Attributes Test

You can test the Host Integrator's ability to read data and to store and write attribute data to the terminal screen before deploying your model to a Host Integrator Server. Select Attributes Test on the Debug menu or click the Test button on the Attribute tab to open the Attributes Test dialog box.

Read Attributes

When you click the Read tab, all the readable attributes for the current entity are included. By default, all attributes are enabled for the test. This test is particularly valuable if you are implementing event handlers and need to confirm that an attribute is being read successfully.

Click Execute. The checked attributes are read from the current entity and the resulting values are displayed.

Executing a Read Attributes Test

To perform a read attribute test, you must either be connected to the host and have access to the application the model is based on, or you must load the model in the Host Emulator and connect to it.
Select an entity that contains configured readable attributes, open the Attributes Test dialog box, and click the Read tab. The names of the readable attributes configured for the selected entity appear in the Name column.
Click Execute. If the correct value for the attribute is read from the screen, the model is working properly.

Note: Reading attributes associated with non-display fields such as passwords will return blank strings.

Write Attributes

Click the Write tab. The attribute write test from within the Design Tool simulates the capabilities of the SetAttributes method provided with the AppConn APIs and uses UpdateAttribute and UpdateAttributes commands in conjunction with attribute input commands in operations. By simulating these calls, you can accurately test these methods with the host application model before using the connectors to create a client application.

Some preliminary steps may be required before running a write attribute test on a host application model. If you choose to enable Cache all attribute writes:

For a specific entity: Select the Cache all attribute writes check box on the General tab of the Advanced Entity Properties dialog box.
Throughout your model: select this same option on the Entity tab of the Preferences Setup dialog box.

Then, create operations that contain one or more the following commands:

an UpdateAttributes command
a series of UpdateAttribute commands
attribute input commands such as DefaultValue and TransmitToAttr

Note: When the Cache all attribute writes check box is selected, the Design Tool will not write attributes to the terminal screen unless an UpdateAttributes command or a series of UpdateAttribute commands is included in the attribute input operation.

Executing a Write Attributes Test

To perform a write attribute test, you must either be connected to the host and have access to the application the model is based on, or you must load the model in the Host Emulator and connect to it.
Select an entity that contains configured attributes, open the Attributes Test dialog box, and click the Write tab. The names of the attributes configured for the selected entity appear in the Name column.
Select a configured operation from the Operation list and click the Execute button.
If the operation successfully navigates to its expected destination and writes the cached attribute values to the terminal screen, the model is working properly.