Space External Categories and Codes

An external category groups a set of classification codes. To create an external category:

1. Click the Add Category link.

   The Add External Space Category dialog box opens, allowing you to define the new value.

2. In the Name field, enter the external category name.

3. In the Description field, enter a description of the external category.

   This field can be used to provide more information about the external category. This value can be up to 1000 characters long. As you type, the character count updates indicating the number of additional characters that can be entered.

4. In the Tab Order field, enter a numeric value.

   The Tab Order indicates the position, in menus, where this value will be listed. Lower numbered values are displayed toward the top of the list. Values will the same tab order will be sorted alphabetically.

5. In the Active field, select Yes to make this external category active.

   Inactive values remain in the system, but are not displayed to users.

6. Click ADD.

   The category is added to the system. The category parameters are displayed, including the name of the user who added the category and the date and time it was added.

External space categories can be modified. For example, if you want to change the category's position in drop-down menus, you change the tab order. To edit a category:

1. In the External Space Category field, select the category you want to edit.

2. Click the Edit Category link.

3. Modify any of the following values:

   • Name – the value that users see
   • Description – information about the category
   • Tab Order – the position in which the category will be displayed in drop-down menus
   • Active – Yes indicates that the category is active (displayed to the user)

4. Click UPDATE.

   The modified external category parameters are displayed, including the name of the user who edited the category and the date and time it was modified.

An external space category can be deleted if there are no codes associated it. You must first delete the all of the codes within a category before you can delete the category. If a code is currently associated with a space type, it cannot be deleted, and therefore the category cannot be deleted.

If an external space category has been used but is no longer needed, you can edit it and make it inactive to prevent it from being displayed to users.

To delete an external space category:

1. In the External Space Category field, select the category you want to delete.

2. Click the Edit Category link.

3. Click the Delete link in the upper right corner of the dialog box.

   A dialog box opens asking you to confirm your choice.

4. Click OK.

External Category Codes define the particular standards within an external category. For example, in the Biosafety category, you might define codes for Biosafety levels 1 through 5. To create an external category code:

1. In the External Space Category field, select the category you want to add the code to.

   The detail fields for the category and a list of all the defined codes appear

2. Click the Add Code link.

   The Add External Space Category Code dialog box opens.

3. In the Name field, enter the code name.

4. In the Description field, enter a description of the code.

   This field can be used to provide more information about the code. This value can be up to 1000 characters long. As you type, the character count updates indicating the number of additional characters that can be entered.

5. In the Tab Order field, enter a numeric value.

   The Tab Order indicates the position, in menus, where this value will be listed. Lower numbered values are displayed toward the top of the list. Values will the same tab order will be sorted alphabetically.

6. In the Active field, select Yes to make this code active.

   Inactive values remain in the system, but are not displayed to users.

7. Click ADD.

   The code is added to the system. The name of the user who added the code and the date and time it was added are displayed. You can link this code to a space type on the Space Types page.

External category codes can be modified. For example, if you want to change the value that users see, you can modify the code name. To edit a code:

1. In the External Space Category field, select the category containing the code you want to edit.

2. Click the Edit link next to the code you want to edit.

3. Modify any of the following values:

   • Name – the value that users see
   • Description – information about the code
   • Tab Order – the position in which the code will be displayed in drop-down menus
   • Active – Yes indicates that the code is active (displayed to the user)

4. Click UPDATE.

   The modified external category code parameters, including the name of the user who edited them and the date and time when they were edited, are displayed.

External category codes that have not been used can be deleted from the system. You cannot delete a code that is associated with a space type; you must first remove all space type/external space code associations. If you want to delete an unused external space category, you must first delete all of the codes below it.

If a code has been used but is no longer needed, you can edit it and make it inactive to prevent it from being displayed to users.

To delete a code:

1. In the External Space Category field, select the category containing the code you want to delete.

2. Click the Edit link next to the code you want to delete.

3. Click the Delete link in the upper right corner of the dialog box.

   A dialog box opens asking you to confirm your choice.

4. Click OK.