Table 1 describes how to use each type of loop control, using the information in Figure 1 and Figure 2 as examples. (Figure 1 also appears in General information about recording loops.)
The formats, headers, and footers of screens U1-U4 are similar enough so that a single screen description (U) can be used to recognize all four application screens, even though the central area of each screen is different. The screens U1-U4 can then be recorded as a loop, each iteration consisting of a single application screen (U).
With the current number of items in the parts list the loop would run through four iterations, processing application screens U1, U2, U3, and U4. However, the recorded loop is generalized for any number of iterations.
At each step of the repeated sequence the related application screens (for example K1, K2, K3 at the first step of the repeated sequence) have similar formats, headers, and footers, even though the central area of each screen (K1, K2, K3) is different. Consequently at each step the related application screens can be recognized by one screen description. That is, K1, K2, and K3 can be recognized by a single screen description (K); likewise L1, L2, and L3 can be recognized by a single screen description (L); and similarly M1, M2, M3 and N1, N2, N3.
The screens K1-N3 can then be recorded as a loop, each iteration consisting of four application screens K, L, M, and N.
With the current example the loop would run through three iterations, processing application screens K1-N1, K2-N2, and K3-N3. However, the recorded loop is generalized for any number of iterations.
Table 1 describes how to use each of the loop controls to record a loop, using as examples the sequences of applications screens in Figure 1 and Figure 2:
| Action before using the loop control: | Use the loop control: | Navigation before using the loop control -- from the examples: | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From Figure 1: | From Figure 2: | ||
| 1. Record the flow in the usual way, creating Extract actions or Insert actions as needed, until you reach the first application screen in the first iteration of the repeated sequence of screens. | Click Begin Loop .
|
R,S,T,(U1) | H,I,J,(K1 |
| 2.Continue to record the flow in the usual way until you reach the first application screen in the second iteration of the repeated sequence.1 | Click End Loop .
|
Navigate to R,S,T,(U1),(U2) |
Navigate to
H,I,J,(K1,L1,M1,N1), (K2 |
| 3. Navigate to the first application screen that the user encounters after navigating out of the repeated sequence.2 | Click Exit Loop .
|
R,S,T,(U1),(U2), (U3),(U4),V |
H,I,J,(K1,L1,M1,N1), (K2,L2,M2,N2),(K3, L3,M3,N3),O |
4. None. The Exit Flow Loop window
opens automatically when you click Exit Loop
|
In the Exit Flow Loop window:
|
Valid exit-from screens:
|
Valid exit-from screens:
|
| 5. Flow recording is re-enabled when the Exit Flow Loop window closes. | Loop recording is complete. Continue recording the flow.4 | R,S,T,(U1),(U2),(U3), (U4),V |
H,I,J,(K1,L1,M1,N1), (K2,L2,M2,N2),(K3, L3,M3,N3),O |
Table notes:
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An exit-from screen is an application screen inside a recorded loop from which the user can navigate to the Exit Loop screen in a single step. (The Exit Loop application screen is the first screen that the user encounters after navigating out of the repeated sequence of application screens from which the loop is recorded.) In a recorded loop there can be one exit-from screen or several, depending on the complexity of the structure of the application. Like all application screens managed by a recorded flow, an exit-from screen is recognizable because it matches a recorded screen description.
In the Exit Flow Loop window you select the exit-from screen or screens that are valid for the recorded loop (see In the Exit Flow Loop window).
The exit-from screen in this example is the screen description U. U matches the definition of an exit-from screen stated in the first sentence of this subtopic: when the user goes from application screen U4 (which matches the screen description U) to application screen V, the user navigates from a screen inside the loop (U) to the Exit Loop screen (V) in one step.
U is also a valid exit-from screen, because you want the loop to terminate when the navigation goes from U to the Exit Loop screen V in one step.
Therefore in the Exit Flow window you would select U as a valid exit-from screen.