Activating Prompt Sets

Prompt sets are activated when you execute an object that the prompt set is assigned to. During activation, the system checks for prompt sets and generates a user input form if required. The form lets you enter values that are stored and passed in PromptSet variables.

This page includes the following:

Activation

When an executable object is activated, the system checks whether it has assigned prompt sets. For more information, see Activation.

If user input is required, the prompt set is called in the user interface. Depending on the object attributes, the input dialog appears in one of the following ways:

Note: The status of the object is "Waiting for user input" until the form is submitted. System-wide timeout settings determine how long the system waits for users to respond to PromptSet dialogs. For more information, see:

However, in the following cases, prompt set forms are not displayed:

Note: You can pass prompt values in a Workflow without requiring user input if you define Workflow-specific values for the task that has assigned prompt sets. For more information, see PromptSets Tab.

Displayed Default Values and Overwriting Values

Define default values for prompt set elements in the PromptSet object. You can overwrite these default values in the following ways, without affecting the values defined in the PromptSet object itself:

The following table shows the possible constellations where you can change the default value of PromptSets and the value that is used:

PromptSet Variables & Prompts page Workflow or Schedule properties PUT_READ_BUFFER Default value for activation
        No default value
Value1       Value1
Value1 Value2     Value2
  Value2     Value2
Value1 Value2 Value3   Value3
  Value2 Value3   Value3
    Value3   Value3
      Value4 Value4
Value1     Value4 Value4
Value1 Value2   Value4 Value4

Tip: Use the PASS_VALUES parameter of the ACTIVATE_UC_OBJECT script function to pass the object variables and all the PromptSet variables of the object to the activated object.

Responding to Prompts

Set values or override default values in the form using the interactive controls that you defined in the PromptSet designer, unless the prompt is configured as read-only. The prompts in PromptSet forms are standard user controls, and will not be explained in detail here. For more information, see PromptSet Designer.

Input Restrictions and Invalid Values

The allowed values in prompts may be restricted. Depending on the configuration of the prompt set element, the data you can enter in the field may have a character limit, permitted range or allowed type. The limitations on PromptSet level are already checked when the PromptSet objects are assigned.

If you enter invalid values, or have not entered a value in a required field, you cannot submit the form. Errors are marked until you enter a valid value.

Canceling a Task Through a Prompt Set Form

Click Cancel Task in the user input form to cancel the activation of the object that the prompt set is assigned to.

Modifications at Runtime

You can only modify PromptSet values at runtime for workflow and schedule tasks that have not yet been generated. Object variables cannot be modified at runtime.

Restart Behavior

When you restart an object, the PromptSet dialog displays the values that were entered during the last activation process (reference RunID = 0). If you specify a particular reference ID in the restart dialog, the values of that object execution are used.

You can use Automation Engine scripts to modify PromptSet variables. If the script generation ends normally, these modifications also apply for restarts. The modifications also apply if the task aborts afterward, regardless of whether the task was restarted from the Process Monitoring perspective, the statistics or by a script. For more information about restarting tasks by a script, see RESTART_UC_OBJECT.

Example

The following scenario shows which value is displayed in the prompt set when an aborted job is restarted.

  1. You enter a value of "1" for a field in a prompt set and submit the form.
  2. A script changes the value to "15".
  3. The job aborts due to an OS error.
  4. You restart the job.
  5. The prompt set form is displayed again, and the prompt displays the value "15".

Notes:

See also: