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24.2 Exercise 4 - Expressions

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149 views7 pages

24.2 Exercise 4 - Expressions

rfcd

Uploaded by

Ayan Choudhury
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Appian Step-by-Step #4

Exercise to Accompany
Expressions: Transform Your Data

The Appian Step-by-Step series consists of 12 exercises that accompany


the courses in the Appian Developer learning path. Exercises build upon
each other. Complete exercises in order and keep the app and all
objects until you are done with the project.

1 Welcome to the Appian Developer Learning Path

2 Create an Application

3 Manage Users and Groups

4 Expressions

5 Design Record Types

6 Sites

7 Query Your Data

8 Interfaces 101

9 Process Modeling 101: Part 1

10 Process Modeling 101: Part 2

11 Reports

12 Task Report

© Appian Corporation, 2024


Exercise 4: Expressions 3
Create Constants 3
Create an Expression Rule 4
TIP: About a!match 6
Troubleshooting Resources 6

Notice of Rights

This document was created by Appian Corporation, 7950 Jones Branch Dr, Tysons, Virginia 22102.
Copyright 2024 by Appian Corporation. All rights reserved. Information in this document is subject to
change. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, without
prior written permission of Appian Corporation. For more information on obtaining permission for reprints
or excerpts, contact Appian Training at [email protected].

Appian Step-by-Step 24.2


© Appian Corporation, 2024 2
This exercise was developed for Appian 24.2. If Appian Community
Edition is on a later Appian version, functionality might be different.
Go to academy.appian.com to download the latest exercise.

Exercise 4: Expressions
In this exercise, you will create two types of rule objects: six constants and one expression rule.

Create Constants
A constant is a literal value that can be called from any expression, across objects in your
application. In this section, you will create constants that point to the groups and folders you
just created.

First, you will create constants that point to groups.

1. From within the W#SA Constants folder, click NEW > Constant.

2. In the Create Constant dialog, configure the following properties:

● Name: Enter W#SA_ADMINISTRATORS_GROUP_POINTER.


● Description: Enter A pointer to the W#SA application
administrators group.
● Type: Select Group.
● Value: Enter and select W#SA Administrators.
● Environment Specific: Keep this configuration unselected.
● Save In: Ensure W#SA Constants is selected.

3. Click CREATE.

4. Follow steps 1–3 to create constants for the remaining four groups:

● W#SA Users
● W#SA Supervisors
● W#SA Registrars
● W#SA Mechanics

Next, you will create a constant that points to the W#SA Documents folder.

1. Click NEW > Constant.

2. In the Create Constant dialog, configure the following properties:

● Name: Enter W#SA_DOCUMENTS_FOLDER_POINTER.


● Description: Enter A pointer to the W#SA application documents
folder.
● Type: Select Folder.

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© Appian Corporation, 2024 3
● Value: Enter and select W#SA Documents.
● Environment Specific: Keep this configuration unselected.
● Save In: Ensure W#SA Rules & Constants is selected.

3. Click CREATE.

Create an Expression Rule


An expression rule is a reusable object containing a statement that evaluates to return a value.
In this section, you will create an expression that formats a user’s name. You will use this
expression rule in a later exercise.

Follow the steps below to create this expression rule.

1. From within the W#SA Expressions folder, click NEW > Expression Rule.

2. In the Create Expression Rule dialog, configure the following properties:

● Name: Enter W#SA_FormatDisplayName.


● Description: Enter Formats a user’s name for the W#SA
application.

3. Click CREATE.

4. In the Rule Inputs pane, click the New Rule Input icon.

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© Appian Corporation, 2024 4
5. Configure the following properties:

● Name: Enter user.


● Description: Click Add.

○ Description: Enter Username of logged in user.


○ Click ADD.

● Type: Select Text.

6. Enter the following expression into the Expression Editor:

a!match(
value: ri!user,
whenTrue: isnull(fv!value),
then: "",
whenTrue: isusernametaken(fv!value),
then: proper(
user(fv!value, "firstName") & " " & user(fv!value,
"lastName")
),
default: proper(joinarray(split(fv!value, "."), " "))
)

In this expression, a!match evaluates the input (a username) against multiple conditions
and returns a value (the formatted name) based on a match. Function variables, which
use the domain prefix fv!, are special variables used within certain functions and
interfaces. Here, you are using fv!value to reference the value parameter (ri!user).

7. In the toolbar, click Format to automatically format your expression.

8. Click SAVE CHANGES.

9. Test this expression:

● In Test Inputs, in the Expression column, enter the function


loggedInUser(). This function returns the current user who is logged in.

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© Appian Corporation, 2024 5
● Click TEST RULE to see the formatted name.

TIP: About a!match


a!match evaluates a value against multiple conditions and returns a value based on a
match. If no match is found, the default is returned.

● First, this expression checks whether the user’s username is null. If the user’s
username is null, an empty string is returned.
● If the user’s username is not null, then the expression checks whether the user is
an active user. If the user is active, the first and last name associated with the
username is returned.
● If the username is not null and the user is not active, the default is returned.
● The process for formatting users and non-users is different. The last line in the
expression reformats the username input as First and Last Name for a non-user.

Visit the Appian Community YouTube channel and Appian Documentation to learn more
about functions.

Troubleshooting Resources
Stuck on a step, or need help troubleshooting? Appian provides several support resources that
you can use as you build:

1. Acme Auto Solution Application - The Acme Auto Solution Application (AS) is the
solution you are working to build in the Step-by-Steps, so you can use it as a reference
tool. Review this application to see how specific objects are configured, or test the app
to see how the features work from a business user’s perspective. You can find this app
in your Appian Community Edition workspace.

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© Appian Corporation, 2024 6
2. Community Discussions for New Users - Check out the New to Appian thread in
Community. Join our community of experts to ask questions and find answers from past
discussions.

3. Appian Documentation - Appian’s product documentation will provide you with an


overview of key Appian features, newest release information, additional tutorials, and
helpful patterns and recipes to implement in your app.

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© Appian Corporation, 2024 7

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