This documentation supports the 21.05 version of Action Request System.
To view an earlier version, select the version from the Product version menu.

Creating vendor forms

Vendor forms are AR System  objects that let you view and process external data using AR System  processes and workflow.

Vendor forms introduction

Vendor forms allow AR System  to present data from external sources as entries in a  AR System  form. When you create a vendor form, you can request a list of candidate forms or fields (preferred method), or you can enter the information yourself.

Vendor forms require you to have an ARDBC plug-in installed and configured. The ARDBC plug-in and the plug-in server handle data exchange between AR System  and the external data source. The AR System server maps the external data to fields in the vendor form, and the form displays the data. See ARDBC plug-ins introduction.

You can use vendor forms to do the following tasks:

  • Implement workflow on creation and modification of external data.
  • Run escalations on external data.
  • Access external data to populate search style character menus or table fields.

You can create a vendor form after you have built and installed your ARDBC plug-in, and configured your server to recognize it. For more information, see Configuring a server to use plug-ins.

Tip

Creating a vendor form for an ARDBC LDAP plug-in is a special case. See Creating a vendor form to represent a collection of LDAP objects.

The vendor form can be manipulated as a regular form type with this exception: You can add only required and optional fields that correspond to actual columns in the data source. In addition, you can add a display-only field only when the column name does not correspond to a column in the data source.

To create a vendor form using an ARDBC plug-in

  1. In Developer Studio , select File > New > Vendor Form.
  2. In the New Vendor Form Wizard, select the server on which you want to create the vendor form, and click Next.
  3. From the Available Vendor Names list, select the ARDBC plug-in to use, and click Next.
  4. Select a table from the Available Vendor Tables list, and click Next.
    Alternatively, type a table name in the Table field, click Validate, and then click Next.
  5. (Optional) On the Field Selection page, select a key column from the Key Field list.

    The key column uniquely identifies the entries in your vendor form. Key values are mapped to the Request ID field on the Vendor form.

    This step is not always optional as it depends on the plug-in that you are using to create your vendor form. For example, with an LDAP plug-in, it is optional. If you create your own own plug-in where you override the initialize method and add the Request ID field to the Table field, then this step is mandatory.

  6. In the Available Columns list on the Field Selection page, select columns to access in AR System , and move them to the Selected Columns list.
  7. Click Finish to create the vendor form.
  8. Use  Developer Studio to edit the new form, and then select File > Save.

    For more information, see Requirements for creating a join form using a vendor form.

AR System does not support Vendor form search if you have a read-only database. For more information, see Using a read-only database.

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