The superuser admin can configure server-wide global data. One common use is for forms deployed from a development/test form server to a production form server. You often need information such as Urls configured one way in your dev/test environment and another way in your production envirionment. For example, a database in the dev/test environment might be located at http://mytest:1024/database/listManagers and in your production environment at http://myprod:1044/database/listManagers.
makes deployment from dev/test to production easier by enabling you to configure global data variables. For example, rather than hard-coding the Url to your database server you can write the Url using a template such as {dbUrl}/database/listManagers. Then define variable dbUrl one way in dev/test and another way in production.
To see all the places where templates can be used, refer to the chapter Templatized Strings.
To define your server-wide global data:
- Click the
Download icon. This will download an empty default _data.properties file.
- Add your global data to the _data.properties file. See below for an example of the syntax. Save the file.
- Login to the form server as the superuser admin
- Click Manage Default _data
- Click Browse...
- Locate your newly created _data.properties file.
- Click Upload.
- For subsequent edits of the _data.properties file, simply download the _data.properties file previously uploaded by clicking on the
Download icon. Edit the file and upload the modified file as described above.
Here is an example of the syntax for a _data.properties file:
| Code Block |
|---|
dbUrl=http://localhost:8080/database/listManagers ManagerName=Joe |
You will see the following message when the _data.properties file has been successfully uploaded to :
| Info |
|---|
Parameters defined in the _data.properties file can be retrieved using _data.getParameter in rules. Here is an example showing how you can set the value of control labels, help and hints dynamically in a rule. |