Management Center: Using the Management Center

Operate > IBM Management Center for WebSphere Commerce

Use the Management Center

The starting point for all Management Center tasks is to open the tooling. Afterward, you can use several methods to complete the task: by selecting menu options, by clicking toolbar buttons, by right-clicking and selecting context menus, or by keyboard shortcuts.
The information center describes how to perform Management Center tasks using menus. You can, however, perform the task using the preferred method. Here are the general steps to complete a task using the Management Center:

Procedure

Open the Management Center.

Use one of the following methods to complete the tasks the way you work best: by menu, toolbar, right-clicking, or by keyboard shortcut. You can use a different method, depending on the frequency with which you complete a task:

Option Description
Select from a menu The Management Center menu bar contains menu options for common tasks. For example, to change the application preferences, from the Management Center menu, select Preferences:

Click a toolbar button The Management Center toolbar contains buttons for common tasks. For example, to save the work, click the save button from the toolbar:

Right-click and select from a context menu In some cases, you can perform context-sensitive tasks by right-clicking an area and selecting from the context menu that displays. For example, from the catalog explorer view, show a list of categories, then right-click the list and select Open.

The Category properties view displays. Once you have opened the properties for the category, you can view or update the category information.
Type a keyboard shortcut To quickly perform an action, you can use a combination of keyboard strokes.
Navigate using the explorer view Expand and collapse the explorer tree within the Management Center to work with various objects. In addition, the explorer view lists all active work or items you have currently open. You can return to a list of search results, if you have navigated away from the list.
Drag elements Quickly drag elements from one area to another. For example, in the Catalogs tool, drag a product from a search results list into the catalog you are building. Likewise, when using the activity builder in the Marketing tool, drag elements from a toolbar to a flow connector. You can drag objects to and from various places within the Management Center. Visual indicators denote whether you can drag the element: an + icon indicates that you can drag the element, and an X icon indicates that you cannot move the element.
Format rich text Edit text using formatting such as font type, style, color; text alignment and indentation; and bulleted lists. The rich text editor is embedded into the Management Center properties view. You can enter formatted text within the Management Center, and display the same text on the storefront.
Toggle between rich text format and HTML Edit text in the rich text editor in either rich text format or HTML. For example, in a rich text editor, enter text and apply formatting, such as bold, to that text. Click . The HTML version of the formatted text is displayed in the rich text editor. You can also enter text with HTML formatting in the rich text editor and click to display the HTML in rich text format.
Spell check text Check the spelling of text in a text editor or rich text editor embedded into a Management Center properties view or editable list view. For example, in an entry field, right-click; then click Check Spelling. The Spell Check dialog opens and displays each misspelled word within the text that you are editing. You can replace each misspelled word with one of the suggested words or skip the misspelled text.
Note: Spell check does not support the following languages:

Japanese

Korean

Romanian

Simplified Chinese

Traditional Chinese

List only the information you need Filter any list within the Management Center to display only the information you need. For example, only filter catalog entries that are flagged as Displayable to Customers in the catalog tool. Filtering is based on the total number of an object within the database. The list displayed is the filtering results. If the Management Center cannot display these results, a warning message displays. Subsequent filtering results within the same session do not display. Instead, use the Management Center find area to locate the object you need.
Edit in place Click an editable cell within a table to change on the spot. Editing in place is a quick way to make simple changes, without having to go into the properties view of an object. For instance, within a table that lists products, change the price of the product to reflect a new price.
Edit multiple cells in a column efficiently Update several cells in the same column at once with the same value. For example, in an editable list view, select multiple rows that to contain the same value, and click . The Edit Column dialog opens. Choose a column to edit and specify the value that to apply to this column for each of the selected rows.
Locate objects to complete the current task Locate objects you require to complete a task, without navigating away from the current view. Search is available within each tool. You can also search or browse for objects from a utilities view, which you can display and use at any time. For example, while editing a product, to include a reference to another product as a cross-sell item. Obtain a list of products to use for the merchandising associations by clicking the utilities view icon () to search for the products. From the search results, drag a product from the utilities view into the product properties view.
Define the user preferences to personalize the user interface (on a per user basis) Set global user preferences that become the default preferences for the Management Center. At any time, you can change these settings by using the Management Center > Preferences option. You can set the following preferences for the Management Center user interface:

Name of the store to manage by default

Language

Number format

Date format

Time format

Time zone in which to display all dates and times

Day of the week that to use as the first day of the week when managing tasks with the Management Center

Number of business objects to display on each page

Detailed hover help to provide additional help information about a Management Center user interface element (for instance, how to use a specific field)

Define the work area to personalize the user interface (on a per user basis)
The Management Center work area can display a list of items (for example, a list of promotions for the store), a properties view to work with details for individual items (such as a specific promotion, from the list), or a calendar view for scheduling purposes. The calendar view is offered in the Promotions and Marketing tools.
You can also configure the work area to show two views. For example, show the list and the properties views in one view: select to display the list at the top, and the properties view below it; click to show the list to the left of the screen and the properties view to the right.
For a list view, if the Management Center cannot display the list, a warning message is displayed. If you create new instances of an object for that list, only the new objects are listed. Within the same session, if you create new products, only the new products (not the total products for the store) display on the list.
Define the table views to personalize the user interface (on a per user basis) View data in the order that works best for you. Data within the Management Center is often displayed in a table (or list view), and which data and how you view it matters. If you frequently review product descriptions, attributes, and prices; then move those three table columns to the beginning of the table. Drag the column headings to the order that best suit the preferences.
Similarly, if you do not use certain columns, you can hide them by right-clicking the column heading and selecting Hide.
To show a hidden column, right-click any column heading in the list view and click Configure Columns to display the Column Selector dialog. Select the column heading names that to show from the list within the dialog.
To sort, hide or show multiple columns, or change the width of a column, right-click a column heading. The Column Selector dialog opens.

Open the Management Center
Access the Management Center to work with the business functions for the site, such as catalog, marketing, assets, and promotions management.

Changing the password
You can change the Management Center password to meet security requirements, or if the password has expired.

Changing the preferences
You can set the following Management Center preferences: default store to work with, user interface language, format of numbers, dates, and times, time zone, the first day of the week, page size, and help options. Your preferences take effect immediately and are active until you change them.

Open Management Center tools
Execute catalog, promotion, marketing, assets, or workspace tasks using the tools within the Management Center.

Find objects
Use the Management Center find area to locate objects for each tool within the Management Center. Search results are listed in the main work area.

Find and associating objects
While working on the current object, you might want to associate it with another object or attribute. For example, you can associate a product with a merchandising association or a URL with an attachment.

Replace text strings
Use Find and Replace to change text strings in business objects such as product descriptions, promotion names, or attachment descriptions. You can use Find and Replace in all Management Center tools.

Copy to the clipboard
You can copy objects from a Management Center list view or the explorer view to the clipboard in the utilities view. All objects copied to the clipboard are available for reuse within the same Management Center session for each tool within the Management Center.

Use the explorer view
The Management Center explorer view contains an explorer tree with nodes that you can select, expand, and collapse. The explorer view controls what is displayed in the main work area; that is, depending on the node you select in the explorer tree, the main work area may display a list view or a properties view for an object. In addition, for the Catalogs tool and the Assets tool, the explorer view also includes a filter to display only specific objects.

Use the utilities view
Use the utilities view to locate objects you require to complete a task, without navigating away from the current view. From the Find, Browse, or Clipboard tabs, drag objects into the Management Center main work area.

Use table views
Define columns in list view tables to personalize the Management Center user interface. You can reorder, show or hide columns, or change the column width the way that works best for you. These table column settings are persisted across Management Center sessions. You can also edit columns in list view tables.

Define input languages
You can specify which languages to use to input information in the Management Center for language-sensitive content, such as descriptions. You can only change the input language for translatable fields in properties views.

Recover from errors
The Management Center message console is located in the status bar, below the main work area.

Get help
You can access various types of help resources for the Management Center, including getting started information, the information center, and keyboard shortcuts.

Related concepts

IBM Management Center for WebSphere Commerce

Related tasks

Plan to use Management Center
Prepare to use Management Center

Related reference

Management Center keyboard shortcuts
Migrate from WebSphere Commerce Accelerator to Management Center

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Search Tips | Advanced Search

Option	Description
Select from a menu	The Management Center menu bar contains menu options for common tasks. For example, to change the application preferences, from the Management Center menu, select Preferences:
Click a toolbar button	The Management Center toolbar contains buttons for common tasks. For example, to save the work, click the save button from the toolbar:
Right-click and select from a context menu	In some cases, you can perform context-sensitive tasks by right-clicking an area and selecting from the context menu that displays. For example, from the catalog explorer view, show a list of categories, then right-click the list and select Open. The Category properties view displays. Once you have opened the properties for the category, you can view or update the category information.
Type a keyboard shortcut	To quickly perform an action, you can use a combination of keyboard strokes.
Navigate using the explorer view	Expand and collapse the explorer tree within the Management Center to work with various objects. In addition, the explorer view lists all active work or items you have currently open. You can return to a list of search results, if you have navigated away from the list.
Drag elements	Quickly drag elements from one area to another. For example, in the Catalogs tool, drag a product from a search results list into the catalog you are building. Likewise, when using the activity builder in the Marketing tool, drag elements from a toolbar to a flow connector. You can drag objects to and from various places within the Management Center. Visual indicators denote whether you can drag the element: an + icon indicates that you can drag the element, and an X icon indicates that you cannot move the element.
Format rich text	Edit text using formatting such as font type, style, color; text alignment and indentation; and bulleted lists. The rich text editor is embedded into the Management Center properties view. You can enter formatted text within the Management Center, and display the same text on the storefront.
Toggle between rich text format and HTML	Edit text in the rich text editor in either rich text format or HTML. For example, in a rich text editor, enter text and apply formatting, such as bold, to that text. Click . The HTML version of the formatted text is displayed in the rich text editor. You can also enter text with HTML formatting in the rich text editor and click to display the HTML in rich text format.
Spell check text	Check the spelling of text in a text editor or rich text editor embedded into a Management Center properties view or editable list view. For example, in an entry field, right-click; then click Check Spelling. The Spell Check dialog opens and displays each misspelled word within the text that you are editing. You can replace each misspelled word with one of the suggested words or skip the misspelled text. Note: Spell check does not support the following languages: Japanese Korean Romanian Simplified Chinese Traditional Chinese
List only the information you need	Filter any list within the Management Center to display only the information you need. For example, only filter catalog entries that are flagged as Displayable to Customers in the catalog tool. Filtering is based on the total number of an object within the database. The list displayed is the filtering results. If the Management Center cannot display these results, a warning message displays. Subsequent filtering results within the same session do not display. Instead, use the Management Center find area to locate the object you need.
Edit in place	Click an editable cell within a table to change on the spot. Editing in place is a quick way to make simple changes, without having to go into the properties view of an object. For instance, within a table that lists products, change the price of the product to reflect a new price.
Edit multiple cells in a column efficiently	Update several cells in the same column at once with the same value. For example, in an editable list view, select multiple rows that to contain the same value, and click . The Edit Column dialog opens. Choose a column to edit and specify the value that to apply to this column for each of the selected rows.
Locate objects to complete the current task	Locate objects you require to complete a task, without navigating away from the current view. Search is available within each tool. You can also search or browse for objects from a utilities view, which you can display and use at any time. For example, while editing a product, to include a reference to another product as a cross-sell item. Obtain a list of products to use for the merchandising associations by clicking the utilities view icon () to search for the products. From the search results, drag a product from the utilities view into the product properties view.
Define the user preferences to personalize the user interface (on a per user basis)	Set global user preferences that become the default preferences for the Management Center. At any time, you can change these settings by using the Management Center > Preferences option. You can set the following preferences for the Management Center user interface: Name of the store to manage by default Language Number format Date format Time format Time zone in which to display all dates and times Day of the week that to use as the first day of the week when managing tasks with the Management Center Number of business objects to display on each page Detailed hover help to provide additional help information about a Management Center user interface element (for instance, how to use a specific field)
Define the work area to personalize the user interface (on a per user basis)	The Management Center work area can display a list of items (for example, a list of promotions for the store), a properties view to work with details for individual items (such as a specific promotion, from the list), or a calendar view for scheduling purposes. The calendar view is offered in the Promotions and Marketing tools. You can also configure the work area to show two views. For example, show the list and the properties views in one view: select to display the list at the top, and the properties view below it; click to show the list to the left of the screen and the properties view to the right. For a list view, if the Management Center cannot display the list, a warning message is displayed. If you create new instances of an object for that list, only the new objects are listed. Within the same session, if you create new products, only the new products (not the total products for the store) display on the list.
Define the table views to personalize the user interface (on a per user basis)	View data in the order that works best for you. Data within the Management Center is often displayed in a table (or list view), and which data and how you view it matters. If you frequently review product descriptions, attributes, and prices; then move those three table columns to the beginning of the table. Drag the column headings to the order that best suit the preferences. Similarly, if you do not use certain columns, you can hide them by right-clicking the column heading and selecting Hide. To show a hidden column, right-click any column heading in the list view and click Configure Columns to display the Column Selector dialog. Select the column heading names that to show from the list within the dialog. To sort, hide or show multiple columns, or change the width of a column, right-click a column heading. The Column Selector dialog opens.