This page explains how to set context parameters for an action.

An action can take into account values or attributes to decide whether or not to run. It is not possible to refer to one context parameter from another.

This properties tab is not available from the repository. It opens from an action properties → Context Parameters section.

For information about the properties toolbar, and about the sections Parent Details, Analysis Models, Description and Audit Summary, see Common Properties. For a full list of all the PhixFlow property tabs and windows, see Property Tabs.

Basic Settings

Field	Description
Order	Enter the order in which context parameters will be evaluated.
Name	Enter the name of the context parameter. Either select an attribute name from the drop-down list, or enter a different name.
Expression	Enter the expression for the context parameter. Unlike stream action attribute expressions, context parameter expressions can evaluate to a list of values as well as single values. The context parameter expressions can refer to: data from the dashboard, view or form from which the action was initiated $-variables used in other context parameter expressions on the same action. Use the notation: to refer to values on a form: `_prompt.<Form Field Name>` to refer to attributes of selected records: `<View name or alias>.<Attribute name or alias>` The expression can include the message functions debug(message), info(message), warning(message), and error(message), which write messages to the system console logs. Remember that error(message) function stops the action from completing.

Example

A view called Customers shows a list of customers including the account ID, name and other account details. You want to create an action button to open up another dashboard, containing a view called Invoices, which will show the invoices for the customer selected on the Customers view.To do this:

Add an action button to the Customers view, and configure it to open the dashboard containing the Invoices view
Add a context parameter called Account to the action, with the context parameter expression set to customers.account_id
On the background filter of the Invoices view, set the filter to only select those invoices whose account_id is equal to _context.account.

Referring to a Context Parameter

The values returned by the context parameter expressions can be referenced by:

the validation expression
the filter
the maximum and minimum items expressions
any stream action attribute expressions
any dashboard opened by this action.

The context values are referenced using the syntax:

_context.<context parameter name>