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A class is an instance of the Rule-Obj-Class rule type. Each class defines capabilities (rules such as properties, activities, HTML forms, and so on) available to other, subordinate classes, or to instances of the class.

Classes are organized into a hierarchy. The ultimate base class — named @baseclass — is at the top (or left). The base classes — Data-, Rule-, Work- and others — are immediate child classes of the ultimate base class. Other classes are derived from the base classes.

The words up and top for the class hierarchy refer to the ultimate base class. The words down and bottom of the class hierarchy refer to the concrete classes, or classes that are parent to no other class. The parent of a class is above its child classes.

When looking for a rule to apply, the system searches the class hierarchy from the current class upwards. A property or activity or flow or HTML object named DressSize, defined in a concrete class at the fifth level of a hierarchy below the Work- class, supersedes a similar property named DressSize at the fourth, third, second, and first levels.

Concrete classes corresponding to instances saved in the PegaRULES database are known as internal classes. In a saved (persistent) instance of an internal class, on the clipboard page that has an associated class, the value of the pyObjClass property records the class of the current object.

Concrete classes corresponding to a table in an external relational database (rather than the PegaRULES database) are known as external classes.

NoteA few help topics contain references to Java classes, not Rule-Obj-Class instances. In these topics the word Java always precedes the word class. In most help topics, class identifies a Process Commander class, a Rule-Obj-Class instance.

Concrete classes derived from the Rule- base class are known as rule types. Concrete classes derived from the Work- base class are known as work types.

Definitions abstract class, applicable rules, base class, concrete class, directed inheritance, Explorer tool, external class, inheritance, internal class, pattern inheritance, rule type, top-level class, work type
Related topics About Class rules
Class hierarchy and inheritance — Concepts and terms
 About the Class Inheritance diagram

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