Understanding Visual Coding
Color coding on the dispatch board provides instant visual information about job status, priority, or other business rules.
Color Usage
Common Color Schemes:
- Priority-based: Red for emergency, yellow for urgent
- Status-based: Green for on-time, red for late
- Type-based: Blue for maintenance, orange for repair
- Engineer-based: Different color per technician
Creating Color Assignment Flow
Step 1: Access Flow Builder
Navigate to Flow creation:
- Go to Setup
- Search for “Flows”
- Click Flows
- Click New Flow
Step 2: Select Flow Type
Choose appropriate flow type:
- Select Record-Triggered Flow
- Click Create
- This allows automatic color updates
Step 3: Configure Flow Trigger
Set when flow executes:
Trigger Configuration:
- Object: Job (Job__c)
- Trigger: When record is created or updated
- Condition: Always (or add specific criteria)
- Optimize: Fast Field Updates
Step 4: Add Decision Element
Create logic for color assignment:
- Add Decision element
- Name: “Determine Job Color”
- Create outcomes for each scenario
Example Outcomes:
- Emergency Jobs
- Overdue Jobs
- On-Time Jobs
- Maintenance Jobs
Step 5: Define Color Criteria
Set conditions for each outcome:
Emergency Jobs Outcome:
- Condition: {!$Record.Priority__c} = ‘Emergency’
- Color: #FF0000 (Red)
Overdue Jobs Outcome:
- Condition: {!$Record.Planned_Visit_Date_Time__c} < NOW()
- AND {!$Record.Status__c} != ‘Completed’
- Color: #FFA500 (Orange)
On-Time Jobs Outcome:
- Default outcome
- Color: #008000 (Green)
Step 6: Update Color Field
Add update actions:
- After each decision outcome
- Add Update Records element
- Update the triggering record
- Set field: fax__DB_Gantt_Border_Color__c
- Value: Color code or name
Color Format Options:
- Hex code: #FF0000
- Color name: Red
- RGB: rgb(255,0,0)
Step 7: Complete Flow
Finalize the flow:
- Connect all elements
- Set proper paths
- Add description
- Save with clear name: “Job Color Assignment”
- Activate the flow
Advanced Color Schemes
Multi-Field Color Logic
Complex color rules:
IF Priority = Emergency THEN Red
ELSE IF Status = Overdue THEN Orange
ELSE IF Engineer = Unassigned THEN Yellow
ELSE IF Type = Maintenance THEN Blue
ELSE IF Customer_Type = VIP THEN Purple
ELSE Green
Dynamic Color Calculation
Using formula fields:
Formula Example:
IF(Priority__c = ‘Emergency’, ‘#FF0000’,
IF(Planned_Visit_Date_Time__c < NOW(), ‘#FFA500’,
IF(Service_Engineer__c = null, ‘#FFFF00’,
‘#008000’)))
Gradient Colors
For percentage-based coloring:
Completion Percentage:
- 0-25%: Red (#FF0000)
- 26-50%: Orange (#FFA500)
- 51-75%: Yellow (#FFFF00)
- 76-100%: Green (#008000)
Color Best Practices
Accessibility
Consider color-blind users:
- Use high contrast
- Don’t rely solely on color
- Add icons or patterns
- Test with accessibility tools
Consistency
Maintain standards:
- Document color meanings
- Use consistent scheme
- Train all users
- Display legend
Performance
Optimize for speed:
- Simple logic preferred
- Avoid complex calculations
- Minimize database queries
- Test with large data sets