The main function and purpose of a procedure is to perform a specific task by executing the steps that have been inserted. This is described in Section 4.
In SeqZap a procedure is not only a name, a number of parameters and a number of code lines. There are also many other data that can be connected to each procedure.
| Procedure data |
|---|
| Name |
| Description |
| Purpose |
| Model reference |
| Parameters |
| Partners |
| Custom defined properties |
| Procedure-steps |
| Use of configuration properties |
| Settings for error handling |
A procedure contains several different data.
A procedure name can include letters, numbers, spaces, and a variety of different special characters.
The description field is used to document the procedure.
The purpose is designed for a short one-line description of the purpose of the procedure. If this description has been filled-out, it will be shown in the window Execution State under execution.
The model reference for a procedure is used to connect the procedure to a procedure model, a general model for the parameters, partners and custom properties that the procedure should have. For more information see the section Procedure Models on pg. 49.
Procedure parameters are used to transfer arguments/values to a procedure to be used during execution.
Parameters cannot be used as input to the procedure, but can be used to return values to the procedure that is calling the current procedure.
| Parameter direction |
|---|
| Input | Value transferred to the procedure that is called |
Input by Reference
(for advanced users) | A reference to the input value is transferred to the called procedure. Used to prevent copying of large quantities of data. |
| In / Out | |
| Output | |
| Return | |
The different directions for each parameter can be seen in the above table.
The data type for parameters can be any of the supported data types. See Appendix B on pg. 52.
If a parameter (or a variable) needs to represent multiple values, you can set the Array dimensions to the number of dimensions that make up the value.
NOTE An array can be seen as a type of table. If Array dimensions are set to 1 it will be a one-dimensional array, which is a list of values (a single sequence of values). If the value 2 is selected, it will be a two-dimensional array.
Partners are described in the section Partners on pg. 51.
Custom properties are used to save additional information about a procedure. This will not be further described in this user guide.
There are three settings on a procedure regarding error handling:
| Settings for error handling |
|---|
| Has Verdict | Decides whether the procedure has a verdict. |
| Skip rest on Step Fail | If this setting is turned on, a Fail identified during the execution of a procedure step will cause all subsequent steps to not run, but to be skipped. If one of the subsequent steps is a Cleanup-step, the execution will always continue after this step. |
| Goto Cleanup on Error | If this setting is turned on, an Error identified during the execution of a procedure step will cause the execution to jump to the inserted clean-up step. Normally, this setting is turned of which makes the execution of the procedure end immediately in case of an Error. |
Table with settings for error handling.
When a procedural step fails, the verdict for the procedure will be set to the same value. This means that if the error occurs during a sub procedure (a procedure called by another procedure), the verdict for the procedure step calling the procedure is set to the same value.
The use of common constant values or Configuration Properties in a procedure can be administered under the tab Config Usage. Every value that you wish to use is inserted with Add Usage, which connects a selected Configuration Property with a chosen variable name, which it will be represented by.