Customizing the Application Timeline Summary

Video Overview

Customizing the Application Timeline Summary

The Application Timeline Summary is designed to highlight important events for each applicant. To do this, it uses data from forms, application properties, and other tables. If your role includes the Manage Application Timeline Summary permission, you can customize your Application Timeline Summary so that it includes the information most relevant to you. To do so:

1. Navigate to the Settings menu and click Application Timeline Summary in the Application Review section. From here you can review and edit the existing timeline categories, or add new categories to your timeline. 
   
   
2. To review or edit an existing category, click its edit pencil.
3. To configure another category, click Add Category.

Configuring a Timeline Category

Timeline categories are how you'll group different types of events in an applicant's history. For example, you can group different types of education together in one category, and relevant tests in another.

From the Timeline Category page:

1. Select a category name. Where applicable, this name appears in the legend of each applicant's timeline.
2. Select an icon to represent this category. The icon appears on your timeline next to each related event.
3. Select a color to associate with the category. 
4. Under Source of Values, you'll configure the values that you'd like to populate in this category. While there are several options here, only Value Name and Start Date are required to plot a value. If an applicant has no data for a value you configure, the data point will simply not appear on their application. Source values can come from:
   • Application forms: these are forms that you've created or imported from the CAS that you're associated with.
   • Application properties: these are custom properties created for your environment.
   • Expandable table sections: this refers to areas on the application where applicants can enter as many rows as they want to complete their records (e.g., their research experience, volunteer service, or work history).
   • Field expressions: this is an advanced feature allowing you to configure JavaScript expressions to present dynamic data for each application.
   • Static text: these are set values that you enter manually and appear on each application.
5. Click into the Value Name field and search for a value. For example, you can add Colleges Attended - Name. 
6. Next, fill in the Start Date and End Date. Note that the values you select for these fields must be directly related to the field you selected for your Value Name. For example, if you selected Colleges Attended - Name for your Value Name, you might choose Colleges Attended - Beginning Date of Attendance for your Start Date. If you configure an end date but an application has no end date value, the date shows as Present and the range is extended to today.
7. Fill in the Value Description field. The description you add here appears when you click the item on the timeline from an application. Choose a field related to your source value, or choose:
   • Static Value: select this option to type in the text you want to appear with this timeline item.
   • Expression: select this option to use a JavaScript expression to create a customized label using other fields or data from your environment.
8. If desired, click Add Source to configure additional timeline sources. For example, if your timeline category is Education History, your additional source might be Medical Schools or Continuing Education courses.
9. Click Save once you're done configuring this category.
10. If desired, click Add Category to configure additional timeline categories.
11. If not already active, click Activate Timeline to enable the timeline to appear on application records. Activation requires at least one category with at least one source value.

Note that this feature can be set up while inactive and activated later. Once activated, timeline applies to all programs within your organization.

Working with the Application Timeline Summary

Once you've configured and enabled your Application Timeline Summary, you can review it on each application. While working with the timeline on an application, you can:

• Zoom in or out to see more or less data.
• Scroll to focus on different time frames.
• Click and drag to move back or ahead on the timeline.
• Click an event to see its specifics.
• Click View Details to see a vertical list of all events grouped by their category.

Keep in mind:

• The data that appears on the timeline can differ for each application, depending on what the applicant has submitted.
• If an applicant has no data for a value you configure, the data point will simply not appear on their application.
• There are no date restrictions, so even very old events appear on the timeline.