Modifying Function Parameters › Defining Function Parameters › Defining Parameters with the Edit Function Parameters Panel › Invalid Duplicate Parameter fields

Invalid Duplicate Parameter fields

When a function has its Duplicate Parameters option set to N, each parameter field should be unique, regardless of the usage. The only exception is that a field can appear once for Input and once for Output.

There are two scenarios where a violation of this restriction and exception can occur:

• Prior to CA 2E Release 8.6, the user was only warned after violating the change, rather than being prevented from the violation.
• In Release 8.6, it is possible to create a function with an invalid parameter interface. This can occur when you turn the DUPLICATE PARAMETERS function from Y to N, and any (previously valid) duplicate parameters are not modified appropriately.

In the following example, the function Verify Item has two identical parameters: Item, Retrieval index, passed as RCD with seq=1 (PR1) and seq=2 (PR2). The subfields on the Item file are: Item code, Item description, Item Price and Item barcode, which are all passed as Both on PR1 and PR2.

Because the Duplicate Parameters Option is set to Y, this is a valid operation:

If the Duplicate Parameters Option is changed from Y to N, then the parameter interface becomes invalid. However, you will not receive a warning or error message.

Identifying Functions with Invalid Duplicate Parameter Fields

Use the YCHKFUNPAR command to analyze a model and identify all functions that exhibit specific parameter interface problems. Identifying invalid duplicate parameter fields on the parameter interface of a function where Duplicate Parameters is set to N is one of the issues where YCHKFUNPAR is helpful.

Rectifying Functions with Invalid Duplicate Parameter Fields

To rectify a function with invalid Duplicate Parameter fields, you must modify the function so that it does not violate the restriction and exception.

When a function has the Duplicate Parameters option set to N, each parameter field should be unique, regardless of the usage. The only exception is that a field can appear once for Input and once for Output.

There are two approaches to rectify this situation:

• Change the function option Duplicate Parameters to Y.

  Note: While this approach immediately makes the parameter interface valid, you must update any reference to PAR context in the action diagram to refer to the appropriate duplicate parameter PR1 through PR9 context.

• Leave the Duplicate Parameters setting as is, but modify the usages of parameter fields so that the restriction and exception are not violated, which is detailed in the following examples.

To Rectify Functions with the Duplicate Parameters Option set to Y then set to N

1. Verify Item has Duplicate Parameters set to Y.

   

   After the Duplicate Parameters function option has been changed to N, no warning is sent. However, the parameter interface is invalid because subfields appear on two different parameters with usage Both, as shown in the following example:

   

2. Complete one of these steps:
   • Remove the second parameter entirely.
   • Change the usages of the first parameter to input and the usages of the second parameter to Output.
3. Specify Input for all the fields on the first parameter:

   

4. Specify Ouput for all the fields on the second parameter:

   

   This parameter interface is now valid.

5. Visit the action diagram and ensure that the parameter contexts are properly selected.