Constraints Tab
On the Constraints tab, you can add, modify, or remove constraints for the advanced configurable part selected in the navigation pane on the left. For more information on the advanced configurable parts, see Options and Variants Capabilities.
Three types of constraints can be created for the advanced configurable part:
• Expression
• Case table
• External application
The Constraints table displays all constraints defined for the advanced configurable part and provides summary information for each.
The following actions are available from the Constraints table tool bar:
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Icon
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Description
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Opens the New Case Table window, where you can create a new case table.
For more details on case tables, see Case Table Editor.
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Opens the New Expression window, where you can create a new expression.
For more details on expressions, see Expression Editor.
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Opens the New External Application window, where you can create a new external application.
For more details on external applications, see External Application Constraint Editor.
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Opens the Case Table Editor window. For more details, see Case Table Editor.
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Allows you to edit the selected constraint type.
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Actions
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Contains the following actions:
• View Information: Displays the details of the selected constraint type.
• New: Contains the following constraint types:
◦ Case Table
◦ Expression
◦ External Application
To define the constraint, select any of these constraint types to open the corresponding window to specify the name and description for the selected constraint type.
(Optional) Enter any identifying alert text for the expression. The Alert shows this message if the constraint is violated. A violation of the constraint produces an automatically generated message, which lists the expression that defines the constraint when no alert is specified.
• Edit: Edit the selected constraint type — Case Table, Expression, or External Application.
• Delete: Deletes the constraint type from the table.
• Copy: Copies the selected constraints to the clipboard.
• Paste: Pastes the constraints from the clipboard after the selected row or at the bottom of the table when no rows are selected.
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The following table describes the columns displayed for each constraint:
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Column
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Description
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Constraint Type
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The type of constraint.
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Name
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The identifying name for the constraint.
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Expression /Parameter
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Contents displayed depend upon the selected constraint type.
• If the selected constraint type is Expression, the cell contains the text of the expression.
• If the selected constraint type is Case Table, the cell contains the parameter names used for the case table.
• If the selected constraint type is External Application, the cell contains the name of the class being used.
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Alert
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Text displayed when the constraint is violated (optional).
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Description
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Description of the constraint (optional).
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Some of these columns are configurable. See Customizing Table Views for more information.
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