Creating pattern components

Use the console to create pattern components.

1. Click Catalog > Pattern Components.
   The Pattern Components page, which lists all of the components for the selected pattern type, is displayed. The components are grouped by their assigned category. Pattern components can be created, configured, and managed from the Pattern Components page.

   Note: Configuration details for components that were created through plug-ins rather than pattern components can be viewed here, but not modified.
2. Click New.
3. Choose Create a Pattern Component.
4. Click Next.
5. Configure the details for the pattern component:

   ID

   Unique ID for the pattern component.

   Display Name

   Display name that is used on the pattern component page and in the Pattern Builder to identify the pattern component.

   Description

   Description for the pattern component.

   Icon

   Icon that is associated with the pattern component. If a custom icon is not provided, a default icon is used.

   Show in Pattern Builder palette

   Indicates whether the pattern component is visible in the Pattern Builder. If this option is not selected, the pattern component is not available to use in patterns. The pattern component can be updated to change this option at any time. This setting can be used to prevent pattern components that are in development from being displayed to users in the Pattern Builder.

   Category

   Category that the pattern component belongs to, such as Application Components. You can select from the available categories that are in use by enabled pattern types on the system, or you can create a category for the pattern component.

   Pattern types

   The pattern types that the pattern component belongs to, such as Web Application Pattern Type. If the pattern component is made visible in the Pattern Builder, the pattern component is available for use in all of the pattern types that are selected here.

   Note: The pattern types that are displayed in this list, and are available to set as the pattern type for a pattern component, are the Virtual System Pattern Type and pattern types that are enabled and are configured to display in the pattern type list on the Patterns > Virtual Application Patterns page. Some pattern types, such as the Foundation Pattern Type and the Db2® with BLU Acceleration® Pattern Pattern Type, are disabled from displaying in this list.

   Input properties

   Select the properties that the pattern component makes available as input attributes in the Pattern Builder. Some of the options for the properties that can be set here are display type, regular expression, and sample values.

   Note:

   • Use a descriptive label for the property so that when users later see the property in the Pattern Builder or deployment page, they know what value they are setting. For example, instead of setting the labels for a property to configure the DB2® Administrator user name and password to User name and Password, use the labels DB2 Administrator User name and DB2 Administrator Password.
   • You can also create properties later, when you choose the target pattern for the pattern component by using the Expose as a new property option on the property mapping page. If you choose this option, the property is made available to users as a property with the same label and data type, such as text field, as it has in the target pattern.

   Output properties

   Specify the outputs that the pattern component makes available to be linked to by other pattern components. These outputs are data dependency attributes that can be used to link a pattern component that requires an input, such as an IP address, to a pattern component that provides the relevant output.

6. After you finish configuring the details for the pattern component, click Done.
7. Click the plus sign in the Targets column to set the target pattern for the pattern component.
8. Select the pattern type for the pattern that you want to map the pattern component to, and then select the target pattern.
9. Click Add.
10. Click Edit on the Deploy action to configure the property mappings from the target pattern properties to the pattern component properties. You must make sure that all required properties for the target pattern have a default value (set in the target pattern), a static value (that you set on the property mappings page), or are mapped to a pattern component property. You have several options for mapping properties:
    • Map the target pattern property to a pattern component property that you added when you created the pattern component.
    • Set a static value for the property. This value is used during deployment and is not configurable by the user.
    • Make the target pattern property configurable by users. If you did not create a pattern component property that corresponds to the target pattern property when you created the pattern component, you can do so now by choosing Expose as a new property. If you choose this option, the property is made available to users as a property with the same label and data type, such as text field, as it has in the target pattern.
    Note:

    • You cannot map an input property to an output property in the same pattern component. Output properties are used to link two pattern components together.
    • All pattern component output properties must be mapped to a target pattern output property.
    • If a property in the target pattern is locked, that property does not display on the property mapping page.
    • Property types for the mapped properties must match. For example, you must map a target pattern property that expects a number as input to a pattern component property that is configured to display as a number field.
    • You can choose not to map a pattern component property to a property in the target pattern.
    • The Reset option in the property mappings list unmaps the target pattern property and sets the value back to the default. However, if you set the property mapping to Expose as a new property and then select Reset, the property is still exposed as a new property.
11. Click Save when you are finished editing the property mappings.