What is a Calculate Action?

The 

Creating Calculate Actions

1. Click and drag the 

   Insert excerpt
   _action_calculate _action_calculate nopanel true

    icon from the toolbar onto the canvas
2. Enter a name for the Calculate action, then select Create Action
3. In the Calculate Action 

   Insert excerpt
   _property_settings _property_settings nopanel true

    on the right, click the 

   Insert excerpt
   _add_icon _add_icon nopanel true

    icon in the Output Attributes section to add new attributes

Example Uses

Calculate Actions can be used for: 

• inserting Inserting static text strings, e.g. when inserting a new record into a grid containing the string "new"performing set a value of "New" in a status field
• Calculating values using Functions, e.g. adding debug messages to the System Consoleperforming lookupsCalculating the amount of VAT on a customer invoice  
• Performing lookups against a View action node or lookup connection point, e.g. counting records in a grid or retrieving details of all students on a course

Worked Examples

Here's a worked example using the School Data (available from the Learning Centre). 

In this example, we are using:

• A Course Management screen containing a grid of the School Courses data - this screen was created using the Tile with Buttons template
• A Course Form screen containing form fields and associated with School Courses data by a background filter - this screen was created using the Edit Form template

Example 1: Use a Calculate Action to Add Static Text

Earlier in this course we created an Actionflow that opens a blank input form for adding new courses to the School Courses grid. In this example we will enhance that Actionflow by adding the static text "New Course" to the blank input form.

We want to add a message, "Create New Course", to the Course Form header that shows only when a new course is being created. To do this, we will add a Calculate Action to the Open Screen Actionflow for adding a new course.

Image Added

1. On the screen where the Actionflow will be initiated fromRight, Course Management, right-click on the  button on the School Courses grid and choose 

   Insert excerpt
   _actionflow_display _actionflow_display nopanel true

   1. If there is no Actionflow to display, see 1.07 Open Screen Action Configuration
2. Click and drag the 

   Insert excerpt
   _action_calculate _action_calculate nopanel true

    icon from the toolbar onto the canvas
3. Enter a name for the Calculate Action:
   1. Name: Course Header
   2. Select Create Action 
4. The 

   Insert excerpt
   _property_tabs _property_tabs nopanel true

    for the Calculate Action will open on the right
   1. If the 

      Insert excerpt
      _property_tabs _property_tabs nopanel true

      is not open, click the Calculate Action node on the canvas 
5. In the Output Attributes section, click the 

   Insert excerpt
   _add_icon _add_icon nopanel true

    icon
6. Enter the following details for the new Output Attribute:
   1. Name: NewCourse
   2. Type: choose String

   3. Expression: 

      Code Block
      theme Emacs
      "Create New Course"

      
      

   4. Then 

      Insert excerpt
      _finish _finish nopanel true

7. Drag and drop the Course Header Calculate Action onto the connector between the input node and the Open Course Form Action
   1. 
8. Right-click on the connector between the calculate node and the open screen node and choose Open Mappingsthe Course Header Calculate Action and the Open Course Form Open Screen Action and choose

   Insert excerpt
   _open_mappings _open_mappings nopanel true

9. On the Mappings window, drag the NewCourse attribute onto the Heading attribute Header1Dynamic attribute to create the mapping
   1. Press Save
   2. Image RemovedImage Added
10. Close the Actionflow to return to the Course Management screen

11. Insert excerpt
    _lock _lock nopanel true

     the screen and press the  button to see the Actionflow in action
    1. We can see that the Actionflow is working because it displays the string, Create New Course, in place of the original heading on the input form  Course Form 

Example 2: Use a Calculate Action to Perform a

Function 

In this example, we will configure a button to run an Actionflow that performs a function. The results of the function will populate a dynamic text field.

Setup the Input and Calculate Action

add a Calculate Action that performs the function, toUpper, to a Save Actionflow. This function will format the course name on the Course Management screen into upper case, when the course is added/edited. 

Image Added

Setup the Input 

1. On the Course Management screen, click the Image Added or Image Added button to open the Course Form
2. Right-click on the Image Added button and select 

   Insert excerpt
   _actionflow_on_clickdisplay _actionflow_on_clickdisplay nopanel true

    Action Event, then select Connect Input
3. Click and drag the 

   Insert excerpt
   _action_calculate _action_calculate nopanel true

    icon from the toolbar onto the canvas
4. Enter a name for the Calculate Action:
   1. Name: Get Date UppercaseName
   2. Select Create Action 
   The 
   1. Action
5. Right-click on the input connection point under Connections and choose 

   Insert excerpt
   _propertymappings_tabsconfigure _propertymappings_tabsconfigure nopanel true

    for the Calculate Action will open on the rightIn the Output Attributes section, click
6. On the Mappings window, drag the attribute, Name, from the left (Course Form) into the Drag and Drop space on the right (input connection point) 
   1. Select Save
7. On the canvas, drag the UppercaseName Calculate Action node onto the in connector between the 

   Insert excerpt
   _input _input nopanel true

    node and the 

   Insert excerpt
   _save_icon _save_icon nopanel true

    SaveCourse node and drop it when the 

   Insert excerpt
   _add_icon _add_icon nopanel true

    icon appearsEnter the following details for the new Output Attribute:
8. Name: TodayDate
9. Type: choose String

10. Expression: 

    Code Block
    now()

    Then Right-click on the in connector between the 

    Insert excerpt
    _input _input nopanel true

     node and the 

    Insert excerpt
    _actionflow_calculate _actionflow_calculate nopanel true

     and select 

    Insert excerpt
    _

    finish

    open_mappings _

    finish

    open_mappings nopanel true

11. Click and drag the input onto the Get Date Calculate Action

Setup the Output and Write Back to the Screen

1. In the Connections panel on the left, click

   On the Mappings window, drag the Name attribute from the left to the right (calculate action)

   Tip
   We only need to map the Name attribute here because it is used within the Calculate Action. The CourseID attribute will pass through the Calculate Action and can be used later on in the Actionflow.

   
   

   1. Select Save

Setup the Calculate Action 

1. Select the Calculate Action, UppercaseName, to open its 

   Insert excerpt
   _property_settings _property_settings nopanel true

2. In the Output Attributes section, click the 

   Insert excerpt
   _addIcon _addIcon nopanel true

    Add to  to create a new connection pointEnter the following details for the new connection pointattribute:
   1. Name: out UpperName
   2. Type: choose Output
   3. Select Create Connection Point
   Select Click to Connect and for the output, choose
   1. String

   2. Expression:

      Code Block
      theme Emacs
      toUpper(in.Name)

      
      

   3. 
      

      Click 

      Insert excerpt
      _finish _finish nopanel true

3. Right-click on the in connector between the 

   Insert excerpt
   _

   form

   actionflow_calculate _

   form

   actionflow_calculate nopanel true

    datasource, then select Connect Output
4. Close the Mappings window that automatically opens
5. Hover over the Calculate Action node and select out
6. A red arrow will appear - click on the output node under Connections action node and the 

   Insert excerpt
   _action_save _action_save nopanel true

    action node, and select 

   Insert excerpt
   _open_mappings _open_mappings nopanel true

7. On the Mappings window, drag the attribute, TodayDate UpperName, from the left ( Calculate Action (left) to the right (output connection point) to create an onto the Name attribute on the output
8. Then select Save
9. Under Connections, right-click on the connector, out, and choose Configure Mappings
10. Drag the TodayDate attribute from the left (output connection point) and drop it onto the DateField target parameter on the right (Course Management screen)
11. Then SaveSave Action (right)

    1. Press Save
       

       Expand
       title Checkpoint
       Image Added

       
       

12. Close the Actionflow to return to the Course ManagementForm
13. Ensure the screen is 

    Insert excerpt
    _lock _lock nopanel true

     the screen and press the Button Date on the screen ed, then add or edit the course details and press the Image Added button to see the Actionflow in actionOn the Course Management screen open the La
    1. We You can see that the Actionflow is working because it displays today's date in the format DD/MM/YY in the DateField dynamic text field

Use a Calculate Action to Perform a Function 

Earlier in this course we created an Actionflow that saves either new course data or edits to existing course data from the Course Form to the School Courses grid. In this example we will enhance that Actionflow by inserting a Calculate Action that will modify the data before it is saved. 

Setup the Input and Calculate Action

1. 1. the Name for the course you just added/edited is now in capital letters on the Course Management screen

Image Modified