Datasets and Parameters › Process Parameters › Operator Properties › Dataset Variables in Parameters › Relative Paths for Datasets

Relative Paths for Datasets

CA Process Automation can use either absolute or relative paths when accessing named datasets. Absolute paths are also known as full or fixed paths.

Example 1

Folder1 is under the root folder in the library. Folder1 contains two objects: Process1 and Dataset1. You open Process1, double-click the Start Process operator, and locate the Process Name field in the Properties palette.

Rather than enter a value, you want to use or reference the value in a field that is called ProcessName in Dataset1. For the absolute path, you would specify:

Datasets["/Folder1/Dataset1"].ProcessName  

You can also specify the path of Dataset1 relative to Process1. The same expression using a relative path is:

Datasets["Dataset1"].ProcessName 

While CA Process Automation evaluates the relative path expression, it looks for Dataset1 in the same folder as Process1.

If you move Dataset1, the absolute path is no longer valid. To correct this situation, you would have to update it. However, as long as they are in the same folder, you can move Dataset1 and Process1 anywhere and the relative path is still valid.

Example 2

Similar to Example 1, you want to use a field in a dataset. This time, you want to use Dataset2, at the root level of the library. For the absolute path, you would specify:

Datasets["/Dataset2"].ProcessName. 

The same expression using a relative path is:

Datasets["../Dataset2"].ProcessName. 

This path expression tells the application to look in the folder which is the parent for Folder1 (the folder containing the process). Folder1 is the starting point. The code, "../Dataset2," literally says to go up one level in the folder hierarchy and look for Dataset2. In this case, the parent folder of Folder1 is the root folder and the application looks for Dataset2 there.

These concepts, summarized in the following two points, also apply to Linux/UNIX, Windows, and any environment that supports uniform naming conventions.

• A parent folder "/" exists.
• All other folders are children of the parent folder.

When these conditions exist, you can simplify complex expressions using relative paths. For example:

 "../../"

Note: Relative or absolute paths can be used as expressions in any object.