Authoring rules using JavaScript in a Decision Table component (deprecated)

You can create rules using JavaScript in a Decision Table component.

Before you begin

To perform this task, you must be in the IBM® Process Designer desktop editor, which is deprecated.

About this task

The following steps describe how to create a sample business rule using the Decision Table editor and JavaScript. The rule in the sample is used to determine whether approval is required for certain employee expenses. The sample is a single-function rule that can be called from any other service. For your own implementation, you might not use the same steps or names.

Procedure

  1. Open the Process Designer desktop editor (deprecated).
  2. Open a process application that contains a business process definition (BPD).
  3. Create a Decision service.
  4. Drag a Decision Table component from the palette to the Decision service diagram, and edit the component parameters as described in the related topic "Adding a Decision Table component to a service."
  5. Click the Decisions tab to open the rules editor.
  6. In the rules editor, click the plus sign to add a variable (column) to the first rule (row).
  7. From the variables displayed, pick the amount variable from the request structure.
  8. Type >250 as the value.
  9. In the rules editor, click the plus sign again. Make sure the first rule (row) is selected because you want to add another variable (column) to this rule.
  10. From the variables displayed, pick the type variable from the request structure.
  11. Type "director" as the value.
  12. In the Action Requirement field for the first rule (row), type Requires Approval.
  13. In the rules editor, click the Action section to expand it.
  14. For the Requires Approval requirement, enter the following JavaScript code for the Action: tw.local.approvalRequired = true; The rules editor includes the rule shown in the following image:
    Rules editor showing the JavaScript
  15. In the rules editor, click the second row to select it. Create a new rule so that expenses of more than $60 for employees requires approval.
  16. In the rules editor, click the third row to select it. Create your catch-all condition by typing - for both the amount and type. The - value in a variable field indicates that any variable value is considered a match.
  17. In the Action Requirement field for the third rule (row), type Auto Approval.
  18. In the Action section, enter the following JavaScript for the Auto Approval action: tw.local.approvalRequired = false; The rules editor includes the rules shown in the following image:
    Rules editor showing the third rule

    For more information about specifying variable values using JavaScript, refer to the related topic "Specifying variable values using JavaScript."

  19. Click the Diagram tab.
  20. Use the Sequence Flow tool to connect the Decision Table component and the Start and End events.
  21. Name the Decision Table component and save your work.

What to do next

You can now nest this Decision service in any other service within your process application that requires this logic. Be sure to adjust the input and output variables as required for each implementation.

For more information about the controls in the decisions editor window, such as the up and down arrows, refer to the related topic "Decision Table controls."

Parent topic: Adding a Decision Table component to a service (deprecated)
Related information:
Adding a Decision service to a process
Adding a Decision Table component to a service