Creating procedure variables
You can create procedure variables as follows.
1. On the Calculate menu, click Procedure variables > Definitions.
The List (procedure variables: definitions) opens.
2. Above the list, click the Create symbol.
The Create procedure variable window opens.
3. Make the desired changes:
Element |
Description |
Attribute ID |
Unique ID of the variable Note An attribute ID must start with a letter. Allowed are letters, figures as well as the special characters -, _ and /. |
Code |
Unique code of the variable |
Name |
Long name of the variable |
Comment |
Description of the variable (optional) |
Procedure reference |
The icon opens a new window. Procedure step Here you select the procedure parameter that is to be referenced by the variable. Note If no reference is specified, the variable has a similar functionality to a user-defined attribute of the network. Display attributes with You can display attributes of the procedure as long name or as ID. In the list of attributes, select the entry to be replaced by the variable. The selected attribute is then displayed under Procedure reference. |
Data type |
Use the list to allocate a data type. Select from the following data types: Bool For logical statements, that is true (Yes) or false (No) Note If the Allow empty value option is selected for default values, the Empty option is enabled. File Reference to a file Surface Surface according to your settings (Specifying standard units for length and speed) Integer Whole number Precise duration Precise duration, with decimal places, e.g. 35.004s Speed Speed in kilometers per hour Floating-point number Real number with a fixed number of decimal places (Selecting a decimal point) Length (kilometers/miles) Long length according to setting (Specifying standard units for length and speed) Length (meter/foot) Short length according to setting (Specifying standard units for length and speed) Long text String with an unlimited number of characters in case of an undefined Max. length Alternatively, under Max. length, you can enter a value > 255. Text String with a maximum string length of 255 Currency Number with a fixed number of decimal places, e.g. to display cost attributes (Selecting a decimal point). Time Duration in seconds, display format 12h35min12s Time Time in format hh:mm:ss (12:23:12) or hh:mm (12:23) |
Attribute type |
Data attribute If this option is selected, you can enter the values directly. Formula attribute If this option is selected, the attribute values are generated based on a formula. In most cases, you will select the type Integer. With the functions Text to number and Number to text you can use the types Text and Long text in combination with formulas. Note If you want to insert variable values in formulas, you can insert them using the following functions:
For relations that refer to several objects, you can also specify a condition in the aggregation function (Fundamentals: Relations with conditions). |
Default value |
This value is set as the value for the new variable. Note If you do not enter a value for numerical attributes, the empty value is interpreted as 0 in case of arithmetic operations. |
Allow empty value |
If the option is selected, empty values are permitted in case of numerical or boolean data attributes. If the option is not selected, a value must be entered. |
Minimum / Maximum |
If you select the respective option, you can enter a minimum permissible or maximum permissible value here. |
Note: Depending on the selected Type, you can specify further attribute values and options (Type-dependent attributes). |
4. Confirm with OK.
The new variable is inserted in the list. You can edit the attributes right in the list.