Creating and Configuring DPADs

Delivery protocol attribute definitions, or DPADs, are used by delivery protocols such as AS2 and ebXML. DPADs consist of messaging attribute definitions (MADs) and packaging attribute definitions (PADs). If you do not use delivery protocols, your B2B Host does not need to define any DPADs.

Generally, DPADs provide a way of specifying how data is bundled and unbundled — for example, in AS2 and ebXML, it is at this level that encryption, acknowledgment, and nonrepudiation are addressed. Figure 4–7 provides an example of the MAD for AS2 version 1.1.

Figure 4–7 Default Messaging Attributes Definition (MAD) for AS2 v1.1

To create a new DPAD

1. In Enterprise Designer with the Project Explorer tab active, in the project tree, right-click the project or subproject where the DPAD will reside.

2. On the popup context menu, point to New, and click B2B Delivery Protocol Attributes Definition.

3. In the properties, enter a name (good practice is to enter a short name beginning with “dpad”, such as dpadCustom1) and click OK.

   The project tree displays the new component.

   This new component is useful only by virtue of its configuration — you need to add name/value pairs for the parameters you want it to define.

To configure a DPAD

1. In Enterprise Designer, with the Project Explorer tab active, right-click the DPAD you want to modify, and then click Properties⇒Edit.

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   Note –

   If the component is locked, you must check it out before you can modify it.

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2. To the far right of the value for Messaging Attribute Definitions, click the ellipsis [...] button.

   The Messaging Attribute Definitions dialog appears. You use this dialog to create and set the messaging attributes.

3. Click the Add button as many times as needed and then, for each row created:

   • Change Name to a meaningful node name for the OTD you will generate.

   • Change Display to the text you want to display as a prompt or label for the parameter in ePM.

   • For Type, select the data type for this attribute:

     • String (the default) allows the ePM user to enter any character data

     • Password accepts any ePM input, and masks the input

     • Integer accepts positive or negative whole numbers only

     • Number extends this to also accept decimal numbers (floating-point numbers)

     • Boolean requires the ePM user to make a yes-or-no choice

     • List of Values presents the ePM user with a drop-down list restricted to the items you have set up

     • DateTime prompts the ePM user to supply a date and/or time value, based on the formatting you provide

     • Format String allows you to use special characters as shorthand for certain often-used information; for example, %f is the working filename, %M is the current month, %d the current day, and so forth. For more information, see the eWay Batch Adapter User’s Guide. The chapter on understanding OTDs has a section on using special characters.

   • For Required, select or clear the box according to whether you want the parameter to be a required or optional entry. (In the ePM GUI, parameters that have been designated as required are flagged with a red asterisk.)

   • For Direction, choose ToPartner, FromPartner, or Both according to whether you want the parameter to appear with the ToPartner parameters, FromPartner parameters, or both.

   • For Default, you can optionally enter a default value to appear in ePM before the user enters data or makes a selection. This is the value that is used if it is not overridden by the ePM user.

   • For List of Values, which is available only for an attribute whose data type is “List of Values”, double-click the ellipsis [...] button to the far right and use the List of Values dialog box to add entries to the drop-down list that is seen by the end user:

     • a new item to the end of the list

     • Edit modifies the currently selected item

     • Up and Down move it higher or lower in the list

4. When you have finished adding and modifying attributes, click OK.

5. Repeat the corresponding steps for the packaging attributes definition (PAD).

6. Click OK to close the properties dialog.

   The DPAD can now be used to generate an OTD.

   After you have completed these steps, the DPAD appears as a choice in the drop-down list of DPADs when you configure the delivery protocols of your B2B Host.