Embedded smart sections

Smart sections that contain embedded records or have the dependent flag checked have a different set of properties than other smart sections. The following figure shows the properties of a smart section that contains embedded records.

Embedded records exist only in the smart section they are created in. Because the existence of embedded records always depends on the existence of the record that contains them, the Dependent check box is always checked and grayed out.

For similar reasons, the properties for a smart section that will contain embedded records has no Reference Only radio button, no Live Link check box and no Reference With Modify radio button.

There is a property that is unique to smart sections that will contain embedded records. The property is displayed as a check box labeled Add Through Find Query. Checking this check box designates that the user is going to Find one type of record and a workflow is going to take the information of the records found to create the records that will be shown in the section. This option is available only in conjunction with the Associate Multiple Record option.

Add Through Find Query is a rather elaborate mechanism for adding records to a smart section that contains embedded records. There is a simpler mechanism available for adding records to smart sections that contain other kinds of records. If a smart section contains records that are not embedded, you can add records to it by finding existing records and selecting them.

Existing embedded records cannot be added to a smart section in this straightforward way because embedded records exist only in the smart section they were created in. If the information you want to add to a smart section as an embedded record is in another record, you can add a copy of the record to the smart section if it is the right kind of record. If the information is in a different kind of record, you will need to create the embedded record and set its values appropriately.

Because of the many different ways that may be needed to go from a found record to adding an embedded record to a smart section, the IBM TRIRIGA Application Platform does not provide any built-in logic to handle it. Instead, the platform requires you to provide the logic in a workflow that handles all the details.

The workflow you specify in the Workflow to Initialize Record property has more responsibilities when the Add Through Find Query check box is checked. Normally, the workflow is responsible only for initialization or bookkeeping. If the Add Through Find Query check box is checked, the workflow is also responsible for creating the embedded record and adding it to the smart section.

Another difference in the responsibilities of the workflow if the Add Through Find Query check box is checked is the way it is expected to use the temporary association specified by the Temporary Association property. Instead of using the temporary association to navigate to a new record, the workflow is expected to use the temporary association to navigate to the records found that contain the data that will be the basis for the contents of the embedded records the workflow is expected to create.