How to Use Structured Data in a Form

The How to Use Structured Data in a Form tutorial looks in more depth at the interaction between the business object modeler and forms. You learn how to make use of class types and their attributes, and see how changes to settings for the attributes in the business object model influence the way the forms are rendered.

You should work through each section in turn to complete the tutorial.

The procedures in this tutorial enable you to use the business object model to do the following:

  • Examine an existing business process and understand the interactions between the form controls and the attributes in the business object model.
  • Make controls on the form required or optional.
  • Specify choice values for a control by using an enumeration.
  • Change the order in which controls appear on the form.
  • Modify the labels for the controls on a form.
  • Add validations for controls on the form by specifying constraints for the attributes in the business object model.
  • Use a grid pane to edit an array of objects.
  • Use an action script to update an instance of an object.

You need to perform a sequence of tasks to complete this tutorial.

  1. Opening the Business Process
    If you completed the previous tutorial, "How to Use Default Forms," the business process as you left it can be used as a starting point for the present tutorial. Instead, if you wish, you can begin this tutorial by installing the furnished solution to the previous tutorial, FormsDefaultSolution.
  2. Renaming the Project in the Project Explorer
    If you are continuing this tutorial directly from the previous one, the FormsTutorialStart project will be open in the Business Studio Project Explorer. If you are beginning this tutorial by importing the solution to the previous one, the FormsDefaultSolution project will be open in the Project Explorer.
  3. Examining the Form and the Business Object Model
    For a business process that has already been modeled, much can be learned by examining the information contained in the various tabs of the Properties view for the forms, the data fields, and the classes in the business object model.
  4. Marking Attributes as Required or Optional
    When an attribute has a multiplicity of 1, the associated control in the default form will be marked as required. A multiplicity of 0..1 indicates an optional value.
  5. Using Multiplicity to Configure Form Controls
    Consider the Claimant and Witness classes in our business object model. Each of those classes is connected by composition to the GenericClaim class, meaning that claims can have claimants and witnesses.
  6. Using an Enumeration to Specify Choice Values
    When an attribute is defined using an enumeration type, the default form will use an option list to edit that value, with the values of the enumeration presented as the choices.
  7. Modifying the Appearance of Fields in a Default Form
    The appearance of the fields in a default form can be modified by making changes in the business object model.
  8. Editing an Array of Objects Using a Grid Pane
    Arrays of objects may be represented in forms using a grid pane. The grid pane can be configured to support adding or deleting records in the underlying array of objects.
  9. Verifying the Tutorial Solution
    You can verify the results of your tutorial by installing the tutorial from the samples folder in the product directory. Your project must look similar to the sample solution project.