Action Sequence

An action carries out the following steps, in the following sequence. All of the steps are optional and are only carried out if configured in the action.

Step 1. Open a Form View

Allow the user to provide some parameters for this action.

Step 2. Open a File Explorer window

Allow the user to navigate to a directory and select one or more files.

Step 3. Evaluate context parameters

The Context Parameter expressions can refer to any values entered on the Form View using the notation.

_prompt.<Form Field Name>

The Context Parameters can also refer to any attributes of any records selected on the view or dashboard from which the action was initiated using the notation

<View name or alias>.<Attribute name or alias>

The Context Parameters may also refer to $-variables from other context parameter expressions on the same action. Context Parameters will be evaluated in the order set.

Step 5. Upload the selected files

Mark them with the evaluated tag value so that they can be retrieved later by a suitably configured File Collector.

Step 6. Evaluate the validation expression

This validate action expression can reference:

any values entered on the form
the values of any context parameters
any attributes of any items selected on the view or dashboard from which the action was initiated.

Do this using the notation:

_context.<ContextParameter Name>

The validation expression can also refer to items being dragged or items which are having other items dropped onto them using the following notations:

_dragSource.<AttributeName>
_dropTarget.<AttributeName>

If the validation expression generates any error messages (including by using the error function) then no further action processing will take place.

Step 7. Retrieve a set of records from the database

Retrieve a set of records for this Stream. The records retrieved will either be based on a filter specified on the Update StreamItems Filter, or, if no filter is specified, the records selected on the view from which the action was initiated.

If a filter is specified then any expression on the filter can refer to the Form View fields, Context Parameters or attributes of items selected on the view or dashboard from with the action was initiated. This step will only be carried out if the user has selected either the Update or Delete Action on the Item Updates tab, and then Filter Type = View Filter or Action Filter.

Step 8. Perform stream item updates

Carry out any stream item updates configured in the Update StreamItems section.

Update and delete actions will be applied to the records retrieved from the database in step 7.

When carrying out Insert or Update actions, each Stream Action Attribute expression will be evaluated in turn to calculate the new value for that attribute. These expressions can refer to the Form View values, the Context Parameters, the values of any attributes of items selected on the view or dashboard from with the action was initiated. Or, for Updates, the values of attributes from the records retrieved from the database.

To refer to values of attributes retrieved from the database simply refer to the attribute name without any prefix. Please note, even where a record retrieved from the database is based on a record selected on a view, the values on the record retrieved from the database may differ from those on the view as the record in the database may have been updated by another user since the view was last refreshed. If any attribute expression fails, or an error message is sent using the error function, then that record will not be updated, deleted or inserted. However, if multiple records are being updated, a failure of one record will not prevent the others from being updated or deleted.

With drag and drop actions, either the items being dropped or the items having other items dropped onto them can be chosen to be updated. In the stream action attribute expressions, you can refer to both _dragSource and _dropTarget.

Step 9. Run task plan

If a task plan has been specified, run this now. Any Context Parameters can be referenced by any expression run during that task plan.

Step 10. Close starting dashboard

If Close Parent Dashboard has been set, close the dashboard from which the action was initiated.

Step 11. Open post-dashboard

If a post dashboard has been specified, open this now. Any filter of any view on that dashboard can reference any Context Parameters set on this action. If the specified dashboard is already open it will be brought to the front and refreshed rather than a second instance of the dashboard opening.