Configuring Modules without Data Sources
Not available in Factory Lite license.
The Execute Rulex Flow File Source task imports tasks from a flow, or part of one, into a new flow. There are two main ways to do this:
by exporting part of a flow as a module, copying and pasting the consequently created Execute Rulex Flow File Source task into the new flow, and configuring it. For further information on modules see Compacting Tasks into Modules
by exporting a flow via command or task, dragging and dropping a Execute Rulex Flow File Source task into the new flow, and referencing the exported RFL file.
The peculiarity of the Execute Rulex Flow File Source task is that it imports the required tasks, but not their data. This is useful for example when the input data varies according to the flow, and you want to be able to specify different data sources.
Prerequisites
you must have created a flow.
you must have created a module.
Procedure
Drag and drop the Execute Rulex Flow File task onto the central stage, or copy and paste the task from another flow after creating a module.
Double click the task.
Configure the basic options as described in the table below.
Configure the additional options in the Advanced tab described in the table below.
Save and compute the task.
Execution and Iteration Scenarios
There are 4 main execution and iteration scenarios, which can be configured in the Configuration tab by checking and unchecking the options, so that you can set the following scenarios:
Execute the Rulex flow in a simple loop.
Execute the Rulex flow in a simple loop, accumulating the data of each iteration.
Execute the Rulex flow in a simple loop, using the results of the specific iteration as the input for the successive iteration.
Execute the Rulex flow in a simple loop, accumulating the data of each iteration and using this accumulative data as the input for the successive iteration. This scenario is particularly useful for making long term predictions.
Execute Rulex Flow File options | |
|---|---|
Parameter Name | Description |
Options tab | |
Source | Select the source of the RFL file, which can either be Saved or Custom. |
Files | Either click here to browse to the text file you want to import and click Open, or manually enter the name of the file in the corresponding edit box. Note that if you have copied and pasted a module directly into the flow, this value will already be configured. |
Endpoint task | Select the task whose results will be used as the endpoint results of the linked flow. There can only be one endpoint task. |
Execute all internal tasks | If selected, all tasks in the extracted RFL file are executed, otherwise the data provided by the specified endpoint task is simply used by the hosting flow. This option is useful as a time saver when you are sure that the tasks have already been computed and you just need the tasks' output data. |
Use cached file if the target one is not available | If selected, data from the cache RFL file will be used if the target file is not available. |
Variables | If required modify the values of any code variables used in the imported .rfl file, by double-clicking it in the table and entering the new value. |
Mapping | Map the inbound and entrypoint tasks, to connect the main and linked flows, as follows:
Viewing issues If you can't visualize the inbound and entrypoint columns together, click on the square in the top right-hand corner of the task panel to enter full screen viewing mode. |
Configuration tab | |
Number of executions | Specify how many times the flow should be run. |
For each execution.....increment.....process variable | If required specify whether specific code variables (selected from the drop-down list) should be incremented or decremented with each iteration. If the Number of Executions option was set to 1, this option will obviously be disabled. If you want to increment/decrement by more than 1, this value can be modified in the Parametric options tab, available by clicking on the fx button, located at the top right corner of the panel, or directly from the interface. The loopvar must be defined in the Variables tab of the parent flow, as modules can be run also on different machines. |
Feedback entrypoint | Specify the task in the imported module/flow where the output of the iteration will be used as input. |
Accumulate iterations data | If selected, the results of successive iterations are saved, otherwise they are overwritten. |
Consider the output of each iteration as the input for the following one | If selected, the results of the specific iteration will be used as the input for the successive iteration. |