Add items in the Data Model view

Add a data object:

1. From the Data Model view menu, select Add Data Object. The Add Data Object dialog box displays each entity in your model, as well as the associated service and function.

2. Select the entity to add to the Data Model view in the Guide Design perspective, and then click OK.

3. In the Data Model view, right-click the entity you added and select Properties.

4. Edit the properties as required.

When to use a list source

Use a list source when the data model does not include a collection of list items that you need to associate with a list control. You can also use a list source when you need to localize the list items.

Use a list source to specify a list of items for a list control, when the list contents are not specified in the data model. For example, use a list source to populate a list box with a list of countries. You can also use a list source for a code table of states, to code the label California to the value CA.

Add a list and a list source

You can add a list source to the Data Model view in the Guide Design perspective. When you add a list source, it is added only to the Guide, and is not added to the data model. Only the associated Guide can use the list source; it is not available to other Guides that are based on the same data model. To reuse a list in another model, create a collection in an data model (FML) or create a list in an XDP or PDF form.

When the Guide is submitted, the list contents are not submitted. However, the selected value can be submitted if you bind the list source to the list.

The list source appears in the List Source section in the Data Model view.

1. From the Data Model view menu, select Add List Source. The list source properties appear in the Guide Properties view.

2. Type the List Source Name.

3. Specify the list items:

   • To add list items directly in the list source, select Specify List Items. For each list item, click the Add button and then type the Label and Data.

   • To add list items from an XML file, select Get List Items From XML File. The following example shows the format of the list source file. It includes the label and data for each list item:

     <model xmlns:xliff="urn:oasis:names:tc:xliff:document:1.2"> 
         <ListSource> 
             <items> 
                 <label xliff:rid="...">Bicycle Yellow</label> 
                 <data>370A-3</data> 
             </items> 
             <items> 
                 <label xliff:rid="...">Bicycle Blue</label> 
                 <data>370A-4</data> 
             </items> 
         </ListSource> 
     </model>

4. Add a data model item or an input to the Guide.

   • To add a data model item, drag the item from the Data Model view onto the panel in the editor.

   • To add an input, from the Data Model view menu, select Add Input. The input appears in the Data Model view and the input properties appear in the Guide Properties view.

     • In the Guide Properties view, type a name for the input.

     • In the Data Model view, select the input and drag it onto the panel in the editor.

5. In the editor, select the data model item or input that you added. The field properties appear in the Guide Properties view.

6. In the Guide Properties view, from the Control Type properties, select a list type from the Display As options. The list types that you can select include Check Box List, Drop Down List, List Box, Radio Button List, and Static List.

7. From the List Source options, select the list source that you created.

8. If necessary, specify a default value for the list:

   • To specify a default value for an item that you added from the data model, from the Data Model view menu, select Add Binding. The binding properties appear in the Guide Properties view.

     • In the Source property, type the data value of list source item that you want to set as the default value.

     • From the Copy To property, select the data model item that you set as the list.

   • To specify a default value for an input, in the Data Model view, right-click the input, and then select Properties. The input properties appear in the Guide Properties view.

     • In the Default Value field, type the data value of the list source item that you want to set as the default value.

For more information about the list source properties, see List source properties.

Add a variation

Add a variation to the Data Model view in the Guide Design perspective. Only the associated Guide can use the variation; it is not available to other Guides that are based on the same data model.

After you add the variation, add the required variations as list items. For example, create items based on the status of a Guide, filled or approved, or the names of process steps, such as initialstep or finalstep.

After you define a list of variations, you can control the properties of the items in your Guide based on the selected variation. You can bind it to the display, read-only, and required rules, and the set the condition. If the Guide needs more complex rules, bind the variations to a rule, and then bind the rule to the property.

You can only add one variation to a Guide.

1. From the Data Model view menu, select Add Variation. The variation properties appear in the Guide Properties view.

2. Edit the properties as required.

For more information about the variations properties, see Variation properties.

Binding rules to variations

After you create a variation, its values appear in the Data Model view.

Use the variation to control the properties of a Guide item. For example, bind an Approved item to the Read-only property for a Totals field. (See Binding items in the Data Model view.)

Variations and processes

When you design processes, you often specify a Guide as the asset used by an Assign Task or Assign Multiple Tasks operation. These operations represent a step in the process where tasks are assigned to users and groups. If the specified Guide has a variation list, the list appears in the operation's Presentation and Data properties. From the list, select the appropriate variation to use for the operation.

At runtime, the configuration associated with the variation and the variation specified for the process step determine the behavior of the Guide.

If you modify the variation list for the Guide later, the variation list that appears in the process designer updates automatically.

Add an input:

1. From the Data Model view menu, select Add Input. The new input appears in the Data Model view.

2. In the Guide Properties view, edit the input properties as required.

Add a rule

1. From the Data Model view menu, select Add Rule. The new rule appears in the Rules category in the Data Model view, and the properties appear in the Guide Properties view.

2. Add one or more conditions for the rule. You can set the conditions to either All or Any condition.

3. Select the item that you want to bind to a rule.

4. In the Guide Properties view, bind a property to the rule.

Add a binding:

1. From the Data Model view menu, select Add Binding. The new binding appears in the Bindings category in the Data Model view and the properties appear in the Guide Properties view.

2. In the Guide Properties view, type the Binding Name.

3. Specify the Source. You can type a string literal value or bind an item in the Data Model view.

4. From the Copy To options, select the item in the Data Model view where you want to copy the data.

5. If necessary, drag an item from the Data Model view onto the binding icon for the Perform Copy property, and then select a When condition.