GetApplicationSetting<TResult>

This Activity is about obtaining one of the settings from the main SmartBridge application, such as the general application settings.

Example:

Suppose you need to use batch files in a Workflow. Instead of hardcoding the full path to the batch files into Activities, you could also get the path that is defined in the Application Settings, save it as a variable, and use the variable to refer to the batch files. When the Application Setting changes, the path in your Workflows automatically reflect the new paths.

SmartBridge saves its settings to a config file that is saved locally on the machine where SmartBridge is installed. The config file is actually an XML file, where every option is represented by a node. Every node has a name, or key. With the GetApplicationSetting<TResult> Activity you are fetching a configuration setting from a specific key.

Why do I need variables

You can use variables to create a more flexible and sustainable Workflow.

Variables are mostly used in advanced Activities such as the Diversity Activities. These Activities often have two parts:

• One part is to identify where to get data that serves as input for the Activity.
• One part is to identify where to store data that serves as output for the Activity.

For the Diversity Activities it is common to store the data resulting from the Activity into a variable. Once stored in the variable, you can re-use the stored value elsewhere in the Workflow, by referring to the variable.

To create a variable to store data

1. Click on the Variables button, below the Workflow. a panel will appear, containing an editable table.
2. In the table click on 'Create variable' to start creating a new variable.
3. Provide a name for the variable, preferably a name that describes its contents. Use camel case.
4. Indicate the type of variable (e.g. boolean, integer, string, etc.). You can find specific types using 'Browse for types...'.
5. Moving to another row saves this data to a new entry.

You can now use the name of this variable into one of the fields of the current Activity, or in Activities that are next.