Value Help Configuration Wizard

You can add value help to input fields in your model. This creates a button that displays a dialog box with a list of valid values for the field, which helps an end-user select the right, properly formatted value to enter into the field. You configure this list of values with the Value Help Configuration Wizard, which you access from the Layout board. Select an input field, and from the context menu, choose Add Value Help.

Value help also generates the proper selection syntax required by Visual Composer and can therefore be particularly useful when working with variables, for example. (See Working with Variables).

Note Note

You may only deploy models that contain value help to Adobe Flash format. To check that your runtime is set to Flash: from the Visual Composer main menu, choose Tools Options . Select the Compiler tab, and from the Runtime dropdown box, select Flash.

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Configure the list of values to appear in value help using three steps provided by the wizard:

Select the type of value help to add on the Add Value Help for Selected Input Field screen
Select the data service that provides the values on the Select Data Service screen
Configure the advanced options on the Specify Data Service Runtime Parameters screen (optional for BI systems - this screen appears only if you have deselected the Hide advanced configuration options (BI systems only) checkbox on the Add Value Help for Select Input Field screen)

When you have completed the steps, the wizard generates an embedded iView that represents the value help dialog box and its functionality. Next to the input field, the wizard also generates a value help button. At runtime, when the user presses the button, the dialog box appears and lists values for the input field.

Structure

The main sections and controls of the three screens in the wizard are described in the following three tables:

Add Value Help for Selected Input Field

The wizard attempts to suggest the best type of value help for the selected field, but you can change the selection on this screen.

Note Note

For variables, the wizard recommends the value help type that will generate the proper syntax depending on the type of variable selected. Do not change the recommended selection.

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Control/Field	Menu Option	Example	Description
Type	Single selection	(Single Selection)	Allows the user to select a single value. This is the simplest type of value help.
	Interval selection	(Interval Selection)	Allows the user to select a range of values. Suggested particularly for BI system interval variables.
	Multiple selection	(Multiple Selection)	Allows the user to select one or more individual values. Suggested particularly for BI system multiple selection variables.
	Selection options	(Selection Options)	Allows the user to select a set of values according to complex selection criteria. Suggested particularly for BI system selection options variables.
	Single value and selection options	(Single or Complex)	Allows the user to either select a single value or use more complex selection options. Suggested particularly for BI queries, query views, or characteristics.
Selected Field Properties			Review properties of the selected input field.
Hide advanced configuration options (BI systems only)			If selected, the advanced Specify Data Service Runtime Parameters screen (the final screen in the wizard) does not appear. This option is only valid for value help based on BI systems and has no affect if you are using data services in other systems. Filling out the options in the Specify Data Service Runtime Parameters screen is required for value help based on, for example, an SAP System. In such cases, the advanced dialog box will appear even if you have chosen to hide it

Select Data Service

You can base the value help list on any type of data service.

Section/Control	Area/Menu Option	Description
Select Data Service	System area	Browse and search a selected system for a data service. See Find Data Services Task Panel, which describes similar functionality.
Select Data Service	Data service tree	Select the data service that will provide the values. Typically, this is the same object represented by the input field itself, but not necessarily. You may select the following types of data services: SAP systems: BAPI or RFC SAP BI systems: characteristic, query, or query view OLAP systems: cube, dimension, or level Relational systems: table
Properties		Review properties of the selected data service.
Properties - Get data from (SAP BI system characteristic only)	Master Data Table	Retrieve characteristic values from the master data table.
	Dimension Table	Retrieve characteristic values from the dimension table.
Properties - axis (SAP BI system characteristic only)		Indicates whether the selected characteristic is on the free characteristics, rows, or columns axis in the query definition.

Specify Data Service Runtime Parameters

This screen appears if you have deselected the Hide advanced configuration options (BI systems only) checkbox on the Add Value Help for Selected Input Field screen. It also appears, regardless of selection of the checkbox, if you are using an SAP System. Configuring the parameters on this advanced screen is mandatory for SAP Systems, but optional for BI systems.

Note Note

Asterisks (*) on this screen indicate required fields.

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Section	Control/Field	Menu Option	Description
Input	Port	(available input ports)	Typically, this is an Input port, but data services can have multiple input ports. You can select the Variable port of a BI query if available, for example.
	Input Fields		List of available input fields.
		Assigned Value	Allows you to assign a default value to the corresponding field. You can type text or enter a formula.
	Search Field ID	(available fields)	Select a field to provide search capabilities within that field.
	Search Field Name		Enter a label for the search field, if selected.
Output	Port	(available output ports)	Select the output port to which to deliver the value the user selects. Typically, this is an Output port, but data services can have multiple output ports.
	Output Fields		List of available output fields. Place a checkmark in the ? column to indicate that the field should be displayed in the value help dialog box.
		Field Text	You may overwrite the values in this column to change the label of the corresponding field.
	Key Field	(available key fields)	The value delivered to the input field. For input fields, the Key value is typically required. For variable input fields, the Key (External Display) value is required.

Example

See Integrating Value Help into Your Model, in the SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer Modeler's Guide.

Note Note

Visual Composer also provides a second type of value help that you can use during design-time in formulas or to populate controls such as drop-down lists. See Value Help List.

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More Information

See Using a BI System as a Data Service in the SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer Modeler's Guidefor a table of BI system InfoObjects and their different formats. For example, you typically want to use the _ext_key format of a characteristic in value help as input for a variable.
See Working with Variables in the SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer Modeler's Guide to see how value help helps you generate proper selection syntax in addition to field values.