Globals

Globals come in different flavors:

• Structure: Process type, Flow type, Asset type and Cluster
• Layers: (Device) Channel, Role and Team
• Documents: Content style, Presentation style, Mask types and Format
• Plugins: Container types, Service call types, Mask types, Validation types, Resource and Schema element
• Other: Portal message

All globals are accessible for editing from the ribbon’s global tab. This tab is visible in all module views.

There are no built-in global definitions in Blueriq Studio. However, the Blueriq Studio library contains predefined globals that you can use in your model.

Take the following steps to get access to these predefined globals:

1. Open a branch in your repository.
2. Go to File > Import > Import library or package.
3. Locate the Blueriq Studio library project on the server or on your local computer and click on Next.
4. Select the desired library or libraries.
5. Click on Import.

The Blueriq Studio library project is now present in the branch. To get access to these globals in your project, make a reference to the library project. For information on how to do this, read Refer to a library project.

Process types are used to categorize processes. Process types form a hierarchy, that is, no “higher” level process types can be included in a certain process type. When processes of a certain process type should be able to contain process tasks in addition to other processes, this is shown by an indicator.

To create or edit a process type:

1. Click the process type icon in the ribbon.
2. Enter a unique process type name in the name field. Valid names must start with a letter followed by letters, numbers or underscores. Names have a maximum length of 50 characters.
3. If you only want to add specific children to a process type, set the radio button to Selected and click the new item button. You can select the child process type in the drop-down menu. Repeat this for all the children process types you wish to add.
4. With the "allow implementation" you can decide if modelling tasks within a process type is allowed. By default, Allow implementation is selected.
5. Click Save or Save and close.

Flow types are used to categorize flows. No additional significance is attached to them.

To create a new flow type:

1. Click the flow type icon in the ribbon.
2. Enter a unique name in the name field. Valid names must start with a letter followed by letters, numbers or underscores. Names have a maximum length of 50 characters.
3. Click Save or Save and close.

An asset is a collection of one or more text blocks. The format of these text blocks is determined by the asset type that is used by the asset. The creation of a new asset type requires a name and the formats for the text blocks.

The create a new asset type:

1. Select the asset type icon in the ribbon.
2. Enter a unique asset type name in the name field. Valid names must start with a letter followed by letters, numbers or underscores. Names have a maximum length of 50 characters.
3. To add formats to your asset type, click the new item button. A new rule appears in the format pane.
4. Give each format a (preferably unique) name and specify whether it is mandatory to add content to the specific item.
5. Click Save or Save and close.

Projects built with Blueriq Studio support multiple device channels to display interaction. Device channels provide additional configuration options of containers and processes. This enables the use of a single application over different device channels with device specific configuration. For example a container will only be shown on a web page.

To create a device channel:

1. Click the channel icon in the ribbon.
2. Enter a unique channel name in the name field. Valid names must start with a letter followed by letters, numbers or underscores. Names have a maximum length of 50 characters.
3. Click Save or Save and close.

For documents, two types of formatting have to be specified: the layout, which is the placement of a piece of text on a page, and the formatting, which is the font formatting of the text. For the layout, content styles are applied to content items. For the formatting, presentations styles are applied to content items and text items.

Content styles and presentation styles are no more than names. A content style (name) is attached to a content item when the content item is sent to a document renderer. A presentation style is attached to a piece of text. The renderer uses this information to determine the layout and the formatting.

To create a new content style:

1. Click the content style icon in the ribbon.
2. Enter a unique content style name in the name field. Valid names must start with a letter followed by letters, numbers or underscores. Names have a maximum length of 50 characters.
3. If you only want to add specific children to the content style, set the radio button to Selected and click the new item button. You can select the child content styles in the drop-down menu. Repeat this for all the children process types you wish to add. By default, allow all is selected.
4. Click Save or Save and close.

To create a new presentation style:

1. Click the presentation style icon in the ribbon.
2. Enter a unique name in the name field. Valid names must start with a letter followed by letters, numbers or underscores. Names have a maximum length of 50 characters.
3. Select where you want to allow the presentation style to be used by ticking the boxes Allow on documents and/or Allow on pages.
4. Click Save or Save and close.

Masks are used to format different value types in a specific manner. For instance when a “dd-month-yyyy” mask is applied to the date 31-03-2009 this date will be displayed as “31 March 2009”.

Each mask is of a specific mask type which defines its properties. You can specify parameters for your mask type, so that style managers can define various masks based on one mask type.

Some mask types will only be suitable for specific data types. You can specify which base types are valid for your mask type.

To create a mask:

1. Select the mask icon from the ribbon.
2. Enter a unique mask name in the name field. Valid names must start with a letter followed by letters, numbers or underscores. Names have a maximum length of 50 characters.
3. Select a mask type. Depending upon the mask type that you selected, parameters will appear.
4. Fill out the required parameters.
5. Add an example. This example will help document modelers to decide which mask to use.
6. Click Save or Save and close.

When you connect to external data, these data records are converted to a valid Blueriq Studio format. If the default Blueriq Studio conversion does not convert the imported data to the format you want, you can specify a custom conversion format.

There are three different types of format conversions:

A number format pattern can be divided into four parts.

Syntax:

{options}format;negative-spec;positive-spec

• options - Valid option: {locale=locale} Locale specifies a combination of language and country. The option set is optional and must be surrounded with { } when used. It represents a key value mechanism with ',' as separator sign. The set {a=b,q=e} represents a situation in which a is set to b and q is set to e. A locale in the option set will override the one that is used as default in the project.
• format - The format pattern consists of a decimal part and a fractional part, separated by a '.' if a fractional part is required. Note that the locale setting determines whether the fractional separator is a ',' or a '.'.
  • The decimal part specifies grouping, the minimum and the maximum number of digits.
  • The fractional part begins after the decimal separator. If there is no decimal separator, there is no fractional part. The fractional part specifies the minimum and maximum of fraction digits.
• negative-spec - This pattern specifies the parsing of negative numbers, '#' represents the specified format pattern. For example, ”(#);0.0” specifies that a negative number is prefixed with '(' and postfixed with ')'.
• positive-spec - This pattern specifies the parsing of positive numbers, '#' represents the specified format pattern. For example, “0.0;+#” specifies that a positive number is prefixed with '+'.

Examples:

This format parses dates that use numbers to indicate months. Times cannot be parsed.

Syntax:

date-format

• date-format - The following characters can be used to make up the format string:
  • yyyy - represents the four digit year
  • MM - represents the month in one or two digits
  • dd - represents the day of the month in one or two digits
  • '-', '/', ' ' - can be used to separate the date components

Examples:

• “yyyyMMdd” parses “20100305” as March 5, 2010.
• “dd MM yyyy” parses “31 01 2012” as January 31, 2012.
• “dd-MM-yyyy” parses “09-10-1990” as October 9, 1990.
• “MM/dd/yyyy” parses “09/10/1990” as September 10, 1990.

This format parses string representations into booleans. A boolean pattern can be divided into two parts.

Syntax:

true-spec;false-spec

• true-spec - A true-spec is a comma separated list of values representing TRUE.
• false-spec - A false-spec is a comma separated list of values representing FALSE.

Examples:

• “true;false” will convert a boolean value TRUE to value 'true' and a boolean value FALSE to value 'false'. The complete syntax is: TEXT(TRUE,"yes;no").
• “true,yes,ok,oui,si,1;false,no,cancel,non,no,0” will create a boolean value TRUE for values 'true', 'yes', 'ok', 'oui', 'si' and '1' and a boolean value FALSE for values 'false', 'no', 'cancel', 'non', 'no' and '0'.

Containers are used to display content on a page. Each container has a container type which defines its properties. You can specify parameters for your container type, so that project modelers can adapt the behavior of the container to fit their needs. You can also specify whether the project modeler is allowed to place content in this type of container.

To define or edit a container type:

1. Enter a unique container type name in the name field. Valid names must start with a letter followed by letters, numbers or underscores. Names have a maximum length of 100 characters.
2. Enter a clear description of your container type. This description is shown whenever a person wants to use your container type.
3. If you want to allow project modelers to place content in your container, check Has containment.

When you create a dynamic container you can add parameters in the lower half of the screen. Add parameters by taking the following steps:

1. Select the parameter type that you wish to add in the drop-down menu. E.g. Primitive if your parameters is going to be a boolean, string etc. and Domain if your parameter is going to be an option list.
2. Click the new item button to add a parameter definition to the parameter pane.
3. Give each parameter a clear and unique name.
4. If the parameter is required, check the Required box.
5. Depending on the parameter type you can specify additional information. For instance, add multiple values to your domain parameter by clicking the new icon in the Extra type information column. Or, select the type for your primitive, module element or global element parameter.
6. By making your parameter multivalued, the user of your container will be able to add multiple values for the parameter field.
7. The Direction field is merely used as additional information for the user of your container type.
8. In the parameter description you can describe to the users of your container how to use the parameter.
9. Click Save or Save and close.

Check the Container types for help on the predefined Blueriq container types.

A service is a supplemental program used to perform a custom action. Typical use of a service is connecting to an external system to provide or retrieve data.

The service type specifies the service and its parameters.

To define or edit a service type:

1. Enter a unique service type name in the name field. Valid names must start with a letter followed by letters, numbers or underscores. Names have a maximum length of 50 characters.
2. Enter a clear description of your service type. This description is shown whenever a person wants to use your service type.
3. If your service has parameters, place your mouse in the parameter section and use your right mouse button to evoke the parameter menu.
4. Select the new item button to add a parameter.
5. Give each parameter a clear and unique name.
6. If the parameter is required, check the Required box.
7. Depending on the parameter type you can specify additional information. For instance add multiple values to your domain parameter by clicking the new icon in the Extra type information column. Or, select the type for your primitive, module element or global element parameter.
8. By making your parameter multivalued, the user of your service will be able to add multiple values for the parameter field.
9. The Direction field is merely used as additional information for the user of your service type.
10. In the parameter description you can describe to the users of your service how to use the parameter.
11. Click Save or Save and close.

Check the Service call types for help on the predefined Blueriq service types.

Masks are used to format different value types in a specific manner. For instance when a “dd-month-yyyy” mask is applied to the date 31-03-2009 this date will be displayed as “31 March 2009”.

Each mask is of a specific mask type which defines its properties. You can specify parameters for your mask type, so that style managers can define various masks based on one mask type.

Some mask types will only be suitable for specific data types. You can specify which base types are valid for your mask type.

To define or edit a mask type:

1. Enter a unique mask type name in the name field. Valid names must start with a letter followed by letters, numbers or underscores. Names have a maximum length of 50 characters.
2. Enter a clear description of your mask type. This description is shown whenever a person wants to use your mask type.
3. Check the boxes of all the base types that are valid for your mask type.
4. If your mask type has parameters, click the new item button. A rule will be added to the parameter pane.
5. Fill out the parameter fields. This information is used to help users of your mask type. A clear description of what is and isn’t a valid entry for this parameter field will help project modeler to use your mask type correctly.
6. Click Save or Save and close.

Check the Mask types for help on the predefined Blueriq mask types.

A validation type is used to check if a single attribute value is valid at runtime.

Validation types are created outside Blueriq Studio in the Blueriq SDK. In Studio you can make implemented types available by creating a definition.

To create a new validation type definition:

1. Enter a unique validation type name in the name field. Valid names must start with a letter followed by letters, numbers or underscores. Names have a maximum length of 50 characters.
2. Enter a clear description of your validation type.
3. If your validation type has parameters, enter a description of these parameters and how these have to be used.
4. Click Save or Save and close.

Check the Validation types for help on the predefined Blueriq validation types.

Resource

Schema element

Other

Portal message

To enable communication between widgets, the portal message is introduced. A portal message contains the definition of the data that will be transported (either with or without message elements). The transportation of data takes place from a service in a flow to another widget via the message bus. 

To create a portal message:

1. Click on the portal message icon
2. Enter the name
3. Enter a description
4. Optionally enter some message elements (specify the name, the type, whether it is multivalued and whether it is required)