Display/Change a Connection Between Selected Actions 

Use

You have the option of displaying or changing a connection between two actions.

To change a connection you can do the following:

·        Select an outbound-inbound interface pair from the list of possible interfaces for the action

·        Determine a mapping for this interface combination

Prerequisites

There are two ways of calling the Display/Change Connection editor:

·        A connection already exists between the two actions.

In this case:

¡        In the graphical work area of the Business Scenario editor, double-click a connection

¡        Position the cursor on a connection line and choose Display/Change Connection Between Selected Actions from the context menu

In both cases the actions concerned are selected.

¡        First select both actions and choose Display/Change Connection Between Selected Actions. For more information about selecting actions, see the Functions of the Graphical Editor section.

A connection line is nothing more than a hidden connection. In this case, the Select Connection dialog is called first, which displays a list of connections. Select a connection from this list and confirm your selection by choosing OK.

·        The connection has still not been created. In this case, follow the steps described in the Create Connection Between Selected Actions section. 

The Display/Change Connection editor is in the same state as the editor for the Business Scenario that the connection belongs to. If the Business Scenario editor is in display mode, you can also display (but not change) the connection in this editor.

Features

The Display/Change Connection editor is structured as follows:

From and To Frame

This frame displays both actions to be connected. This includes a description of the action, the role of the application component, and the software component version.

In a synchronous connection, to and from actions can be switched by choosing this icon .

Connection Type Frame

This frame contains radio buttons that define the connection as a sequence, synchronous, or asynchronous connection.

Due to the relative position of both actions in the Business Scenario, when you create a connection the system automatically defines the connection type. This selection cannot be changed.

·        If both actions belong to the same application component, Sequence is selected.

·        If the actions belong to different application components but are on the same level in the Business Scenario graphical work area, Synchronous Communication is selected.

·        If the actions belong to different application components but are not on the same level in the Business Scenario graphical work area, Asynchronous Communication is selected.

Interfaces Tab Page

This tab page contains all interfaces that are assigned to the actions belonging to the connection. When you position the cursor on a line for an interface, the following information about the interface is displayed in a quick info box:

·        Message type

·        Direction (inbound or outbound)

·        Mode (synchronous or asynchronous)

·        Unspecified Object (if no interface exists for this entry)

This may be the case if the interface was entered in the action editor manually but not in the interface editor.

To call the Display Message Interface editor for non-Unspecified Objects, double-click.

In change mode you can select exactly one outbound-inbound interface pair for exchanging messages. However, only those interfaces that are appropriate for the type of connection can be selected. Therefore, you cannot select any synchronous message interfaces if the connection is an asynchronous connection.

Mapping Tab Page

This tab page displays which mappings are assigned to the interface pair selected. Select a mapping from the list for this connection.

Double-click a mapping to navigate to the mapping editor.

Tab Page Documentation

Here you can display and create documentation for the connection. Connection documentation is part of the Business Scenario documentation and belongs to the Connections keyblock.

A connection is not an independent object. It is only defined as part of a particular Business Scenario.

Therefore, the entire documentation for the Business Scenario is displayed.

In change mode you can change the part of the Business Scenario documentation that belongs to the Connections keyblock. The system opens an HTML editor in the upper part of the tab page where you can enter your text. The text for the Connections keyblock is displayed in a preview window as soon as you have saved by choosing Save ().

You can switch between display and change mode on the Documentation tab page for a connection, regardless of whether the Business Scenario editor for the Business Scenario that the connection belongs to is in display or change mode.

Integration with the Business Scenario Editor

Before saving a Business Scenario, ensure that all the editors of the individual connections have been closed. The system displays a confirmation prompt that gives the user the option of closing all connection editors automatically, or canceling the save action to close them individually. The procedure is the same if you attempt to close a Business Scenario with connection editors still open.