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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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 Manager, 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.
System-defined Data Elements
In the Linked Data Element Picker window (Company workspace > uDesigner > Admin mode > Business Processes > <BP NAME> > Upper Forms), use the following system-defined data elements (DEs) in the upper form for the Change Commit CBS type (which updates the General Spends type SOV), and the General Spends BP CBS type (which updates the General Spends type SOV):
- uuu_scheduled_value
- uuu_commit_remaining_balance
You cannot include the predefined Scheduled Value and Commit Remaining Balance DEs as linked DEs in the upper form
If the predefined Scheduled Value and Commit Remaining Balance DEs are not referenced in the General Spends type SOV, then you cannot include those DEs as linked DEs in a BP upper form.
The linked elements:
- Are not allowed for auto-population or for Reverse Auto-population (RAP).
- Cannot be a source, or a destination, for formula fields, and you cannot reset the linked data elements.
- Cannot be included in advanced formulas.
- Cannot be included in validation rules.
You can add linked data elements to any BP upper form by using the Linked Elements option.
The data element will be read-only, once added to the upper form, and the data element can be updated by way of selecting the referenced Commit BP record.
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.
Other uDesigner Objects and Linked Elements
For the following objects in uDesigner that support Link Elements on their Detail forms by way of Properties window, the process is similar to that of a Business Process and Linked Elements
- Shell Manager
- Code and Records-based Manager
- Planning Manager
- Portfolio Manager
- Schedule Manager
The Link Elements window for these objects has the following options, only:
- Add By Shell: See "Add By Shell" 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.
Note: You cannot link elements by way of "Add by Picker" to uDesigner objects.
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, the Detail Form toolbar contains only the "Linked Elements" option.
- 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, only the "Add By Shell" option is available.
In This Section
For Accessing Schedule Information
For Including Dynamically Updated Data on Planning Items
Last Published Monday, June 3, 2024