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Lookup properties

EVA Netmodeler has a standard facility to allow for properties where a value should be chosen from a provided list. Examples would be:

• Days of the week (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun)
• Yes/No choices
• Status of items e.g. (Current, Future, Under Consideration)
• Rating symbols (F, D, C, B, A)

These are called lookups.

In this section we will demonstrate  how to create a lookup list using an example. The lookup set we will build in this section will be used to capture customer satisfaction on a scale of one to seven, one being "Ecstatic" and seven "Extremely Unhappy", with "Happy", "Satisfied", "Unsatisfied", "Very Unhappy" in the middle.

Creating a Lookup list

There are four steps in the process to create and use a new set of lookup values.

The first step is to create a Lookup Type:

A Lookup Type is simply a way to name, or label, a set of lookup items

Go to the "Item browser" and select "LookupType" from the dropdown box at the top-left part of the window. Click on the new button to show the create screen at the top-right part of the window. Type the name of the new Lookup Type. Try to choose a name that will remind you and other users what sort of information the Lookup Type is intended to hold. In our example here we will call the LookupType "CustFeedback" in the name field and click on the "Create" button.

We have now successfully created our new Lookup Type.

The second Step is to create the list of valid Lookup Items

Ensure that the Item Browser is open and the correct Lookup Item is selected. Click on the "new" button next to the "includes" relationship displayed at the bottom-left part of the Item Browser window.

A create screen will be displayed at the bottom-right part of the window. This screen will have two input fields. The first one is the name of the lookup item, this is the name that will be displayed in the dropdown list, the second one is the value of the lookup item. This is the value that will be stored in the database and used in Calc Fields and Custom Views. The fields can both contain the same value if required, but sometimes it is useful to display a descriptive value and use a simple keyword as a representation of the value for calculation purposes.

For this example, I have created the first Lookup Item by typing "1. Ecstatic" and complete the second field by typing type "1".

Now click on the "Submit" button. The new lookup item instance will be created and automatically linked to the "CustFeedback" type.

Repeat this process by clicking on the "new" button and creating the remaining lookup item instances according to the table below:

Name

LookupValue
                                

2. Extremely Happy

2

3. Happy

3

4. Satisfied

4

5. Unsatisifed

5

6. Very Unhappy

6

7. Extremely Unhappy

7

Once you have completed this process, you can go to the "Unified Browser" to review the full lookup set definition. Your lookup set should appear as follows:

This concludes the process of creating a named set of lookup values. Now we must update the definition of the type that will make use of this list of lookup values.

Defining a Lookup property in the Type Browser

Open the Type Browser and display the type that will contain the lookup property - in our example lets use a type called "Customer Feedback". Click on the "new" button next to the "legal attributes" caption, a "Create New Property" screen will be displayed at the right of your window.

We will complete this form as follows:

 

Field Name	Value	Explanation
Property Description	Feedback Result	This is simply the name of the property
Unit of Measure	CustFeedback	This is the name of the Lookup Type to be used during edit or create mode i.e. the name of the set of lookup items defined in step 1..
Property Type	Archie2Lookup	This tells the repository that the value of this property will come from a Lookup Type.

Once you have completed the form, click on the "Submit Query" button and the new property will be created and automatically linked to the "Customer Feedback" type.

The last step in the process it to test the new Lookup Type

We will do this by creating instances of the type on which we defined the Lookup Property in step 3. If we have done everything correctly, our new lookup set will be displayed as a dropdown box whenever we create new instances or edit existing instances of "Customer Feedback".

Go to the "Item Browser", select "Customer Feedback" from the dropdown box at the top-left of your window. Click on the "new" button. The create screen will be displayed at the top right part of your window. It should appear as follows:

Special Lookup Values

EVA Netmodeler provides a variety of predefined lookup value lists to expose commonly used system values. The process is exactly the same as for other lookups, except for the "Unit of Measure" field. Instead of completing the field using the name of the LookupType instance that defines the lookup set to be used, this field is completed using a keyword from the following table:

Keyword	Example	Result
TYPES:	TYPES:	Will display a drop-down list of all type definitions in EVA Netmodeler
TYPES:Domain	TYPES:Archi	Will display a drop-down list of all type definitions in EVA Netmodeler encapsulated by a domain named "Archi"
RELATIONSHIPS:	RELATIONSHIPS:	Will display a drop-down list of all RelTypes defined in EVA Netmodeler
PROPERTIES:	PROPERTIES:	Will display a drop-down list of all named properties defined in EVA Netmodeler
ITEMS:TypeName	ITEMS:ArchieSystemSettings	Will display a drop-down list of all instance names of type "ArchieSystemSettings"
FILTERS:	FILTERS:	Will display a list of all filter instance names.
USERS:	USERS:	Will display a list of all ArchieUser instance names.
DOMAINS:	DOMAINS:	Will display a drop-down list containing all domain instance descriptions

See the lookup model section for more information on how to configure EVA Netmodeler to manage lookup lists.