Copyright © TIBCO Software Inc. All Rights Reserved
Copyright © TIBCO Software Inc. All Rights Reserved


Chapter 7 Working with Process Data : Adding Data Fields or Parameters to a Package or Process

Adding Data Fields or Parameters to a Package or Process
See "Data Fields and Parameters" in the TIBCO Business Studio Concepts Guide.
There are two ways to add data fields or parameters to a package or process:
in the Properties view table provided when the Parameters or Data Fields folder is selected in Project Explorer (this method is better if you need to create several data fields or parameters), or
See Associating Participants with Activities for information on how to highlight all the tasks in a process that have a particular data field or parameter assigned to them.
Using the Properties View
To create a new data field or parameter in the Properties view:
1.
If the Data Fields folder is empty under a package, it will be hidden by default. This is because the preferred usage is to define Data Fields at the Process level.
If you want to show the Data Fields folder under a package, regardless of whether it is empty or not, then you need to go to Project Explorer, and click the View Menu icon in the top right corner, then select Customize View. You can then deselect BPM Package Data Fields on the list of filters which are set.
2.
As appropriate, click Data Fields or Parameters folder in the Project Explorer. If you need to add a Data Field at the Package level, select New > Data Field as described in Using the Wizards below.
The Properties view is displayed.
3.
A new data field or parameter is added.
As appropriate, modify the properties.
Using the Wizards
To create a new data field or parameter:
1.
2.
As appropriate, right-click Data Fields or Parameters and select New > Data Field or New > Parameter. The New Data Field or New Parameter dialog is displayed.
If you start this wizard from the File > New menu, the first dialog is the project and package dialog, where you must specify a valid project and package. This dialog is not displayed if you right-click at the process level to start the dialog; however you can click Back to display it.
3.
4.
Mandatory  (Parameter only) Select this checkbox to specify that the parameter must be present when the process is started.
Read Only  Select this checkbox to specify that the value of the data field or parameter cannot be modified after it is created.
Mode  (Parameter only) Select whether the parameter will be an input (In) output (Out) or both (In/Out).
The parameters specified on the Interface tab for a user task are from the perspective of the form, not the user. This means that input parameters are sent to the form by the process, not the user. Output Parameters are sent to the form by the user.
5.
Basic Type  If you select this type, you can choose from Text, Decimal Number, Integer Number, Boolean, Date, Time, Date Time or Performer. For more information about using performer data types, see the appropriate implementation guide.
If you need to create a Text field of unlimited length, ensure that the Length field is empty. If you wish to limit the number of characters enter the appropriate numeric value.
Initial Value  For data fields, you can optionally specify an Initial Value by clicking in the provided text entry area and entering a value. For arrays, you can add more than one value:
You can add rows by clicking the button. You can also delete rows by clicking the button.
Allowed Values   For parameters, you can optionally specify the permitted input values (values that may be supplied by application starting an instance of the process). You can add rows by clicking the button. You can also delete rows by clicking the button.
Declared Type  This option allows you to select from the declared types that you have already defined.
External Reference  Allows you to refer to a business object defined in the Business Object Modeler.
6.
Select whether you want the data field or parameter to be an array. Selecting the Array checkbox creates an array of the Basic Type that is selected. For example, if you select the Array checkbox and Text, you are defining the data field or parameter as an array of Text values.
7.
Click Finish to create the data field or parameter, or click Next to specify a documentation URL, description, or extended attributes.
8.
The Documentation Url and Description fields allow you to specify supplementary information about the data field or parameter that you have created.
9.
The Extended dialog allows you to specify extended attributes.
The parameter that you created appears in the Project Explorer.
Constraints on Field or Parameter Values
If you place any constraint on the possible values of a data field or a parameter of any Basic Type, that constraint is ignored at runtime. This is because BPM’s Process Engine cannot enforce these constraints. For example:
If an Integer or Decimal field has its Length set to 9, a warning is displayed that format restrictions are not enforced, and at runtime you can still assign a value with more than 9 digits.
If a Decimal field has Decimal Places set to 2, a warning is displayed that format restrictions are not enforced, and at runtime you can still assign a value with 3 decimal places.
If a Text type data field has its Length set to 50, you can still assign a value with more than 50 characters.
You can produce the same effect as limiting the value of the field or parameter by using a BOM data type defined with the restricted values you need. See TIBCO Business Studio Business Object Modeling User’s Guide for more details of BOM data types.

Copyright © TIBCO Software Inc. All Rights Reserved
Copyright © TIBCO Software Inc. All Rights Reserved