Contract variables need to be fulfilled even if not mandatory?

Q&A
1

Hi everybody,

I created a simple form with a text area to allow users inserting a comment. In human task, I defined a text variable called “note”, in the form I created a variable called “note” of type String and a javascript variable outputForm as follows:
return {
“note”: $data.note
}
formOutput is in the field “Data sent on click” of a button in the form. Even if the text area is NOT mandatory, when I try to submit the form with EMPTY text area, I get always the error saying the contract is not fulfilled (clearly as note variable is null).
Can anyone help me?
How is it possible to define a NOT MANDATORY text area without having contract troubles?
Thank you

2

Hi Michele,

You have to make sure you pass a empty string, I don’t think null value will work. If you try with the default form, you will see that you can let empty values and it works fine.

Cheers
Lio

3

I think this is not the correct answer (for my purpose).
I’ll make an example: I got a process with 3 steps, in each of them the user can write a comment to explain what he/she did in his/her step. The comment (entity) is a BDM object, linked to the main BDM object (entity) of the process (may be a purchase, an order, a decision iter, and so on). If I do what you say, I will put a lot of empty string in my database, and it’s surely not correct.
Do you agree with me?

4

Leo has it exactly right…

regards
Seán

5

But you didn’t make that clear in your original post however…

Based on what you’ve got, a BDM within a BDM, then this is perfectly acceptable.

Just don’t add the empty note to the main BDM object.

I would write something like this as my Output Operation:

if(noteBDM.getNote() != null){ mainBDM.setNote(noteBDM) //only set the field if not null }

This way you end up with an empty field in the BDM rather than empty string in the BDM.

I assume you’ve done it this way because you can have multiple notes per main BDM… :slight_smile:

Sometimes it is a neessary to have blank fields…which is what an empty field is after all…

regards

6

The problem with a contract is that a contract is between the form and the process, it is not between the BDM and the process.

I understand the problem you’re having, but that’s the way Bonitasoft designed it…

regards