Flexfield Components
A flexfield is made up of several data entities that store and render information pertaining to flexfield configuration.
Flexfields are made up of the following components:
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Segments
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Value Sets
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Contexts
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Structures
Segments
A segment is a field within a flexfield and represents a single table column of your database. When configuring a flexfield, define the appearance and meaning of individual segments. Segments represent attributes of information. Segments can appear globally wherever the flexfield is implemented, or based on a structure or context. Each segment captures a single atomic value and represents an attribute of information.
The characteristics of a segment vary based on the type of flexfield in which it's used.
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In key flexfields, a segment describes a characteristic of the entity. For example, a part number that contains details about the type, color, and size of an item.
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In a descriptive or extensible flexfield, a segment represents an information attribute on the application page. For example, details about a device containing components, some of which are global while the remaining are contextually dependent on the category of the device.
Value Sets
Users enter values into segments while using an application. A value set is a named group of values that validate the content of a flexfield segment. You configure a flexfield segment with a value set to enforce entries of only valid values for that segment.
The configuration involves the following tasks:
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Defining the values in a value set, including characteristics such as the length and format of the values.
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Specifying formatting rules or values from an application table or predefined list.
Multiple segments within a flexfield, or multiple flexfields, can share a single value set.
Contexts
Context-sensitive flexfield segments are available to an application based on a context value. You define contexts as part of configuring a flexfield. Users see global segments as well as any context-sensitive segments that apply to the selected context value.
In descriptive flexfields and extensible flexfields, you can reuse the context-sensitive segments that are based on the database columns, in multiple contexts.
Structures
Key flexfields have structures. Each key flexfield structure is a specific configuration of segments. Adding or removing segments, or rearranging their order, produces a different structure. You can reuse the segments that are based on the database columns, in multiple structures.