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A Meta-Update script looks like a "Windows ini file". It has two types of sections: Control and Assignment.

Control Sections specify Meta-Update operations.

A control section can be performed exactly once, or, it can iterate through results of a Query, SQL Query, File, or, a Diary Field's or delimited string's entries.

In each iteration or loop, an Output to an ARS record or ASCII file may be done. Output ARS records are automatically reloaded. The section can launch other sections to output more records.

Each Control Section specifies Assignment Sections to be performed at various times during its life.

These are used to load other records, LookUp and translate values, assign script variables, output field values, fire server or client processes, control the script operation.

Control Sections specify Assignment Sections to be called when:

Init

Once when (or each time) the section starts

Pre

After the iteration tag is loaded

Post

After the update is done and the record reloaded

Launch

After the last launched section completes

Term

Once when (or each time) the section ends

Assignment Sections are where you specify what values will be assigned to the fields of an output record. They allow you to:

• set script variables
• fire server and client processes
• translate and look up values against internal lists, CSVs, ARS and SQL Queries
• load other ARS and SQL records
• use regular expressions and arithmetic
• conditionally include other Assignment Sections

Assignment Sections support:

• fully nested conditionals
• automatic type conversions
• copying values based on field ids or names

Iteration

Each Control Section

• can be executed exactly once
• can loop through the records returned by a Query or SQL Query
• can loop through each record of a CSV file
• can loop through a Diary Field's entries
• can loop through a "Delimited" String's entries

On each iteration, the next record is loaded into the Tag specified.

For SQL Queries and File records, interpretation and transformation masks are applied.

A Control Section can Launch other control sections.

So, for example, a first section can output a People record to a file, then Launch a section that queries this person's rights and saves them in a separate file.

Similarly, when migrating say HelpDesk tickets across releases,

• A first section queries the records to be migrated on the first server.
• It then launches a section to create or update the new Incident.
• That launched section then Launches a series of sections
  • to loop through that ticket's Diary field entries creating or updating appropriate HPD:WorkLog entries,
  • to transfer any attachments into a special WorkLog,

In this way, trees of dependent data can be handled a complete tree at a time.

Output

Each Control Section can either not output or:

• Create an ARS record
• Update or Create an ARS record
• Output a new CSV record or a new ASCII pattern file or record

For ARS records, Merge can be used and workflow can be inhibited.

Any records updated or created are reloaded so that the complete record, including any workflow changed values, is available to your script.

The form being updated and the query for the update record may be references. ARS queries may use field database names.

If no changes are detected, the update is inhibited by default.