Flex Field Definition

This page is accessed via Configuration and Administration > User Configuration > Flex Field Definition.

Use this page to create definition for a text type flex field. After you create a flex field definition, you can use it in your user-defined manager layouts and screen sets.

After changing a flex field definition, it must be removed and re-added to any user-defined manager layout/screen sets that use that flex field definition to make the change take effect. The only exceptions are flex field definitions with the field type of FlexDropLists or FlexPickList. Definitions with these type are dynamic and the manager layout/screen sets are automatically updated with the flex field definition changes. Be aware that previously entered data to that field on that manager layout will not display correctly. Only values valid to the new definition will be displayed.

Note: FlexPickList and FlexDropList functionalities were not added to inline edit on search results.

Adding a Flex Field Definition

1. Enter a Flex Field Definition ID. If you leave this field blank, then the table name and field name will be combined to form the flex field definition ID.
2. Select a Table Name.
3. Select a Field Name.
4. Select a Domain Name. There can be only one definition for a particular flex field in a particular table in the same domain.

Manager Layout

Use this section to create text-type flex field definitions for a manager layout.

1. Select a Field Type. If you change the field type for an existing record, the preexisting values in the associated fields will be discarded when you save the record. The behavior of the following fields depends on the field type you select. FlexDropLists can be cached. Turn off caching by setting the glog.droplistcache.exclude property. It is important to select the appropriate field type to match your use case. Here are some tips for choosing an appropriate field type:
   • If the data is for a predefined, unchanging list, use "FixedDropList". You can reuse data in VALID_VALUE_TYPE and VALID_VALUE from different manager layout/screen sets.
   • If the data are the primary keys from a OTM main Object table, e.g. SHIPMENT or ORDER_RELEASE, use "PickList". It allows you to find/list/view/new buttons, and use autocomplete.
   • If the data is the primary keys of an OTM reference table, e.g. TRANSPORT_MODE or COUNTRY_CODE, use "DropList". It gives you a list of all values available.
   • If the data is from a user-defined table and are visible from OTM, use "FlexPickList" or "FlexDropList". For transactional tables, use "FlexPickList"; for reference tables, use "FlexDropList". When you add a FlexDropLists flex field definition, any cached data associated with it will be removed.
2. Enter a Query Table ID. This field is used when the field type is PickList or DropList.
3. Enter a Screen Set ID. If the screen set is not defined for a field type of PickList, the default screen set is used.
4. Select a Valid Value Type. This field is used when the field type is Fixed DropList that contains user-defined values.
5. Enter a Query. This field is used when the field type is FlexPickList and FlexDropList. The Query field must have a valid SQL select statement. You must use "select" and "from" to form the query, and they must be lower case. The Query field accepts basic queries; complicated queries may not work. The first selected column is used as ID field and its value will be saved to the flex field. For example
   
   select distinct field1 MyField1, field2 MyField2, field3 MyField3 from mytable where field4=’abc’ order by field1
   
   Red parts are required and have to be in lower cases. Blue parts are optional and have to be in lower cases. Purple parts are optional. You can add translations for purple parts to the OTM Translation table. If no translation is added, the purple query items will be shown as the column title on the pick list result list. If there are no purple parts, the field name will be used as column titles on a pick list result list.
   
   Note: When you create a flex field definition with a field type of FlexPickList or FlexDropList, fields specified between "select" and "from" in the select statement should be character fields. You cannot use UOM fields (quantity, weight, volume, length, currency, and date columns, for example) within the OTM schema for these selections.
6. Click the Copy to Screen Set Section to copy these settings to the Screen Set section.

Screen Set

Use this section to create text-type flex field definitions for a screen set. In most cases, the screen set should match the manager layout.

1. Select a Field Type. This field has the same use and restrictions as above for manager layouts.
2. Enter a Query Table ID. This field has the same use and restrictions as above for manager layouts.
3. Enter a Screen Set ID. This field has the same use and restrictions as above for manager layouts.
4. Select a Valid Value Type. This field has the same use and restrictions as above for manager layouts.
5. Enter a Query. This field has the same use and restrictions as above for manager layouts.
6. Click Finished.