Define a Step Through Children Action

Use the Step Through Children Action to run a sequence of Actions against each child record of a Business Object.

For example, send an email to each Customer that is associated with an Incident to notify them when an Incident is resolved. To limit the records that the Actions run against, define a condition (example: Only run Actions against Customer records where the email address is not empty).

If the active Business Object changes (example: The Action was initially defined to run against Incident, but a Create a New Business Object Action makes Problem the active Business Object), a warning appears. The Action properties might need to be modified to reflect the newly active Business Object.

To define a Step Through Children Action for a One-Step™ Action:

1. Open the One-Step Editor. SeeOpen the One-Step Editor.
2. Add a Step Through Children Action to the Designer Board.
3. Define general properties for the Step Through Children Action:

   Option	Description
   Name	Provide a display name for the Action (this is how the Action is identified within the One-Step Action).
   Child Business Object	In the drop-down list, select the Child Business Object to run Actions against. For the Business Object to be listed in the drop-down list, it must have a relationship with the parent object (the active Business Object). See Relationships.
   Order	To run Actions against the child records in a specific order, select a field in the drop-down list by which the records should be sorted. The drop-down list lists the fields from the child Business Object selected in the previous step. Ascending: Select this check box to run through the child records in ascending order (example: 0-10, A-Z) based on the selected field. Rarely will the alphabetical order match the desired order, unless you prefix the values with numbers or letters (example: For status, you would likely want lifecycle order, not alphabetical order); therefore, it is common to define a field that contains a sequence number purely for controlling the order (example: Status Order).
   Reload data in Relationship	Select this check box to reload relationship data before the Step Through Children Action is executed against the child records. Reloading might be necessary if the relationship is changed behind the scenes (example: Through a reverse Relationship). If this check box is selected, the relationship is refreshed from the database so that the Action updates the latest version of the relationship. In addition, no child Actions are required if this check box is selected.
   Only run against record where Expression is true	Limit the records that Actions run against, and then define an expression for the condition.
   Stored Expression	Select the ellipsis button to open the Expression Manager, and then select an existing stored expression or create a new stored expression. Stored expressions can be reused in numerous places in CSM. See Create an Expression.
   Custom Expression	Select the Custom Expression button to open the Custom Expression Builder, and then create a custom expression specifically for this scenario.
   Record to select after run	Define which record to select after all Step Through Children Actions are completed (Record to Select after Run section).
   Original	The record that was active prior to execution of the Step Through Children Action becomes the active record.
   First found	The first record found by the Step Through Children Action becomes the active record.
   Last found	The last record found by the Step Through Children Action become the active record.

4. Define Annotation properties. See Define the Annotations for a One-Step.
5. Select Save.

Define Actions to Run Against Child Records

1. Double-click the Step Through Children Graphic. You can also right-click the Action graphic and select Define Actions for Child Records, or select the Child Record Actions button on the One-Step Editor toolbar. A Designer Board opens for the Step Through Children Action.
2. Add Actions to the Designer Board.
3. Define properties for each Action. Changing the child Business Object (in the Child drop-down list) after defining Actions clears the Actions and any conditions associated with them.

   For Actions that access a field, if the relationship between the parent and child Business Objects is a reverse relationship, fields will be available for both the parent and child records, but if it is a non-reverse relationship, only the child fields will be available.

4. Select Save to save changes and return to the main Designer Board.

(Optional) Define Conditions that Limit When an Action is Executed

1. Right-click an Action on the Designer Board, and then select Action Condition in the context menu. You can also select the Expression button on the One-Step Editor toolbar to add conditions to a selected Action. To edit the Action condition, double-click the Expression icon, right-click the Action on the Designer Board and select Action Condition, or select the Expression button on the toolbar.
2. Select Only Run Action [name of Action] if Condition is True check box to define an expression that controls when the Action is executed.
3. Define an expression for the condition, either:
   • Stored Expression: Select the ellipsis button to open the Expression Manager, and then select an existing stored Expression or create a new stored expression. See Create an Expression. Stored expressions can be reused in numerous places in CSM.
   • Custom Expression: Select the Custom Expression button to open the Custom Expression Builder, and then create a custom expression specifically for this scenario.

4. Select OK.

5. Select Save to return to the Designer Board for the main One-Step Action.