The information in this article applies to:
Product: Metastorm BPM
Version: 6.x 7.x
Issue
- Column usage for a column in a grid is set to hidden in the Process Designer. When a user selects the data from the grid and pastes it into Microsoft Excel or a text editor, the data in the hidden column is displayed. Clicking View Source for the web page also displays the hidden data.
Discussion
Form Element Properties
In the Visibility depends on field, selecting Don't show means that the current form element will not be displayed on the form. However, the form element and any data in it are still sent to the browser, but they are not rendered on the form. Therefore, other fields on the form can reference (i.e., have visibility dependent on) the form element that's not shown. This data would be visible through View Source.
The Default action usage field allows you to specify a default, such as optional, required, read-only, or hidden. If the Variable field is set to calculated, only the read-only and hidden options are available.
The default action usage set in the form element properties is overridden by the usage set at the action. So if the default action usage for the form element is set to hidden on the form itself, setting it to optional on the action properties Form tab will make it optional when the user takes the action.
Action Properties
If the field usage property for a form element is set to hidden for a particular action, when a user clicks on the action and the form is loaded, the hidden field is not sent to the browser. Therefore, no other field on the form can reference (i.e., have visibility dependent on) the hidden field. (Note: Versions prior to 7.0 may have exhibited other behavior even though the documented behavior has not changed.)
A hidden form element (but not a hidden column in a grid) is visible when the folder is viewed at a stage.
In the example above under Issue, the grid's field usage for the action was set to read-only or optional, so all of the data was sent to the browser. Columns that are set to hidden in a grid are not displayed at an action or a stage. However, the hidden column data is sent to the browser at a stage and is sent to the browser at an action unless the grid itself is set to hidden at the action.
