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What You Will Achieve

By the end of this tutorial, you will understand:
  • The layout and components of the RISKSHEET interface
  • How to use the toolbar and context menu commands
  • Navigation techniques for large risksheets
  • How to switch between different views and modes
  • Where to find help and configuration options

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Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial:
  • You have created or opened a risksheet document (see Create Your First Risksheet)
  • You are logged into Polarion with appropriate permissions
  • Your browser is supported (Chrome, Edge, or Firefox recommended)
Some interface elements depend on your risksheet configuration and user permissions. Administrators may see additional menu options not visible to regular users.

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Interface Overview

The RISKSHEET interface consists of five main areas: diagram

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Step 1: Explore the Toolbar

The toolbar provides quick access to common operations.
  1. Locate the toolbar at the top of the risksheet interface
  2. Identify these key buttons from left to right:
    • 💾 Save - Persist changes to Polarion
    • 🔄 Refresh - Reload data from server
    • ⬇️ Export - Export to Excel or PDF
    • ☰ Menu - Access additional commands and configuration
    • 📊 Views - Switch between saved views
What you should see: Hovering over each button displays a tooltip describing its function. Some buttons may be disabled (grayed out) depending on context (e.g., Save is disabled when there are no unsaved changes).
Most toolbar commands have keyboard equivalents: Ctrl+S for Save, F5 for Refresh, Ctrl+Z for Undo. See Keyboard Shortcuts for the complete list.

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Step 2: Understand Column Headers

Column headers organize your risk data into logical groups.
  1. Examine the column header rows (typically two rows)
  2. The top row shows column groups (e.g., “Potential Risks”, “Risk Assessment”, “Mitigations”)
  3. The bottom row shows individual column names (e.g., “Severity”, “Occurrence”, “RPN”)
  4. Click a column header to select the entire column
  5. Right-click a column header to access column-specific options
What you should see: Column groups visually organize related columns with colored backgrounds. Individual column headers may show sort indicators (arrows) if sorting is enabled. Some columns display ❓ icons indicating tooltips with additional information.
Column groups are defined in your risksheet configuration using the headerGroup property. Groups help organize complex risksheets with many columns. See Add Header Tooltips to add descriptive help text.

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Step 3: Navigate Row Headers

Row headers identify each risk item and provide navigation controls.
  1. Locate the row header column on the far left
  2. Each row header displays the risk item identifier or title
  3. Colored row headers indicate risk priority based on RPN or other calculated values:
    • Green - Low risk (acceptable)
    • Yellow - Medium risk (requires attention)
    • Red - High risk (critical action needed)
  4. Click a row header to select the entire row
  5. For hierarchical risksheets, expand/collapse controls appear as + or - icons
What you should see: Row headers use bold text and background colors configured in your cellDecorators. Clicking a row header highlights the entire row in the grid.
If your risksheet uses hierarchical levels (e.g., System → Component → Risk → Task), merged cells in row headers indicate parent items. Click the expand icon to reveal child items. See Display Multi-Level Hierarchies for configuration details.

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Step 4: Work with the Spreadsheet Grid

The grid displays your risk data in an editable tabular format.
  1. Click any cell to select it (blue border appears)
  2. Double-click or press F2 to edit the cell content
  3. Use Tab / Shift+Tab to navigate horizontally between cells
  4. Use Arrow Keys to navigate in any direction
  5. Press Enter to confirm changes and move to the next row
  6. Press Esc to cancel editing and revert changes
What you should see: As you select cells, the cell border highlights in blue. Editable cells show a cursor when activated. Read-only cells (calculated formulas, system fields) display a disabled cursor or no cursor at all.
Modified cells display a small triangle marker in the top-right corner (typically red or orange). The status bar shows “Unsaved Changes: X cells” to remind you to save. Changes are not persisted until you click Save.

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Step 5: Use the Context Menu

Right-click context menus provide quick access to row and cell operations.
  1. Right-click on a cell, row header, or column header
  2. The context menu appears with available commands:
    • Insert Row Below - Add a new risk item
    • Duplicate Row - Copy the selected row
    • Copy / Paste - Clipboard operations
    • Delete Row - Remove the risk item
    • Open in Table View - View in Polarion’s native table
    • Remove Task - Unlink downstream mitigation tasks
  3. Select a command to execute the operation
What you should see: Context menu options vary based on what you clicked. Some options are disabled if they don’t apply (e.g., “Remove Task” is disabled if no task is linked). Keyboard shortcuts are shown next to menu items.
If you lack permissions to modify work items, destructive operations (Delete Row, Remove Task) may be hidden or disabled. See User Roles and Permissions for details.

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Step 6: Access the Menu

The main menu provides access to advanced features and configuration.
  1. Click the Menu button in the toolbar (≡ icon)
  2. Explore the menu sections:
    • File → Export, Print, Open in LiveDoc
    • Edit → Undo, Redo, Find/Replace
    • View → Saved Views, Show/Hide Columns, Filters
    • Configuration → Edit Risksheet Configuration (admin only)
    • Help → Documentation, Version Info, Keyboard Shortcuts
  3. Select any menu item to execute the command
What you should see: Menu items with right arrows (▶) expand to show submenus. Items with keyboard shortcuts display the shortcut on the right. Disabled items appear grayed out.
Administrators can access Menu → Configuration → Edit Risksheet Configuration to open the configuration editor in a new tab. This allows side-by-side viewing of the risksheet and its JSON configuration. See Use the Configuration Editor for details.

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Step 7: Switch Between Views

Saved views allow you to switch between different column sets, filters, or layouts.
  1. Click the Views dropdown in the toolbar
  2. A list of saved views appears (if configured):
    • Default View
    • Initial Assessment View
    • Post-Mitigation View
    • Review View
  3. Select a view to switch to that configuration
  4. The risksheet reloads with the selected columns and filters
What you should see: After selecting a view, the grid updates to show only the columns defined in that view. Some columns may appear or disappear, and filtering may change to show different subsets of risks.
Saved views are configured in the risksheet.json file’s savedViews section. Users can switch between views but cannot create new views without editing configuration. See Saved Views for setup instructions.

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Interface Components Summary

ComponentPurposeKey Actions
ToolbarQuick access to Save, Refresh, Export, Menu, ViewsClick buttons, use keyboard shortcuts
Column HeadersOrganize data into groups and columnsClick to select, right-click for options
Row HeadersIdentify risk items with color-coded priorityClick to select row, expand/collapse hierarchies
Spreadsheet GridDisplay and edit risk data in cellsClick to select, double-click or F2 to edit, Tab/Arrow keys to navigate
Context MenuRow/cell operations (insert, delete, copy, paste)Right-click on cells or headers
Main MenuAdvanced features, configuration, helpClick Menu button (≡) in toolbar
Status BarShows unsaved changes, selection info, errorsMonitor for warnings and save reminders

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Next Steps

Now that you understand the interface, explore these topics:
If you encounter interface issues, press F12 to open browser developer tools and check the Console tab for JavaScript errors. Report any errors to your administrator or Nextedy support.
KB ArticlesSupport TicketsSource Code
  • risksheet.json