Difficulty: novice
Content
Learning Objectives
After reading this article you will be able to:
Identify parameters.
Know where parameters come from.
Create new parameters.
What are parameters in Workplace?
A parameter in Workplace is a variable used to represent the value displayed within the corresponding field. When the value of a field is updated, the parameter is automatically updated as well. Parameters are for example used as dynamic input for: templates, formulas, and for the email body when sending workflow emails.
Example of parameter are {reference} and {firstname}. In an email template this parameter could be used to address the requestor of a reservation personally. For example:
Dear {firstname},
Reservation {reference} is confirmed by the serviceDesk.
The reservation can now be found on your personal login page.
Warm regards,
{nameofhost}
What parameters are available on a page?
To view the parameters that are available on an instance the page:
Open the page (e.g. a reservation);
Navigate to the gear symbol;
Click on Parameters.
A list of all the parameters that are available in the context of this page is now shown.
The column “Parameter” shows the parameter that you can use in a template.
The column “value” shows the value that will appear when the template is applied.
NB! Every parameter is available on the parameter page starting with both a small letter and a capital letter.
Parameters starting with a small letter uses the value of the instance.
Parameters stating with a Capital letter uses the label of the field.
Viewing the parameters definition
Parameters are created on the PDF-parameter page that is linked on the page definition of a page. If no parameter page is linked on the page definition, the parameter page is linked to a parent page.
The linked page linked in the ‘PDF parameters’ field contains the parameters
If the PDF parameter page has includes, the parameters defined on that include will also be available.
From what page does a parameter originate?
When creating a new parameter, or when editing an already existing one, its advised to first lookup where the existing parameters are defined. This tool is especially helpful when parameters originate from multiple pages.
Open the page (e.g. a requests);
Navigate to the gear symbol;
Click on Parameters;
When being on the parameter page. Search for the parameter using “ctrl+F”;
“Look up behind what “parms-group” the parameter is shown. This is the page on which the parameters are defined.
In the example, the ‘area’ parameter originates from the “ParametersGOBStandardRequest” page.
The parms-groups can be inherited from a parent page.
Parameter come from the linked PDF parameters page.
field on the PDF parameter page.
fields on the include linked to the PDF parameter page.
fields from reports linked to the PDF parameter page.
Creating a parameter - simple
To add a parameter on the linked PDF parameters page of the instance, follow these steps:
Navigate to the back-end of the instance page using page definition;
Open the linked PDF parameters page;
Navigate to the fields tab;
Add a new field to the PDF-parameter page;
Fill out the object and field;
The parameter on the page will be equal to the original ‘Field label’;
However, if the ‘Override label’' field is filled in, that will be the name of the parameter.
Creating a parameter - advanced
Besides adding a regular parameter to the parameter page, it is also possible to:
Change the parameter name, but not the field label.
Add a translation string as a parameter. This is especially helpful when generating an (email) template that should be translated based on the language of the end user.
Use a formula based parameter. This is used when the value of a parameter is based on the calculation of other fields available on the page.
Please take into account that for creating parameters, the same logic for fields applies as when adding fields to an instance page. This means that to determine the value of a parameter, Workplace looks up to determine what information to show of other objects. This also means you can link fields to each other if for example the parameters for a contact does not return the information you would expect.
Change the parameter name, but not the field label
To create unique parameters, the parameter name might need to deviate from the label name. For example when two contacts are shown on a page.
Navigate to the back-end of the instance page using page definition;
Open the linked PDF parameters page;
Navigate to the fields tab;
Add a new field to the PDF-parameter page;
Fill out the object and field;
Fill the field ‘Parameter’
Generating a translation string parameter
Navigate to the back-end of the instance page using page definition;
Open the linked PDF parameters page;
Navigate to the fields tab;
Add a new field to the PDF-parameter page;
Leave the object and field empty;
Fill in the parameter field;
This value will be the parameter that you can refer to in your template.
Fill in or create a new translation string in the “Override label” field;
The value in the override label will be the value generated when referring to the parameter using a capital letter.
By creating a translation string for the label, it is possible to create sentences that can be translated based on the language of the receiver. This is especially useful when creating templates for emails, contracts, work orders etc.
Use a formula based parameter
Navigate to the back-end of the instance page using page definition;
Open the linked PDF parameters page;
Navigate to the fields tab;
Add a new field to the PDF-parameter page;
Leave the object and field empty;
Fill in the formula field. Use the help text of this field to configure your formula.
[We’re aiming to create an article on using formulas in 2023]
Adding parameters from reports and includes
Besides being added as a field on a PDF parameters page, parameters can also originate from reports and includes that are linked to the linked PDF parameters page.
To find the reports and includes that are linked to the PDF parameters page:
Navigate to the back-end of the instance page using page definition.
Open the linked PDF parameters page.
The reports and includes on the instance page will be available at the bottom of PDF parameters page.
Make sure that the parameter you create is unique, to prevent unexpected results. There is no automated check in place for double parameters.
For example, if there are two parameters named {reference}. The parameter with the highest value in the field ‘Order’ is used.
Before you create a new parameter you can check if the parameter name you want to use is unique. Navigate to the gear symbol > Parameters to easily see what parameters are already available/ used for that page.
Summary
Search