Variables Procedures

Adding Variables

When you create a variable definition, you can use it as a command parameter or as part of the message text in an action.

To add a variable:

  1. Click Definitions > Variables on the Navigation pane to display the Variables pane.

  1. Right-click and select Add Variable from the context menu or the Add on the TA toolbar to display the Variable Definition

    dialog.

  1. Type a name for the variable you are defining in the Name field.

  1. Click the Owner field, if you want to change the ownership of the variable, choose a new Owner from the drop-down menu.

  1. Click the Type field, from the drop-down menu choose the type of variable you are defining:

    • String – This setting accepts any string up to 255 characters, including numerical strings. Note that STRING types cannot be incremented with a variable update action.

    • Number – This setting accepts only values in numerical format, including those in exponential format (i.e., 1E5). It does not accept algebraic formats such as 1+2.

    • Date – This setting accepts only date values. You can only enter dates in the format defined in your Windows control panel. For example, if you have selected the short date style m/d/yy in the Regional Settings control panel, you cannot enter the date here as 10-6-07.

    • Boolean – The variable uses Boolean logical operators to determine a true or false value.

  1. Type a starting value for the variable in the Value field. You do not have to use quotation marks. You can type up to 255 characters.

  2. Type a description for the variable (optional) in the Description field.

  1. Click the Public option if you want the variable to be public. This makes the variable accessible to all TA users, within the limits of their security policy.

    You can edit a variable when you want to change its current value. The new value will be used everywhere that the variable is referred to, such as in the job definition, or an action definition.

Deleting Variables

By default the characters that comprise the time format are separated by colons but you may replace the colon with a period or manually delete the separator if desired.

You can delete variables that are no longer used. If there are references to the variables in jobs and actions, they will be replaced with an empty string.

If the variable to be deleted is already in use, you will lose that variable’s value in all those instances. You can disturb your production schedule, depending on how the variable was used. Once a variable definition is deleted, it will not be automatically replaced in any instances where it has been used, even if the new variable is given exactly the same name.

To delete a variable:

  1. Click Definitions > Variables on the Navigation pane to display the Variables pane.

  1. Right-click the variable and select Delete Variable from the context menu or select the variable and click Delete on the TA toolbar or the DELETE key on your keyboard.

  2. Click Yes when the Confirmation dialog displays to delete the variable.

Editing Variables

To edit a variable:

  1. Click Definitions > Variables on the Navigation pane to display the Variables pane.

  1. Double-click the variable or right-click the variable and click Edit Variable from the context men, or select the variable and click Edit on the TA toolbar.

  2. Edit the name of the variable in the Name field.

    Note: If you change the name of the variable, the new variable name does not automatically get updated in all job and action definitions where it was previously used. However, the correct substitution will still occur.

  1. Click the Type field, and then edit the type of variable:

    • STRING – This setting accepts any string up to 255 characters, including numerical string types. Note that STRING types cannot be incremented with a variable update action.

    • NUMBER – This setting accepts only values in numerical format, including those in exponential format (e.g., 1E5). It does not accept algebraic formats such as 1+2.

    • DATE – This setting accepts only date values. You can only enter dates in the format defined in your Windows control panel. For example, if you have selected the short date style m/d/yy in the Regional Settings control panel, you cannot type the date here as 10-6-06.

    • Boolean – The variable uses Boolean logical operators to determine a true or false value.

  1. Edit the variable’s value in the Value field. You do not have to use quotation marks. You can type up to 255 characters.

  2. Type a description for the variable (optional) in the Description field.

  1. Click the Public option if you want the variable to be public. This makes the variable accessible to all TA users, within the limits of their security policy. To limit use of the variable to yourself and your Workgroup, clear the Public option.

Viewing Variables

You can view all the user-defined variables available to you from the Variables pane.

Click Definitions > Variables on the Navigation pane to display the Variables pane.

Viewing the Value of Variables

To view the value of a variable:

  1. Click Definitions > Variables on the Navigation pane to display the Variables pane.

    The Variables pane includes a Value column. If the Value column is not visible in the Variables pane, select Preferences from the View main menu to display the Variables Preferences dialog.

  1. Click the Value option on the Columns tab.

    Note: You can also double-click the variable, or right-click and select Edit Variable from the context menu, or select the variable and click Edit on the TA toolbar to open the Variable Definition dialog and view its value.