When creating a formula, the following types of parameters can be used:
Parameter type |
Description |
Input variable |
Value to be entered by user |
Process element |
Element from TiCon |
Formula |
Formula from TiCon, nesting of formula in formula (for usage example see Formula in formula) |
Dyn. element |
Parameters of the type Element - The element code is defined in the formula use. |
Dyn. formula |
Parameters of the type Formula- The formula code is defined in the formula use. |
Constant |
Fixed value |
Text |
Text is ignored when the formula is calculated and served only as comment in the parameter list. This is necessary to avoid blank space in the parameter assignment. |
Value list |
By using a formula with a value list, a selection of possible values of a variable in a drop-down field is provided to the user. (For example, see Analyze with formulas) |
Please note: |
•The administrator can enable or disable parameter types. •The individual columns for parameters and value lists can be shown/hidden using the Select columns button in the ribbon parameter. •If a formula is in use, editing of the parameter list is only possible to a limited extent. oMinimum and maximum can be changed. oValue list: ▪Existing rows can be deleted, new ones added and filled. ▪The value and/or description of existing values can be adjusted. ▪The check box preallocation can be reset. oProcess elements / formulas CANNOT be changed. oFor a constant, ONLY the description can be changed. |
Depending on the parameter type, further details can be provided in the lower section of the parameter tab:
A value range can be preset for input variables. The entered values have to be in this range when the formula is used. By doing this, e.g. length ranges can be limited to avoid faulty entries. |
When the parameter is used as formula or element, the element or formula that is to be used to calculate the formula definition is entered here. When a formula is used, a valid parameter list has to be indicated. |
To use a formula parameter as formula, a valid parameter list has to be indicated here that contains the parameter set of the sub-formula. Each parameter must be followed by a semicolon. These parameters must be defined in the tab Parameter; formulas and elements can also be used as parameters. In this case, the times of the elements or formulas are calculated and made available as input values for the sub-formula. When indicating the parameters, it is important to pay attention to their Order. Values of the parameter list are directly assigned to the parameters of the formula. The values indicated in the parameter list are transferred to the input variables of the sub-formula in the order in which they appear in the list. Gaps in the definition of the input variables of the sub-formula must be indicated by dots followed by a semicolon. The parameters do not have to have the same name in both formulas, but it is recommended for reasons of clarity. There are several options to create a parameter list: •Manual entry of the parameters •Click on the button Generate parameter list •Click on the button Generate parameter list with the checkbox "with variable generation" enabled - (recommended) Clicking the Generate parameter list button results in all input variables of the sub-formula being written to the field parameter. If additionally the option "with variable generation" is enabled, the input variables of the sub-formula will be inserted into the parameter definition of the formula as input variables. It is the user’s responsibility to take care that the indicated parameter list for the dynamic formula is compatible with the dynamically chosen formula in terms of structure. |
Description of a variable in the value list |
Default values for variables in the value list - content corresponds to the column Preallocation entry |
The Value field shows the result of the formula entered into the Entry column of a variable in the value list. |
If the check box is preallocated, it can only be activated once per value list. The option states which of the variables are displayed as the default. |