Connectors

Connectors are points in the data flow that represent connections that channel data from/to points outside the open component. You can use connectors to:

Bring parameters in from another component
Send parameters at the end of the data flow to another component
Define the component initialization or end value
Enhance the data flow within the component

You add connectors to your model by dragging them from the Compose task panel to the Design board. You define their logic, flow, and connections to other elements on the Design board.

The following table lists the connectors that are available when building your composite view or service component:

Name	Icon	Available in	Description
Start Point	(Start Point)	Composite view	Defines a value used to initialize the component execution. For example, in a component used to display a number of Customer records, the initialization value defined in the Start Point could be `10`. You create one Start Point per component. To do so, you can create a single Start Point instance in the model, or, for convenience purposes, you can create multiple Start Point elements, all pointing to the same Start Point connector.
End Point	(End Point)	Composite view	Defines a final value at the end of the component execution. For example, in a component that returns a value to another component, the value defined in the End Point could be the `Customer Name` field. You create one End Point per component. To do so, you can create a single End Point instance in the model, or, for convenience purposes, you can create multiple End Point elements, all pointing to the same End Point connector.
Navigate	(Navigate)	Composite view	Defines the navigation to a referenced component that is opened in the main window (replacing the content from the initial component). A component accessed using the Navigate connector cannot output parameters to other components. When you add a Navigate connector, the Create New Model dialog box opens, so you can create the referenced component. When you use a Navigate connector, you must create a new referenced component (you cannot reference an existing component). You can double-click the Navigate connector on the Design board to open the referenced component in a new model tab.
Signal In	(Signal In)	Composite view	Receives asynchronous data sent from another component to a nested component. Use the Signal In connector only if you need to use asynchronous communication to transfer data to the nested view during runtime. Note After you add a Signal In connector to a nested component, right-click the nested component icon in the parent component and choose Redefine Ports from the context menu. In the displayed dialog box, select the newly added ports and click OK to display the in port on the nested component icon. End of the note.
Signal Out	(Signal Out)	Composite view	Sends asynchronous data from a nested component to another component. Use the Signal Out connector only if you need to use asynchronous communication to transfer data from the nested view during runtime. Note After you add a Signal Out connector to a nested component, right-click the nested component icon in the parent component and choose Redefine Ports from the context menu. In the displayed dialog box, select the newly added ports and click OK to display the out port on the nested component icon. End of the note.
Data In	(Data In)	Service component	Receives data from another component. Note After you add a Data In connector to a service component that is referenced from another component, right-click the service component icon in the parent component and choose Redefine Ports from the context menu. In the displayed dialog box, select the newly added ports and click OK to display the in port on the service component icon. End of the note.
Data Out	(Data Out)	Service component	Sends data from a service component to another component. Note After you add a Data Out connector to a service component that is referenced from another component, right-click the service component icon in the parent component and choose Redefine Ports from the context menu. In the displayed dialog box, select the newly added ports and click OK to display the out port on the service component icon. End of the note.
User Data	(User Data)	Composite view Service component	Contains the personal data of the user, retrieved from the runtime environment. The User Data fields can be referenced in any dynamic expression, thereby personalizing the component by creating dynamic attributes that depend on the current user data and preferences. For example, you might use the User Data connector as input to an Employee GetInfo data service.
Data Store	(Data Store)	Composite view	Temporarily stores data for later use. Each model uses a single Data Store. To make it easier to connect elements to the Data Store, you can add multiple Data Store elements to the Design board. However, these multiple Data Store elements all represent the same Data Store (data stored in one element is visible in the other elements). The connecting lines to the input port of the Data Store are of data mapping type. The values in the Data Store are accessed using dynamic expressions. More information: Storing Data in a Data Store.
Data Share	(Data Share)	Composite view	Enables transfer of clustered data to and from view elements in your model (Private scope mode), and enables transfer of data between your model and a Guided Procedures process (Public scope mode). More information: Transferring Data Using a Data Share.
Static Data	(Static Data)	Service component	Stores static flat data for use by a service component. You can create multiple Static Data connectors per service component. You manually define data for a Static Data connector and use it to output data from the service. Unlike a Data Store connector, you cannot add data to the Static Data connector at runtime (the data is predefined and static). When you use the Service Component Wizard to add data to a service component, a Static Data connector is created for each data selection that you add. More information: Creating a Service Using the Service Component Wizard.