Opening Operator10, navigating through menus, selecting the right DataView, and waiting for it to load adds friction to daily workflows. Lab techs entering morning samples or operators logging rounds data waste time clicking through the same path every day. Desktop shortcuts for DataViews eliminate that friction by placing one-click links directly on the Windows desktop or in a taskbar folder.
Why create desktop shortcuts?
Every plant has a handful of DataViews that get used constantly: lab TSS entry, daily rounds, flow checks, chemical feed logs. If your team opens the same DataView five times a day, that’s 10+ clicks per session just to navigate menus. Desktop shortcuts reduce that to one click. Operators double-click the shortcut, and Operator10 opens directly to that specific DataView, ready for data entry or review.
How to create a DataView desktop shortcut
Open Operator10 and navigate to View > Data View. Find the DataView you want to shortcut in the list. Click it once to highlight it, then drag it from the Operator10 window onto your Windows desktop. A shortcut icon appears on the desktop with the DataView name. Double-clicking that icon opens Operator10 (if it’s not already running) and loads that specific DataView immediately.
Organize shortcuts in a folder
If your team uses multiple DataViews, creating five or ten desktop shortcuts clutters the screen. Instead, create a folder on the desktop called “Operator10 Shortcuts” or “Lab Entry” and drag your DataView shortcuts into that folder. Operators open the folder and click the view they need. You can also pin the folder to the taskbar for even faster access.
Label shortcuts clearly
The default shortcut name matches the DataView name in Operator10. If your DataView is named “Lab TSS Weekly Entry,” the shortcut will say “Lab TSS Weekly Entry.” If the name is unclear or too long, right-click the shortcut, choose Rename, and type something concise like “TSS Entry” or “Daily Rounds.” Keep labels short so operators recognize them at a glance.
Combine shortcuts with current-period DataViews
Desktop shortcuts work best when paired with DataViews set to open on the current period. If your lab TSS DataView is configured to show a 7-day range starting on Sunday with the current week as the default, the shortcut opens directly to this week’s data. Operators don’t have to adjust dates or scroll—they click the shortcut and start entering. When Monday rolls around and a new week starts, the DataView auto-updates to the current week, so the shortcut always lands on the right data.
Share shortcuts across the team
Once you create a desktop shortcut on one workstation, you can copy it to other computers. Right-click the shortcut, choose Copy, then paste it onto another operator’s desktop or into a shared network folder. As long as all workstations have Operator10 installed and access to the same database, the shortcut opens the correct DataView for every user. This is especially useful for labs or control rooms where multiple shifts use the same computer.
Example workflow for lab techs
Lab tech arrives Monday morning with a bench sheet full of TSS results. Instead of opening Operator10, navigating to Data View, scrolling through dozens of views to find “Lab TSS,” they double-click the “TSS Entry” shortcut on the desktop. Operator10 opens directly to this week’s TSS DataView with inverted display and custom headers. The tech enters values, hits Enter to move down through parameters, and closes the window when done. Total time from desktop to data entry: five seconds.
Why this small change matters
Eliminating three or four clicks doesn’t sound like much, but it compounds. Multiply those saved clicks by five data entry sessions per day, times five operators, times 250 workdays per year. That’s thousands of unnecessary actions removed from your workflow. Desktop shortcuts let operators spend their time on the work that matters—not navigating software menus.
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