Adding Link Elements to a Form

For some components, uDesigner displays a Link Elements option on the Forms toolbar. Linking creates a dynamic connection between a field on a source form, such as a Shell or Schedule Attribute form, and a field or fields on a destination form, such as a child Shell, or a Business Process.

Note: This feature does not work like Auto-Population. Auto-population is static; it happens only once at the creation step of a Business Process. Element-linking is dynamic; the elements always reflect a current value as the value in the source element changes.

This section explains the following topics:

Business Process Upper Forms and Linked Elements
Business Process Detail Form and Linked Elements
Business Process and Linked Elements Errors
Shell Attribute Forms and Linked Elements
Other uDesigner Objects and Linked Elements

Business Process Upper Forms and Linked Elements

The Business Process Upper Forms and Detail Form toolbars contain the Link Elements option. The Link Elements option in the Upper Forms toolbar is used to define the DEs that need to be linked to a source and become the linked DEs to an Upper form. The following explains the fields related to the Business Process Upper Forms. The fields related to the Business Process Detail Form are explained later in this section.

The Linked Elements window has the following options:

Add By Shell: This option replicates the Link Elements by using the "Add" functionality from the Business Processes "Properties" tab.
- When the user clicks Add By Shell, the same window as the Business Processes "Properties" tab window opens. Go to Link Elements and the Add option appears.
- By using this option, the user can add Linked Elements from a single record Business Process or Shell Attribute forms.
- When an element is added by way of Add By Shell option, the element appears in the Linked Elements window.
Add By Picker: This option enables you to select a P6 Activity Picker element from all available P6 Activity Picker DEs (Data Structure Setup > Data Elements) and map a P6 Activity Attribute to another uDesigner Data Element.
- Similar to Auto-populate functionality for form Data Elements, the mapping via this window will be as per matching Data Definitions. Select values for the fields in the Link Elements window as described below:
1. Source Name: Select the P6 Activity Picker Element that you want to be the source of Linked DE on the Business Process form. This field is required and lists all the DEs from the Data Structure Setup > Data Elements whose DD = P6 Activity Picker.
2. Source Element: Select the actual P6 Activity attribute whose value you want to be mapped to the Linked DE on The Business Process form. This field is required and lists all the "Form Label" for all the attributes in the P6 Activity Attribute Sheet form (Schedule Manager > Source Element), in alphabetical order.
3. Destination Element: Select the DE that you want to get updated dynamically by way of receiving the value from a P6 Activity Attribute form as the value changes within an Activity Sheet. This field lists all DEs from the Data Structure Setup > Data Elements that:
  - Match the DE of the "Source Element" selected above, and
  
  - Have not already been placed as a "Custom" Element on any of the Upper forms that will contain the elements.
  
  Click OK to add the element to the Linked Element window.
Remove: This option allows you to remove a linked element from the list. You can select the element and click Remove.

Whether you add an element by way of "Add by Shell" or by way of "Add by Picker" options, the element appears in the Linked Elements window, and the Linked Elements window provides the following information:

Data Element: Displays the name of the uDesigner Data Element which is being added as a linked element.
Form Label: Displays the Form Label of the linked DE.
Source Name: Displays the name of the source of the linked uDesigner DE.
- If the linked element is added by way of "Add by Shell" option, this column corresponds to the "Name" column of the existing linked elements (Properties > Link Elements) and displays the name of the P6 Activity Attribute.
- If the linked element is added by way of "Add by Picker" option, this column displays the name of the P6 Activity Attribute form, from uDesigner (Schedule Manager > Activity Sheet Attributes).
Source Type: Displays the type of source.
- For linked elements added by way of "Add by Shell" option, this column corresponds to the "Type" column of the existing linked elements (Properties > Link Elements) and displays the source type as "Single Record BPs" or "Shell Attribute Form" as applicable.
- For linked elements added by way of "Add by Picker" option, this column displays the source type as "P6 Activity Attribute."
Source Picker: Displays the P6 Activity Picker DE "Label" (the Form Label of the "Source Picker" if the linked element is being added by way of "Add by Picker" option).
This field will be blank if the linked element is being added by way of "Add by Shell" option.
Source Element: Displays the actual Source Element that is being linked to the uDesigner DE.
- For linked elements added by way of "Add by Shell" option, this column corresponds to the "Source Label" column of the existing linked elements (Properties > Link Elements).

For linked elements added by way of "Add by Picker" option, this column displays a list of "P6 Activity Attribute" labels that the user selected, when adding the linked element. On the destination form, the linked field:

Will be read-only
Cannot be auto-populated, nor can it auto-populate other fields
Cannot update (using reverse auto-population) any other fields, nor can it be updated
Cannot be used in formulas
Cannot be used in form rule validation
Is only available for integration output via Web Services

As explained in detail below, the Linked Elements are suitable for business cases such as:

Shell re-organizing
Quick access to schedule information
Including dynamically updated data on planning items

After you define the linked elements by using the "Linked Elements" option, the user can add the linked elements to the Business Process Upper form and perform the following:

When the user opens an Upper form and clicks Linked Elements, the resulting window displays all linked elements as defined by way of "Linked Elements" option, in the Upper form toolbar.

Note: When the user clicks Custom to add custom DEs to the Upper form, the resulting window does not display any of the DEs that have been defined as available linked element for the Business Process Upper form.

All the linked elements that have been added by way of "Add By Picker" option have the same properties as those of an existing linked elements. These added linked elements:

Cannot be used in formulas
Are not available for Auto-Population
Are not available for Reverse Auto-Population
Notes:
- For all types of Business Processes which support linking elements, the Linked Elements option is available on the toolbar of the Upper Forms and Detail Form logs.
- For all types of Shells which support linking elements, the Linked Elements option is available on the toolbar of the Detail Form log.
- For all other objects in uDesigner (Space Manager, Portfolio Manger, and so forth) that support linking elements, the Linked Elements option is available on the toolbar of the Forms log.
- You cannot use this feature for an anchor shell or at the company level.
- You cannot use this feature for Request for Bid (RFB) and Resource Booking business processes.
- You cannot link elements that are from a template that is linked to the form.
- You cannot link elements that are part of a dynamic data set.

Business Process Detail Form and Linked Elements

Similar to the Business Process Upper Forms, the Detail Form toolbar contain the Link Elements option. The Link Elements option in the Detail Form toolbar is used to define the DEs that need to be linked to a source and become the linked DEs to a Detail form.

The "Add by Shell" option is not available for a Detail form.

The available options under the Link Element option in a Detail form are:

Add By Picker: Same as Upper form. See the "Business Process Upper Forms and Linked Elements" topic above.
Remove: Same as Upper form. See the "Business Process Upper Forms and Linked Elements" topic above.

Business Process and Linked Elements Errors

As mentioned, the Linked Elements, or Dynamic Linking, is available for a Business Process Upper Forms and Detail Form. Users will receive error messages:

If a form (Upper or Detail) holds Linked Elements which have been defined by way of "Add By Picker" option, but the source P6 Activity Picker element does not exist on the form.
If you define a linked element on a Business Process, and you remove linked element source field from the "Activity Sheet Attribute" form.
If a Business Process picker, used as an Auto-Populate source (for a DE of DD = P6 Activity Picker), is pointed to a record outside of the Shell that the Business Process resides. A Business Process picker must point to a record that resides within the same Shell.

Shell Attribute Forms and Linked Elements

You can include the DEs of DD = P6 Activity Picker on CBS type Shells. When you define the link elements for a Shell Attribute form, the resulting window displays the following options:

Add By Shell: See "Add By Shell" part of the "Business Process Upper Forms and Linked Elements" topic above.
Add By Picker: See "Add By Picker" part of the "Business Process Upper Forms and Linked Elements" topic above.
Remove: See "Remove" part of the "Business Process Upper Forms and Linked Elements" topic above.

After you define the link elements, the user can add the elements to the Shell Attribute form. If you include a linked DE on a form by do not include the source picker element, then an error message will be generated by the system.

Additional Information about Linked Elements

If "Linked" is enabled on a form, then the form toolbar contains the "Linked Elements" option.
If "Linked" is enabled on a form that belongs to any Shell object, then the Detail Form toolbar contains the "Linked Elements" option, only.
If "Linked" is enabled on a form that belongs to an Attribute form, then both "Add By Picker and "Add By Shell" options are available.
If "Linked" is enabled on a form that belongs to any other object, then "Add By Shell" option is available, only.