Connectors in Action

Connectors provide behavior that's distinct from other configurator model entities.

Runtime Configuration Sessions

Connectors affect how you interact with models during a configuration session.

The extension rules that you define can drive the runtime selection of related items that belong to an item class. You can implement business logic in your rules to select the items. Otherwise, you would have to add the related items to the item structure underlying your models, which would be onerous to build and maintain, considering that related items are commonly related to multiple models.
During a configuration session, any related items that you add to the configuration through connectors and rules are added as lines in the running summary pane of the user interface. The name and quantity of each related item is displayed. User interface templates for connected items aren't available, so you can't add connected items to your UI modifications.
When you select to save a configuration during a session, and later restore the configuration in a new session, connected items are included. Host applications can also save and restore configurations including connected items.
Be aware that items with decimal or fractional quantities can't be used with connectors. This is governed by the attribute Order Management Indivisible in the the Product Information Management work area.

Connections and Quantities

It's helpful to understand some of the design background when you're using connectors.

Connector nodes are definitions for what are, in effect, typed runtime instances of the connector entity. The name of the connector node becomes the name of the connector instance type. The characteristics defined in the connector node govern the behavior of that connector type's instances at runtime:
The item class that's named as the target of the connector provides scope for validating the item being connected to. The item class name is used to provide the model with the items it can connect to at runtime, and only those items. The available items from that item class can be limited and become unavailable for selection, depending on your rules governing the availability of these items.
The minimum and maximum connections govern how many instances of the connector type can be instantiated during the configuration of the model. In functional terms, those values govern the minimum and maximum number of different standard items from the target item class can be added to a configuration. In the example used elsewhere in this chapter, that means how many different trailers can be added to the configuration of the car.
The minimum and maximum quantities govern the sum of all the quantities of related items. In the example of the car and trailer, that means how many total trailers can be added to the configuration of the car.

Here's an example of the relationship between connections and quantities. Assume that your model represents a family calling plan for cell phone service. A connector targets the item class for cell phone models, in which items are different phones. You would define the minimum and maximum connections and quantities to govern how the phones can be added as related items to the configuration of the plan model.

The plan allows, per family:	Your connector definition specifies:
Up to 3 different phone models, from among: xPhone Solar Pixie	Minimum Connections = 1 Maximum Connections = 3
Up to 4 total phones	Minimum Quantity = 1 Maximum Quantity = 4

The plan allows, per family:

Your connector definition specifies:

Up to 3 different phone models, from among:

xPhone

Solar

Pixie

Minimum Connections = 1

Maximum Connections = 3

Up to 4 total phones

Minimum Quantity = 1

Maximum Quantity = 4

These different combinations would all be allowed by your connector definition:

xPhone	Solar	Pixie	Total Quantity
2	1	1	4 (Maximum Quantity)
4	0	0	4 (Maximum Quantity)
2	0	1	3
1	0	0	1 (Minimum Quantity)