Is there a way to create Variables in Aware?

BenHayat

Let's say I run a process and I need to store the result in an Int or String type Variable, so the next time, the process can check against the previous vlaue stored in variable. I don't want to use a DB attribute to store this, because this value needs to be checked in tight loop and I don't want to do data access in every loop.

Can we define variables of different types?
Thanks!

customaware

Hi Ben,

No. You cannot create variables. I guess you are suggesting something like a Virtual in Magic. That is not possible in Aware.

However, there are other alternatives that are just as good, if not better....

Depending on you situation you can....

Option 1. Create a Non Persistent BO which will act like a variable repository all the while you can keep it in context. Once it is out of context it is gone. Much like a Virtual in Magic....once the task ends...it's dead.

Option 2. You can add number of scratch attributes to either the RegularUser (which means is available independently to all users) or to the SystemSettings (means there is only one instance of the Attributes)

I use a combination of both depending on the circumstances.

Regarding a tight loop and speed issue.....

Once the Instance of the BO is in context then it is as tight in the loop as you will get. It is not going back and forward to the DB to get it unless you are updating it every pass (in which case it will execute all the Rules of that BO)
Otherwise, it will behave just like the type of Virtual that you are used to.

Hope that helps.

BenHayat

eagles9999 wrote
Hi Ben,

No. You cannot create variables. I guess you are suggesting something like a Virtual in Magic. That is not possible in Aware.

However, there are other alternatives that are just as good, if not better....

Depending on you situation you can....

Option 1. Create a Non Persistent BO which will act like a variable repository all the while you can keep it in context. Once it is out of context it is gone. Much like a Virtual in Magic....once the task ends...it's dead.

Option 2. You can add number of scratch attributes to either the RegularUser (which means is available independently to all users) or to the SystemSettings (means there is only one instance of the Attributes)

I use a combination of both depending on the circumstances.

Regarding a tight loop and speed issue.....

Once the Instance of the BO is in context then it is as tight in the loop as you will get. It is not going back and forward to the DB to get it unless you are updating it every pass (in which case it will execute all the Rules of that BO)
Otherwise, it will behave just like the type of Virtual that you are used to.

Hope that helps.

Thanks Mark;

The none persistent BO is a good idea, but I have to be careful.

I thought about using system setting being in context, but the problem is that every 60 or 90 seconds that variable has to get updated, which means a DB trip.

Here is my situation. I have to run a background process (none user related) every xxx seconds (could be 60 or 90 or 120 or etc).
So in scheduling I write a simple rule:
If CURRENT_TIME>= Previously_Checked+60 Then process1

I need to have a variable that I called "Previously_Checked" which gets sets in Process1. So as the rule engine keeps evaluating the above rule, once the CURRENT_TIME is over Previously_Checked+60, then Process1 kicks in and the Previously_Checked variable gets updated with CURRENT_TIME

If I put the Previously_Checked in SystemSetting, every 60 seconds, it's going to update the DB. So I kind of ruled it out.

I could use the none persistent, but I need to have a guarantee that BO stays as long as the server is up.
That's my case.

BenHayat

Perhaps I can summarize my question as following:

How can you tell Aware to process a background process every xxx seconds?

There isn't a way to tell Aware to do something every xxx seconds. You have to figure out if xxx seconds has passed. And it takes to info to calculate. Current Time and last time to get the difference. And I don't know where I can store the last time in memory.

BenHayat

eagles9999 wrote
Option 1. Create a Non Persistent BO which will act like a variable repository all the while you can keep it in context. Once it is out of context it is gone. Much like a Virtual in Magic....once the task ends...it's dead.

What if, when Aware server starts, I can have a process to see if that Non Persistent doesn't exist, then create it one at server level. That BO should stay alive as long as the server is up. Does it make sense?

tford

Can't you just have the process store the last run time in SystemSettings.LastRunTimeStamp then have the scheduler check if the appropriate amount of time has past since the last timestamp?

Each time the condition is true and the process runs again, the process with update SystemSettings.LastRunTimeStamp

BenHayat

tford wrote
Can't you just have the process store the last run time in SystemSettings.LastRunTimeStamp then have the scheduler check if the appropriate amount of time has past since the last timestamp?

Each time the condition is true and the process runs again, the process with update SystemSettings.LastRunTimeStamp

Yes Tom, as I covered it in earlier post, I'm trying to avoid that constant DB update every 60 seconds because the timestamp change in SystemSettings.

So, I'm leaning towards a none Persistent BO direction, where there is no update to DB.

In reality, there are actually several of these TimeStamps for different queues that each maybe getting updated at different times, so there will be too many DB updates. There have to be Memory fields.