Modern web applications like SpiceCRM are based on the “one page application” schema. This means that the application runs in a single web page on the browser and mainly is handled by the browser. This brings many enhanced capabilities and increases speed and usability. However the downside is that typically only one record at a time can be shown. With the latest release of SpiceCRM we added a set of new navigation modes focusing on the typical power user in CRM who wants to open and manage multiple records ate the same time. With the change the user can choose between three different navigation modes by setting it in the user preferences.

The “Simple” Mode

The simple mode is the classic navigation design as it has been before. The menu is rendered on top and the page always opens the current record or view.

The “Tabbed” Mode

In the tabbed view the menu with the available modules for the role is moved to a dropdown and for each record a new tab is opened. Tabs can be pinned to stay in focus and the user can also easily navigate between the various tabs.

The “Tabbed with Subtabs” Mode

The third mode is similar to the tabbed mode but also groups tabs. So if you open a record from within a tab a subtab is opened. This allows e.g. to open an account and view related contacts, opportunities or other all in the context of one main tab. This adds further comfort when viewing and working with larger datasets as the tabs remain better structured and the context in which a record was opened remains visible to the user.

Setting navigation Modes

The desired navigation mode can be set by the user in the user preferences tab by choosing one of the three modes.
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