Mini-language Reference

The Apache Open For Business Project

This is a draft document. It can be modified at any time by any committer. Comments on the draft should be made on the dev mailing list.

Grammar version 2 (http://ofbiz.apache.org/dtds/simple-methods-v2.xsd)

Attributes

Attribute Types

Type	Description	Example
constant	A string constant. The string may not include an expression	name="fooMethod"
constant+expr	A string constant. The string may include an expression, but an expression-only string is not allowed	default="${foo}Method"
expression	A UEL expression without enclosing brackets	from="item.quantity * item.priceEach"
${expression}	A UEL expression with enclosing brackets	default="${parameters.itemId}"
script	A short script ("scriptlet")	script="groovy:foo.bar();"

The `<simple-method>` element

`<simple-method>`

Contains a block of code.

A simple method can be called in either an event context from the Control
Servlet (or another event) or in a service context through the Service
Engine, or any other component that has access to a service dispatcher.

<simple-method method-name="fooMethod">
  <!-- some mini-language code goes here -->
</simple-method>

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
method-name	constant	required	A name (preferably a legal Java identifier) for this method.	Each simple method in a file must have a unique name.
short-description	constant	optional	A short description of the method.	Used for documentation.
login-required	constant	optional	Require a user login to run this method.	Defaults to "true".
use-transaction	constant	optional	Create a transaction if none exists for this thread.	Defaults to "true".
default-error-code	constant	optional	The default error return code.	Defaults to "error".
default-success-code	constant	optional	The default success return code.	Defaults to "success".
event-request-object-name	constant	optional	The name of the field containing the `javax.servlet.ServletRequest` object.	Defaults to "request".
event-response-object-name	constant	optional	The name of the field containing the `javax.servlet.ServletResponse` object.	Defaults to "response".
event-session-object-name	constant	optional	The name of the field containing the `javax.servlet.http.HttpSession` object.	Defaults to "session".
event-response-code-name	constant	optional	The name of the field containing the event response code.	Defaults to "response_code".
event-error-message-name	constant	optional	The name of the field containing the event error message.	Defaults to "error_message".
event-error-message-list-name	constant	optional	The name of the field containing the event message list.	Defaults to "error_message_list".
event-event-message-name	constant	optional	The name of the field containing the event message.	Defaults to "event_message".
event-event-message-list-name	constant	optional	The name of the field containing the event message list.	Defaults to "event_message_list".
service-response-message-name	constant	optional	The name of the field containing the service response message.	Defaults to "responseMessage".
service-error-message-name	constant	optional	The name of the field containing the service error message.	Defaults to "errorMessage".
service-error-message-list-name	constant	optional	The name of the field containing the service error message list.	Defaults to "errorMessageList".
service-error-message-map-name	constant	optional	The name of the field containing the service error message map.	Defaults to "errorMessageMap".
service-success-message-name	constant	optional	The name of the field containing the service success message.	Defaults to "successMessage".
service-success-message-list-name	constant	optional	The name of the field containing the service success message list.	Defaults to "successMessageList".

Draft Status

Final draft.

Assignment Operations

`<add-error>`

Adds a message to the error message list.

<add-error>
  <fail-message message="There was an error" />
</add-error>

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
error-list-name	constant	optional	The name of a list that will contain the message.	Defaults to "error_list".

Child Elements
One of the following child elements is required:

Name
`<fail-message>`
`<fail-property>`

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<clear-field>`

Sets the value of the specified field to null.

<clear-field field="foo" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
field	expression	required	The name of the field to remove.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<create-object>`

Creates an instance of the specified class.

The string and field sub-elements are passed to the constructor method as arguments in the order they are specified.
A runtime exception will be thrown if the sub-elements do not match the constructor method arguments.

<create-object field="foo" class-name="com.acme.FooClass">
  <string value="bar" />
  <field field="foo" />
</create-object>

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
field	expression	required	The name of the field for the new object.
class-name	constant	required	The Java class name.

Child Elements

Name	Requirements
`<field>`	optional
`<string>`	optional

Deprecated - use the <script> element.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<fail-message>`

Declares an error message.

<add-error>
  <fail-message message="There was an error." />
</add-error>

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
message	constant+expr	required	The message text.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<fail-property>`

Declares an error message found in a properties file.

<add-error>
  <fail-property resource="ErrorMessages" property="FooError" />
</add-error>

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
resource	constant	required	The name of the resource where the message can be found.
property	constant	required	The message property key.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<field>`

Specifies an environment field to be passed as an argument to an object method call.

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
field	expression	required	The name of the environment field to use.
type	constant	optional	The Java class of the argument.	Defaults to "java.lang.String".

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<field-to-list>`

Appends an object to the specified list.

<field-to-list list="barList" field="foo" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
field	expression	required	The field to add to the list.	If the field does not exist, the operation does nothing.
list	expression	required	Name of the list.	If the list does not exist, one is created.

Deprecated - use the <set> element.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<field-to-request>`

Copies a field to a servlet request attribute.

Valid only when the simple-method is called as an event, it is ignored otherwise.

<field-to-request field="foo" request-name="fooAttribute" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
field	expression	required	The name of the field to copy.	If the field does not exist, the operation does nothing.
request-name	constant, ${expression}	optional	The servlet request attribute name.	Defaults to the value of field attribute.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<field-to-result>`

Copies a field to a service OUT attribute.

<field-to-result field="foo" result-name="fooAttribute" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
field	expression	required	The name of the field to copy from, the source of the assignment.
result-name	expression	optional	The name of the result field to set, the target of the assignment.	Defaults to the value of field attribute.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<field-to-session>`

Copies a field to a servlet session attribute.

Valid only when the simple-method is called as an event, it is ignored otherwise.

<field-to-session field="foo" session-name="fooAttribute" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
field	expression	required	The name of the field to copy.	If the field does not exist, the operation does nothing.
session-name	constant, ${expression}	optional	The servlet session attribute name.	Defaults to the value of field attribute.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<first-from-list>`

Assigns the first (lowest order) entry in a list to a field.

<first-from-list entry-name="foo" list-name="fooList" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
entry-name	expression	required	The name of the field to set.
list-name	expression	required	The name of the list that contains the object to copy.	Defaults to a null value if the list does not exist or is empty.

Deprecated - use the <set> element.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<list-to-list>`

Copies list elements to another list.

<list-to-list list-name="foo" to-list-name="fooList" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
list-name	expression	required	The name of the list to copy from.	Operation does nothing if the list does not exist.
to-list-name	expression	required	Name of the list to copy to.	If the list does not exist, one will be created.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<map-to-map>`

Copies a map to another map.

<map-to-map map="oldMap" to-map="newMap" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
map	expression	required	The name of the map to copy from.	Operation does nothing if the map does not exist.
to-map	expression	optional	The name of the map to copy to.	If this attribute is empty, the source map will be copied to the current environment.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<now>`

Sets a field to the current system time.

<now field="fooNow" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
field	expression	required	The name of the field to set, the target of the assignment.
type	constant	optional	The field data type.	Defaults to "java.sql.Timestamp".

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<now-date-to-env>`

Sets a field to a `java.sql.Date` object initialized to the current system time.

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
field	expression	required	The name of the field to set, the target of the assignment.

Deprecated - use the <now> element.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<now-timestamp>`

Sets a field to a `java.sql.Timestamp` object initialized to the current system time.

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
field	expression	required	The name of the field to set, the target of the assignment.

Deprecated - use the <now> element.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<order-by>`

Defines a field or map key to sort on.

<order-map-list list="fooList">
    <order-by field="fooKey" />
</order-map-list>

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
field	expression	required	The name of the field or map key to sort on.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<order-map-list>`

Sorts a list of maps.

Maps are sorted by the keys specified in the order-by sub-elements.

<order-map-list list="fooList">
    <order-by field="fooKey" />
</order-map-list>

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
list	expression	required	The name of the list to be sorted.	Operation does nothing if the list is not found.

Child Elements

Name	Requirements
`<order-by>`	required

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<property-to-field>`

Assigns a resource property value to a field.

<property-to-field field="foo" resource="fooResource.properties" property="fooKey" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
field	expression	required	The name of the field to set, the target of the assignment.
resource	constant, ${expression}	required	The name of a properties resource. Can be a file on the classpath or a resource defined in the SystemProperty entity.
property	constant, ${expression}	required	The property key.
default	constant, ${expression}	optional	The default value to use if the property value is null or empty.
no-locale	constant	optional	Suppress property value localization. The user's/system locale will be ignored when retriving the property value.	Default is "false".
arg-list	expression	optional	An argument list to be used with a formatting string. The argument list is applied to the property value.	Does nothing if the argument list is not found. See the java.text.MessageFormat class for more information.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<request-parameters-to-list>`

Appends a servlet request parameter list to a list.

Valid only when the simple-method is called as an event, it is ignored otherwise.

<request-parameters-to-list list-name="fooList" request-name="fooParameter" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
request-name	constant, ${expression}	required	The name of the servlet request parameter. All matching parameter values will be added to the list.
list-name	expression	optional	Name of the list. If the list does not exist, one is created.	Defaults to the request-name attribute value.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<request-to-field>`

Copies a servlet request attribute to a field.

Valid only when the simple-method is called as an event, it is ignored otherwise.

<request-to-field field="foo" request-name="fooAttribute" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
field	expression	required	The name of the field to set, the target of the assignment.
request-name	constant, ${expression}	optional	The servlet request attribute name.	Defaults to the value of field attribute.
default	constant, ${expression}	optional	A default value to use if the request attribute does not exist.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<session-to-field>`

Copies a servlet session attribute to a field.

Valid only when the simple-method is called as an HTTP event, it is ignored otherwise.

<session-to-field field="foo" session-name="fooAttribute" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Note
field	expression	required	The name of the field to set, the target of the assignment.
session-name	constant, ${expression}	optional	The servlet session attribute name.	Defaults to the value of field attribute.
default	constant, ${expression}	optional	A default value to use if the session attribute does not exist.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<set>`

Assigns a field from an expression or script, or from a constant value.

<set field="foo" value="bar" />
<set field="baz" from="foo" />
<!-- Field "baz" contains the string "bar" -->

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Notes
field	expression	required	The name of the field to set, the target of the assignment.
from	expression, script	required if value is empty	An expression or script that returns an object or `null`.	The script must be prefixed with the script language followed by a colon (":").
value	constant+expr	required if from is empty	A constant value.	Default type = "java.lang.String".
default	constant, ${expression}	optional	A default value - used if from evaluates to null.
type	constant	optional	The Java data type of field.	"NewList" will create a new `java.util.List`, "NewMap" will create a new `java.util.Map`.
set-if-null	constant	optional	Controls if field can be set to `null`.	Defaults to "false".
set-if-empty	constant	optional	Controls if field can be set to an empty value. The meaning of "empty" depends on the Java data type.	Defaults to "true".

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<set-calendar>`

Adjusts a Timestamp by a specified time duration.

<set-calendar field="tomorrowStamp" from-field="nowTimestamp" day="1" />
<set-calendar field="yesterdayStamp" from-field="nowTimestamp" day="-1" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Notes
field	expression	required	The name of the field to set, the target of the assignment.
from	expression, script	required if value is empty	An expression or script that returns an object or `null`.	The script must be prefixed with the script language followed by a colon (":").
value	constant+expr	required if from is empty	A constant value.	Default type = "java.lang.String".
default	constant, ${expression}	optional	A default value - used if from evaluates to null.
type	constant	optional	The Java data type of field.	"NewList" will create a new `java.util.List`, "NewMap" will create a new `java.util.Map`.
set-if-null	constant	optional	Controls if field can be set to `null`.	Defaults to "false".
set-if-empty	constant	optional	Controls if field can be set to an empty value. The meaning of "empty" depends on the Java data type.	Defaults to "true".
years	constant, ${expression}	optional	Add (optionally using +) or subtract (using -) a number of year(s).	If an expression is used, it should evaluate to an integer.
months	constant, ${expression}	optional	Add (optionally using +) or subtract (using -) a number of month(s).	If an expression is used, it should evaluate to an integer.
days	constant, ${expression}	optional	Add (optionally using +) or subtract (using -) a number of days(s).	If an expression is used, it should evaluate to an integer.
hours	constant, ${expression}	optional	Add (optionally using +) or subtract (using -) a number of hour(s).	If an expression is used, it should evaluate to an integer.
minutes	constant, ${expression}	optional	Add (optionally using +) or subtract (using -) a number of minute(s).	If an expression is used, it should evaluate to an integer.
seconds	constant, ${expression}	optional	Add (optionally using +) or subtract (using -) a number of second(s).	If an expression is used, it should evaluate to an integer.
millis	constant, ${expression}	optional	Add (optionally using +) or subtract (using -) a number of milli-second(s).	If an expression is used, it should evaluate to an integer.
period-align-start	constant, ${expression}	optional	Align the adjusted date to the start of a period: "day", "week", "month", "year"
period-align-end	constant, ${expression}	optional	Align the adjusted date to the start of a period: "day", "week", "month", "year"
locale	constant, ${expression}	optional	The locale (calendar) to be used for the operation
time-zone	constant, ${expression}	optional	The time zone to be used for the operation

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<set-service-fields>`

Copies elements from a source map that match a service's IN attributes to a target map.

<set-service-fields service-name="fooService" map="barMap" to-map="fooServiceAttributes" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Notes
service-name	constant, ${expression}	required	The name of the service.
map	expression	required	The name of the map to copy the matching IN attributes from.	The operation does nothing if the map does not exist.
to-map	expression	required	The name of the map to copy the matching IN attributes to.	If the map does not exist, a new one is created.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<string-append>`

Performs string concatenation and formatting.

The operation starts by applying an argument list (if found) to the string attribute value, the result is prepended by the prefix attribute value, and the suffix attribute value is appended to the result. If the string specified in the field attribute exists, the final result is appended to it, else the field is set to the final result.
Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Notes
field	expression	required	The name of the field to set, the target of the assignment.
string	constant, ${expression}	required	The string to append to the field named in the field attribute.	This can be a formatting string that is used with the argument list specified in the arg-list attribute.
arg-list	expression	optional	An argument list to be used with a formatting string. The argument list is applied to the string attribute value.	Does nothing if the argument list is not found. See the java.text.MessageFormat class for more information.
prefix	constant, ${expression}	optional	A string that will be prepended to the string attribute value.
suffix	constant, ${expression}	optional	A string that will be appended to the string attribute value.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<string-to-list>`

Adds a string to a list of strings.

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Notes
string	constant, ${expression}	required	The string to add to the list specified in the list attribute.
list	expression	required	List to add the string to.	If the list does not exist, one will be created.
arg-list	expression	optional	An argument list to be used with a formatting string. The argument list is applied to the string attribute value.	Does nothing if the argument list is not found. See the java.text.MessageFormat class for more information.
message-field	constant	optional	Inserts a message above a field (used in conjunction with @fieldErrors FTL macro).

Deprecated - use the <set> element.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<to-string>`

Converts an object to a string.

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Notes
field	expression	required	The name of the field containing the object to convert.	The operation does nothing if the object is not found.
format	constant	optional	Format to use for the conversion.
numeric-padding	constant	optional	Left-pad the string with the specified number of zeroes.

Deprecated - use the <set> element.

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<webapp-property-to-field>`

Copies a property value from a properties file in a ServletContext resource to a field.

<webapp-property-to-field field="foo" resource="/WEB-INF/foo.properties" property="fooKey" />

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Notes
field	expression	required	The name of the field to set, the target of the assignment.
resource	constant, ${expression}	required	The resource location of the properties file inside the webapp, and relative to the root of the webapp (can be inside a war file).	Example: "/WEB-INF/myprops.properties".
property	constant, ${expression}	required	The property key.
default	constant, ${expression}	optional	A default value to use if the property value is null or empty.

Draft Status

Final draft.

Conditional/Looping Statements

`<and>`

Combines conditional elements using a boolean AND.

<if>
    <condition>
        <and>
            <if-compare field="colorModel" operator="equals" value="RYB" />
            <or>
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="red" />
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="yellow" />
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="blue" />
            </or>
        </and>
    </condition>
    <then>
        <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="true" type="Boolean" />
    </then>
    <else>
        <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="false" type="Boolean" />
    </else>
</if>

`<assert>`

Evaluates each contained condition independently, and adds an error message to the error message list for each condition that does not evaluate to `true`.

Attributes

title	optional	The assertion title - used in error messages to identify the assertion
error-list-name	optional	The name of the error list	Defaults to "error_list"

Child Elements

Any <condition> child element

optional

A condition to test

Proposed Changes

Currently, the title attribute is optional. Keep the title attribute optional but have it default to the file location and line number.
Eliminate the error-list-name attribute.
Currently, the child element is optional. Require at least one child element.

`<break>`

Causes script execution to exit the nearest loop element.

`<check-id>`

Evaluates the specified field, and adds an error message to the error message list if the field's value is not a valid database ID value.

Attributes

field	optional	The name of the field to validate
map-name	optional	The name of the map containing field
error-list-name	optional	The name of the error list	Defaults to "error_list"

Child Elements

<fail-message>	optional
<fail-property>	optional

Proposed Changes

Currently, the field attribute is optional. Require the field attribute.
Eliminate the map-name and error-list-name attributes.
Currently, the child elements are optional. Require one child element.

`<check-errors>`

Halts script execution if the error message list contains any messages. The error message list is returned to the calling process.

Attributes

error-code	optional	The error code to return	Defaults to "error"
error-list-name	optional	The name of the error list	Defaults to "error_list"

Proposed Changes

Eliminate the error-list-name attribute.

`<check-permission>`

Checks if the user has the specified permission, and adds an error message to the error message list if the user does not have the specified permission.

Attributes

permission	optional	The permission to check
action	optional	The action to be performed (permission scope)
error-list-name	optional	The name of the error list	Defaults to "error_list"

Child Elements

<accept-userlogin-party>	optional
<alt-permission>	optional
<fail-message>	optional
<fail-property>	optional

Proposed Changes

Currently, the permission and action attributes are optional. Require the permission and action attributes.
Eliminate the error-list-name attribute.

`<condition>`

Combines a group of conditional elements into a single logical (true/false) expression.

<if>
    <condition>
        <and>
            <if-compare field="colorModel" operator="equals" value="RYB" />
            <or>
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="red" />
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="yellow" />
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="blue" />
            </or>
        </and>
    </condition>
    <then>
        <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="true" type="Boolean" />
    </then>
    <else>
        <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="false" type="Boolean" />
    </else>
</if>

`<continue>`

Causes script execution to return to the beginning of the nearest enclosing loop element.

`<else>`

Contains a block of code to be executed when a condition evaluates to `false`.

<if>
    <condition>
        <and>
            <if-compare field="colorModel" operator="equals" value="RYB" />
            <or>
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="red" />
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="yellow" />
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="blue" />
            </or>
        </and>
    </condition>
    <then>
        <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="true" type="Boolean" />
    </then>
    <else>
        <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="false" type="Boolean" />
    </else>
</if>

`<else-if>`

Contains a block of code to be executed when a condition evaluates to `false`.

<if>
    <condition>
        <and>
            <if-compare field="colorModel" operator="equals" value="RYB" />
            <or>
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="red" />
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="yellow" />
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="blue" />
            </or>
        </and>
    </condition>
    <then>
        <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="true" type="Boolean" />
    </then>
    <else-if>
        <condition>
            <and>
                <if-compare field="colorModel" operator="equals" value="CYM" />
                <or>
                    <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="cyan" />
                    <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="yellow" />
                    <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="magenta" />
                </or>
            </and>
        </condition>
        <then>
            <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="true" type="Boolean" />
        </then>
    </else-if>
    <else>
        <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="false" type="Boolean" />
    </else>
</if>

`<if>`

Contains blocks of code that are executed based on a logical (true/false) condition.

<if>
    <condition>
        <and>
            <if-compare field="colorModel" operator="equals" value="RYB" />
            <or>
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="red" />
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="yellow" />
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="blue" />
            </or>
        </and>
    </condition>
    <then>
        <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="true" type="Boolean" />
    </then>
    <else-if>
        <condition>
            <and>
                <if-compare field="colorModel" operator="equals" value="CYM" />
                <or>
                    <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="cyan" />
                    <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="yellow" />
                    <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="magenta" />
                </or>
            </and>
        </condition>
        <then>
            <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="true" type="Boolean" />
        </then>
    </else-if>
    <else>
        <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="false" type="Boolean" />
    </else>
</if>

Child Elements

<condition>	optional
<then>	optional
<else>	optional
<else-if>	optional

Proposed Changes

Currently, the <condition> and <then> child elements are optional. Require the <condition> and <then> child elements.

`<if-compare>`

Compares a field to a constant value.

Attributes

field	optional	The name of the field to test
operator	optional	The comparison operator
value	optional	A constant value
type	optional	The Java data type of field	Defaults to "String"
format	optional	Object type conversion format
map-name	optional	The name of the map containing field

Proposed Changes

Currently, the field and operator attributes are optional. Require the field and operator attributes.
Eliminate the map-name attribute.

`<if-compare-field>`

Compares a field to another field.

Attributes

field	optional	The name of the field to test (the l-value)
operator	optional	The comparison operator
to-field	optional	The name of the field to test (the r-value)	Defaults to field
type	optional	The Java data type of field	Defaults to "String"
format	optional	Object type conversion format
map-name	optional	The name of the map containing field
to-map-name	optional	The name of the map containing to-field

Proposed Changes

Currently, the field, operator, and to-field attributes are optional. Require the field, operator and to-field attributes.
Eliminate the map-name and to-map-name attributes.

`<if-empty>`

Contains blocks of code that are executed based on the size of a collection.

Attributes

field	optional	The name of the field to test
map-name	optional	The name of the map containing field

Child Elements

<else>

optional

Proposed Changes

Currently, the field attribute is optional. Require the field attribute.
Eliminate the map-name attribute.

`<if-has-permission>`

Contains blocks of code that are executed based on the user's permissions.

Attributes

permission	optional	The permission to check
action	optional	The action to be performed (permission scope)

Child Elements

<else>

optional

Proposed Changes

Currently, the permission and action attributes are optional. Require the permission and action attributes.

`<if-instance-of>`

Contains blocks of code that are executed based on a field's class.

Attributes

field	optional	The name of the field to test
class	optional	The name of the class
map-name	optional	The name of the map containing field

Child Elements

<else>

optional

Proposed Changes

Deprecate and replace with scriptlet.

`<if-not-empty>`

Contains blocks of code that are executed based on the size of a collection.

Attributes

field	optional	The name of the field to test
map-name	optional	The name of the map containing field

Child Elements

<else>

optional

Proposed Changes

Currently, the field attribute is optional. Require the field attribute.
Eliminate the map-name attribute.

`<if-regexp>`

Contains blocks of code that are executed based on matching a regular expression to a field.

Attributes

field	optional	The name of the field to test
expr	optional	The regular expression to match
map-name	optional	The name of the map containing field

Child Elements

<else>

optional

Proposed Changes

Currently, the field and expr attributes are optional. Require the field and expr attributes.
Eliminate the map-name attribute.

`<if-validate-method>`

Invokes a Java class method that returns a boolean value. Blocks of code are executed based on the boolean value.

Attributes

field	optional	The name of the field to use as a method argument
class	optional	The name of the Java class
method	optional	The name of the class method
map-name	optional	The name of the map containing field

Child Elements

<else>

optional

Proposed Changes

Deprecate and replace with simple method call.

`<iterate>`

Contains a block of code that is executed once for each entry in a specified collection.

Attributes

list	optional	The name of the field containing the collection to iterate
entry	optional	The name of the field that will contain the collection entry

Proposed Changes

Currently, both attributes are optional. Require both attributes.

`<iterate-map>`

Contains a block of code that is executed once for each entry in a `MapEntry` set.

Attributes

map	optional	The name of the field containing the `Map`
key	optional	The name of the field that will contain the `MapEntry` key
value	optional	The name of the field that will contain the `MapEntry` value

Proposed Changes

Currently, all attributes are optional. Require the map attribute and one of the key or value attributes.

`<loop>`

Contains a block of code that is executed repeatedly until a maximum count is reached.

Attributes

field	optional	The name of the field containing the current count value
count	optional	A maximum count expression	Defaults to "0" (zero)

Proposed Changes

Currently, all attributes are optional. Require all attributes.

`<not>`

Inverts a conditional element using a boolean NOT.

`<or>`

Combines conditional elements using a boolean OR.

<if>
    <condition>
        <and>
            <if-compare field="colorModel" operator="equals" value="RYB" />
            <or>
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="red" />
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="yellow" />
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="blue" />
            </or>
        </and>
    </condition>
    <then>
        <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="true" type="Boolean" />
    </then>
    <else>
        <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="false" type="Boolean" />
    </else>
</if>

`<return>`

Returns control (execution) to the calling process.

Attributes

response-code

optional

A response code to return to the calling process

`<then>`

Contains a block of code to be executed when a `<condition>` element evaluates to `true`.

<if>
    <condition>
        <and>
            <if-compare field="colorModel" operator="equals" value="RYB" />
            <or>
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="red" />
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="yellow" />
                <if-compare field="color" operator="equals" value="blue" />
            </or>
        </and>
    </condition>
    <then>
        <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="true" type="Boolean" />
    </then>
    <else>
        <set field="isPrimaryColor" value="false" type="Boolean" />
    </else>
</if>

`<while>`

Contains a block of code that is executed repeatedly while a `<condition>` element evaluates to `true`.

Child Elements

<condition>	optional
<then>	optional

Proposed Changes

Currently, the <condition> and <then> child elements are optional. Require the <condition> and <then> child elements.

`<xor>`

Combines conditional elements using a boolean XOR.

Call Operations

`<call-bsh>`

Executes a BSH script.

Proposed Changes

Deprecate and replace with <script>.

`<call-class-method>`

Calls a Java class method using the given fields as parameters.

Proposed Changes

Deprecate and replace with <script>.

`<call-map-processor>`

Invokes a `Map` processing element.

Attributes

xml-resource	optional	The location of the `Map` processor file
processor-name	optional	The name of the `Map` processor element
in-map-name	optional	The name of the field that contains the `Map` to be processed
out-map-name	optional	The name of the field that will receive the processed `Map`
error-list-name	optional	The name of the field that will contain a list of error messages generated by the processor

Child Elements

<simple-map-processor>

optional

Proposed Changes

Deprecate and replace with a <call-simple-method> element.

`<call-object-method>`

Calls a Java object method using the given fields as parameters.

Proposed Changes

Deprecate and replace with <script>.

`<call-service>`

Invokes an OFBiz service.

Attributes

service-name	optional	The name of the service to invoke
in-map-name	optional	The name of the field that contains the service IN attributes
include-user-login	optional	If "true" the current UserLogin `GenericValue` is copied to the service IN attributes
break-on-error	optional	If "true" script execution stops if the called service returns an error
error-code	optional
require-new-transaction	optional
transaction-timeout	optional
success-code	optional

Child Elements

<error-prefix>	optional
<error-suffix>	optional
<success-prefix>	optional
<success-suffix>	optional
<message-prefix>	optional
<message-suffix>	optional
<default-message>	optional
<results-to-map>	optional
<result-to-field>	optional
<result-to-request>	optional
<result-to-session>	optional
<result-to-result>	optional

Proposed Changes

Currently, the service-name attribute is optional. Require the service-name attribute.
Currently, the in-map-name Map is passed directly to the service. Have the in-map-name attribute behave like the <set-service-fields> map attribute.

`<call-service-asynch>`

Invokes an OFBiz service asynchronously.

Attributes

service-name	optional	The name of the service to invoke
in-map-name	optional	The name of the field that contains the service IN attributes
include-user-login	optional	If "true" the current UserLogin `GenericValue` is copied to the service IN attributes

Proposed Changes

Deprecate and replace with <call-service> element. Add an async attribute ("true"/"false") to the <call-service> element.

`<call-simple-method>`

Invokes a Mini-language simple method.

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Notes
method-name	constant	required	The name of the `<simple-method>` element
xml-resource	constant	optional	The location of the `<simple-method>` file	Defaults to current file
scope	constant	optional	The memory scope to use	Defaults to "inline"

Draft Status

Final draft.

`<script>`

Executes a script.

Attributes

Name	Type	Requirements	Description	Notes
location	constant	required if script is empty	The location of the script file	Script functions/methods can be invoked by appending a hash (#) and the function/method name
script	script	required if location is empty	A short script (scriptlet). Can be used instead of a file

Draft Status

Final draft.

Entity Operations

`<clear-cache-line>`

Removes an entity from the cache.

<clear-cache-line entity-name="Party" />

Attributes

entity-name	optional	The name of the entity to remove
map-name	optional	The name of the map that contains entity-name

Proposed Changes

Currently, the entity-name attribute is optional. Require the entity-name attribute.
Eliminate the map-name attribute.

`<clear-entity-caches>`

Removes all entities from the cache.

<clear-entity-caches />

`<clone-value>`

Copies a field containing a `GenericValue` to a new `GenericValue`.

Attributes

value-field	optional	The name of the field containing the existing `GenericValue`
new-value-field	optional	The name of the field that will contain the new `GenericValue`

Proposed Changes

Deprecate and replace with the <make-value> element.

`<condition>`

Contains an entity find condition.

Child Elements

<condition-expr>	optional
<condition-list>	optional
<condition-object>	optional
<having-condition-list>	optional

Proposed Changes

Currently, the child elements are optional. Require one child element.

`<condition-expr>`

Declares an entity find condition expression.

Attributes

field-name	optional	The entity field name (comparison l-value)
operator	optional	The condition comparison operator
from-field	optional	The name of the environment field (variable) to compare to (comparison r-value)
value	optional	A string constant to compare to (comparison r-value)
ignore-if-null	optional	When set to "true" ignores the expression if the r-value evaluates to `null`
ignore-if-empty	optional	When set to "true" ignores the expression if the r-value is empty
ignore-case	optional	When set to "true" ignores case in string comparisons
ignore	optional	When set to "true" ignores the expression

Proposed Changes

Currently, the field-name and operator attributes are optional. Require the field-name and operator attributes.

`<condition-list>`

Combines entity find conditions into a single expression.

Attributes

combine

optional

The operator used to combine the expressions

Child Elements

<condition-expr>	optional
<condition-list>	optional
<condition-object>	optional

`<condition-object>`

Declares an environment field (variable) that contains an entity find condition expression object.

Attributes

field

optional

The name of the field that contains an entity find condition expression object

Proposed Changes

Currently, the field attribute is optional. Require the field attribute.

`<create-value>`

`<entity-and>`

`<entity-condition>`

`<entity-count>`

`<entity-data>`

`<entity-one>`

`<field-map>`

`<filter-list-by-and>`

`<filter-list-by-date>`

`<find-by-and>`

`<find-by-primary-key>`

`<get-related>`

`<get-related-one>`

`<having-condition-list>`

`<make-next-seq-id>`

`<make-value>`

`<order-by>`

`<order-value-list>`

`<refresh-value>`

`<remove-by-and>`

`<remove-list>`

`<remove-related>`

`<remove-value>`

`<select-field>`

`<sequenced-id-to-env>`

`<set-current-user-login>`

`<set-nonpk-fields>`

`<set-pk-fields>`

`<store-list>`

`<store-value>`

`<transaction-begin>`

`<transaction-commit>`

`<transaction-rollback>`

Calculate Operations

Proposed Changes

Deprecate and replace with UEL expression.

Space shortcuts

Child pages

Mini-language Reference

Mini-language Reference

Grammar version 2 (http://ofbiz.apache.org/dtds/simple-methods-v2.xsd)

Attributes

Attribute Types

The <simple-method> element

<simple-method>

Contains a block of code.

Assignment Operations

<add-error>

Adds a message to the error message list.

<clear-field>

Sets the value of the specified field to null.

<create-object>

Creates an instance of the specified class.

<fail-message>

Declares an error message.

<fail-property>

Declares an error message found in a properties file.

<field>

Specifies an environment field to be passed as an argument to an object method call.

<field-to-list>

Appends an object to the specified list.

<field-to-request>

Copies a field to a servlet request attribute.

<field-to-result>

Copies a field to a service OUT attribute.

<field-to-session>

Copies a field to a servlet session attribute.

<first-from-list>

Assigns the first (lowest order) entry in a list to a field.

<list-to-list>

Copies list elements to another list.

<map-to-map>

Copies a map to another map.

<now>

Sets a field to the current system time.

<now-date-to-env>

Sets a field to a java.sql.Date object initialized to the current system time.

<now-timestamp>

Sets a field to a java.sql.Timestamp object initialized to the current system time.

<order-by>

Defines a field or map key to sort on.

<order-map-list>

Sorts a list of maps.

<property-to-field>

Assigns a resource property value to a field.

<request-parameters-to-list>

Appends a servlet request parameter list to a list.

<request-to-field>

Copies a servlet request attribute to a field.

<session-to-field>

Copies a servlet session attribute to a field.

<set>

Assigns a field from an expression or script, or from a constant value.

<set-calendar>

Adjusts a Timestamp by a specified time duration.

<set-service-fields>

Copies elements from a source map that match a service's IN attributes to a target map.

<string-append>

Performs string concatenation and formatting.

<string-to-list>

Adds a string to a list of strings.

<to-string>

Converts an object to a string.

<webapp-property-to-field>

Copies a property value from a properties file in a ServletContext resource to a field.

Conditional/Looping Statements

<and>

Combines conditional elements using a boolean AND.

<assert>

Evaluates each contained condition independently, and adds an error message to the error message list for each condition that does not evaluate to true.

<break>

Causes script execution to exit the nearest loop element.

<check-id>

Evaluates the specified field, and adds an error message to the error message list if the field's value is not a valid database ID value.

<check-errors>

Halts script execution if the error message list contains any messages. The error message list is returned to the calling process.

The `<simple-method>` element

`<simple-method>`

`<add-error>`

`<clear-field>`

`<create-object>`

`<fail-message>`

`<fail-property>`

`<field>`

`<field-to-list>`

`<field-to-request>`

`<field-to-result>`

`<field-to-session>`

`<first-from-list>`

`<list-to-list>`

`<map-to-map>`

`<now>`

`<now-date-to-env>`

Sets a field to a `java.sql.Date` object initialized to the current system time.

`<now-timestamp>`

Sets a field to a `java.sql.Timestamp` object initialized to the current system time.

`<order-by>`

`<order-map-list>`

`<property-to-field>`

`<request-parameters-to-list>`

`<request-to-field>`

`<session-to-field>`

`<set>`

`<set-calendar>`

`<set-service-fields>`

`<string-append>`

`<string-to-list>`

`<to-string>`

`<webapp-property-to-field>`

`<and>`

`<assert>`

Evaluates each contained condition independently, and adds an error message to the error message list for each condition that does not evaluate to `true`.

`<break>`

`<check-id>`

`<check-errors>`

`<check-permission>`

`<condition>`

`<continue>`

`<else>`

Contains a block of code to be executed when a condition evaluates to `false`.

`<else-if>`

Contains a block of code to be executed when a condition evaluates to `false`.

`<if>`

`<if-compare>`

`<if-compare-field>`

`<if-empty>`

`<if-has-permission>`

`<if-instance-of>`

`<if-not-empty>`

`<if-regexp>`

`<if-validate-method>`

`<iterate>`

`<iterate-map>`

Contains a block of code that is executed once for each entry in a `MapEntry` set.

`<loop>`

`<not>`

`<or>`

`<return>`

`<then>`

Contains a block of code to be executed when a `<condition>` element evaluates to `true`.

`<while>`

Contains a block of code that is executed repeatedly while a `<condition>` element evaluates to `true`.

`<xor>`

`<call-bsh>`

`<call-class-method>`

`<call-map-processor>`

Invokes a `Map` processing element.

`<call-object-method>`

`<call-service>`

`<call-service-asynch>`

`<call-simple-method>`

`<script>`

`<clear-cache-line>`

`<clear-entity-caches>`

`<clone-value>`

Copies a field containing a `GenericValue` to a new `GenericValue`.