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1. To create an item type attribute, select an item type in the navigator tree, then choose New Attribute from the Edit menu.

To create an activity attribute, select an activity in the navigator tree and choose New Attribute from the Edit menu.

An Attribute property page appears in both cases.

2. Provide an Internal Name in all uppercase with no leading/trailing spaces. All Oracle Workflow APIs, SQL scripts, and PL/SQL procedures refer to the internal name when identifying an attribute.

Attention: To update the internal name for an attribute once it is defined, you must use special SQL scripts called wfchita.sql and wfchacta.sql. You should only use these scripts to correct errors in an attribute's internal name during design time. Do not use these scripts to rename attributes that are involved in running instances of processes. See: Wfchita.sql, Oracle Workflow Administrator's Guide and Wfchacta.sql, Oracle Workflow Administrator's Guide.

Caution: Do not include colons ":" or leading/trailing spaces in your internal name.

3. Enter a Display Name. This is the name that appears in the navigator tree.

4. Enter an optional description.

5. Select the data type of the attribute. Form, URL, and document data types are not relevant if you are defining an activity attribute.

6. Depending on the data type of your attribute, provide the following default value information:

• Text--Specify the maximum length of the text attribute and an optional default text string.

• Number--Optionally provide a format mask for your number and a default value.

• Date--Optionally supply a format mask for the date and a default value.

• Lookup--Choose a predefined Lookup Type from which to draw values. Choose a lookup code from that lookup type for the default value.

• URL--Specify an optional Universal Resource Locator (URL) to a network location in the Default Value field and specify the frame target for the URL. See: To Define a URL Attribute.

Note: The Frame Target field is applicable only for message attributes of type URL. It is not used for item type attributes or activity attributes.

• Form--This attribute is relevant only for the version of Oracle Workflow embedded in Oracle Applications.

Specify an optional developer form function name and optional argument strings (form function parameters) in the Default Value field. See: Overview of Menus and Function Security, Oracle Applications Developer's Guide and To Define a Form Attribute.

• Document--Enter an optional string that identifies the document in the default value field. See: To Define a Document Attribute.

Note: The Frame Target field is not applicable for attributes of type document. For document attributes, this field is reserved for future use.

• Role--Specify a role name. See: Roles.

• Attribute--Specify the name of an item type attribute that you want to maintain references to in a process by choosing from the list of existing item type attributes.

• Event--If you are defining an item type attribute, you cannot specify any default value for an event attribute. If you are defining an activity attribute, you can only specify an event item type attribute as the default value.

7. For item type attributes, the optional default value is a constant that you enter or select from a list of values. The constant, however, may be a text string that allows for token substitution at runtime.

For activity attributes, the optional default value may be a constant or an item type attribute. If you want the default to acquire its entire value from an item type attribute, choose Item Attribute in the Default Value region, then use the adjacent poplist field to choose the item type attribute. The item type attribute you select must be associated with the same item type that the activity itself is associated with. The item type attribute you select must also be of the same data type as the activity attribute.

Note: An activity attribute type of 'Text' is compatible with any item attribute type, but all other activity attribute types must match the item attribute type exactly.

Note: For attributes of type Lookup, the default value must be a lookup code belonging to that lookup type.

8. Choose Apply to save your changes, OK to save your changes and close the property page or Cancel to cancel your changes and close the property page.

9. If you are defining an item type attribute, select the Access tab page to set the access levels allowed to modify this attribute. Activity attributes assume the access/protection level of their parent activity. See: Allowing Access to an Object.

10. Choose Apply to save your changes.

11. Any item type attribute you create appears beneath the Attributes branch in the navigator tree. Any function activity attribute you define appears beneath the activity you defined it for in the navigator tree. You can review or edit the properties of an attribute at any time by double-clicking on the attribute in the navigator tree or by selecting the attribute and choosing Properties from the Edit menu.

Attention: The order that you list these attributes in the navigator tree correlate to the order in which they appear in any list of values that draw upon these attributes. You can use the drag and drop feature of the navigator tree to reorder a set of attributes, or select an attribute and choose Move Attribute Up or Move Attribute Down from the Edit menu.

See Also

To Copy an Attribute