TOC

Global Variables

The Global Variable Management enables users to manage variables that may be used as Workflow variables. Within a Workflow, users are able to specify a configuration table (see Workflow Management) containing the values of all variables used within the respective Workflow. Besides a hard-coded value, users may specify a reference to a global variable. Thus the modification of a global variable's value affects all Workflows' variables referencing this global variable. This is especially useful when storing login credentials.

The Global Variable Management enables users to manage a Customer's Master Data used to identify measured data independently of Robots or Workflows. Different entities refer to different Master Data:

Currently, global variables of the following types may be used:

Global Variables

The left section of the Global Variables view lists the Master Data's sub menus with the current view marked as selected. The center view contains a list of all global variables as specified for the current Customer. The right section shows the tag management (see below).

Multitenancy

Global variables are created in the context of the current Customer. Thus all users of the respective Customer may see the same global variables.

If standard users are logged in, the Global Variable Management shows global variables of the user's Customer only; whereas logged in System Users operate in the context of the Customer currently specified by Customer Switch and thus view global variables of this Customer only.

The [System] context does not support global variables. Selection of [System] context via Customer Switch results in an error message as follows:
Access denied: no support for System context

Tagging

Besides their unique names, global variables are identified via tags. Tags are strings that can be assigned to global variables. Each global variable may be associated with an arbitrary number of tags. Within the view, tags are displayed as a comma separate list. By means of table's column filtering users may only view global variables associated with the specified tag.

As with global variables, tags are managed by Customer.

The right section of the global variables view contains the Tag Management. Tags may be assigned to selected global variables here either by choosing an already existing tag from the combo box containing a list of all tags already assigned to at least one entity, or by entering a list of comma-separated tags and afterwards clicking the "Plus" button.

Besides the assignment of tags, users view a list of tags already assigned to at least one of the selected global variables. Hovering an assigned tag shows a red cross that can be used to release it from the global variables selected.

Menu

The Global Variable Management supports the following operations:

Refresh

This menu item is used to refresh the list of global variables. The table's status bar shows the time stamp of the last refresh.

Create > Boolean Variable

This menu item is used to create a new global boolean variable (true or false). Selecting Create > Boolean Variable opens a dialogue assisting in the creation of boolean variables that takes places independently of selected global variables. The boolean variables created automatically belong to the Customer currently selected.

User
To perform this operation, logged in users must own the privilege Global Variables Create.

System User
The created boolean variable automatically belongs to the Customer currently selected by Customer Switch. Boolean variables created in the System context are System variables.

Create > Integer Variable

This menu item is used to create a new global integer variable. Selecting Create > Integer Variable opens a dialogue assisting in the creation of integer variables that takes places independently of selected global variables. The integer variables created automatically belong to the Customer currently selected.

User
To perform this operation, logged in users must own the privilege Global Variables Create.

System User
The created integer variable automatically belongs to the Customer currently selected by Customer Switch. Integer variables created in the System context are System variables.

Create > Floating Point Variable

This menu item is used to create a new global floating point variable. Selecting Create > Floating point Variable opens a dialogue assisting in the creation of floating point variables that takes places independently of selected global variables. The floating point variables created automatically belong to the currently selected Customer.

User
To perform this operation, logged in users must own the privilege Global Variables Create.

System User
The floating point variable created automatically belongs to the Customer currently selected by Customer Switch. Floating point variables created in the System context are system variables.

Create > Alphanumeric Variable

This menu item is used to create a new global alphanumeric variable. Selecting Create > Alphanumeric Variable opens a dialogue assisting in the creation of alphanumeric variables that takes places independently of selected global variables. The alphanumeric variables created automatically belong to the Customer currently selected.

User
To perform this operation, users must own the privilege Global Variables Create.

System User
The alphanumeric variable created automatically belongs to the Customer currently selected by Customer Switch. Alphanumeric variables created in the System context are System variables.

Create > Simple Credential

This menu item is used to create a new global simple credential (login name and password). Selecting Create > Simple Credential opens a dialogue assisting in the creation of new simple credentials that takes places independently of selected global variables. The simple credentials created automatically belong to the Customer currently selected.

User
To perform this operation, users must own the privilege Global Variables Create.

System User
The simple credential created automatically belongs to the Customer currently selected by Customer Switch. Simple credentials created in the System context are System variables.

Edit

To enable this menu item and perform the modification, one single global variable must be selected. Clicking Edit opens a dialogue assisting in modification of the global variable selected.

User
To perform this operation, logged in users must own the privilege Global Variables Edit.

Remove

To enable this menu item and perform the modification, at least one global variable must be selected. Clicking Remove opens a message box to confirm the removal of the global variable selected.

User
To perform this operation, users must own the privilege Global Variables Delete.

Caution
Global variables may be removed only under at least one of the following given conditions:

  • They are not contained within a configuration table.
  • They are contained in configuration tables of Workflow revisions not deployed to a Robot.

Usage

To enable this menu item and show the usage, at least one global variable must be selected. Clicking Usage opens a dialogue showing the usage of the global variables selected. Currently, global variables usage is restricted to the referencing to global variables within a Workflow revision's configuration table.