shop Floor — Tap the Advance button on the entry card
• Entry Detail Window — Change status from the Pipeline section

Every transition is timestamped and recorded in the audit trail.

Converting a quote to an order

When a customer accepts a quote, convert it to a production order:

1. Open the quote — Double-click the entry on the Dashboard or open it from the Entry Detail Window.
2. Click "Convert to Order" — Available in the Entry Detail Window toolbar, the Dashboard context menu, or as a button on Dashboard cards.
3. Review the new order — GlyphFex creates a new entry pre-filled with the quote's customer, PO, tags, fields, and materials. The pipeline is set to the first production stage.
4. Source quote closes automatically — The original quote is moved to its first completed stage. A parent/child link connects the quote and order for traceability.

Workstation Terminal Usage

The Workstation Terminal page (Ctrl+6, formerly "Shop Floor" pre-S86) is designed for production workers on shared shop-floor PCs. Workers log in with their PIN, pick a single job, and see only what they need — large touch targets, elapsed timer, and a clear set of Done / Pause / Hold action buttons.

Single-job focus + Time tracking

1. PIN login — Worker enters their numeric PIN at the kiosk; no Windows account needed. The terminal locks back to the PIN entry between sessions.
2. Pick a job — The worker selects a job from the recent-jobs row or the searchable job picker. Only one job is active at a time — there's no multi-job kanban to scroll through.
3. Active job display — Large header shows the Job Number, customer, current stage, and elapsed timer. The timer auto-starts on stage entry and tracks labor time without manual clock-in.
4. Action buttons — Done (advance), Pause (stop clock), Hold (move to Hold lane with a reason code), and Note (quick shop note with timestamp + worker attribution).
5. Tabs — Details / Notes / Documents / Quality / History give the worker everything they need for the active job without leaving the terminal.

Time records appear in the entry's labor history and in the Timesheet dialog (Tools menu) for payroll export.

Breaks & indirect time

Workers can clock break time and indirect time (setup, cleaning, training) separately from job time. The Pause button stops the active job's clock; a worker can then explicitly clock a break or stay paused for indirect work.

Navigation lock

The terminal blocks navigation to other pages until the worker logs out. Keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+7 are intercepted in Workstation Terminal mode to prevent accidental nav-away.

Using the Dashboard

The Dashboard (Ctrl+1, the default landing page) is the main view for managing all jobs. It offers four view modes:

Card view

The default view. Each entry appears as a card showing the Job Number, customer, status badge, due date, priority, and Auto Description. Cards are arranged in a responsive grid.

Table view

A spreadsheet-style DataGrid with sortable columns. Best for bulk operations and when you need to see many entries at once. Supports multi-select for bulk status changes, archiving, and deletion.

Timeline view

Shows entries on a chronological timeline grouped by day. Useful for seeing recent activity and understanding the flow of work over time.

Board view (Kanban)

A visual board with one column per pipeline stage. Drag and drop cards between columns to change their status instantly. The most intuitive way to manage workflow — like a digital version of the whiteboard in your shop.

KPI sidebar

The collapsible KPI sidebar on the right side of the Dashboard displays actionable metrics: Needs Attention (overdue/stale/expired), Due This Week, On-Time Rate, and Active Value. Click any card to filter the Dashboard to matching entries. Collapse or show the sidebar with the "Show KPIs" button in the toolbar.

Pipeline bar

The colored pipeline bar at the top of the Dashboard shows entry counts per stage. Click any segment to filter the view to that stage. Toggle the "Active Only" link to exclude completed stages from the bar.

Filters and search

• Text search — Type in the search box to filter entries by Job Number, customer, comments, or any field value
• Status filter — Filter by pipeline stage
• Tag filters — Filter by any tag category
• Date range — Filter by creation date or due date
• Saved filters — Save frequently used filter combinations for one-click access

Exporting Data

GlyphFex supports multiple export formats to share data with other systems or stakeholders:

Exports are available from the Dashboard toolbar, Entry Detail Window, or via the Command Palette (Ctrl+K).

Multi-User Setup

When your team needs to share a single project, migrate from a local SQLite file to SQL Server Express. This enables concurrent access over your local network.

Quick setup overview

1. Install SQL Server Express on one machine on your network. See the SQL Server Setup Guide for step-by-step instructions.
2. Create a shared project — From File > New Project, choose Shared and enter your SQL Server connection details.
3. Migrate existing data (optional) — If you already have a local project, use File > Migrate to SQL Server to copy all entries, settings, and attachments.
4. Distribute the connection file — Share the .glyphfex-server file with team members. They open it with GlyphFex to connect.
5. Assign roles — From Settings Hub > User Management, assign each team member a role: Admin, Editor, or Viewer.

Suggested Daily Routine

A typical day using GlyphFex might follow this pattern:

1. Morning check — Open the Dashboard to review overdue entries, stale alerts, and expired quotes. The notification bell shows a daily digest if enabled.
2. Process new quotes — Create entries for incoming RFQs using quote templates. Assign to the estimating stage.
3. Update active jobs — Advance entries through pipeline stages as work completes. Use the Shop Floor page or Dashboard quick-status for speed.
4. Review analytics — Check the Analytics page for SLA compliance, bottlenecks, and KPI trends.
5. End of day — Ensure all time tracking is clocked out. Review the Calendar/Gantt for the upcoming week's workload.