Navigating the User Interface

Overview

• What you’ll learn:
  • How to log in to iDempiere and understand the Client, Organization, Role, and Warehouse context selection
  • How to navigate the menu tree, understand window and tab structures, and use toolbar buttons for common operations
  • How to work with different field types, switch between grid and record views, use keyboard shortcuts, and customize your user preferences
• Prerequisites: Lesson 3 — Installing iDempiere (you need a running iDempiere instance)
• Estimated reading time: 20 minutes

Introduction

An ERP system is only as useful as your ability to navigate and operate it efficiently. iDempiere packs enormous functionality into its interface — hundreds of windows, thousands of fields, and dozens of processes — all accessible through a web browser. The interface may feel overwhelming at first, but it follows consistent patterns and conventions. Once you learn these patterns, you can navigate any window in the system with confidence.

This lesson is a guided tour of the iDempiere user interface. We will start at the login screen and systematically work through every major UI element you will encounter in daily use. Follow along with your own iDempiere installation (set up in Lesson 3) to get hands-on practice as you read.

The Login Screen

Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:8080/webui/ (adjust the hostname and port if your installation differs). The login screen is the first thing you see, and it involves two stages.

Stage 1: Authentication

Enter your username and password. For the Garden World demo environment:

• User: GardenAdmin
• Password: GardenAdmin

You can also select your preferred language from the dropdown if localizations are installed. The language setting controls the UI labels, date formats, and number formats.

Stage 2: Context Selection

After authentication, iDempiere presents a critical dialog that sets your working context for the session. Understanding these four fields is essential:

Client

A Client (also called a Tenant) represents a completely independent business entity within the iDempiere installation. Each client has its own chart of accounts, business partners, products, and transactions. Data from one client is completely invisible to users of another client. In the demo system, select Garden World. The “System” client is reserved for global administration tasks and should not be used for business operations.

Organization

An Organization represents a subdivision within the client — such as a branch, division, department, or legal entity. The asterisk (*) organization means “all organizations” and gives you access to data across the entire client. For learning purposes, select * or HQ. In a real deployment, users are typically restricted to their specific organization.

Role

A Role defines what the user can see and do. Roles control access to windows, processes, reports, and even individual fields. They also determine data-level access — which organizations, document types, and record ranges the user can interact with. Select GardenWorld Admin for full access to all features in the demo environment.

Warehouse

The Warehouse sets the default inventory location context for transactions. When you create a shipment or material receipt, this warehouse will be pre-selected. Select HQ Warehouse. This default can be overridden on individual transactions.

Click OK to enter the system. You can change these context values at any time during your session by clicking the context indicator in the top-right area of the screen.

The Main Dashboard and Menu Tree

After login, you will see the iDempiere home screen, which consists of several areas:

The Menu Tree (Left Panel)

The left side of the screen displays the menu tree — a hierarchical navigation structure organized by functional area. The top-level folders include:

• Material Management: Purchase orders, material receipts, inventory movements, shipments
• Partner Relations: Business partner management, customer and vendor records
• Quote-to-Invoice: Sales quotations, sales orders, invoicing
• Requisition-to-Invoice: Purchase requisitions, purchase orders, vendor invoices
• Open Items: Payment management, bank statements, allocation
• Performance Analysis: Financial reports, accounting, cost management
• System Admin: System configuration, security, dictionary maintenance (visible based on role permissions)

Each folder can be expanded to reveal sub-folders and individual menu items. Menu items are marked with icons indicating their type:

• Window icon (rectangle): Opens a data entry/view window
• Report icon (document): Runs a report
• Process icon (gear): Executes a batch process or wizard
• Workflow icon (flow diagram): Opens a workflow viewer

Click any menu item to open it. The system supports opening multiple windows simultaneously — each one appears as a tab at the top of the content area, similar to browser tabs.

The Dashboard (Center Panel)

The center of the home screen shows the dashboard, which can display configurable widgets called Dashboard Gadgets. Common dashboard widgets include:

• Favorites (quick links to your most-used windows)
• Recent documents you have accessed
• Performance indicators and charts
• Activities requiring your attention (workflow approvals, notices)
• Calendar views

You can customize the dashboard layout through the Preferences menu. Administrators can configure default dashboard layouts for different roles.

The Global Search

At the top of the screen, you will find a search bar. This is a powerful feature that allows you to quickly find and open any menu item, window, or record by typing a few characters of its name. For example, typing “sales order” will immediately filter the menu to show matching items. This is often faster than navigating the menu tree and is the preferred navigation method for experienced users.

Window Structure: Header Tabs and Detail Tabs

When you open a window from the menu (for example, the Sales Order window), you will see iDempiere’s core data entry and viewing interface. Understanding the window structure is fundamental to working with the system.

The Tab Hierarchy

Every iDempiere window is organized as a hierarchy of tabs. The first (topmost) tab is the header tab, which represents the main record. Subsequent tabs are detail tabs that contain related child records.

For example, the Sales Order window has this tab structure:

• Order (header tab): Contains the order header information — business partner, date, payment terms, document status
• Order Line (detail tab): Contains the individual line items — products, quantities, prices
• Order Tax (detail tab): Shows calculated tax amounts for the order

The relationship between header and detail tabs is parent-child: when you select a specific order in the header tab, the detail tabs show only the lines, taxes, and other data that belong to that particular order.

Tab indentation in the tab bar indicates the hierarchy level. The header tab has no indentation, first-level detail tabs are indented once, and sub-detail tabs (if present) are indented further. For example, in the Invoice window:

• Invoice (level 0 — header)
•     Invoice Line (level 1 — detail of Invoice)
•         Invoice Line Tax (level 2 — detail of Invoice Line)

Single-Record View vs. Multi-Row Grid View

Each tab can be displayed in two modes:

• Single-Record View (Form View): Shows one record at a time with all fields laid out as a form. This is the default view when you open a window or navigate to a specific record. It provides the best experience for viewing and editing individual records, as all fields are visible and accessible.
• Multi-Row Grid View: Shows multiple records in a spreadsheet-like grid with rows and columns. This is useful for browsing a list of records, comparing data across records, or performing quick edits on multiple records.

Toggle between these views using the Toggle Grid/Form button in the toolbar (it looks like a grid icon) or by pressing Alt+G on your keyboard. In grid view, double-clicking a row switches to the single-record view for that specific record.

The Toolbar

The toolbar runs across the top of the window area and provides buttons for the most common operations. Learning the toolbar is essential for efficient data management.

Navigation Buttons

Data Manipulation Buttons

Query and Lookup Buttons

Action Buttons

Process and Document Action

For transactional documents (orders, invoices, payments, shipments), you will see a Document Action button (sometimes labeled with the current document status). This button opens a dialog where you select the next action in the document lifecycle — for example, changing a Draft order to Completed, or Voiding an invoice. Common document actions include: Prepare, Complete, Close, Void, and Reverse.

Field Types and How to Work with Them

iDempiere uses several distinct field types throughout the interface. Understanding each type helps you enter data correctly and efficiently.

String Fields

Standard text input fields for entering free-form text such as names, descriptions, and addresses. These accept any characters up to their defined maximum length. Required string fields are marked with a colored background (typically blue or orange) when empty.

Number Fields

Numeric input fields used for quantities, amounts, and percentages. These fields enforce numeric input and typically support decimal values. The number of decimal places is configured in the Application Dictionary based on the field’s purpose (for example, currency amounts may show 2 decimals, while quantities may show different precision).

Date Fields

Date fields display a calendar picker when clicked. You can type a date directly in the configured format (usually yyyy-MM-dd or your locale’s format) or use the calendar popup to select a date visually. Some date fields include a time component (Date+Time type) for timestamps.

Lookup Fields (Search Fields)

Lookup fields are one of iDempiere’s most powerful field types. They reference records from another table — for example, the Business Partner field on a sales order looks up records from the Business Partner table. Lookup fields offer multiple ways to select a value:

• Type-ahead: Start typing to see matching suggestions appear in a dropdown
• Dropdown: Click the dropdown arrow to see available options (for short lists)
• Info Window (magnifying glass): Click the search icon next to the field to open a full search dialog with advanced filtering capabilities

Lookup fields are critical because they maintain referential integrity — they ensure you select a valid, existing record rather than entering free text that might contain errors.

Yes-No (Boolean) Fields

Checkbox fields that represent true/false values. Checked means “Yes” (true), unchecked means “No” (false). These are used for flags and toggles such as “Is Active,” “Is Sales Order Transaction,” or “Is Processed.”

List Fields

Dropdown fields that present a fixed set of predefined options. Unlike lookup fields (which reference another table), list fields draw their options from a reference list defined in the Application Dictionary. Examples include document status, payment rule (cash, check, credit card), and freight cost rule.

Amount Fields

A specialized number field that displays values with the currency symbol and the appropriate number of decimal places for the current currency context. Amount fields are aware of the document’s currency and apply the correct formatting.

Memo (Text) Fields

Large text areas for entering multi-line text such as descriptions, comments, and notes. These fields typically appear as text boxes that can be expanded by dragging their corner.

Binary / Image Fields

Some fields accept binary content such as images (for product photos or business partner logos). These display a preview of the image and provide upload/download functionality.

Required Field Indicators

iDempiere uses visual cues to indicate field requirements:

• Mandatory empty fields are highlighted with a colored background (orange or blue), indicating they must be filled before saving
• Read-only fields appear with a gray or dimmed background and cannot be edited
• Editable fields have a white or light background
• When a field fails validation, it is highlighted with a red border or background

Finding Records: Query Mode and Lookup

As your system accumulates data, finding specific records becomes essential. iDempiere provides several methods:

Query Mode (Find/Advanced Query)

Click the Find button (magnifying glass, Alt+F) to open the search dialog. This provides two modes:

• Simple query: Enter search criteria directly into the window fields. For example, to find all sales orders for a specific business partner, activate query mode, select the business partner in the Business Partner field, and press Enter. The window loads only the matching records.
• Advanced query: A powerful query builder where you can construct complex search criteria with multiple conditions using AND/OR logic, comparison operators (equals, contains, greater than, less than, between), and nested groups.

Quick Info and Zoom Across

The Quick Info panel (accessible via the info icon or by hovering over certain fields) shows summary information about a related record without navigating away from the current window. For example, hovering over a Business Partner field might show the partner’s address, phone number, and credit status.

Zoom Across (the arrow button in the toolbar) shows a list of all related records in other windows. For a sales order, Zoom Across might offer links to:

• Related shipments (Material Delivery)
• Related invoices
• Related payments
• The business partner record

This is extremely useful for tracing document flow — for example, starting from a sales order and following the chain through shipment, invoice, and payment.

Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Learning keyboard shortcuts dramatically improves your productivity in iDempiere. Here is a comprehensive reference of the most important shortcuts:

Note that on macOS, you may need to use Ctrl+Alt instead of Alt depending on your browser, as some Alt combinations are intercepted by the operating system.

User Preferences

iDempiere allows you to customize various aspects of the interface to suit your working style. Access preferences through the menu or the user icon in the top-right corner.

Key Preference Settings

• Auto-commit: When enabled, records are automatically saved when you navigate away from them. When disabled, you must explicitly click Save — which is safer for learning, as it prevents accidental changes.
• Tab display style: Controls whether detail tabs display at the bottom or as nested tabs.
• Date and number format: Configurable per user based on locale preferences.
• Notification method: Choose how you receive system notifications — through the in-app notice panel, email, or both.
• Default printer format: Set the output format for reports (PDF, Excel, HTML).
• Role change: If your user account has access to multiple roles, you can switch roles without logging out.

Favorites

As you discover the windows and processes you use most frequently, add them to your Favorites for quick access. Right-click any menu item and select “Add to Favorites,” or drag items from the menu tree to the Favorites panel on the dashboard. This saves time compared to navigating through the full menu tree each time.

Recent Items

iDempiere automatically tracks your recently accessed records and windows. The Recent Items panel on the dashboard shows your recent activity, allowing you to quickly return to a record you were working on earlier. This is particularly useful when you are working across multiple windows during a business process.

Key Takeaways

• The login process involves both authentication (username/password) and context selection (Client, Organization, Role, Warehouse), which determines what data and features you can access during the session.
• The menu tree organizes all windows, reports, and processes by functional area. Use the global search bar for the fastest navigation.
• Windows follow a consistent header-tab/detail-tab hierarchy, where the header contains the main record and detail tabs contain related child records.
• The toolbar provides standard buttons for navigation (first/previous/next/last), data manipulation (new/save/delete/undo), querying (find), and actions (print/zoom-across/attachment).
• Field types include strings, numbers, dates, lookups (referencing other tables), yes-no checkboxes, lists, amounts, and memos — each with specific input behaviors and visual indicators for required status.
• Toggle between single-record form view and multi-row grid view with Alt+G. Use query mode (Alt+F) to search for specific records using simple or advanced criteria.
• Learning keyboard shortcuts (Alt+N for new, Alt+S for save, Alt+F for find, Alt+G for grid toggle) dramatically increases your efficiency in daily operations.

What’s Next

You now have the foundational skills to navigate and operate iDempiere confidently. In the upcoming lessons, we will move beyond navigation and begin working with actual business processes — starting with setting up the organizational structure, chart of accounts, and core master data that form the backbone of every iDempiere implementation.