Function form
Completing the Parameters tab

Field

Description

Enter a variable name that is an input to the function.

Enter a Java data type for this parameter, such as String, Page, or Activity (PublicAPI types). The types you can enter depend on the packages imported in the Packages tab in the Library form that this function belongs to.

When the system generates the Java from a function rule, it converts an Activity parameter type to a PublicAPI parameter type. This conversion is automatic: don't enter PublicAPI here as the type. Similarly, the conversion from Page to ClipboardPage is automatic. The system performs these conversions in a way that allows the function rule to be called in a Java step in an activity whether it uses the 02 or 03-02 version of the PublicAPI.

Optional. If the Java Type field is String, you can choose a Process Commander property Type value such as Date, Text, Decimal, or Integer, to validate the type at runtime.

Leave blank for other values of the Java Type field, leave blank.

Optional. Not used. If the Java Data Type is ClipboardPage, identify the Process Commander class (the name of a Rule-Obj-Class rule) of the clipboard page that forms this input parameter.

This field is for documentation purposes only.

Leave blank. This field is not used.

Optional. Enter a brief text description of this parameter.

Enter a Java data type for the return value.

You can enter void here, but a property cannot obtain a value from a function with a void return. That is, you can't use functions with a void return type to set a property value.

Optional. If the Return Type is String, or is a primitive type (boolean, char, byte, short, int, long, float, or double), identify the Process Commander Type of a Single Value property.

Optional. If the Return Type is ClipboardPage, identify the Process Commander class (the name of a Rule-Obj-Class rule) of the clipboard page that is to be returned.

Leave blank. This field is not used.

Leave blank. This field is not used.

Field

Description

Leave this check box cleared until you finish coding the function.

At any time when this check box is cleared, another application developer can create another function with the same name. If you select this check box but your function does not work correctly, you might unintentionally prevent other developers from completing work that they could otherwise complete.

After you've tested the function and confirmed that it is ready for use, select this box and save the rule instance.

Ordinarily, select this check box before you check in the updated function rule; a warning appears if you check in a function that is not marked as ready.

After you've saved the instance, but before you click the  Generate Library   button, click to find any language errors.

Click to update the library on the Process Commander system (on the current node only).

Do not click this button until you have clicked  Test Library Generation  and performed other testing to confirm that your function works as intended. If you generate a library that includes compilation errors, but has the same RuleSet and version as a previously generated library that compiled, the older, working CLASS files are overwritten. This can affect processing of other users of the library