Templates
Templates are entities configured in an access workbench that define the basic structure of a Tribefire object. You could think of template as an empty document, where you don't have any actual data, but you know what kind of data it's going to have (for example the first name, the last name, and the date of birth on a birth certificate). The only difference is that we're templating entities and collections instead of documents, typically using Value Descriptors in the process.
For more information about workbench configuration, see Creating Workbench.
Templates are essentially revolving around the following properties:
- a
prototype. In practice, it's either an entity or a collection. - a
scriptthat applies manipulations to the above prototype on runtime (it's not mandatory as such, but necessary for most use-cases).
Templates gain meaning when assigned to a template-based action in the workbench. Template-based action, upon execution, runs the scripted manipulations (including the evaluation of Value Descriptors). The result is normally either the creation of a new instance of an entity, the execution of a service request, or the execution of an entity query.
All of the above means that templates are a powerful and convenient way to provide extra functionality to Tribefire, which can be easily managed from a single source - the template.
Template Properties
All templates have the following set of properties:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| description | Description for your convenience - note down what the template is for. |
| name | Template name. |
| prototype | A key property defining the template type. What will happen to this type (for example creating a new instance of the type, querying for the type, etc.) depends on the template-based action configured later. When you have assigned a prototype, you need to assign an entityTypeSignature to it. |
| prototypeTypeSignature | Enter the typeSignature of the prototype. |
| script | The script is used to define manipulations you want to be performed in your prototype. |
| technicalName | Technical name for the template, used as a label in Tribefire. |
| metaData | You can assign metadata to your template here. |
Populating Templates with Data via Value Descriptors
You can use Value Descriptors to feed data to templates. See Assigning Value Descriptors to Templates for details.
What's Next?
For information on how to create template-based actions, see Creating Template-based Actions.