Defining Set Fields actions to assign values based on conditions
Use the Set Fields action in:
- Active links
- Filters
- Escalations
The Set Fields action sets field values in the current request. You can use the Set Fields action to load specific values into selected fields each time certain conditions are met. This enables you to automate field updates for a request. For example, a filter could automatically set the Status field to Assigned when a name is entered in the Assigned To field, or an active link could change the field menus on the Type and Item fields depending on the user's selection from the Category menu.
To move data from the current request to another request, use a Push Fields action. See Defining-Push-Fields-active-link-filter-or-escalation-actions.
The value set in a field can include static values and AR System server keyword values, as well as a value retrieved from another data source. You can retrieve a value from any of the following general types of data sources:
- A field in the same form.
- A field in another form on the same server or a different server.
- A result from an SQL command. See Assigning-values-through-SQL-statements.
- A result from a filter API plug-in service (filters and escalations only). See Assigning-values-by-issuing-requests-to-a-Filter-API-Plug-in-service.
- The result of a function. See Assigning-values-using-function-results.
- A result from an independent system process. See Assigning-values-from-process-results.
- A result from an arithmetic operation. See Assigning-values-by-using-arithmetic-operations.
- A result from accessing a web service (filters and escalations only). See Creating-web-service-clients.
Because filters and escalations execute with administrator permissions, field values set through a filter or escalation are updated even if the user does not have permission to change the field. However, active links execute with the permissions of the user, so field values set through an active link are updated in the database only if the user has permission to change the field. For information about changing the filter permissions, see Using-permissions-to-restrict-filter-data-retrieval.
The procedures in the following topics describe how to set field values by using AR System server keywords, static values, and data from the current request or from any form on an AR System server.