Enabling Descriptive Flexfields

Descriptive Flexfields:

·        Descriptive flexfields lets you add additional fields to the form in order to track additional information needed by the business that would not be captured by the standard form. Descriptive flexfields can be context sensitive, where the information your application stores depends on other values your users enter in other parts of the form.

·        A descriptive flexfield appears on a form as a single–character, unnamed field enclosed in Square Brackets [ ]. Each field or segment in a descriptive flexfield has a prompt and can have a set of valid values 

Descriptive Flexfield Concepts:

·         Descriptive Flexfield Segments:

·         Descriptive flexfields have two different types of segments, global and context–sensitive.

·         A global segment is a segment that always appears in the descriptive flexfield pop–up window.

·         A context–sensitive segment is a segment that may or may not appear depending upon what other information is present in your form.

·         A descriptive flexfield can get context information from either a field somewhere on the form, or from a special field (a context field) inside the descriptive flexfield pop–up window. If the descriptive flexfield derives the context information from a form field (either displayed or hidden from users), that field is called a reference field for the descriptive flexfield.

·         How and where are the segment information is stored:

·         A descriptive flexfield uses columns that are added on to a database table. A descriptive flexfield requires one column for each possible segment and one additional column in which to store structure information (that is, the context value). The descriptive flexfield columns are usually named ATTRIBUTEn where n is a number.

·         For example, if you have a descriptive flexfield on an Shipping Execution (Delivery Details) form, it populates the Structure column with the context field and the columns ATTRIBUTEn with the flexfield segments of the table WSH_DELIVERY_DETAILS.

Example of enabling DFF:

• Example :Enable DFF in Delivery Details form in Shipping transaction form
• Navigation: Go to “Order management Super User, Vision Operations” responsibility
• Orders, Returns >> Shipping Transactions Form
• Enable the DFF at right bottom screen.
• To know the name of the DFF in a particular form do the following
• Navigation: Help Menu >> Diagnostics >> Examine
• Select Block Name as $DESCRIPTIVE_FLEXFIELD$
• Field as DLVB.DESC_FLEX
• Value will be populated and it will be the title of your DFF.
• Title: Additional Delivery Detail Information (Shipping Execution) 
• Order management in the brackets represent the Application in which this DFF is registered. 

•  To enable this 
• Navigation: Go to Application Developer >> Flexfield >> Descriptive >> Register

• Check for the Attributes created for the DFF segments 

• Navigation: Go to Application Developer >> Flexfield >> Descriptive >> Segments
• Query the DFF 
• Press F11 and enter
• Title: Additional Delivery Detail Information
• Application: Shipping Execution
• Press CTL + F11 to query the record
• Enter Context Field : LPN

• Click on Segments
• Enter the following information
• Number: 10
• Name LPN Demo
• Window Prompt: LPN Demo
• Column: ATTRIBUTE1
• Save the record (CTL + S)

Click Open to View the segment Details

• Press OK
• You can assign any value set if you want, its optional so I am just leaving it as blank
• Now check the “Freeze Flexfield Definition” Checkbox
• Press OK
• Now Click Compile button
• Press OK
• You will see the confirmation as shown above.
• Now to go to Order management super User, Vision Operations” and open the Shipping Transactions form query for a LPN and click on DFF box in details.

• You can hide the context field by un checking the Displayed Check Box in Context Field
• To Make any changes you have to uncheck the “Freeze Flexfield Definition” Checkbox
•          Press OK
•          Now uncheck the Displayed Box in Context Field area as shown
•          Save your Record
•          Check the “Freeze Flexfield Definition” Checkbox
•          Press OK
•          Press Compile Button
•          Press OK
•          “Flexfield View Generator” concurrent program will be submitted. To see the status of the program go to      View Menu on top >> Requests >> Find
•          Once you see the status as completed you can go to Order Management and check for your changes
•         Now you should be able to hide the Context.

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