Creating an "Object" property is similar to creating any other property. The only difference, is additional fields on the Common and Advanced tab.
"Common" tab
On this tab (fig. 1), select the required object in the Type *field. After that, the tab will display the Link Type *field, where you have to select the required link type.
Fig. 1. Creating an "Object" type property. "Common" tab. "Type *" and "Link Type *" field
Depending on the link type, this tab may display another field - Key Column *(fig. 2) - where you have to select a column. The key column allows grouping data in the selected field and merge them into a drop down list.
Fig. 2. Creating an "Object" type property. "Common" tab. "Key Column *" field
Display Mode – this setting defines how the items list will be displayed in Web Application. This settings is similar to the setting of the Drop Down List type. The items display is different when selecting the Many-to-manylink type(fig. 3).
Fig. 3. Object type field in Web Application. Vertical radio group display mode
When you create an "Object" property, this tab (fig. 3) displays additional fields.
Fig. 3. Creating an "Object" type property. "Advanced" tab. "Cascade update" and "Action when copying *" fields
Cascade update – rule that defines the action with the child objects, when adding, editing or deleting entries in the parent object:
<Empty> – do not use any rules.
Not defined – do not use automatic rules; no action is performed with child objects after changing parent objects and vice versa.
Save changes – when adding or editing the parent object, child objects are created and/or updated. We recommend using this rule.
Cascade Deleting – when deleting the parent object, all the linked child objects are checked and updated.
Child object – when adding or editing the parent object, all child objects are created or updated, and when editing the child object, all the linked parent objects are updated.
Action when copying – select the action with the object property, when copying it. Note, that objects in ELMA are copied via scripts.
As an example, consider copying the "Contact" object, with a "Contractor" property and "Contractor" type.
Save the source link – move the source object (new properties are not created). The properties of the new object contain links to the copied object. For example, a new Contact object is created, which contains a link to a Contractor object in the Contractor field. When copying, a link to the source object will be saved;
Always Copy through Link – a new object and its properties are not created. The object is the same for the copy and the original, and its properties get the links to the original object. For example, a new "Contact" object will be created and its "Contractor" field will contain a link to the "Contractor" object. The link in the Contact copy leads to the same Contractor object, as in the original Contact object.
Always Create Copy – create a full copy of the object and its properties. For example, a new "Contact" object and a new "Contractor" object will be created. The link in the Contact copy leads to the Contractor copy.
Do not Copy – create a new object without copying properties of the original object. For example, a new Contact object will be created with an empty Contractor field.
If you create an object with the Many-to-many link type, the Advanced tab will display the list sorting settings. If you check the Sort List box, two additional fields will appear:
Sorting property* - select an earlier created property to sort by. This is a required field;
Sorting order*- defines the list sorting order (Ascending, Descending). This is a required field.
Note, that object instances are not sorted automatically in business processes. Sorting will be applied only in the next business process task after selecting items from the drop down list.
If you select a hierarchical object on the Common tab (with the Elements hierarchy type), this tab will display an additional field Hierarchy Display (fig. 5) with several parameters.
Fig. 5. Creating an object type property. Advanced tab. Hierarchy Display field
Hierarchy Display – this setting is responsible for the display of child objects in the parent object in Web Application:
Indent – define the indent from the parent property (0 – 30 units). If you select 0, there will be no indent, only the parent object will be shown. Note, that the maximum sum of indent and depth is 30;
Depth – defined the child property display depth (0 – 30 units). The depth depends on the indent, defined above. If you select 0, only the properties, defined by the indent will be shown. Note, that the maximum sum of indent and depth is 30;
Parent – select one of the properties of the current object (the property must be of a hierarchical object type). Selecting a parent allows linking several properties to be able to manage the display of child objects.
When you create a property of the Organizational Structure Item type (located in All objects – Security), and additional field Show Users is displayed. If you check this box, the user, assigned to the job position, will be displayed in this field in Web Application. If more than one user is assigned to the job position, the number of users will be shown.
