Object-Based Navigation Editor 

Definition

One of the portal object editors accessed from the context menu of an iView or Page, or from the Edit drop-down list of any iView or Page editor. The purpose of the Object-Based Navigation Editor is to attach to, remove from, or edit the business object operations associated with the current iView or Page (from which this editor is opened).

Use

Access to portal content is role-based, and a user may have more than one role. Additionally, an iView may be associated with multiple business object operations, and an operation may be implemented by multiple iViews. Given this a situation, a user, launching an iView based on a business object, may have quite a large operation pool, presenting the portal runtime with conflicts as to which iView to launch. The Object-Based Navigation Editor offers an additional interface for prioritizing operations during runtime.

Attaching Operations and Editing Priorities

The main purpose of the Object-Based Navigation Editor provides the ability to associate operations with iViews from the iView side, and to edit the priority of these operations within the context of the iView. The operation priority defined within the iView context takes precedence, only for this iView, over the priority assigned to it from the Business Object Editor.

For more details, see the OBN introduction, Object-Based Navigation and Business Object Editor.

Additional Capabilities     

Editing Business Object Relations	From the Object-Based Navigation Editor, it is possible to open the Single Relation Editor for the selected operation, enabling you to customize the relation between the operation source and target business objects.
JavaScript for Operation	Also available from the Object-Based Navigation Editor is a JavaScript area for customizing parameter values passed to the back-end system by OBN, for the current iView, before the iView is actually launched.

Structure

The OBN Editor displays in tabular form the operations implemented by the current iView. The columns of the table are as follows:

·        a radio button for selecting specific operations

·        the Displayed Name of the operation

·        the name of the business object to which the operation belongs

·        the priority value of the operation.

·        a drop-down selection list offering three relation resolving options:

¡        None – Do not use relation resolving.

¡        Default – Resolve relations using whatever relation is found between the two objects; this may be an existing foreign key, manual, or automatic relation.

¡        Designated – Resolve relations using the relation between the source and target objects which was defined specifically for the current iView, for the current operation

Below the table are the following buttons:

·        Remove – Detaches the selected operation from the current iView. (It does not delete the operation, which remains attached to its business object.)

·        Designate Relation – opens the Single Relation Editor for the selected operation.

For the Designate Relation button to be active, it is prerequisite that a business object be entered as a value in the main object property of the implementing iView.

·        Reset to Default – Removes a designated relation from the operation and uses the default relation between the source and target objects.

This button is active only when a designated relation has been defined for the operation.

Relations edited from the Single Relation Editor, when it is opened from the Object‑Based Navigation Editor of a specific iView or page, are valid only in the context of the specific operation and the iView or page with which it is associated. The default relation, and other existing, customized relations between the source and target business objects, are not affected.

For information about editing relations, see Single Relation Editor.

Adding Operations

Operations are added by right-clicking an operation in the Business Objects folder, and choosing Add to iView from the operation context menu.

All changes are preserved by choosing the Save button at the top of the editor.

Manipulating a Parameter Value

Often when launching an iView based on a business object, a parameter value is required by the back-end system. For example, to receive a result set from the iView, a value such as a price, date, ID number may be necessary. This value is passed as part of the iView code, but its format may need to changed, depending on the back end. The purpose of the JavaScript for Operation area at the bottom of the editor is to permit the addition of this manipulation of the object value before the iView is launched.

To Add the Script

Note that in the JavaScript area the necessary function is already prepared. Its opening and closing are pre-coded on the screen. You need to supply the relevant script in the text box and then choose Set.