JavaScript variable types in Process Designer

IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Create processes in IBM Process Designer > Modeling processes > Business objects and variables
Variable types in Process Designer

You can use the variable types provided by the system toolkits, such as the System Data toolkit, or you can create custom business objects, depending on the requirements of the business data included in your process.
During Process Designer installation, the system toolkits are imported into the Process Center repository so that each process application and toolkit created has access to a common system data. The system toolkits provide the following categories of variables:

Base types

Base types allow you to create custom variable types called business object. A list of all the base types is provided further in this topic.

System types

System types are provided variable types that cannot be modified. A list of all the system types is provided in the JavaScript API reference guide.

The following table provides more information about the base business objects (variable types) provided in system toolkits.

Provided base types
Base types Description
String Allows alpha-numeric characters to be entered into the variable.
Integer Accepts digits without a decimal place, such as 45 or 20.
Decimal Accepts digits with up to two decimal places, such as 45.3 or 20.13.
Date Allows date and time formats to be entered into the variable.
Time Allows date formats to be entered into the variable as times. The user enters a time, and before the variable is entered into the symbol table, it is converted to and behaves like a date.
Selection Allows you to provide a list of possible entries to a user, of which the user can select only one. A selection is a list of different values; each value is typed as a string. A selection variable appears at run time on a Coach form as a drop-down list or as radio buttons.
Boolean Accepts either true or false as values. It appears at run time on a Coach form as a check box.
Structure To use a structure type, you need to create a custom structure type and define its properties. A structure regroups business data that is related to the same subject.
For example, a Customer structure might contain elements such as lastName, firstName, homeNumber, streetAddress.

Custom variable types

Custom variable types are defined using business objects. If the predefined business objects provided in the system toolkits do not represent your needsl, you can create your own business objects.

Business objects and variables

Related tasks:
Create business objects

Related information:
JavaScript API reference

Base types	Description
String	Allows alpha-numeric characters to be entered into the variable.
Integer	Accepts digits without a decimal place, such as 45 or 20.
Decimal	Accepts digits with up to two decimal places, such as 45.3 or 20.13.
Date	Allows date and time formats to be entered into the variable.
Time	Allows date formats to be entered into the variable as times. The user enters a time, and before the variable is entered into the symbol table, it is converted to and behaves like a date.
Selection	Allows you to provide a list of possible entries to a user, of which the user can select only one. A selection is a list of different values; each value is typed as a string. A selection variable appears at run time on a Coach form as a drop-down list or as radio buttons.
Boolean	Accepts either true or false as values. It appears at run time on a Coach form as a check box.
Structure	To use a structure type, you need to create a custom structure type and define its properties. A structure regroups business data that is related to the same subject. For example, a Customer structure might contain elements such as lastName, firstName, homeNumber, streetAddress.