Creating Map Sources

Map Sources is a concept in IFS Enterprise Explorer to connect IFS Applications business object attributes onto a map position. This functionality exists in the technical component Virtual Map (VRTMAP).

Note: For usage of Map Sources in component Virtual Map, please refer to the end user documentation.

Contents

• Background
• Editing the Map Source file
• Example of Map Source File Structures

Background

Map Sources are definitions that describes what attributes is possible to include in the Map Source criteria. The Map Source concept is derived from the obsolete concept of Search Sources. Map Sources are defined in XML-files that resides in the components, under the folder \<comp>\source\<comp>\client\MapSource\ .

During build these XML-files are compiled into a main MapSource.xml file that resides in the application runtime folder (DeployFiles). The structure of a map source XML-files is: grammar. singular/plural use.
 

<SearchSources>
    <SearchSource>
        <id>Customer</id>
        <url>ifsapf:Ifs.Application.Enterp.frmCustomerInfo</url>
        <columns>
            <column default="yes" prompt="Customer Id" type="Text">CustomerId</column>
            <column default="yes" prompt="Name" type="Text">Name</column>
            <column default="yes" prompt="Association No" type="Text">AssociationNo</column>
            <column prompt="Corporate Form" type="Text" reference="CORPORATE_FORM">CorporateForm</column>
            <column prompt="Country" type="Text" reference="ISO_COUNTRY">Country</column>
            <column prompt="Default Language" type="Text" reference="ISO_LANGUAGE">DefaultLanguage</column>
        <column prompt="Creation Date" type="Date">CreationDate</column>
    </columns>
</SearchSource>

• Id (Mandatory) is the internal unique identifier for the search source. This value must be unique in IFS Applications.
• Url (Mandatory) is the address which to navigate to which should show the result data.
• Column corresponds to one possible search criteria. This is similar to the "Queryable" attribute in the model.

  The system can be configured to select which search criteria's (columns) that should be visible.

• Default=Yes - Search column will be visible by default (it can be made hidden by configuration).

  Default=No - Search column will be hidden by default (it can be made visible by configuration).

• Prompt (Mandatory) is the default column title (in PROG language) that is shown to the end user.
• Type (Mandatory) can be Text, Number, Date, Enumeration or State.
• Reference is the reference view for LOV.
• Enum contains the Oracle package (API) to the enumeration package. This must be set when Type = Enumeration.
• EncodeMethod contains the method name in EnumPackage (normally Encode). This must be set when Type = Enumeration.
• CheckedBoolValue used for boolean columns. Should be the DB value when checked.
• UncheckedBoolValue used for boolean columns. Should be the DB value when unchecked.
• The text inside the Column element is treated as the column to use in the actual query (normally the database column or the attribute name)

Editing the Map Source file

1. Check the URL of your map source file. By default this is the URL from the selected form. This is normally correct.
2. Select what columns should be visible in the search panel by default by adding an attribute default="yes" to those columns.
   All key columns are already marked in that way - remove it if you for some reason do not want the keys to be visible in the search panel.
3. All the columns without the "default" attribute will not be visible by default, but can be added by the user configuring the map source file. If you do not want some columns to be available for that, simply remove them from the file.
4. The ordering of the columns is the same as in the form. If you want some other ordering, rearrange the file (remember that the user still may change the ordering from the configuration)
5. The generated reference columns always reference another LU using the base view for that LU for LOVs. If you have specific LOV-views, you have to replace that by editing the "reference" attribute.

Example of Map Sources

These map sources examples are not released in IFS Application:

1. Customer

Customer

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?> 
- <SearchSources>
  - <SearchSource>
      <id>Customer</id> 
      <url>ifsapf:Ifs.Application.Enterp.frmCustomerInfo</url> 
    - <columns>
        <column default="yes" prompt="Customer No" type="Text">CustomerId</column> 
        <column default="yes" prompt="Name" type="Text">Name</column> 
        <column default="yes" prompt="Association No" type="Text">AssociationNo</column> 
        <column prompt="Corporate Form" type="Text" reference="CORPORATE_FORM">CorporateForm</column> 
        <column prompt="Country" type="Text" reference="ISO_COUNTRY">Country</column> 
        <column prompt="Default Language" type="Text" reference="ISO_LANGUAGE">DefaultLanguage</column> 
        <column prompt="Creation Date" type="Date">CreationDate</column> 
      </columns>
    </SearchSource>
  </SearchSources>