8.4.2 Property types

A property type has the same attributes as non-property types, but a different set of sub-elements specifying the data type and dialog widget for values of this property:

<property 
  description=""
  id="Property_Name_sysadmin_3150525691"
  type="Property_Name_sysadmin_3150525691"
  typeName="Name [Watch]">
    <dataType>
        <simpleType>String</simpleType>
    </dataType>
    <widget>Input Field</widget>
</property>

Data Type values can be either simple or complex. The simple values are those that can be seen directly in the Data Type pull-down list in the Property Tool: String, Text, Number, Boolean, Creation Timestamp, or Collection. These are enclosed as XML text within a simpleType tag.

If the data type is a simple String, you can optionally supply a <widget> used to edit values of that type. The default value is Input Field, but you can supply any of the values shown in the Widget choice dialog of the Property Tool (except SOAP Fixed List). If you supply one of the List widgets or a Radio Button Set widget, you must also supply a defaultValue and a set of listValues:

<property typeName="TestRadioButtons">
    <dataType>
        <simpleType>String</simpleType>
    </dataType>
    <defaultValue>
        <string>a</string>
    </defaultValue>
    <widget>Radio Button Set</widget>
    <listValues>
        <string>a</string>
        <string>b</string>
        <string>c</string>
    </listValues>
</property>

For the SOAP Fixed List property types we must provide a soapSource and its soapServer in MXT. All elements and attributes are mandatory:

<soapSource>
  <soapServer name="ValueListServer"
    serverUrl=http://localhost:4242/valuelistserver
    wsdlUrl="file:///./stringlists.wsdl"></soapServer>
    <method>ValueList1</method>
</soapSource>

A soapServer is referred to with href by types using it later in the same file. Importing thus creates each SOAP server only once, although repeated imports will create a new one each time.

If the dataType is Collection, an extra contentsDataType element must be supplied. Its content is either a simpleType element containing String, or a graph, object, relationship, role or port element defining the contents type (or referring to it with href).

<property typeName="TestStringCollection">
    <dataType>
        <simpleType>Collection</simpleType>
    </dataType>
    <contentsDataType>
        <simpleType>String</simpleType>
    </contentsDataType>
</property>

<property typeName="TestGraphCollection">
    <dataType>
        <simpleType>Collection</simpleType>
    </dataType>
    <contentsDataType>
        <graph href="#MyGraph1"></graph>
    </contentsDataType>
</property>

Properties whose values are objects are represented directly with an object element inside the dataType element; similarly for other non-properties:

<property typeName="TestGraphProperty">
    <dataType>
        <graph href="#MyGraph1"></graph>
    </dataType>
</property>

If a data type or a content data type has subtypes, they can be included as well, with a subtype coming before its sub-subtypes:

<property...>
  <dataType><object.../></dataType>
  <dataTypeSubtype><object.../></dataTypeSubtype>
  <dataTypeSubtype><object.../></dataTypeSubtype>...