After you have identified and prepared all the approval notification content that you want to display in the Approvals app, use the approvals data services configuration tool to configure the message metadata for use with the approvals data services. For each message, follow this configuration process:

1. Search for the message.

2. Configure header attributes based on workflow message attributes and response actions.

3. Configure regions for header attributes based on data from underlying application tables, for body details, and for action history.

4. Review and verify the message configuration.

   Customization Levels:

You can use the configuration tool to define your custom message configurations and to modify message configurations seeded by Oracle E-Business Suite that are defined to allow customizations. Most components of a message configuration are assigned a customization level that determines whether you can update the component's definition. Oracle Workflow uses the customization levels to protect Oracle E-Business Suite seed data and to preserve your custom configurations and customizations in an upgrade.

Components in a message configuration can have one of the following customization levels:

• Core - No changes can be made to components with this level. You can view the component's properties, but you cannot update them. This level is used only in configurations seeded by Oracle E-Business Suite.

• Limit - You can enable or disable the component for display in the Approvals app, but no other changes can be made to the component. This level is used only in configurations seeded by Oracle E-Business Suite.

• User - You can update the properties for components with this level. This level is automatically set in custom configurations that you define.

The following components of a message configuration have customization levels assigned to them:

• Header attributes based on workflow message attributes

• Regions

• Views

• View attributes

In seeded message configurations, for regions, the views that belong to those regions, and the view attributes that belong to those views, the customization level of the higher-level component determines the possible customization levels for the lower-level components. That is, a region's customization level determines the possible customization levels for its views:

• If a seeded region has a customization level of Core, then its views - and their view attributes - can only have customization levels of Core.

• If a seeded region has a customization level of Limit, then its views can have customization levels of Limit or Core.

• If a seeded region has a customization level of User, then its views can have customization levels of User, Limit, or Core.

Similarly, a view's customization level determines the possible customization levels for its attributes:

• If a seeded view has a customization level of Core, then its attributes can only have customization levels of Core.

• If a seeded view has a customization level of Limit, then its attributes can have customization levels of Limit or Core.

• If a seeded view has a customization level of User, then its attributes can have customization levels of User, Limit, or Core.

When you view a seeded message configuration, the configuration tool displays some fields as read-only fields and hides some options according to the customization levels of the components.

In custom message configurations that you define, all components are always assigned a customization level of User.

   To manage message configurations:

1. Navigate to the Worklist Data Services Configuration - Search page from the Oracle E-Business Suite Navigator by choosing either Workflow Administrator Web Applications: Approvals Data Services Manager > Configuration or a custom responsibility and menu path specified by your system administrator.

2. Search for the messages you want to configure by selecting the workflow item type that contains those messages. You can enter the internal name for the item type directly, or select the workflow item type display name, in which case the internal name is populated automatically. You can also specify the following optional search criteria:

   • Workflow Message - Enter the display name of a specific message to configure.

   • Configured - Select this option to display messages that have already been configured for approvals data services. Leave this option deselected to display message that have not yet been configured.

   • Response Required - Select this option to display only messages that require a response. It is recommended that you select this option, because the Approvals app is designed only for notifications that require a response.

3. To configure a message for use with approvals data services, or to review and update an existing configuration, choose the configuration icon for that message. Perform the following tasks to configure a message:

   • Configure header attributes based on workflow message attributes and response actions. See: To configure headers and response actions for a message.

   • Configure regions for header attributes based on data from underlying application tables, for body details, and for action history. See: To configure regions for a message.

   • Review and verify the message configuration. See: To review and verify a message configuration.

4. To test an existing configuration for a message using a notification ID, choose the test icon for that message. See: To review and verify a message configuration.

5. To delete a message configuration that you no longer require, choose the delete icon for that message.

   Note: Do not delete message configurations seeded by Oracle E-Business Suite.

   To configure headers and response actions for a message:

1. Navigate to the Headers page by choosing the configuration icon for a message from the Worklist Data Services Configuration - Search page. The page shows the display name and internal name for the item type to which the message belongs, as well as the display name and internal name for the message. The page also displays the message body definition as specified in Oracle Workflow Builder.

2. Review the list of message attributes as defined for the message in Oracle Workflow Builder. Any header attributes whose internal names begin with #HDR_ are automatically marked to be included as headers in the first-level details screen in the Approvals app. Additionally, if you defined the special message function WF_NOTIFICATION(ATTRS,...) to include a table of message attributes in the message, then those attributes are automatically marked to be included as headers in the app as well. You can optionally select the Render option for any additional message attributes with a customization level of Limit or User that you want to display as headers in the app.

   Note: You cannot change the Render option setting for message attributes with a customization level of Core.

   Note: You can also display data from application tables as headers in the app. However, you perform the configuration for such data in the Regions page rather than in this page.

3. Select the result attributes for the message that you want to map to the Approve and Reject response actions in the app. You can optionally update the labels that will appear for these actions in the app.

   Note: You can only choose two results to use as response actions within the app. To respond with other results, users must access messages through the Worklist web pages or through e-mail.

4. Choose Next to navigate to the Regions page.

   To configure regions for a message:

1. To begin defining a new region in the Regions page, choose the Add a Region icon.

   For existing regions, the customization level determines what updates you can make.

   • Core - You cannot update any region properties or any details of the region's views or their view attributes.

   • Limit - You can update the status for the region to enabled or disabled, but you cannot update any other region properties. You may be able to update the status for the region's views and their view attributes depending on their respective customization levels.

   • User - You can update all region properties except for the customization level. You may be able to update the region's views and their view attributes depending on their respective customization levels.

2. Enter a title for the region. In the app, the approver can tap the region title for body and action history regions to drill down to the associated details.

3. Enter optional instruction text to provide more guidance to the approver.

4. The configuration tool automatically generates a unique key to identify the region. You can optionally update the key.

5. Enter a sequence number to specify the position in which the region appears relative to other regions of the same type.

   Note: Each region type has a separate sequence. For instance, you can define a sequence number of 1 for a header region, sequence numbers of 1, 2, and 3 for details regions, and a sequence number of 1 for a history region.

6. Select the region type:

   • Header - Header attributes retrieved from application tables for display in the first-level details screen in the app

   • Details - Body details for display in the second-level or third-level details screens in the app

   • History - A custom action history

7. Select the Root check box if this region should appear in a second-level details screen in the app. Deselect this check box if this region should appear in a third-level details screen in the app. A region that is not a root region must be associated with a view in a parent region that is a root region, from which the approver can drill down to the third-level details screen for the non-root or child region.

8. You can optionally define a rule to control whether this region appears in the app based on a runtime condition. To do so, select the rule icon for the region.

   • To begin defining a new rule, choose the Add a Rule icon.

   • Enter a display name for the rule.

   • The configuration tool automatically generates a unique key to identify the rule. You can optionally update the key.

   • The Message Attribute rule type is automatically selected.

   • In the criterion field, select the message attribute used to retrieve a value dynamically at runtime to determine whether the region should be displayed. If you defined a message attribute named #APPROVALS_OBJECT for this purpose, select that attribute here. You can also select another message attribute whose runtime value can be used in the comparison.

     The criterion and the operand are compared using the Is operator. That is, the region is displayed only if the values of criterion and the operand match.

   • Enter a constant operand value against which the criterion is compared.

     For example, suppose a rule is defined for a detail region in a contract requisition approval notification, with the criterion set to the message attribute "Is Contractor Requisition", the operator "Is", and the operand set to the constant value "Y". At runtime, the Approvals app will render this region only for contract requisition notifications, which have the "Is Contractor Requisition" attribute set to "Y".

     If the same message also sends purchase requisition approval notifications, a purchase requisition detail region should also be defined for the message. A rule should be defined for that region with the criterion set to the message attribute "Is Contractor Requisition", the operator "Is", and the operand set to the constant value "N". At runtime, the Approvals app will render this region only for purchase requisition notifications, which have the "Is Contractor Requisition" attribute set to "N".

   • To delete a rule that you no longer require, select the delete icon.

9. In the Customized Regions list, select the status for the region, either Enabled or Disabled. Only enabled regions appear in the Approvals app.

10. To define the views for the region that retrieve data from the underlying application tables, select the details icon for the region.

    You can define new views only for regions with a customization level of User.

    For existing views, the customization level for the view determines what updates you can make.

    • Core - You cannot update any view properties or any details of the view attributes.

    • Limit - You can update the status for the view to enabled or disabled, but you cannot update any other view properties. You may be able to update the rendering status for the view attributes depending on their respective customization levels.

    • User - You can update the view properties, except for the Application Module, VO Instance, Implementation Class, and Implementation Method properties and the customization level. You may be able to update the view attributes depending on their respective customization levels.

11. For a child or non-root region, select the root region that is the parent of this child region. Then select the view within the parent region from which approvers should drill down to this child region.

    Note: Each view in a parent region can allow drilldown only to one child region. Consequently, if you define multiple child regions for the same parent region, the list of values in the Parent Region View field includes only those views that are not already assigned to another child region.

12. To begin defining a new view, choose the Add a View icon in the Views page. Then enter information for the view as follows:

    • Enter a title for the view to help differentiate the content of this view from the content of other views when displayed in the app. If the region contains only one view, you can optionally omit the title.

    • The configuration tool automatically generates a unique key to identify the view. You can optionally update the key.

    • Enter the Oracle Application Framework application module (AM) that contains the view objects to retrieve data from the application tables. Then select Go to load the view objects for that AM into the list of values for the following field.

    • Select the view object that contains the attributes you want to retrieve from the application tables.

    • Select the AM implementation class (AMImpl) that contains the method used to initialize and execute the view object.

      Note: The list of values may also include view object implementation classes. However, for Approvals app purposes you should use an AMImpl class, because an AMImpl class is common to all view objects, and it is a best practice to initialize view objects in the AMImpl method to manage them better.

    • Select the initialization method within that implementation class.

13. To configure the input parameters to be passed to the initialization method, select the Configure Parameters icon for the view.

    • For a view in a root region, for each input parameter that the method accepts, select the value to be passed to that parameter. You can choose from the following possible values:

      • Workflow item type

      • Item key

      • Notification ID

      • Activity ID

      • Any message attribute defined for the workflow message, such as the expense report ID attribute for an expense message or the requisition number attribute for a requisition message

    • For a view in a child or non-root region, the initialization method should include one or more parameters that will be mapped to view attributes from the related view in the parent or root region. That is, you must select at least one view attribute from the parent to pass to the initialization method for a child view. Other input parameters for the initialization method for the child can be drawn from the workflow attributes or from constant values. For each input parameter that the method accepts, first select the value type for the parameter, and then specify the value to be passed to that parameter.

      • Product Attributes value type - Select the attribute of the parent view whose value should be passed as the value for this input parameter in the initialization method for the child view.

        Note: The parent view attribute must have a rendering status of Passed to have its value passed to the child view. See step 15.

      • Workflow Attributes value type - Select the workflow attribute whose value should be passed to this input parameter.

      • Constant Value value type - Enter a constant value to be used as the value for this input parameter.

14. In the Views list, select the status for the view, either Enabled or Disabled. Only enabled views appear in the Approvals app.

15. Next, expand the details for the view to configure the attributes for the view. The list displays all the attributes associated with the view object.

    The customization level for a view attribute determines what updates you can make.

    • Core - You cannot update any view attribute properties.

    • Limit - You can update the rendering status for the view attribute, but you cannot update any other view attribute properties.

    • User - You can update all display-related view attribute properties.

    • Select the Reorder button and use the arrow buttons to move the attributes you want to include in the app to the top of the list. Move those attributes into the order in which you want them to appear in the app.

    • Enter the prompt label that is displayed in the app next to the attribute value. By default, the configuration tool sets the prompt label to a value based on the underlying view object attribute's name. Ensure that you update the default value to a user-friendly value that is easy to read and describes the attribute clearly.

    • Select the rendering status for the attribute.

      • Rendered - The attribute is displayed in the app.

      • Highlight - The attribute is displayed in the app. Additionally, if this view belongs to a root region and is assigned as the parent of a child region, then this attribute has the drill-down icon displayed next to it to let approvers drill down to the child region.

        You should select the Highlight rendering status only for one attribute in a parent view. Do not select this status for an attribute in a child view.

      • Not Rendered - This attribute is not displayed in the app.

      • Passed - This attribute is not displayed in the app. However, if this view belongs to a root region and is assigned as the parent of a child region, then this attribute is passed to the child region's views. You should define at least one attribute in the parent view to be passed to the child region.

        Do not select this status for an attribute in a child view.

        Note: Only attributes with a rendering status of Passed are passed to a child region. Attributes with a rendering status of Rendered, Highlight, or Not Rendered are not passed.

16. To specify the order in which the views appear in the details screen in the app, select the Reorder Views button. Use the arrow buttons to move the views into the order you want.

17. To delete a view that you no longer require, select the delete icon. You can only delete views with a customization level of User.

18. After you finish defining views, choose Return to navigate back to the Regions page.

19. To delete a region that you no longer require, select the region and select the Delete button. You can only delete regions with a customization level of User.

20. After you finish defining regions, choose Next to navigate to the Review page.

   To review and verify a message configuration:

1. In the Review page, review the message configuration you defined. You can return to previous pages to update any details you want to change. When you are satisfied with the message configuration, choose Submit to save it.

2. After you save a message configuration, the confirmation dialog lets you choose whether to verify the configuration. Choose Yes to proceed to the Verify page.

3. The Verify page shows the display name and internal name for the item type to which the message belongs, as well as the display name and internal name for the message. The list of values for the Notification Subject field includes the subject lines of any existing open notifications in your Oracle E-Business Suite instance that were sent using this message. Select the notification you want to use to verify the message configuration. The Verify page displays the notification ID and recipient for the selected notification. Choose Go to display the test output.

4. The Output region displays the approval notification content that the approvals data services return for that notification using the message configuration you defined. This output is the same content that is returned to the Approvals app. Review the XML content, and verify that it matches your expectations. You can update the message configuration to adjust the output if necessary.

   Note: The HTML View is reserved for future use.