Flow Action form - Completing the HTML tab

Complete this tab to define the how the Pega Platform generates HTML code, including JSP tags and directives, for this flow action. In unusual cases, you can author the HTML code directly. In most cases, the system generates the source HTML automatically from information on the Layout tab.

This tab changes to reflect your selection of the first field.

HTML generation

Field Description
HTML Generation Identify the source of the HTML code that produces the flow action form at run time. In most cases, select Reference Section. Select:
  • Reference HTML to use an HTML rule that defines the presentation.
  • Reference Section to use a section that defines the presentation.
  • No HTML to indicate that this connector flow action requires no user input.

The Define Form value, available in flow actions created in releases prior to PRPC Version 6.1, is deprecated and not available for flow actions created in PRPC Version 6.1 and later. See More about Flow Actions.

Reference HTML Selecting Reference HTML , displays the HTML Reference field.

Enter the second key part — Stream Name — of an HTML rule that defines what appears when a user at run time selects this flow action from a Perform harness form. The system uses the Applies To key part of this flow action as the first key part of the needed HTML rule.

If this flow action doesn't require users to read or complete any fields, you can identify an HTML rule that doesn't contain any fields. The standard flow action Work-.ActionNoFields meets this need.

Reference Section Reference Section is the default setting for all flow actions created in PRPC Version 6.1 and later. Flow actions automatically include a section.
No HTML Selecting No HTML generates the following message in the Layout tab:

This layout is NOT Auto Generated. (No HTML must be checked to show this view. See HTML Tab.)
Enable Client Side Validation? Select to cause your application to immediately validate the format of user input to dates, integers, and other fields within the browser window when focus leaves the form field, before a user submits the form.

This check box affects the input of many dates, times, text areas, and selected other properties, depending on the control associated with the property at run time. See client-side format validation.

Select the Enable Expression Calculation? check box on the HTML tab of the Harness form to enable client-side format validation for the rest of the user form.

As a best practice, check when users are to enter dates, times, integers, or text through typing rather than through selection. Workstation-level validation can detect and mark invalid input earlier, and may consume less network traffic and bandwidth. Do not select if the flow action form contains only check boxes, selection lists, combo boxes, and other input widgets that do not require typing.

Standard client-side validation scripts are in the text file rule webwb.CSValid.js; the corresponding error messages are in the HTML fragment rule CSValid to allow for localization. You can add custom client-side validation scripts or error messages on an application-wide by overriding the HTML fragment rule UserWorkForm, which is included in the fragment WorkFormStandard, which in turn is included in the HTML code for every user form.

Enable expression calculation Select to enable automatic update of the display of certain computed property values on the flow action area of the user form. For example, the flow action run time form may contain a total that sums values entered into an array.

You can enable this if the flow action form:

  • Displays one or more properties computed by Declare Expression rules using forward chaining.
  • Allows users to input another property value that affects the computed property.

Computation begins when user focus leaves the input field for a source property. The workstation transmits the input value to the Pega Platform server (using Asynchronous JavaScript and XML or AJAX), which applies the declarative rules and sends the results back for display. Only a portion of the form is redisplayed. Results may include a message indicating that a constraint was not met.

For Declare Expression rules, both the input property or properties and the computed or target property must appear on the flow action form, not elsewhere on a user form. See More about Declare Expression rules.

Select the Enable Expression Calculation? check box on the HTML tab of the Harness form to enable automatic expression calculation on the rest of the user form.
Accessibility Read-only if Reference Section is selected. Editable in releases prior to PRPC Version 6.1 rules if Define Form is selected.

Select On to indicate that you have designed and implemented your HTML to meet your accessibility requirements.

Note: The Accessibility Report evaluates this field on each rule in an application that displays it, when calculating application accessibility compliance levels. See Using the Accessibility report.
Browser Support Read-only if Reference Section is selected.

Indicate which browsers and versions can correctly process the HTML code from this rule.

When you specify that the code is to be auto-generated, only those tags that can be displayed in supported browsers are included, which include Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome. For the exact list of supported browsers and versions, consult the Platform Support Guide, available on Pega Community.

If you edit the generated code or manually provide the code for the rule, select All Supported Browsers or IE only. When you do not use auto-generated code, your code is not validated. You must determine that it can be displayed across the browsers and versions you specify.

Process category

About Flow Actions