Explanation of the data.xml

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A typical data.xml file looks like this:

<novulodata xmlns="http://www.novulo.com/novulodataVX" schemaversion="X.Y" supportedplatformversions="A.B" supportedpresentationlayers="Q">
  <plugins>
    <plugin>
      ...
    </plugin>
  </plugins>
</novulodata>

Where X.Y is the version of the schema for which you wrote the xml, currently ‘1.0’
A.B. states for which versions of the Novulo platform you developed your plugin, for example: 3.8, 3.8 to 3.9 or 3.9.C10000 to 3.9C11000.

TODO describe novulo version in detail

Q states which presentation layer(s) the plug-in supports. The accepted values are:

Options Explanation
all Plug-in contains no presentation layer specific code
kendo Plug-in supports the Keno presentation layer
telerik Plug-in supports the ASP presentation layer
xslt Plug-in supports the NovuloWebUI presentation layer

At the time of writing, kendo is the current supported presenation layer, other presentation layers are considered obsolete. So either all or kendo is expected. Multiple values can be combined by a comma. Combining all with any of the other options is not allowed.

To assist you with developing your data.xml file a XSD-schema file is available as attachment to this article. Place this file in your Visual Studio installation directory in the folder XML\Schemas.

Version Default installation directory
2017 C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\<edition>
2019 C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\<edition>
2022 C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\<edition>

plugin

This XML-element contains all information about the plug-in for the Architect and Generator. It can have the following attributes and/or child elements:

Name Type Usage Explanation
uuid attribute required Unique identifier for the plug-in
version attribute required The version of the plug-in
basicactionpluginitem element optional Represents an action (something that can be used in a process)
basicfunctionpluginitem element optional Represents a datafunction
basicstructureelementpluginitem element optional Represents a structure element (something that can be put on a page)
generatorinfo element optional Information for the Novulo Generator, may only be present once
configurationitem element optional Item that can be configured in the Architect

generatorinfo

Name Type Usage Explanation
fqn attribute optional Should be of the form full namespace+classname, assemblyname and the indicated classname will be registered in the plugins-part of the web.config
configurationproperty element optional Will be set to the first Component in Framework.Current.Components that is of the specified classname
configurationsection element optional Indicates that in the generated system, a section must be added to the web.config
configurationappsetting element optional Indicates that in the generated web.config a node should be added under <appSettings>, may only be present once
iisconfigurationsetting element optional Indicates that in the generated web.config some configuration (for instance handler/module) should be added
requiredfile element optional Indicates that a file from the JAR should be copied to the generated system
conditional element optional Indicates that everything inside this node should be executed only when the condition is met

configurationsection

A configurationsection indicates that in the generated system, a section must be added to the web.config. The contents of this section can be specified by providing a stringtemplate (see https://www.stringtemplate.org/).

Name Type Usage Explanation
name attribute required Indicates the name of the section
fqn attribute required Indicates the fqn of the section-type. This type will be registered for the section in the sectiondefinitions in the web.config
templatepath attribute required Indicates the path of the template in the JAR-file
templatename attribute required Indicates the name of the root-element in the template
file attribute optional If there is no file attribute, the section will be put in the web.config, otherwise the file attribute indicates the name of the file which should contain the section (must end with .config and is not web.config) and the section will be generated to that file and in the web.config a reference to that file will be made using the configSource attribute of the section.

All configurationitemvalues will be available in the template. All instances and their configurationitemvalues will also be available. How to access them is listed below.

Type of configurationitem Accessor Explanation
group container.itemname Will be a map containing all subconfigurationvalues for all items in the group
string container.itemname Will be the escaped string
typehandler container.itemname Will be the escaped ToString() of the NType
expression container.itemname Will be the escaped expressionstring
int container.itemname Will be the int32
bool container.itemname Will be set to true iff the item has value true
enum container.itemname Will be the escaped string
process container.itemname Will be a string representing the escaped processregistryname
idrange container.itemname Will be an int32 representing the base-value
fclass container.itemname_id Will be the int32 representing the id of the fclass
fclass containername.itemname_classname Will be the escaped fqn of the fclass (if this can not be derived, fallback on the classname)
fclass containername.itemname_processregistryname Only when the value is a process, will be the escaped processregistryname
fclass container.itemname_docgenrecipefqn Only when the value is a docgenaction, will be the escaped fqn of the recipe corresponding to the action

For a plugin instances will be a map containing all subconfigurationvalues for all instances of all pluginitems of this plugin.
For a pluginitem, in addition to the values of all configurationitems, item.id will be an int32 representing the id of the pluginitem and item.ispluginitemname will be set to true iff the item is a pluginitem of type pluginitemname

Example

As mentioned above, a template-file should be included to generate the contents of the section. A simple template looks like this (templatename=root):

  group plugin;
  
  root(data) ::= <<
  \<SectionName item="<data.itemname>"\>
    <data.instances:instance(); separator="\r\n">
  \</SectionName\>
  >>
  
  instance(inst) ::= <<
  \<InstanceNode name="<inst.id>" name="<inst.itemname>"\>
    <inst.instgroups:instgroup(); separator="\r\n">
  \</InstanceNode\>
  >>
  
  instgroup(grp) ::= <<
  \<GroupName Attribute="<grp.itemname>"/\>
  >>

configurationappsetting

A configurationappsetting indicates that in the generated web.config a node should be added under appSettings and its value-attribute must be set to the value of a configurationitem.

Name Type Usage Explanation
name attribute required Indicates the name of the appsetting
item attribute required Indicates the configurationitem from which to use the value
overwrite attribute optional If false existing values will not be overwritten, otherwise they will be
format attribute optional Only when type of configurationitem is fclass. Indicates how the value should be formatted

How the value is formatted, depends on the type of the confiurationitem, as shown in the table below:

Type of configurationitem Explanation
string As a string.
typehandler As the ToString() of the NType.
expression As an expressionstring.
int As an int32.
bool As true or false.
enum As a string.
process As a string containing the processregistryname.
idrange As an int32 representing the base-value.
fclass Depends on the value of the format attribute

format

This attribute is only applicable when type of configurationitem is fclass.

The attribute can have the following values:

Value Explanation
empty or id As an int32 representing the id of the fclass
classname As the fqn of the fclass (if this can not be derived, fallback on the classname)
processregistryname Only when the value is a process, as a string containing the processregistryname
docgenrecipefqn Only when the value is a docgenaction, as the fqn of the recipe corresponding to the action

iisconfigurationsetting

An iisconfigurationsetting can be used to add additional configuration to the web.config file of the application. The iisconfigurationsettingtype-element can have the following attribute and child element(s):

Name Type Usage Explanation
type attribute required Specifies the type of the iisconfigurationsetting
property element optional Additional configuration property

type

The following types of iisconfigurationsetting are supported:

Type Usage More info
Iis6Handler For adding a httpHandler for IIS6 to the web.config add Element for httpHandlers (ASP.NET Settings Schema) | Microsoft Learn
Iis6Module For adding a httpModule for IIS6 to the web.config add Element for httpModules (ASP.NET Settings Schema) | Microsoft Learn
Iis7Handler For adding a httpHandler for IIS7 to the web.config Adding Handlers <add> | Microsoft Learn
Iis7Module For adding a httpModule for IIS7 to the web.config Adding Modules <add> element for for Internet Information Services (IIS) 7 | Microsoft Learn
Membership For adding a membership node to the web.config membership Element (ASP.NET Settings Schema) | Microsoft Learn
MembershipProvider For adding a membershipProvider to the web.config. Used in conjuction with Membership add Element for providers for membership (ASP.NET Settings Schema) | Microsoft Learn
Authentication For adding authentication to the web.config authentication Element (ASP.NET Settings Schema) | Microsoft Learn
AssemblyRedirect For adding a assemblyRedirect to the web.config <assemblyBinding> Element for <runtime> | Microsoft Learn

property

A property element can have the following attributes:

Name Type Usage Explanation
name attribute required The name of the property. May not be null or empty.
value attribute required The value of the property. May not be null or empty.

Depending on the type the properties with the following names are expected to be present:

Type Properties
Iis6Handler path, verb and type and optionally validate
Iis6Module name and type
Iis7Handler name, path, verb and type and optionally preCondition
Iis7Module name and type
Membership defaultprovider, hashalgorithmtype and userisonlinetimewindow. All optional.
MembershipProvider name and type. Any other is added as attribute.
Authentication mode.
For mode=Forms: mode, name, loginurl, defaulturl, protection, timeout, path, requiressl, slidingexpiration, cookieless, domain, enablecrossappredirects, ticketcompatibilitymode, cookiesamesite;
For mode=Passport: redirectUrl may not be empty
AssemblyRedirect name, oldVersion and newVersion and optionally publicKeyToken, culture and processorArchitecture

requiredfile

A requiredfile indicates that a file from the JAR should be copied to the generated system.

Name Type Usage Explanation
source attribute required Specifies the path of the file in the JAR
targetdirectory attribute required Specifies the directory to which the file should be copied
targetfilename attribute optional Specifies the name the file should get (the original filename is used if no targetfilename is present)

If the plugin is not certified, the file will be copied to a special subdirectory containing all files from uncertified plugins. The user then has the option to manually move them to the right location if he decides to trust the files. In addition, if the targetdirectory is (a subdirectory of) the bin-directory, the bin-part is replaced with App_Data\plugins\bin, because no files can be generated in the bin-directory.

It should have the attributes source and targetdirectory and may have the attribute targetfilename. The source attribute specifies the path of the file in the JAR, the targetdirectory specifies the directory to which the file should be copied and the targetfilename specifies the name the file should get (the original filename is used if no targetfilename is present).

conditional

A conditional indicates that everything inside it should only be taken into account when the given condition is true.

Name Type Usage Explanation
minversion attribute required Indicates the minimum platform version this condition applies to.
When the platform version is greater or equal to this version, the conditions are executed.
remove-requiredfile element optional Indicates that a file should be removed. Has exactly the same attributes as requiredfile
requiredfile element optional Indicates that a file from the JAR should be copied to the generated system

basicactionpluginitem

A basicactionpluginitem represents an action (something that can be used in a process) that will be made available to the user in the Architect.

Name Type Usage Explanation
name attribute required Should be a unique name within the plugin. This is the name shown to the user in the Architect
parameter element optional Value for the attribute
returnvalue element optional Regex that value should match
architectinfo element optional Information for the Novulo Architect, may only be present once
generatorinfo element optional Information for the Novulo Generator, may only be present once
configurationitem element optional Item that can be configured in the Architect

parameter / returnvalue

Name Type Usage Explanation
name attribute required Name of the parameter/returnvalue
type attribute required Specifies the type of the parameter/returntype. This string is converted to an Architect-classhandler as described at the end of this article.
use attribute optional Indicates whether the parameter/returnvalue is required (default) or optional

architectinfo

Name Type Usage Explanation
icon attribute required Specifies the icon to use in the palette in the Architect (only for certified plugins). This icon must be included in the JAR-file.

generatorinfo

Name Type Usage Explanation
processregistryname attribute required Specifies the name that is used to look up the action in the processregistry in the generated code. The plugindll should usually register an action in the registry under this name.
classname attribute optional Should be present if <configurationproperty> childs are used for the action and in that case the classname attribute should contain the full namespace + the classname of the action (this class should usually be in the plugindll) so the properties can be set.
configurationproperty element optional Specifies properties that will be set on the class specified in the classname attribute

basicfunctionpluginitem

A basicfunctionpluginitem represents a datafunction that will be made available to the user in the Architect. There are three options:

  • add a static function to an primitive type
  • add a nonstatic function to an primitive type
  • let the user map the function to an user-defined function on a user-defined type

These three options are described in more detail below.

Name Type Usage Explanation
name attribute required Should be a unique name within the plugin. This is the name shown to the user in the Architect
class element optional at most one
parameter element optional Specifies a parameter for the datafunction
returntype element required Specifies the returntype of the datafunction. This string is converted to an Architect-classhandler as described at the end of this article, must be present once
architectinfo element optional Information for the Novulo Architect, may only be present once
generatorinfo element optional Information for the Novulo Generator, may only be present once
configurationitem element optional Item that can be configured in the Architect

Static function

To specify a static function a class element must be present as child of the basicfunctionpluginitem node

Name Type Usage Explanation
type attribute required Specifies the classhandler in which the static function will be made available. This string is converted to an Architect-classhandler as described at the end of this article. The plugindll should usually register a static function for this classhandler.

Non static function

To specify a non static function a me element must be present as child of the basicfunctionpluginitem node

Name Type Usage Explanation
type attribute required Specifies the classhandler in which the nonstatic function will be made available. This string is converted to an Architect-classhandler as described at the end of this article. The plugindll should usually register a nonstatic function for this classhandler.

User mapped function

To specify an user mapped function no class or me element must be present as child of the basicfunctionpluginitem node. In this case for a datafunction, the user will have the option to map the datafunction to the basicfunctionpluginitem by clicking the plugin-button in the ribbon and selecting the basicfunctionpluginitem. The generator will then not generate the datafunction, but instead register the basicfunctionpluginitem in the corresponding classhandler.

parameter

Name Type Usage Explanation
name attribute required Name of the parameter
type attribute required Specifies the type of the parameter. This string is converted to an Architect-classhandler as described at the end of this article.

returntype

Name Type Usage Explanation
type attribute required Specifies the classhandler in which the nonstatic function will be made available. This string is converted to an Architect-classhandler as described at the end of this article. The plugindll should usually register a nonstatic function for this classhandler.

architectinfo

Name Type Usage Explanation
icon attribute required Specifies the icon to use in the palette in the Architect (only for certified plugins). This icon must be included in the JAR-file.

generatorinfo

Name Type Usage Explanation
classname attribute required Specify the class name (including name space) that implements this function
configurationproperty element optional Specifies properties that will be set on the class specified in the classname attribute

should have an attribute fqn and can contain configurationproperty childs iff the third option is
used. The fqn attribute specifies the full namespace + classname of the function that will be
registered for datafunctions that the user maps to this basicfunctionpluginitem. The
configurationproperty-childs will be described later in this document.

basicstructureelementpluginitem

A basicstructureelementpluginitem represents a structure element (something that can be put on a page) that will be made available to the user in the Architect.

Name Type Usage Explanation
name attribute required Should be a unique name within the plugin. This is the name shown to the user in the Architect
architectinfo element required Information for the Novulo Architect, may only be present once
generatorinfo element optional Information for the Novulo Generator, may only be present once
configurationitem element optional Item that can be configured in the Architect

architectinfo

Name Type Usage Explanation
type attribute required Specifies the Java-classname of the class the Architect-representation of the structure element should extend
context attribute required Specifies where in the palette the structure element will be available. Options are page and form
icon attribute required Specifies the icon to use in the palette in the Architect (only for certified plugins). This icon must be included in the JAR-file.
requiredattribute element optional Indicates a required attribute for the Architect-representation of the structure element

Type

The following is a list with possible types for the Architect-representation of a BasicStructureElementPlugin. We are not sure if all these types will work correctly, but most of them should.

  • com.claves.ftool.model.FCanvas
  • com.claves.ftool.model.FLinkedModule
  • com.claves.ftool.model.FModule
  • com.claves.ftool.model.FPortal
  • com.claves.ftool.model.FSubsystem
  • com.claves.ftool.model.page.FPage
  • com.claves.ftool.model.page.FSpecialPage
  • com.claves.ftool.model.page.PageRow
  • com.claves.ftool.model.overviewCanvas.FColumn
  • com.claves.ftool.model.overviewCanvas.FFunctionColumn
  • com.claves.ftool.model.overviewCanvas.FLinkedOverviewCanvas
  • com.claves.ftool.model.overviewCanvas.FOverviewCanvas
  • com.claves.ftool.model.overviewCanvas.FQuickAddGrid
  • com.claves.ftool.model.formCanvas.FDynamicFormRegion
  • com.claves.ftool.model.formCanvas.FFormCanvas
  • com.claves.ftool.model.formCanvas.FLinkedFormCanvas
  • com.claves.ftool.model.formCanvas.FormCanvasRow
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FTabbedPanel
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FButton
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FCheckbox
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FDatefield
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FDropDown
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FElement
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FEnumObjectElement
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FFormButton
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FHTMLEditor
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FIcon
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FImage
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FLabel
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FMirrorElement
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FObjectElement
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FOnChangeElement
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FOverviewButton
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FPageButton
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FPasswordField
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FRadio
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FSearchLink
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FSimpleHTMLEditor
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FTabPage
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FTextArea
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FTextfield
    • dataType=“string”
    • dataType=“number” numberDecimals=0
    • dataType=“number” numberDecimals=\A[1-9]\z (regex)
    • dataType=“money”
    • dataType=“percentage”
    • dataType=“date”
    • dataType=“datetime”
    • dataType=“time”
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FUploadField
  • com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FWhiteSpace
  • com.claves.ftool.model.toolbar.FToolbar
  • com.claves.ftool.model.toolbar.FToolbarButton
  • com.claves.ftool.model.toolbar.FToolbarInputItem
  • com.claves.ftool.model.toolbar.FToolbarItem
  • com.claves.ftool.model.toolbar.FToolbarLabel
  • com.claves.ftool.model.toolbar.FToolbarSeparator
  • com.claves.ftool.model.toolbar.FToolbarTextbox

requiredattribute

Indicates a required attribute for the Architect-representation of the structure element.
When a new instance of the pluginitem is created, the attribute with the name name will be set to the value value.
When regex is set, when clicking ‘Apply plugin item’ in the Archtect, the conversion is only allowed if the current value matches the regex; otherwise the conversion is only allowed if the current value is the same as value.

Example

If the pluginitem should be a float, use:

<architectinfo type="com.claves.ftool.model.elements.FTextfield">
  <requiredattribtue name="dataType" value="number"/>
  <requiredattribtue name="numberDecimals" value="2" regex="\A[1-9]\z"/>
</architectinfo>
Name Type Usage Explanation
name attribute required Name of the attribute
value attribute required Value for the attribute
regex attribute optional Regex that value should match

generatorinfo

Name Type Usage Explanation
superclass attribute required
(for panels)		 Specifies the superclass of the panel in the generated code. It should contain the full namespace + the classname (this class should usually be in the plugindll)
dataelementregistrysubtype attribute required
(for elements)		 Specifies the subtype that will be set for the element in the generated code. The plugindll should usually register a dataelement in the dataelementregistry for this subtype
classname attribute optional Only for elements, required when <configurationproperty> elements are present. Should contain the full namespace + the classname of the element (this class should usually be in the plugindll) so the properties can be set.
configurationproperty element optional Specifies properties that will be set on the class specified in either the superclass or classname attribute

configurationitem

A configurationitem can be added to a plugin or to any basic***pluginitem. It allows the user to configure the plugin or a basic***pluginitem-instance (!) in the Architect.

Name Type Usage Explanation
name attribute required Name of the parameter
type attribute required Indicates the type of the configurationitem. The possible options are described in the next table.
validif attribute optional Specifies when the configurationitem is valid. This is specified by a string which will be interpreted as resolvable.
requiredif attribute optional Specifies when the configurationitem is required. This is specified by a string which will be interpreted as resolvable.
default attribute optional Specifies the defaultvalue of the configurationitem. The allowed values are dependent on the type of the configurationitem. Therefore, the allowed values will be described for each type later.
defaultformat attribute optional Specifies the defaultvalue of the configurationitem. The allowed values are dependent on the type of the configurationitem. Therefore, the allowed values will be described for each type later.
title attribute optional Specifies the title for the configurationitem that will be shown to the Architect-user. If no title is specified, the name will be used instead.
nrneeded attribute optional Should be an integer and specifies how large the idrange should be
treestart attribute optional Specifies where the FClass selection tree should start when selecting a FClass. Can
configurationitem element optional Item that can be configured in the Architect
constraint element optional Put constraints on the types the user can select
context element optional Specifies the context of the expression
option element optional Specifies a value that can be selected for enum-coinfigurationitems
parameter element optional Specifies a parameter of a process-configurationitem
returnvalue element optional Specifies a return value of a process-configurationitem
valid element optional Specifies a valid group of fclasses the user can select of a fclass-configurationitem
help element optional Specifies some help that can be shown to the user about this configurationitem (currently this is done in a tooltip for the title)

Depending on the type some attributes or child elements are not allowed, which is displayed in the following table:

Type name validif requiredif title help default configurationitem constraint context defaultformat option parameter returnvalue nrneeded treestart valid
string :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x:
group :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :x: :white_check_mark: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x:
typehandler :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :x: :white_check_mark: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x:
expression :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :x: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x:
bool :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x:
int :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x:
enum :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :x: :x: :x: :x: :white_check_mark: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x:
process :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :x: :x: :x:
idrange :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :white_check_mark: :x: :x:
fclass :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :x: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark:

constraint

Puts constraints on the types the user can select
Name Type Usage Explanation
type atrribute required Constraint type. Value is either isrecord (the selected type should be an record (objectsclasshandler)) or acceptedby in which case the child attribute value is also required
value attribute optional Specifies that the type must be accepted by by this type. This is specified by a string which will be interpreted as resolvable.

context

Specifies the context of the expression
Name Type Usage Explanation
value attribute optional Specifies the context of the expression, where the first classhandler is the topmost context. This is specified by a string which will be interpreted as resolvable.

option

Specifies an option for an enum-configurationitem.
Name Type Usage Explanation
value atrribute required The value for a possible option of the enum

parameter

Specifies a parameter for a process-configurationitem.
Name Type Usage Explanation
name atrribute required Specifies the name of the parameter
type atrribute required Specifies the datatype of the parameter. This is specified by a string which will be interpreted as resolvable.
validif atrribute required Specifies when the parameter is valid (exists). This is specified by a string which will be interpreted as resolvable.

returnvalue

Specifies a return value for a process-configurationitem.
Name Type Usage Explanation
name atrribute required Specifies the name of the return value
type atrribute required Specifies the datatype of the return value. This is specified by a string which will be interpreted as resolvable.
validif atrribute optional Specifies when the return value is valid (exists). This is specified by a string which will be interpreted as resolvable.

valid

Specifies a valid group of fclasses the user can select
Name Type Usage Explanation
type atrribute required Specifies the group of fclasses a user can select.
actiontype atrribute optional Limits the types of actions a user can select.
shared atrribute optional Limits the type of panels a user can select.
elementtype atrribute optional Limits the type of elements a user can select.

type

The following group of fclasses can be specified
Type Effect actiontype shared elementtype
any The user can select anything :x: :x: :x:
module The user can select modules :x: :x: :x:
action The user can select actions :white_check_mark: :x: :x:
panel The user can select all types of panels :x: :white_check_mark: :x:
gridpanel The user can select gridpanels :x: :white_check_mark: :x:
formpanel The user can select formpanels :x: :white_check_mark: :x:
tabbedpanel The user can select tabbedpanels :x: :white_check_mark: :x:
formelement The user can select elements
(FElements except FOverviewButton/FPageButton/FMirrorElement)		 :x: :x: :white_check_mark:

actiontype

Limits the types of actions a user can select. The value of the attribute must be equal to `action.getType()` in the Architect code.

Some examples:

To select only process components:

<configurationitem type="process" ...>
  <valid type="action" actiontype="component">
</configurationitem>

To select only processes:

<configurationitem type="process" ...>
  <valid type="action" actiontype="process">
</configurationitem>

To select only return:

<configurationitem type="process" ...>
  <valid type="action" actiontype="Return">
</configurationitem>

shared

Limits the type of panels a user can select. The following values are allowed for the `shared` attribute:
Shared Explanation
no No shared panels
yes Only shared panels
original Only original shared panels
nonoriginal No original shared panels
link Only nonoriginal shared panels
nonlink No nonoriginal shared panels
any No restrictions (the default)

elementtype

Limits the type of elements a user can select. The following values are allowed for the `elementtype` attribute:
Elementtype Explanation
button Only FFormButton elements
icon Only FIcon elements
image Only FImage elements
label Only FLabel elements
whitespace Only FWhiteSpace elements
checkbox Only FCheckbox elements
html Only FHTMLEditor or FSimpleHTMLEditor elements
dropdown Only FDropDown elements
radio Only FRadio elements
searchlink Only FSearchLink elements
password Only FPasswordField elements
textarea Only FTextArea elements
upload Only FUploadField elements
string Only FTextfield elements, where the dataType attribute equals string
url Only FTextfield elements, where the dataType attribute equals url
email Only FTextfield elements, where the dataType attribute equals email
int Only FTextfield elements, where the dataType attribute equals number and the number of decimals is 0
float Only FTextfield elements, where the dataType attribute equals number and the number of decimals is not 0
money Only FTextfield elements, where the dataType attribute equals money
percentage Only FTextfield elements, where the dataType attribute equals percentage
date Only FTextfield elements, where the dataType attribute equals date
datetime Only FTextfield elements, where the dataType attribute equals datetime

help

Specifies some help that can be shown to the user about this configurationitem (currently this is done in a tooltip for the title). Its content is the help shown to the user. This may be simple text, or it may be html (then start with <html> and end with </html>).
Name Type Usage Explanation
lang atrribute optional Specifies the language for which the help is intended.

An example of help with simple text:

<configurationitem type="process" ...>
  <help lang="en">This is simple text</help>
  <help lang="nl">Dit is simpele tekst</help>
</configurationitem>

An example of help with html:

<configurationitem type="process" ...>
  <help lang="en">&lt;html&gt;This is HTML. In which you can do &lt;b&gt;bold&lt;/b&gt; text.&lt;/html&gt;</help>
  <help lang="nl">&lt;html&gt;Dit is HTML. Daarin kun je &lt;b&gt;vetgedrukte&lt;/b&gt; tekst maken.&lt;/html&gt;</help>
</configurationitem>

resolvables

Several attributes of configurationitems are interpreted as resolvable. This is a sort of language to specify boolean values / typehandlers. When the value is needed, the Architect will resolve the value to an actual boolean value / typehandler.
In this language the following constructs can be used:

Literals

For booleans this should be true or false.
For typehandlers the string will be converted to an Architect classhandler. The following strings are recognized:

  • boolean
  • date
  • datetime
  • emailaddress
  • float
  • html
  • int
  • moneyeur
  • moneygbp
  • moneyusd
  • moneyjpy
  • password
  • percentage
  • string
  • url
  • yesno
  • pages
  • class
  • cascades
  • deletechecktypes
  • mixed
  • navigation
  • grid
  • displaytypes
  • messages
  • rightsprofiles
  • file
  • orderby

Additionally the strings list<?> and tuple<?> are also recognized correctly, where ? is a string that will be converted to an Architect-typehandler. Nestings are possible.

Commands

These all start with a $. The supported commands are:

Command Explanation
$hasrecord resolves to true iff the root object has a record
$and[xxx,xxx,...] all xxx’s are interpreted as resolvables
$or[xxx,xxx,...] all xxx’s are interpreted as resolvables
$not[xxx] xxx is interpreted as resolvable
$if[xxx,yyy,zzz] xxx, yyy and zzz are interpreted as resolvable
$isempty[xxx] xxx is interpreted as resolvable
$equals[xxx,yyy] xxx and yyy are interpreted as resolvable
$list[xxx] resolves to a list type, xxx is interpreted as resolvable
$tuple[xxx,xxx,...] resolves to a tuple type, all xxx’s are interpreted as resolvables
$context resolves to all typehandlers in the defaultcontext of the root object
$context[i] resolves to the typehandler at the specified index in the defaultcontext of the root object
$context[a..b] resolves to all typehandlers in the specified range in the defaultcontext of the root object, either a or b may be omitted
$record resolves to the record of the rootobject, the record in which the root is defined, usually pagerecord or dynamicformrecord
$pagerecord resolves to the record of the page in which the root is defined
$pagestate resolves to the pagestate record of the page in which the root is defined
$childrecord resolves to the childrecord of the root object, valid for grids and objectinputs

Paths

These all start with a @. Paths can be used to refer to (other) configurationitems (or subvalues of them).
To refer to a configurationitem named item, use @item.
If the current configurationitem is contained in a configurationitemgroup, the configurationitems one level up can be refered to by using @parent.item, two levels up by @parent.parent.item, etc.
If the current configurationitem is for a pluginitem, the configurationitems of the plugin can also be refered to by using @parent.pluginitem.
To refer to a subvalue of a configurationitem use @item.subvalue or @item.subvalue.subsubvalue, etc.

You can refer to the following things:

  • To the configurationitem itself. This usually resolves to the value of the configurationitem. For backwards compatibility, if you refer to an expression configurationitem and a typehandler is expected, it resolves to the returnvalue of the expression. This should be treated at deprecated however, and should not be used in new plugins / plugin updates.
  • To @item.hasdefault, @item.default, @item.validif or @item.requiredif
  • To @item.returntype, for expression configurationitems
  • To @item.parametername.validif or @item.returnvaluename.validif, for process configurationitems

configurationproperty

A configurationproperty indicates that in the generated code, a property of a certain object must be set with the value of a configurationitem. Which object depends on where the configurationproperty is defined (for plugins the INovuloComponent, for structure elements the element, for actions the action and for mappable functions the function).

Name Type Usage Explanation
name attribute required Indicates the name of the property that must be set
item attribute required Indicates the name of the configurationitem whose value must be set to the attribute
type attribute optional Can be used to specify the type of property
format attribute optional Indicates how the value should be formatted
subitem attribute optional Name of the parameter
classname attribute optional Name of the parameter
configurationproperty element optional Name of the parameter

item

It is possible to refer to items on a higher level. For example, when you have a configationproperty of type group referring to a groupconfigurationitem in a pluginitem, in the child properties you can refer to a root-configurationitem by using parent.rootitemname and you can refer to a root-configuration item of the plugin by using parent.parent.pluginconfitemname.

type

Depending on the type some attributes or child elements are not allowed, which is displayed in the following table:

Type subitem classname configurationproperty Explanation
'' or NULL or not set :white_check_mark: :x: :x: Default. In the generated code, the property will be set tot the value of the configurationitem.
list :white_check_mark: :x: :x: The item should refer to a configurationitem of type group and the attribute subitem should refer to a configurationitem within that group.
group :x: :white_check_mark: :white_check_mark: The item should refer to a configurationitem of type group, the attribute classname should be set to a valid typename.

list

In the generated code, the property will be set to a list containing the value of the subitem for each item in the group.
A special case is that for properties of the plugin, the item may also have the format instances.pluginitemname. In this case the attribute subitem should refer to a configurationitem within that pluginitem and in the generated code, the property will be set to a list containing the value of the subitem for each instance of the specified pluginitem.

group

In the generated code, the property will be set to a list containing an object of the specified classname for each item in the group. Additionally, properties of these objects will be set recursively according to the configurationproperty childs. A special case is that for properties of the plugin, the item may also ahve the format instances.pluginitemname. In this case the configurationproperty childs should refer to configurationitems within that pluginitem and in the generated code, the property will be set to a list containing an object of the specified classname for each instance of the specified pluginitem.

format

Also, for some types of configurationitem, the value may be formatted in different ways. In this case the `format` attribute specifies how the value should be formatted. How the different types of configurationitems are formatted is listed below:
Type Formatted as
string As a string.
typehandler As a NType
expression As an expressionstring
int As an int32.
bool As a boolean.
enum As a string.
process As a string containing the processregistryname.
idrange As an int32 representing the base-value.
fclass If format is empty or id as an int32 representing the id of the fclass.
If format is classname as the fqn of the fclass (if this can not be derived, fallback on the classname).
If format is processregistryname and the object is a process as a string containing the processregistryname.
If format is docgenrecipefqn and the object is a docgenaction as the fqn of the recipe corresponding to the action.
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