Making a function traceable

Because functions use Java code, there are no referencing rules, so you lose traceability when you call a function. To accommodate this restriction, you can map one or more of your input parameters to key parts of a specific rule type. Defining these associations supports traceability by updating the referencing rules for each collection that calls your function.

Example

The following example defines a reference between the CodeID function parameter and a Rule-PendCode rule instance, and instanciates it at run time:

  1. Create the AddPendCode function with an input parameter that is named CodeID.

  2. Map the CodeID parameter to the name key part of the Rule-PendCode class.

  3. Create the ProcessPendCodes collection that calls the AddPendCode function and passes 17 as the CodeID value.

  4. Open the tracer and process the collection. The tracer shows a reference between the ProcessPendCodes collection and the instance of Rule-PendCode named 17.

Setup

To map an input parameter to a rule type (step b in the example above), complete the following steps:

  1. In the Function rule form, on the Parameters tab, in the Rule type parameters section, click the Add a row icon.

  2. In the Rule type field, select the fully qualified class name of a Rule- class that has a category defined.

  3. The Key name column lists one or more names that correspond to the key properties on the General tab of your selected class. For each Key name, you can enter a Key value.

    • If the key property corresponds to an input parameter, enter the name of the input parameter preceded by a period, for example, .param1.
    • If the key property can be treated as a constant, enter a string value, for example, ABC.
    • You do not have to specify the Applies to key property, because at run time the system uses the step page of the calling rule.

  4. Click Save.