Rational Developer for System z, Version 7.6

Reusing properties from the most recently saved generation properties file

This feature allows you to initialize the generation properties of an invoked flow in a new generation properties file to the same values that you have already set for the generation properties of the same invoked flow in an existing generation properties file.

This feature is enabled by the check box Reuse properties from the most recently saved generation properties file on the first page of the New Generation Properties wizard.

This topic contains the following subtopics:

When to use this feature

Typically you use this feature in two rather similar situations:
a) The values that you want to use are in the generation properties file for the invoked flow:
You have created a generation properties file for an invoked flow (for example, GPInvoked01.sfgen) and you have edited this file and specified values for the generation properties.
Now you want to use the same values for the generation properties of the same invoked flow in the generation properties file for the main flow (GPMain.sfgen).
b) The values that you want to use are in the generation properties file for the main flow:
You have created a generation properties file for the main flow (GPMain.sfgen) and you have edited this file and specified values for the generation properties of the invoked flow that reside in it.
Now you want to use the same values for the generation properties of the same invoked flow in the generation properties file for the invoked flow.

Requirement for the generation properties of invoked flows

Recall that there are two sets of generation properties for each invoked flow (see Two development scenarios: (1) Main flow; (2) Main flow with invoked flows):
  • A set residing in the generation properties file for the main flow (for example, GPMain.sfgen).
  • A set residing in the generation properties file for the invoked flow (GPInvoked01.sfgen).

Each set of generation properties is created automatically and is initialized to default values when the generation properties file (GPMain.sfgen or GPInvoked01.sfgen) is created.

For the Generate Runtime Code wizard to be able to process the main flow and its invoked flows properly, the two sets of generation properties for an invoked flow must be set to the same values in the both generation properties files.

For example, suppose that you have a main flow (Main.seqflow) and one invoked flow (Invoke01.seqflow). The invoked flow contains the three Invoke screen operation nodes (ScOp1, ScOp2, ScOp3).
  1. You create a generation properties file for the main flow (GPMain.sfgen). This file contains:
    • A flow node and invoke nodes to contain the generation properties for the Invoke nodes in the main flow.
    • A flow node (Invoke01) and invoke nodes (ScOp1, ScOp2, ScOp3) to contain the generation properties for the Invoke nodes in the invoked flow.
  2. You create a generation properties file for the invoked flow (GPInvoked01.sfgen). (You can do this step before Step (a) if you want.) This file contains:
    • A flow node (Invoke01) and invoke nodes (ScOp1, ScOp2, ScOp3) to contain the generation properties for the Invoke nodes in the invoked flow.

In this sitaution, you need to set the generation properties of the flow node (Invoke01) and the invoke nodes (ScOp1, ScOp2, ScOp3) to the same values in both generation properties files (GPMain.sfgen and GPInvok01.sfgen).

Using this feature

You can use this feature when you create either type of generation properties file: a generation properties file for the main flow or a generation properties file for an invoked flow.

To use this feature:

  1. Verify that the generation properties that you want to reuse have the correct values, by opening the proper generation properties file (such as GPMain.sfgen or GPInvoked01.sfgen) with the generation properties editor and inspecting the values of the generation properties.

  2. Save the generation properties file. This ensures that the values that you want to use are the most recently saved and therefore are the values that will be used by the New Generation Properties wizard.

  3. Start the New Generation Properties wizard (see Step A1. Create a generation properties file for the main flow and Step A3. Create a generation properties file for each invoked flow).

  4. On the first page of the wizard, select the check box Reuse properties from the most recently saved generation properties file.

  5. Continue through the pages of the wizard as usual (see Step A1. Create a generation properties file for the main flow and Step A3. Create a generation properties file for each invoked flow).

The wizard uses the values of the most recently saved generation properties to initialize the generation properties in the new generation properties file.

Database for most recently saved generation properties

This subtopic provides some technical details about how the most recently saved generation properties are stored.

When you save a generation properties file, the generation properties editor saves the generation properties of each node (whether it is a flow node an or invoke node) in a database.

The database contains a separate record for each node. Each record contains all the generation properties for the node.

When you save a generation properties file:
  • If no record for the node exists in the database, then the editor creates a record and stores the generation properties of the node into it.
  • If a record for the node already exists in the database, then the editor updates the record if any changes have been made in the generation properties of the node.

When you are creating a new generation properties file and you enable this feature, then the New Generation Properties wizard performs the following actions for each new node that it creates in the new generation properties file:

  1. The wizard looks in the generation properties database for a record containing the generation properties of the new node.

  2. If a record exists, then the wizard sets the generation properties of the new node to the properties recorded in the database record.

  3. If a record does not exist, then the wizard sets the generation properties of the new node to default values.

Each record in the database is identified uniquely by the following characteristics:
Node type:
The type is either flow node or invoke node.
Node name:
Recall that:
  • A flow node has the same name as the flow.
  • An invoke node has the same name as the corresponding invocation in the flow file that is associated with the generation properties file
Flow name:
This is the name of the flow for which the generation properties file containing the node is created.
Important: But the nodes in an invoked flow, even when occurring in a generation properties file for a main flow, are treated as belonging to the invoked flow.
Service flow project:
This is the service flow project containing the flow file and the generation properties files.
Runtime:
This is the runtime for which the node is created: IBM® CICS® Service Flow Runtime for CICS Transaction Server.


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