This tool is located on the Manage section of the Manage tab.

Function

The Universe interface () is used to display a combination of programmed TIP projects and new/other projects. Massachusetts MPO's are expected to keep a Universe of Projects of regional interest and importance that generally appear as an Appendix item in their published TIP documents and in their Long-Range Transportation Plans. This interface addresses that need.

Look

The image below shows an example of how the Universe interface will appear on the user's screen.

Filters

While the interface will initially display all projects, the user can manually filter the table using the picklists at the top of the interface. After choosing either Highway or Transit in the first picklist, these additional filter options will become available:

View

The Universe interface is composed largely of a table. Whenever the user opens the interface, they can immediately view the Program, Project ID, Description, MPO, TFPC, MPO Project Score, PRC Score, Status, Other Information, Proposed Readiness Years, and Origin Dates columns and their associated information.

Edit

The user can edit the information on the table by clicking on a row with an "X" at the end (). Then, these columns for the row will become editable:

• Program
• Description
• MPO
• TFPC
• MPO Project Score
• PRC Score
• Other Information
• Proposed Readiness Years

The user can type their revisions into these editable cells, then click the Save Changes button. As always, the user can click the Discard Changes button to undo the changes and revert the information back to its original state.

Add From PINFO

This tool is only available if the user selects the MPO or Program filters. When the user clicks the "Add From PINFO" button at the top right of the interface, a pop-up window will appear. The user can then filter the results in the pop-up with the "Search By" filters or the "More Filters..." link.

After selecting the desired filters, the user can select the "Search" button. The table below the filters will then be filled with the relevant results. To select the desired projects, the user can click the checkboxes on the table rows or the checkbox on the table header. Finally, the "Add to Universe" button at the bottom of the interface can be clicked to add those projects to the Universe interface.

Add New

This tool is only available if the user selects the MPO or Program filters. When the user clicks the "Add New" button at the top right of the interface, a new row will be created under the last line on the table. The user can enter information into these fields for the new row: Program, Description, MPO, TFPC, MPO Project Score, PRC Score, Other Information, and Proposed Readiness Years.

Delete

If the user wishes to delete a row in the table, they can locate a row containing an "X" symbol in the last column. The presence of this symbol () indicates that a row can be deleted. The user can simply click on the "X" to delete the row.

Export

The interface's exporting capabilities are concentrated in the Export link located in the bottom right corner of the screen. When the user clicks on this link, this pop-up window will appear:

The user can then choose the export format (PDF or Excel) and intended checkboxes (Include Other Information and/or Include Origin Date) before clicking export. Both of the mentioned checkboxes determine if certain columns, namely Other Information and Origin Date, will be included in the exported report. All reports are read-only, but the Excel format can be saved as a copy and edited.