Attribute Configuration

This tab contains the basic properties of an attribute.

Name

The name of the attribute. The name must be unique within the type, including the name case. For example, a type cannot contain two attributes named "Location" and "location". Also, the name must contain only letters, digits, and underscores, and must begin with a letter or an underscore. Additionally, if no Storage Name is set on the attribute, the Name will be used as Storage Name (row name in a database, column header in a CSV file, or tag name in XML). Depending on the intended use of the type, this may impose additional constraints on the name; for example, you may have to avoid naming the attribute the same as a keyword in the database you intend to use.

Type and Default Value

Choose the attribute type of the attribute from the list of attribute types, and set the default value for the attribute.

Field Type in Record Type

Select what the corresponding field in the derived Record type should be. For example, if the attribute is of type Date, you can specify the field type to be either Date, Time, or DateTime (default).

Required

If checked, this option serves two purposes:

• Variables of the type will not be stored (in a file or database) if the attribute does not have a value (an exception is thrown). Note that if a value is not supplied for a non-required attribute, nothing is stored in a file either, though there is no exception or error thrown.
• Input variables of the type must have a value for the attribute or the robot execution will not start.

Part of Database Key

When storing values of a type in a database, they need to be stored under a key. The key for the value is calculated as a secure hash of the attributes that are part of the database key. Choosing a good key is important when storing values in a database. You should make sure that the key attributes you select are unique across all the values of the type. Good examples of keys are product numbers and URLs. If you have stored data in the database, you should be very careful when changing this option. Any change will cause all the robots to be unable to refind (update) existing values in the database. If you have the correct setting for most of your robots but a single robot requires a different key calculation then you should change the key field on the steps in the robot.

Comment

In this field, you can add an optional comment for the attribute, which can be helpful for describing the attribute in detail.

This tab contains the advanced properties of an attribute.

Storage Name

This is an optional different name to use when storing the attribute, such as the row name in a database, the column header in a CSV file, or the tag name in XML. If you leave this field blank, the value from the Name property will be used automatically for storage. The intended use of the type may put some constraints on the storage name; for example, if values of the type are going to be stored in a database, you must avoid using a storage name which is same as a keyword in the database you intend to use.

Visible

Select this option if the attribute should be visible in robots in Design Studio.

Storable

Select this option if this attribute should be stored when storing values of the type.

Show Separator Before

This option is marked if a separator should be shown before this attribute when the type is used in robots in Design Studio.

Separator Title

The name of the separator.