P2 Explorer trends and some pages allow you to enter comments about entities, attributes, tags, and calculation tags on a page or trend. This article describes how to identify comments and how to add them.
The Comments Button
A small comment icon on a page or trend indicates the ability to add or view comments. The appearance of the icon may change, depending on the type of display and comments present.
Used on pages, this icon indicates that comments are enabled but no comments have been made yet. Click the icon to open the comments window.
Used on pages and trends, this icon indicates that a comment has been made. Click the icon to open the comments window.
Used in trend hairlines, this icon indicates that you can add a comment. Click the icon to open the comments window.
The Comments Window
The comments window may be displayed on a page by design, or will appear when a comment button (above) is clicked. Here is what the comments window looks like:
1. Comment header
Displays the name of the entity, attribute, tag, and calculation tag to which these comments apply.
2. Comment entry box
Type a comment in the edit box, and then press Enter to add it. You can edit your own comments after adding them.
3. Search range
Search for any comments for this entity, attribute, tag, and calculation tag, that apply between the start and end dates.
4. Comments
Comments for the entity, attribute, tag, and calculation tag that apply to the specified search range.
5. Close button
Click the to close the comment box. If the comment box is part of the page design, this button will not be present.
Anatomy of a Comment
Comments are structured to display various types of information, including dates, user name, and the entity or tag name.
1. User name
The name of the person who added the comment.
2. Comment target
The entity, attribute, tag, and calculation tag to which this comment applies.
3. Comment date
The date the comment was added, in relation to the current date. This can be years, months, days, hours, or minutes.
4. Action links
Click the relevant link to reply to any comment, or click Edit to change your own comment. If the comment has been replied to, the number of replies is listed here.
5. Reply
If a comment has been replied to, you can click the Replies link to see the replies. You can see who replied, what their reply was, and when they replied. If you replied to a comment, you can also edit your reply.
6. Date range
The start and end times that the comment applies to. This can be a single point (where start and end time are the same), or it can be for a period.
7. Comment text
The content of the comment. This can be edited by the person who made the comment.
Comments on a Trend or Chart
Comments are indicated on a trend or chart by a vertical dotted line, with a comment button above. Click the comment button to open the comments window to view, add, or reply to comments.
On trends and charts, comments can be added against tags, calculation tags, and attributes — anything that can be added to the trend or chart. Comments cannot be entered against ad hoc calculations.
Note: Only charts that have time on the x-axis are able to display comments.
If you want to add a comment where none exists, click the trace or line to open a hairline, and then click the add comment button in the hairline box, next to the trace or line you are interested in. The comment is added for the date and time that is shown in the hairline. If more than one hairline is present, the start date will be defined by the hairline closest to the left and the end date will be defined by the hairline closest to the right.
Comments are indicated on a page by the comment buttons ( or ). Click the comment button to open the comments window to view, add, or reply to comments.
Note: Depending on the page design, the comments window may also be displayed on a page without a comments button.
When you open the comments window, it displays a date range that has been specified by the page designer to be the default date range. It also shows all comments that have been added in that date range.
P2 Explorer allows you to see all comments that have been made for that entity, attribute, tag, or calculation tag, all in one spot. The mechanism by which P2 Explorer exposes all comments related to a specific entity is called "context", and this is something that the page designer does when creating a page.
As an entity can be used on lots of different pages, adding context to a comment means that you can see all of the comments that have been made for that entity, attribute, tag, or calculation tag, every time you open the comments window, no matter which page you are looking at. Depending on how the page has been configured, you may also be able to see all comments for the entity rolled up by hierarchy, or all comments for attributes, rolled up to the entity.
SEE IT IN ACTION! Watch this video to see how comments with context work on a page. Note that the video shows an older version of the comments, but the context feature has not changed.
Using the Comments Window
On a page or trend, clicking any one of the comment buttons () will open the comments window. This is where you can add comments, reply to comments, and find other comments, for that entity.
When you open the comments window, it displays a date range that has been specified by the page designer to be the default date range. It also shows all comments that have been added in that date range. If you have opened the comments window for a trend, it will show the date of the hairline from which you opened it (for single hairlines) or the date range between the first and last hairlines (for more than one hairline).
Finding a Comment
All comments within the specified time range are shown in the comments window, with the most recent one shown first.
To search for comments made at a specific date or within a date range, change the search dates by clicking the calendar icon. You can do this in the same way you would use the date picker.
The start date (on the left) must occur before the end date (on the right).
In the example below, the search range [1] is for a period of time. The comments returned fall within the search range, and can be for a single point in time [2] or for a period [3].
Adding a Comment
When you add a comment, it is added as being applicable to a certain date range. You can specify this date range in the 'Search times' fields, by choosing different start and end dates. If you want the comment to apply to a specific date only, you can set the start and end date to be the same.
Note: The page designer may restrict commenting to a different period than the displayed search range. This may be linked to a date/time range selector on the page, or another type of time picker, and is dependent on how the page designer builds the page. The comment date is always shown within the comment itself.
To add a comment:
Make sure the date range is what you want it to be.
Type something into the box at the top, and then press the Enter key.
Replying to a Comment
You can reply to a comment so that the conversation is threaded to one level. You cannot reply to a reply, you can only reply to the original comment.
Locate the comment you want to reply to, and click Reply.
Type in a response, and then press the Enter key.
Editing a Comment
You can edit the comment text, if you are the one who has added the comment. You cannot delete a comment.
1. Locate the comment you want to edit.
2. Click Edit.
3. Make the changes.
4. Click Save (or press Enter).
SEE IT IN ACTION! Watch this video to see how to add and reply to comments on a page.
Release History
Using Comments for Collaboration 4.5 (this release)
Removed the 'Add' button
Comments can be configured to show all comments for the entity rolled up by hierarchy, and also comments for attributes, rolled up to the entity.
Using Comments for Collaboration (4.6.0)
ON THIS PAGE:
This article applies to versions 4.5.0 to 4.6.0 of P2 Explorer. For more, see Release History. For the latest help, see Using Comments for Collaboration.
Overview
P2 Explorer trends and some pages allow you to enter comments about entities, attributes, tags, and calculation tags on a page or trend. This article describes how to identify comments and how to add them.
The Comments Button
A small comment icon on a page or trend indicates the ability to add or view comments. The appearance of the icon may change, depending on the type of display and comments present.
The Comments Window
The comments window may be displayed on a page by design, or will appear when a comment button (above) is clicked. Here is what the comments window looks like:
Anatomy of a Comment
Comments are structured to display various types of information, including dates, user name, and the entity or tag name.
Comments on a Trend or Chart
Comments are indicated on a trend or chart by a vertical dotted line, with a comment
button above. Click the comment button to open the comments window to view, add, or reply to comments.
On trends and charts, comments can be added against tags, calculation tags, and attributes — anything that can be added to the trend or chart. Comments cannot be entered against ad hoc calculations.
Note: Only charts that have time on the x-axis are able to display comments.
If you want to add a comment where none exists, click the trace or line to open a hairline, and then click the add comment
button in the hairline box, next to the trace or line you are interested in. The comment is added for the date and time that is shown in the hairline. If more than one hairline is present, the start date will be defined by the hairline closest to the left and the end date will be defined by the hairline closest to the right.
Related: Creating a Trend, Viewing Charts
Comments on a Page
Comments are indicated on a page by the comment buttons (
or 
). Click the comment button to open the comments window to view, add, or reply to comments.
Note: Depending on the page design, the comments window may also be displayed on a page without a comments button.
When you open the comments window, it displays a date range that has been specified by the page designer to be the default date range. It also shows all comments that have been added in that date range.
P2 Explorer allows you to see all comments that have been made for that entity, attribute, tag, or calculation tag, all in one spot. The mechanism by which P2 Explorer exposes all comments related to a specific entity is called "context", and this is something that the page designer does when creating a page.
As an entity can be used on lots of different pages, adding context to a comment means that you can see all of the comments that have been made for that entity, attribute, tag, or calculation tag, every time you open the comments window, no matter which page you are looking at. Depending on how the page has been configured, you may also be able to see all comments for the entity rolled up by hierarchy, or all comments for attributes, rolled up to the entity.
SEE IT IN ACTION! Watch this video to see how comments with context work on a page. Note that the video shows an older version of the comments, but the context feature has not changed.
Using the Comments Window
On a page or trend, clicking any one of the comment buttons (
) will open the comments window. This is where you can add comments, reply to comments, and find other comments, for that entity.
When you open the comments window, it displays a date range that has been specified by the page designer to be the default date range. It also shows all comments that have been added in that date range. If you have opened the comments window for a trend, it will show the date of the hairline from which you opened it (for single hairlines) or the date range between the first and last hairlines (for more than one hairline).
Finding a Comment
All comments within the specified time range are shown in the comments window, with the most recent one shown first.
To search for comments made at a specific date or within a date range, change the search dates by clicking the calendar icon. You can do this in the same way you would use the date picker.
The start date (on the left) must occur before the end date (on the right).
In the example below, the search range [1] is for a period of time. The comments returned fall within the search range, and can be for a single point in time [2] or for a period [3].
Adding a Comment
When you add a comment, it is added as being applicable to a certain date range. You can specify this date range in the 'Search times' fields, by choosing different start and end dates. If you want the comment to apply to a specific date only, you can set the start and end date to be the same.
Note: The page designer may restrict commenting to a different period than the displayed search range. This may be linked to a date/time range selector on the page, or another type of time picker, and is dependent on how the page designer builds the page. The comment date is always shown within the comment itself.
To add a comment:
Replying to a Comment
You can reply to a comment so that the conversation is threaded to one level. You cannot reply to a reply, you can only reply to the original comment.
Editing a Comment
You can edit the comment text, if you are the one who has added the comment. You cannot delete a comment.
1. Locate the comment you want to edit.
2. Click Edit.
3. Make the changes.
4. Click Save (or press Enter).
SEE IT IN ACTION! Watch this video to see how to add and reply to comments on a page.
Release History