A condition is a clause or class that evaluates to true
or false when evaluated against an object. You can create and maintain
a library of conditions. You can apply the conditions to fields, tabs,
and other user interface controls to control the presentation. You
can also apply conditions to security groups to control access to
data, applications, and controls.
There are two types of conditions:
- Expression-type condition
- An expression-type condition is a clause that evaluates data and
returns a result of true or false. The expression syntax is similar
to structured query language (SQL) expressions, but it supports substitution
variables. Use expressions to define simple conditions.
- Class-type condition
- For class-type conditions, the condition logic is contained in
Java classes that are stored in a file under the root product folder.
You can create the class files that contain the condition logic. When
the class-type condition is evaluated, it returns a true or false
result. Use a class-type condition if the logic to be evaluated is
too complex to be accomplished with a simple expression.
Conditions are created and managed in the Conditional Expression
Manager. Describe each condition that you create to help you identify
the conditions to apply to user interface elements or security groups.
You can use the Application Designer to apply conditions
to user interface elements. You can also apply conditions in the Security
Groups application to control access to applications and to actions
within applications.
You can modify expression-type conditions. When you modify
the condition, access to all data and to all user interface controls
that use the condition is modified. You can determine whether a condition
is applied to user interface controls, security groups, or data restrictions
by checking the reference count field. If the reference count field is zero then the condition is not
applied.