Flexfields at Runtime

Business objects have an associated descriptive or extensible flexfield. Using these, you can create attributes for the business object at run time. Some business objects have an associated key flexfield for configuring flexible multiple part keys.

Finding Flexfields on a Page

At run time, the attributes you define as flexfield segments appear in the application page just like any other attribute. However, each type of flexfield appears in a different way.

The following characteristics help you determine the type of flexfield on the application page:

Descriptive flexfield segments appear as label and field pairs or as a table of fields that correspond to the column headers. The fields represent the flexfield segments and accept values that derive from the segment's assigned value set.
Extensible flexfield segments appear grouped within labeled regions, where each grouping is a context and the region labels are the context names.
Key flexfields appear in the application page as a field with a key flexfield icon, where the field's value is a collection of segments.

You can locate flexfields on a page using the Settings and Actions menu. Click your user image or name in the global header to open this menu, and select Highlight Flexfields to locate flexfields on a page. The page renders in a special mode, displaying the location of flexfields, if any, on the page. Do the following:

Hover over the Basic Info icon to view flexfield details.
Click the Configure Flexfield icon to manage the flexfield using the Manage Flexfields task.
Click the Add Context Value, Add Segment, or Edit Segment icons to add a context value or edit a global or context-sensitive flexfield segment. This applies to both descriptive and extensible flexfields.

Note: You can't create attributes on all flexfields. For example, some flexfields are protected, and you either can't edit their configurations at all, or can do only limited changes to them. Consult the product-specific documentation to verify whether there are any restrictions on using the flexfield.

All segments of a single flexfield are grouped together by default. The layout and positions of the flexfield segments depend on where the application developer places the flexfield on the page. Flexfields may also be presented in a separate section of the page, in a table, or on their own page or a dialog box. You can use the Application Composer tool to edit the layout, position, or other display features of the flexfield segments.

When you no longer want to view the flexfields on a page, select Unhighlight Flexfields from the Administration menu.