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:

1. Go to Setup
2. Search for “Flows”
3. Click Flows
4. Click New Flow

Step 2: Select Flow Type

Choose appropriate flow type:

1. Select Record-Triggered Flow
2. Click Create
3. 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:

1. Add Decision element
2. Name: “Determine Job Color”
3. 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:

1. After each decision outcome
2. Add Update Records element
3. Update the triggering record
4. Set field: fax__DB_Gantt_Border_Color__c
5. 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:

1. Connect all elements
2. Set proper paths
3. Add description
4. Save with clear name: “Job Color Assignment”
5. 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