Obj-Browse method |
Use the Obj-Browse method to search instances of one class and copy the entire instances, or specified properties, to the clipboard as an array of embedded pages.
Only properties exposed as columns can be used as selection criteria. However, values of properties that are not exposed as columns, including embedded properties, can be returned.
Use the Obj-Browse method optionally followed by the Obj-Filter method to create a list of search results. The Obj-Browse method selects instances based on values of properties exposed as a column. The Obj-Filter method qualifies and filters list results based on all property values, exposed or not. Together these two methods provide greater control over which properties are returned, and better performance, than the Obj-List method.
The Obj-Browse method has five base parameters and an optional array of selection criteria.
Parameter |
Description |
PageName |
Enter the name of the destination page to contain search results. The system uses Code-Pega-List as the class of this page. |
ObjClass |
Identify a class to search. You can search one concrete class, or all classes in a class group. Within the PegaRULES database, the class can correspond to a database table or to a database view. |
MaxRecords |
Optional. Enter the maximum number of instances you want returned in the list at runtime. If left blank, the default value is 10,000. As a best practice, specify a MaxRecords value to reduce the demand for database activity memory. If necessary, your activity can test the property pxMore on the results page to see whether additional rows were not returned because the MaxRecords limit was reached. |
GetRowKey |
Select to include the primary key in the set of property values returned. Clear to exclude the primary key. (Selected by default.) |
RowKey |
This field is required if GetRowKey, above, is selected. Otherwise, leave blank unless the class in the ObjClass parameter corresponds to an external table. Enter the name of a property in the external table, or an expression involving one or more property names, that specifies the unique key of rows of the external table. |
Lightweight List |
Select to have the embedded pages for the selected instances use lightweight lists for better performance. Leave unselected if the activity performs operations unsupported by lightweight lists, like forward chaining declarative processing, messaging, or value vetting. Refer to the PDN article About lightweight lists for more information. As a best practice, select this check box. This can reduce memory requirements during processing. Having the embedded pages use lightweight lists does not affect your ability to remove an embedded page completely (with the Obj-Filter or Page-Remove method). Two dynamic system settings control the use of lightweight lists by the Obj-Browse method. There is a setting each for the Pega 7 Platform and application rules:
When true, these dynamic system settings override the Use Lightweight List check box setting on the Activity rule form. |
Logic |
Optional. Enter a boolean statement that defines how the rows of the parameter array are to be combined. Identify rows by the Label field. You can use the operators AND and OR in this statement, and parentheses for grouping. For example, A AND (B OR C OR (E AND F)). If you leave this blank, the system assumes the AND operation applies to all rows of the array. |
Optional. Complete one or more rows of this array to define the selection criteria and the properties to be returned. If you leave this array blank, all rows (and all columns including the pzPVStream column) are selected, up to the MaxRecords limit. For an external class, complete at least one row of the array. |
|
Label |
Enter a unique letter or identifier for this row, referenced in the Logic field. |
Select |
Select to return the value of this property on each embedded page. In the resulting SQL statement at runtime, this property is listed in the SELECT list (as well as the WHERE condition). |
Field |
Enter a property reference. You can specify a You can return any property — exposed as a column or not — in the results by setting the Condition field to Click to open the property. Do not use . To restrict the search to specific values of a property, enter a property reference that is exposed as a database column. You can review the database schema to determine which properties are exposed for a class. Consult your database administrator for information on the current database schema, or use the Modify Schema facility. See How to expose a property as a database column. |
Condition |
Select a comparison, such as
Value Only . |
Value |
Enter a constant value, a property reference or other expression for the comparison. Leave blank if the Condition is Click to open a property. Click to start the Expression Builder.
For example, if the Field field contains a Note that the second value in the comparison refers to a property on the current clipboard page, or a hard-coded value, not to a value in the database record. |
Sort |
Select If the Condition is |
At runtime, the system converts the parameters to an SQL query statement, creating a SELECT WHERE and ORDER BY query based on the parameters, and sends the query to the PegaRULES database.
This method operates on the database response to create a results page containing one embedded page for each instance retrieved. See Standard properties in the Code-Pega-List class.
If the Field parameters identify only Single Value
properties exposed as columns, each embedded page in the results contains only those properties. However, if one or more of the Field parameters identifies a property that is not an exposed column, the entire pzPVStream column, also known as the Storage Stream or Blob column, is also returned.
The Obj-Browse method returns the data either to a previously created step page — which is cleared and reused — or to a new page of that this method creates of class Code-Pega-List. The system writes search results in the specified step page, along with information that controlled the search.
This method also adds or updates these properties in the step page:
true
or false
.true
.Note: Execution of this method does not trigger declarative rule processing that depends on change tracking. Even when a property retrieved by the Obj-Browse method is involved in a Declare Expression, Declare Constraint or other declarative rule, retrieval does not cause the declarative rule to re-evaluate.
This method can return thousands of database rows and create large clipboard pages. Use care to retrieve only the rows (instances) and columns (properties) you truly need. Similarly, specify sorting only when needed.
Note: Execution of this method may cause an alert to be added to the Alert log, of type PEGA004
-PEGA007
, PEGA0025
, PEGA0027
, or PEGA0028
. Review the Alert log to understand the frequency and sources of such alerts, and for best performance, alter your application or database to eliminate those alerts that occur frequently. For example, if execution of an Obj-Browse method accesses properties within the Storage Stream column, a PEGA0025
alert occurs. The alert indicates that exposing one or more columns in the PegaRULES database table that holds instances of the class is likely to improve performance.
This method updates the pxMethodStatus property. See How to test method results using a transition.
See PDN article Comparing the Obj-List-View, Obj-Browse and Obj-List methods.
exposed property, external class, internal class, schema, view | |
Obj-Filter method
RDB-List method How to monitor Storage Stream operations How detect database list operations that return many rows (PEGA0027 alert) |
|
Atlas — Standard properties in the Code-Pega-List class |