Input and output properties

Input properties can be used to propagate properties that are defined at the parent model to the sub-model. Ouput properties can be used to return the properties defined at the sub-model back to its parent model.

You can specify the properties that a sub-model expects as input from its parent model or external system. These properties are referred to as input properties. You can also specify the properties returned by the sub-model to its parent model or external system. These properties are referred to as output properties. This ensures that only the input properties that the sub-model depends upon are cascaded from the parent model. The output properties that the sub-model provides for the parent model are exported from the sub-model or external system. For example, consider a retail site that is selling different types of computer peripheral devices. The main parent model displays a set of choices for processors, and the sub-model displays the choices for RAM. You might want to display a set of valid RAMs based on the user selection for the processor in the main model. In such situations, add the input property in the sub-model, which gets the value from the parent model and uses the input property in a rule to provide the appropriate choices in the sub-model. Similarly, if you want to change the parent model behavior by using the property that is defined in the sub-model, you can define the output property at the sub-model level.

Additionally, input properties can be passed through the Configurator REST APIs to externally inject the properties into a model in order to modify the run time behavior of the model by using rules.