DesignElement

Abstract element that represents anything that has properties.

Description

The design element is an internal, abstract element used to implement basic features of ROM elements. It provides the following:

The design element provides a framework for customizing properties. The developer can add application-specific properties. These properties appear in the JRP ERD property sheet identically to ROM-defined properties. The developer can identify the property type using a wide variety of choices. JRP ERD automatically displays a property builder UI based on the property type. The developer can also hide JRP ERD or custom-defined properties.

The developer can add custom properties to a component, and can hide ROM-defined properties. Together, these help the developer create highly customized, reusable components tailored to the needs of a given application.

The DesignElementDefn object is available to your scripts. It provides the information about the design of an object. Every ROM element has design information, and many have separate run-time information. The design object provides access to the information defined in the XML schema file. It is most useful to get access to user-defined properties and property values so that scripts can customize report behavior.

Not all properties are available for all kinds of elements. See the derived element definitions for details.

Some of the elements derived from this one support inheritance. If so, then the value of the above properties include values inherited up the inheritance chain.

XML Summary

See Also

userProperties

List of user-defined properties for the element.

Description

The list of user-defined properties defined for this element. Null if no user-defined properties are available. Each item in the array is a UserProperty object.

As noted above, JRP ERD elements can define custom properties. A property has two parts: a definition and a value. The definition provides the name, type and other descriptive information. The value is something that another developer enters to set the property. For example, suppose the developer defines an “AlertColor” property for a library component. A developer who uses this element might set the value of the property to “Red.”

See Also

User Property Definition structure

propertyMasks

List of user-defined property masks.

Description

Property masks allow the user to customize the set of properties available for a reusable component. Null if no masks are defined. Each item in the array is a PropertyMask object.

See Also

Property Mask structure

customXml

Custom XML associated with an element.

Summary

Returns the value of the custom XML, if any, set for this element. Returns a String if the XML is provided, null otherwise.

Description

Applications can associate their own XML with any ROM report element. BIRT ignores this XML other than to make it available to user scripts. User scripts can use this XML to provide custom report behavior.

The XML must be valid. XML elements must be balanced. The XML should use a third-party name space, but the name space is not required.

See Also

User-defined properties for another way to customize an element.