Controllers¶

The Controllers family is one of available components’ families you can use to populate a Mask.

It contains commands that enable specific interactions, allowing the master user to build guided procedures and the end user to interact with the custom interface.

What makes the Controllers family unique among all the other components is the fact that the Options available in the Options tab can be linked to them, assigning a default value.

When a Controller is dragged onto the mask stage, or when an Option is not linked to it, its border is highlighted in yellow.

Once an Option is assigned to a controller, its border is highlighted in green.

Moreover, as Controllers can manage values, they are the only Origin allowed to make Connections work.

To make it easier to locate them, Controllers have been divided into two groups:

Base controllers, which manage one option at a time, of a specific type. Each controller generates a specific value type, so the controller itself decides whether a number, string, password for example will be managed by it or not.
Multiple controllers, which manage one or more options at a time, depending on the graphical interaction.

Base¶

The Base group contains the following controllers:

Checkbox
Text field
Number field
Password field
Color picker
Calendar field

Code field

The layout of Base controllers can be customized in the components layout menu, it can be accessed by right-clicking onto the component and clicking Open components layout or when first dragging the component onto the stage.

CHECKBOX

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those which have been previously set in the Options tab, which will be linked to the checkbox.
Layout	Label	The label of the checkbox.
	Label width	The width (in pixels) of the label.
	Order	The position of the controller in the form. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to their Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the checkbox.

TEXT FIELD

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those which have been previously set in the Options tab, which will be linked to the text field.
Layout	Label	The label of the text field.
	Label position	The position of the label. The possible values are: Start (default), Top, Bottom, End.
	Label width	The width (in pixels) of the label.
	Option width	The width (in pixels) of the field where the values will be inserted.
	Default (with code None)	If the option associated with the text field has no value, here users can specify a default value for the component.
	Multiline	If selected, the text field will contain multiple lines.
	Format	It checks the data type which will be inserted in the text field. For example, a Regex checking whether an email has been written correctly in the format `name + @ + dominion` can be inserted in this field.
	Order	The position of the controller in the form. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to their Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the text field.

NUMBER FIELD

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those which have been previously set in the Options tab, which will be linked to the number field.
Layout	Label	The label of the number field.
	Label position	The position of the label. The possible values are: Start (default), Top, Bottom, End.
	Label width	The width (in pixels) of the label.
	Option width	The width (in pixels) of the field where the values will be inserted.
	Min value	The allowed minimum value of the number field.
	Max value	The allowed maximum value of the number field.
	Default (with code None)	If the Option associated with the number field has no value, here users can specify a default value for the component.
	Floating number (3-digits)	If selected, continuous numbers with up to 3 digits after the comma will be accepted.
	Floating number (6-digits)	If selected, continuous numbers with up to 6 digits after the comma will be accepted.
	Percentage value	If selected, the considered number will be a percentage.
	Order	The position of the controller in the form. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to their Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the number field.

PASSWORD FIELD

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those which have been previously set in the Options tab, which will be linked to the password field.
Layout	Label	The label of the number field.
	Label position	The position of the label. The possible values are: Start (default), Top, Bottom, End.
	Label width	The width (in pixels) of the label.
	Option width	The width (in pixels) of the field where the values will be inserted.
	Default (with code None)	If the option associated to the password field has no value, here users can specify a default value for the component.
	Multiline	If selected, the password field will contain multiple lines.
	Format	It checks the data type which will be inserted in the password field. For example, a Regex checking whether an email has been written correctly in the format `name + @ + dominion` can be inserted in this field.
	Order	The position of the controller in the form. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to their Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the password field.

COLOR PICKER

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those which have been previously set in the Options tab, which will be linked to the color picker.
Layout	Label	The label of the color picker.
	Label width	The width (in pixels) of the label.
	Order	The position of the controller in the form. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to their Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the color picker.

CALENDAR FIELD

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those which have been previously set in the Options tab, which will be linked to the calendar field.
Layout	Label	The label of the calendar field.
	Label position	The position of the label. The possible values are: Start (default), Top, Bottom, End.
	Label width	The width (in pixels) of the label.
	Option width	The width (in pixels) of the field where the values will be inserted.
	Date type	The allowed date format. Possible values are Date (default), Month, Week, Quarter, Datetime, Time.
	Order	The position of the controller in the form. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to their Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the calendar field.

CODE FIELD

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those which have been previously set in the Options tab, which will be linked to the code field.
Layout	Label	The label of the code field.
	Label position	The position of the label. The possible values are: Start, Top (default), Bottom, End.
	Label width	The width (in pixels) of the label.
	Option width	The width (in pixels) of the field where the values will be inserted.
	Language	The supported language in the code field.
	Show Preview
	Automatic Preview
	Order	The position of the controller in the form. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to their Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the code field.

SOURCE CONTROL

Sub-section	Option	Description
General	Source type	Select from the drop-down list the type of source which will be supported. The available types are: Database (default) and Filesystem.
	Extensions (comma sep)	Specify the allowed file extensions.
	File Number Limit (-1 means no limit)	The maximum number of files which can be managed by the source control. If -1 is specified, an infinite number of files can be managed.
	Export	Select this checkbox if the current controller will perform export operations. The Directory name, Import response, Http response header, Http response uri, Http response fields activate.
	Excel	Select this checkbox if the current controller will support MS Excel file format. The Sheetlist, Match by position, Sheet import mode fields activate.
Option	Uri	Select from the drop-down list the Option, whose characteristics are defined in the Options tab, containing information about the uri.
	Directory name	Select from the drop-down list the Option, whose characteristics are defined in the Options tab, containing information about the directory name. This option is only available if the Export option has been selected.
	Import response	This option is only available if the Export option has been selected.
	Http response header	This option is only available if the Export option has been selected.
	Http response uri	This option is only available if the Export option has been selected.
	Http response	This option is only available if the Export option has been selected.
	Filelist	Select from the drop-down list the Option, whose characteristics are defined in the Options tab, containing information about the file list.
	Sheetlist	This option is only available if the Excel option has been selected.
	Match by position	This option is only available if the Excel option has been selected.
	Sheet import mode	This option is only available if the Excel option has been selected.
	Uri type	Select the filesystem type, whose options will be displayed underneath this field. The possible values are: ShareDrive Filesystem, Aws S3, HDFS, SharePoint, Ftp Server, Http Server, Azure BLOB Storage, Local File System, Sftp Server, Google Drive, Outlook. A complete list of the options is available in the Filesystem configuration page.
Layout	Label	The label of the controller.
	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those which have been previously set in the Options tab, which will be linked to the source control.
	Order	The position of the controller in the mask. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to the Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the source control.

REPOSITORY CONTROL

Sub-section	Option	Description
General	Extensions (comma separated)	Specify the allowed file extensions.
	File Number Limit (-1 means no limit)	The maximum number of files which can be managed by the source control. If -1 is specified, an infinite number of files can be managed.
	Show folder name	If selected,
	Show file name	If selected (default), the File name option is displayed.
Option	Uri	Select from the drop-down list the Option, whose characteristics are defined in the Options tab, containing information about the repo’s Uri.
	Branch	Select from the drop-down list the Option, whose characteristics are defined in the Options tab, containing information about the repo’s branch.
	Tag/Commit SHA	Select from the drop-down list the Option, whose characteristics are defined in the Options tab, containing information about the tag or commit SHA.
	File name	The name of the file stored in the repository.
	Uri type	Select from the drop-down list the repo type. The only option available is Git.
Layout	Label	The label of the controller.
	Order	The position of the controller in the mask. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to the Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the repository control.

Multiple¶

The Multiple group contains the following controllers:

Combobox
Values autocomplete
Radio buttons
General item list

Their layout can be customized by right-clicking onto the component and clicking Open widget layout. Browse the tabs below to know more about the available options for each Multiple controller.

COMBOBOX

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those which have been previously set in the Options tab, which will be linked to the combobox.
Layout	Label	The label of the combobox.
	Label width	The width (in pixels) of the label.
	Combobox width	The width (in pixels) of the combobox in the form.
	Order	The position of the controller in the form. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to their Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the combobox.
	Add undefined value	If selected, the combobox will have a blank value field, which will assign the undefined value to the option. If both the Add undefined value and the Add null value fields are selected, only the undefined value will be assigned to the option.
	Add null value	If selected, the combobox will have a blank value field, which will assign the null value to the option. If both the Add undefined value and the Add null value fields are selected, only the undefined value will be assigned to the option.
	Values	In this table, users can choose two different value modes: the Table or the Metadata mode. * If Table has been chosen, users write the Label (the name displayed on the controller, to which a field is associated) and its Value (the value associated with the linked Option). More label-value pairs can be added by clicking on the plus button. * If Metadata has been chosen, users select from the drop-down list the Type and the Subtype of metadata which will be used to define the values.

VALUES AUTOCOMPLETE

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those which have been previously set in the Options tab, which will be linked to the values autocomplete.
Layout	Label	The label of the values autocomplete controller.
	Label width	The width (in pixels) of the label.
	Combobox width	The width (in pixels) of the values autocomplete.
	Order	The position of the controller in the form. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to their Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the values autocomplete.
	Values	In this table, users can choose two different value modes: the Table or the Metadata mode. * If Table has been chosen, users write the Label (the name displayed on the controller, to which a field is associated) and its Value (the value associated with the linked Option). More label-value pairs can be added by clicking on the plus button. * If Metadata has been chosen, users select from the drop-down list the Type and the Subtype of metadata which will be used to define the values.

RADIO BUTTONS

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those which have been previously set in the Options tab, which will be linked to the radio button.
Layout	Label	The label of the radio button.
	Label position	The position of the label. The possible values are: Start (default), Top, Bottom, End.
	Label width	The width (in pixels) of the label.
	Group direction	The direction of the options in the radio button. The possible values are: Row (default), Column.
	Option width	The width (in pixels) of the values of the radio button displayed on the stage.
	Order	The position of the controller in the form. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to their Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the radio button.
	Add other	If selected, the Other field, where users can specify a custom value, is added to the form.
	Values	In this table, users can choose two different value modes: the Table or the Metadata mode. * If Table has been chosen, users write the Label (the name displayed on the controller, to which a field is associated) and its Value (the value associated with the linked Option). More label-value pairs can be added by clicking on the plus button. * If Metadata has been chosen, users select from the drop-down list the Type and the Subtype of metadata which will be used to define the values.

GENERAL ITEM LIST

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those which have been previously set in the Options tab, which will be linked to the list.
Layout	Label	The label of the list.
	Option width	The width (in percentage) of the list.
	Order	The position of the controller in the form. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to their Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the list.
	Items	In this table, users can choose two different value modes: the Table or the Metadata mode. * If Table has been chosen, users write the Label (the name displayed on the controller, to which a field is associated) and its Value (the value associated with the linked Option). More label-value pairs can be added by clicking on the plus button. * If Metadata has been chosen, users select from the drop-down list the Type and the Subtype of metadata which will be used to define the values.

Attribute¶

The Attribute group contains the following controllers:

Attribute list, where a list of attributes can be generated.
Attribute combobox, where a drop-down list containing attributes can be built.
Attribute drop zone, where attributes coming from an Attribute list can be dragged.
Attribute filter, where the dragged attribute can be filtered according to its values.
Relation manager, where relations between values can be built. These values can come from a dataset or can be decided by the user.

ATTRIBUTE LIST

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those available in the Options tab, which will be linked to the attribute list.
Layout	Label	The label of the attribute list.
	Append dataset name to the label	If selected, the dataset name is appended to the attribute list controller’s label.
	Draggable	If selected (default), it will be possible to drag the attributes contained in the Attribute List to another controller.
	Filter by category	Select from the drop-down list the way the attribute list will be filtered. The possible values are: All, Attributes (default), Results (those attributes which have been generated as results by tasks in Rulex Factory).
	Order	The position of the controller in the mask. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to the Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the list.
	Source structure	Specify the source from which data come from, which has to be one of the table names stored in the Datasets tab.

ATTRIBUTE COMBOBOX

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those available in the Options tab, which will be linked to the attribute combobox.
Layout	Label	The label of the attribute combobox.
	Label position	The position of the label. The possible values are: Start (default), Top, Bottom, End.
	Label width	The width (in percentage or in pixels) of the label.
	Option width	The width (in percentage or in pixels) of the combobox.
	Order	The position of the controller in the mask. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to the Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the controller.
	Source structure	Specify the source from which data come from, which has to be one of the table names stored in the Datasets tab.
	Filter by type	Select which attribute types will be filtered and displayed in the combobox among the following available: nominal, integer, continuous, date, week, month, quarter, percentage, datetime, time, binary, currecy. By hovering over the three-dotted button in the bottom-right corner of the section, the Check All and Uncheck All buttons are available to make the selection easier.
	Filter by role	Select which attribute roles will be filtered and displayed in the combobox among the following available: input, output, parameter. By hovering over the three-dotted button in the bottom-right corner of the section, the Check All and Uncheck All buttons are available to make the selection easier.
	Filter out ignored	If selected, those attributes which have been ignored on the source dataset will not be displayed.
	Filter by category	Select from the drop-down list which attribute category will be displayed. The possible values are: All, Attributes (default), Results (those attributes which have been generated as results by tasks in Rulex Factory).

ATTRIBUTE DROP ZONE

In the Attribute drop zone controller, two tabs are already available:

The Manual list, where users can build manually a list of attributes by dragging them onto the controller.
The Filtered list, where users can build a filter which will be applied to the attributes which have already been dragged onto the Manual list.

More information on the Attribute drop zone and on how the two tabs above work can be found in the corresponding section, linked here.

Sub-section

Option

Description

Option

Option

Select from the drop-down list the option, among those available in the Options tab, which will be linked to the attribute drop zone.

Layout

Label

The label of the drop zone.

Order

The position of the controller in the mask. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to the Order value.

Css

Additional CSS code used to customize the controller.

Source structure

Specify the source from which data come from, which has to be one of the table names stored in the Datasets tab.

Add structure name to the attributes

If selected, the prefix tablename! will be added to the visualized attribute names.

Filter by type

Select which attribute types will be filtered and displayed in the drop zone among the following available: nominal, integer, continuous, date, week, month, quarter, percentage, datetime, time, binary, currecy. By hovering over the three-dotted button in the bottom-right corner of the section, the Check All and Uncheck All buttons are available to make the selection easier.

Filter by role

Select which attribute roles will be filtered and displayed in the combobox among the following available: input, output, parameter. By hovering over the three-dotted button in the bottom-right corner of the section, the Check All and Uncheck All buttons are available to make the selection easier.

Filter out ignored

If selected, those attributes which have been ignored on the source dataset will not be displayed.

Filter by category

Select from the drop-down list which attribute category will be displayed. The possible values are: All, Attributes (default), Results (those attributes which have been generated as results by tasks in Rulex Factory).

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those available in the Options tab, which will be linked to the attribute drop zone.
Layout	Label	The label of the drop zone.
	Order	The position of the controller in the mask. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to the Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the controller.
	Source structure	Specify the source from which data come from, which has to be one of the table names stored in the Datasets tab.
	Add structure name to the attributes	If selected, the prefix tablename! will be added to the visualized attribute names.
	Filter by type	Select which attribute types will be filtered and displayed in the drop zone among the following available: nominal, integer, continuous, date, week, month, quarter, percentage, datetime, time, binary, currecy. By hovering over the three-dotted button in the bottom-right corner of the section, the Check All and Uncheck All buttons are available to make the selection easier.
	Filter by role	Select which attribute roles will be filtered and displayed in the combobox among the following available: input, output, parameter. By hovering over the three-dotted button in the bottom-right corner of the section, the Check All and Uncheck All buttons are available to make the selection easier.
	Filter out ignored	If selected, those attributes which have been ignored on the source dataset will not be displayed.
	Filter by category	Select from the drop-down list which attribute category will be displayed. The possible values are: All, Attributes (default), Results (those attributes which have been generated as results by tasks in Rulex Factory).

ATTRIBUTE FILTER

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those available in the Options tab, which will be linked to the attribute filter.
Layout	Label	The label of the attribute filter.
	Label width	The width (in percentage or in pixels) of the label.
	Option width	The width of the attribute filter.
	Source structure	Specify the source from which data come from, which has to be one of the table names stored in the Datasets tab.
	Order	The position of the controller in the mask. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to the Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the controller.

RELATION MANAGER

Sub-section	Option	Description
Option	Option	Select from the drop-down list the option, among those available in the Options tab, which will be linked to the relation manager.
Layout	Label	The label of the relation manager.
	Order	The position of the controller in the mask. It is a 0-based dictionary, and its default value is 0 for all components, meaning that the order of the components will follow the dragging order. If this value is specified, controllers will be sorted in ascending order according to the Order value.
	Css	Additional CSS code used to customize the controller.
	List type	The type of the list. The only value is Undroppable.
	Left list	Select whether the list displayed on the left of the relation manager will be built manually using a Table of values or Metadata. If a Table is chosen, users must manually build a table, containing Label - Value pairs, where the Label is the name displayed on the interface and on the list, while the Value will be used to modify the Option. New label-value pairs can be added by clicking Add new row. If Metadata is used, users must specify the Table (which has to be one of the tables stored in the Datasets tab,) and an Attribute belonging to that Table, from which the values will be taken. The list will automatically be filled with the corresponding attribute’s values.
	Right list	Select whether the list displayed on the right of the relation manager will be built using a Table or Metadata is used. If a Table is chosen, users must manually build a table, containing Label - Value pairs, where the Label is the name displayed on the interface and on the list, while the Value will be used to modify the Option. New label-value pairs can be added by clicking Add new row. If Metadata is used, users must specify the Table (which has to be one of the tables stored in the Datasets tab,) and an Attribute belonging to that Table, from which the values will be taken. The list will automatically be filled with the corresponding attribute’s values.