Special Parameter
Parameters represent instances of certain Data Types and are part of the signature (input and output) of some Modeling Blocks like Services, Mappings or Conditional Branchings. Thus Parameters needed to call Services or to decide Conditional Branchings are called Input Parameter, while Parameters returned by Services or produced inside Conditional Branchings are called Output Parameters .
In addition to Input and Output Parameter a Coded Service supports Throws Parameters as part of its signature. They define all possible types of exceptions that might happen during processing of this Coded Service. A Throws Parameter represents an instance of a certain Exception Type, which is a special Data Type for Error Handling purposes. The Catch area of a Coded Service Process Step inside a Workflow provides lanes for each Exception Type in the Throws Parameter. If not modeled explicitly the Exception Types Server Exception and Exception are added to the list of possible cases implicitly.
Please note: Throws Parameters can't be modeled explicitly inside Workflows. The Exception Types inside the Workflow's Catch area are calculated automatically in consideration of the Throws Parameter of existing Process Steps, maybe their Catches and existing Throw objects.
Input and Output Parameters can be single-valued or list-valued:
- A single-valued Parameter is marked with a small 1 on the left side 90px|Parameter|link= and represents one instance of the Data Type.
- A list-valued Parameter is marked with a small n 90px|List-valued Parameter|link= and represents a list of instances.
Exception Type-based Parameters are marked with a black triangle [[images/XMOMObject_Parameter_Exception.svg|90px|Parameter from Exception Type]|link=] to emphasize their special role.
You can specify Input Parameters of a Workflow by dragging Data Types 90px|Data Type|link= from somewhere else (e.g. Factory Navigation, Search or Parameters from other Modeling Blocks) into the Workflow's Input Parameter area. These Parameters can be used in the implementation of the Workflow and have to be passed when calling this Workflow.
Output Parameters of the Workflow and changeable Parameters of Modeling Blocks (Mappings, Conditional Choices, etc) can be modeled similarily.
If you need a Parameter to be list-valued, open its context menu (three vertical dots) and select Convert into list (Convert into single, respectively).
Input Parameters of Process Steps or Output Parameters of Workflows have to be connected to a source Parameter. The different connection states are indicated by a small circle on the right side of a Parameter:
Example Description
90px|Parameter with connection|link= Parameter with connection 90px|Parameter without connection due to an ambiguity|link= Parameter without connection due to an ambiguity 90px|Parameter without connection|link= Parameter without connection 90px|Parameter with constant assignment|link= Parameter with constant assignment
Please note: Prototype Data Types can't be connected. They always show a white circle: 90px|Prototype Data Type|link=
Please note: To show an Input Parameter's connection, select the Parameter (cf. fig. 1).