VI Parameter Attributes

You define parameters using the Parameters link at the bottom of the VI Tab. You can click the Parameters link at any point in the development or editing of your VI script.

A context menu is available in the Parameters section to help you manage the entries.

Visual Integrator Parameter Tab

Parameter Attributes

Attribute	Description
Parameter (required)	Names of the parameter being declared. Parameter names should not contain spaces or other special characters other than the underscore. Parameter names are case-insensitive. However, on UNIX systems, parameters that inherit values from environment variables must match the environment variables in a case-sensitive manner. A good practice is to use lowercase letters with underscores. Once a parameter has been defined, it can be used by other objects in a script by including the parameter name in a parameter string in the appropriate location in the script.
Default	Identifies the default value of the parameter. If a parameter is not defined, either through arguments or an environment variable, this value is used as the parameter value. If default is not used, the default value is as follows: For a string parameter, it is the empty string. For integer and double parameters, it is 0. For a boolean parameter, it is "false". For an array parameter: The default value can be an array value, in which case it will be used as the value of the parameter if no value is given on the command-line. TIP: Click the ellipsis to open the Edit values dialog to include the parameter values for the array directly in the script. If the default value is a string value, the value will be used as the filename that contains the array values, not the values themselves. If no default is set for an array parameter, it defaults to the empty string.
Default for Tests	Sets a default value for when the script is tested.
Alias	If present, this attribute defines a new name that is used when the parameter is referred to within the script itself. The parameter name is still used to define parameter values, on the command-line, through the environment, or passed as arguments to Tunnel objects. The alias is used within the script itself, for parameter substitution. This feature is useful in Tunnel situations where Dimension names are passed as parameters, but these Dimension names contain special characters like spaces. The dimension name can be aliased to a name that meets the rules of a parameter name (alphanumeric, beginning with a letter).
Datatype	Defines the parameter type. Valid values include: "string" "int" "double" "boolean" "array" If this attribute is not defined, the parameter type is taken from the default attribute (if set). Otherwise, the type defaults to "string". If the type is "string", "int" or "double", parameter strings that contain only this parameter will be viewed as the specified type. Parameter strings that contain multiple parameters will be viewed as an object language string. If the type is "boolean", the parameter can be used to define a dependency. If the type is "array", parameter strings that only contain this parameter will be treated as an array of strings. Parameter strings that include an array parameter along with other characters or parameters will cause an error.
Environment	Defines whether the parameter can inherit its value from an environment variable when no argument is provided. When environment is "true", the parameter value is taken from the environment variable if an environment variable of the same name exists and no parameter value is given.
Setparm	Shows the name of the SetParm object in which the parameter is set. If you create a task which ends in a SetParm output object and then select a column to be used as a parameter, the parameter is added to the list of Parameters in the tab, and the column SetParm will show the name of the object where it is set.