Consolidating Parameters

You can consolidate input and output parameters at action, block and process level.

Consolidating parameters means grouping several parameters and displaying them as a single one. When you consolidate parameters, they obtain the same values.

With the Guided Procedures (GP) design time tools, you can:

• Perform type-safe consolidation, where parameter types must match.
• Ignore data types and consolidate parameters of different types if your particular scenario requires it.
  Caution

  Remember that ignoring types involves data conversion, which may lead to data loss. It is your responsibility to determine the possible consequences before you apply consolidation.

The following icons are used in parameter consolidation to identify the different grouping modes:

More information: Callable Object Parameters

• You have the appropriate rights to work with GP design time.

  More information: Authorizations

• You have created a block or a process containing actions with callable objects that expose input or output parameters.

1. In the gallery, select a block (or process) and choose Open….

   The object's design time opens.

2. To switch to edit mode, choose (Edit).
3. Open the Parameters tab page.

Performing Type-Safe Parameter Consolidation

1. Select two or more parameters from the list by holding down the CTRL key.
2. (Optional) You can check for matching parameters that are eligible for consolidation automatically:
   1. Select a parameter from the list.
   2. Choose Propose Consolidation.

      The system highlights all standard root-level and nested parameters that have the same display name and type.

3. Choose Group.

   The Group option is enabled only for:

   • Standard parameters of the same type (for example, String, Integer, Time)
   • Structure (and Structure Template) parameters, regardless of their internal hierarchy
4. In the Create Group dialog box, select one of the following consolidation types:

   Consolidation Type	Parameter Type	Grouping Mode
   Group Equal Values	Standard	Parameters are consolidated into a group () under a common display name.
   	Structure	Parameters are consolidated into structures () that may hold groups for the identical child parameters. Identical child parameters must have the same display name and type.
   Custom Group	Structure	The children of the Structure parameters selected for consolidation are copied to the custom structure () without any grouping. You can further consolidate them within this structure.

5. In the Name field, enter the name of the group and choose Create.
6. To create other parameter groups, repeat the procedure.
7. To save the changes, choose (Save).

Performing Parameter Consolidation Ignoring Types

1. Enable the Ignore Types option before you start parameter consolidation.
2. Select two or more parameters from the list or use the Propose Consolidation functionality to identify candidates for consolidation.
   Note

   When types are ignored, the system highlights as eligible all parameters that have the same display name, regardless of their type.

3. Choose Group.

   The Group option is enabled if:

   • Two or more standard parameters are selected
   • Two or more Structure or Structure Template parameters are selected
4. From the Result Type dropdown box in the Create Group dialog, select a type for the group.

   By default, the type of the first parameter is selected. You can choose any other type as long as you take into consideration the resulting type conversions.

5. From the Type dropdown box, select a consolidation type.

   As described in step 4 of the previous procedure, you can select:

   • Group Equal Values - for standard or Structure parameters. In this case, however, parameter types do not have to be the same.
   • Custom Group - for Structure parameters if you want to perform consolidation manually within the resulting structure.
6. In the Name field, enter the name of the group and choose Create.
7. Save the changes.

Managing Parameter Groups and Structures

Optionally, you can perform the following activities:

• Rename an existing group or structure.

  Click in the Display Name field of a group or structure and enter the new name.

• Add parameters to an existing group.
  Note

  In case of type-safe consolidation, this is possible only if the parameter type is identical with the parameter type within the group.

  1. Select a group and the parameter you want to add to the group.
  2. Choose Add to Group.

  This option is not available for structures ().

• Remove parameters from a group.

  Select a parameter and choose Remove From Group.

  This option is not available for structures ().

• Ungroup parameters.

  Select a group or structure and choose Ungroup.

You create a process for requesting materials that consists of the following actions:

1. A material is requested.
2. The request is approved or rejected.
3. A notification for approval or rejection is sent.

You need to pass the material identifier from the first action on to the second and the third action. For this purpose, you consolidate the input parameter for the material ID of the three actions. At runtime, when the material ID is entered in the first step of the process, it automatically appears in the second and third actions as well.