Calculator Component
Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes
Overview
The Calculator component is a logic tool used with two or more components to carry out a calculation. A simple use of a Calculator is to add numbers from two different fields.
- Concatenating (or joining) two or more values.
- Performing advanced calculations involving several components.
- Calculating duration.
- Pushing data from one component to another.
As you can see, the Calculator component is a versatile tool in your Unqork arsenal. To configure your Calculator component:
1. | Enter your input components, and assign them simple aliases. |
2. | Create a formula using your defined aliases. |
3. | Set an output component to hold the result of your calculation. |
You can find the Calculator component in the Data & Events Processing group to the left of the Module Builder.
What You'll Learn
After completing this article, you’ll know when to use a Calculator component, how to configure its settings, and how to use it in an Unqork application.
About the Configuration Window
General
Setting |
Description |
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Property ID |
A Property ID is the unique field ID used by Unqork to track and link components in your module. The Property ID is how the software identifies your component. Using Property IDs lets you link components, creating logic-based configurations and API APIs (application programming interfaces) are a set of protocols and definitions developers use to build and integrate application software. APIs act as the connective tissue between products and services. calls. Property IDs must use camel case A naming convention for computer programming. Use camelCase for Property IDs, for example: newUser, lastName, & rdoButton. (stylized as camelCase) without spaces or punctuation. |
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The component is active and visible in Express View Express View is how your end-user views you application. Express View also lets you preview your applications to test your configuration and view the styling. After configuring a module, click Preview in the Module Editor to interact with the module in Express View. While active, other components and processes can reference your component. Setting the toggle to By default, the Active toggle is set to |
Notes |
Select this tab to display the component's Notes area. You can use notes to keep your teammates informed. The Notes editor offers a semi-WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) content editor. Built to look like a word processor, this editor lets you create, edit, and format your notes. Notes save when saving the component. |
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Select this tab to manage your component's display settings. |
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Select this tab to manage your component's actions settings. |
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Select this tab to manage your component's validation settings. |
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Select this tab to manage your component's advanced settings. |
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Select this tab to see the RBAC RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) is a method to control system access for authorized users. The role in RBAC refers to the levels of access employees have to a network. (role-based access control) settings of the component. |
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Assign components one-word labels to help organize, identify, and group the components in your application. Consider an example from the API Specification Snippet: Field Tags are applied to Hidden components in the panelRequest and panelResponse Panels. The Field Tags identify the data type of parameters included in the API APIs (application programming interfaces) are a set of protocols and definitions developers use to build and integrate application software. APIs act as the connective tissue between products and services. request and response. The API Docs Dashboard tool populates with information about each parameter’s data type, identified by the Field Tag. Field Tags act as a type of Property ID A Property ID is the unique field ID used by Unqork to track and link components in your module. group and let you group components for configuration purposes. Field Tags let you target two or more components using a simple logic component. For example, add the Field Tag tagForDecision to multiple components in your module. Open the Inputs table of a Decisions component and reference the tagForDecision Field Tag as the input of the Decisions component. The output of the Decisions component then affects all components with the tagForDecision Field Tag. Save your Field Tags by pressing Enter (Return) or adding a comma after each entry. |
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Select this tab to open the list of supported keyboard shortcuts you can use in the component settings modal. Keyboard shortcuts include:
Additional keyboard shortcuts:
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Select this tab to access the component documentation in Unqork's In-Product Help. |
Cancel |
Click this button to undo any unsaved configuration changes and return to the canvas. |
Save & Close |
Click this button to save all settings as configured and return to the canvas. |
Display Panel
Setting |
Description |
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Canvas Label Text |
A component’s Canvas Label Text indicates the purpose of the corresponding field or component. For non-input components, the Canvas Label Text isn't end-user facing, and only appears in the Module Builder. User-friendly labels make your module more accessible. Keep labels short and descriptive (a word or two) using title case. For longer entries, use sentence case. NOTE For the Calculator component, it's best practice to use the same value for Canvas Label Text as your Property ID:calcXxx. |
Actions Panel
Triggers
Setting |
Description |
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Trigger Type |
This setting provides the following options:
By default, the Manual Trigger Type is selected.
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Inputs
Setting |
Description |
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Property ID |
The Property ID column is where you enter inputs that your logic component references. Examples of supported inputs include:
NOTE When using a Trigger Type of Watch, enter all inputs the component must watch for in the Property ID column. TIP You can use dot notation In Unqork, Dot Notation accesses the properties of an object. The object's name comes before the period, and the property comes after. For example, to reference just the City from an Address Search component, you would enter "address.city". to reference values nested under a Property ID in the submission data Also known as Record Data. Submission data consists of information saved by Unqork components. View submission data by using the angular command, or in Record Collections..
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Alias |
To simplify the configuration, give each component an alias. An easy approach is to assign each component a different letter of the alphabet (for example: A, B, C). |
Required |
Checking this option sets the input as mandatory. This means that your calculation can't take place without this particular input. Where Required stays unchecked, the input becomes optional in the calculation. |
Outputs
Setting |
Description |
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Property ID |
For your logic component to recognize an output, you must enter the destination component's Property ID(s) here. The Property ID entered must match the Property ID used in the output component. Remember, use camel case A naming convention for computer programming. Use camelCase for Property IDs, for example: newUser, lastName, & rdoButton. (stylized as camelCase) without spaces or punctuation. This is most commonly a Text Field, Number, or Hidden component. |
Formula |
Add your calculation here, using an input component's alias instead of its Property ID. For example, adding two components with the aliases A and B looks like this: =(A+B). The Formula field works with most Excel formulas. NOTE To learn more about Calculator formulas, see our Calculator Formulas article. |
Post Trigger |
The Property ID of the component that will trigger after all the outputs listed in the Outputs table are set. |
Validation Panel
Unit Testing
The Unit Testing tool lets you confirm your Calculator works as expected. Enter the data you want to test in the Input table, and the results of the test display in the Output table. This is a good way to catch logic errors early.
To get started, click Create Test to create a new test.
Setting |
Description |
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Collapses or opens the Unit Testing panel. |
Refresh Fields |
Updates all Input fields to reflect changes on the canvas. |
Run All Tests |
Runs all added tests with the Input values entered. |
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Additional Unit Testing settings. |
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Makes a copy of an existing test. |
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Removes an existing test. |
Run Test |
Runs the test with the Input values entered. |
Input Table |
Use this table to enter the information you want to test. If you have multiple inputs and want to skip testing certain inputs, leave the Value column blank. |
Input |
Automatically populates all components listed in the Calculator component’s Inputs table. |
Label |
Automatically populates the label of the connected Input component. |
Value |
Enter example data in this column that you want to test. NOTE If you enter a JSON value with a syntax error (such as a missing bracket), the cell turns yellow, indicating an error scenario. |
JSON |
Select this checkbox when you enter a Value that's written in JSON JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is an open standard file and data interchange format. Unqork uses JSON for submission (record) data.. This can be an object, array, number, or Boolean (true/false) value. |
Output Table |
This table displays the results of your test. |
Output |
Automatically populates all components listed in the Calculator component's Outputs table. |
Label |
Automatically populates with the label of your connected Output component. |
Expected |
Enter the outcome you expect from the test you run. You can use this to compare the expected result with the actual result. NOTE This column is optional. If you leave it blank, the cell turns red when the unit test runs. |
Actual |
The result from the test you ran. |
JSON |
Select this checkbox when your result must display in JSON. This can be an array, string, or object. |
Advanced Panel
Setting |
Description |
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Set Execution |
Select if and what is executed when this component triggers. |
Disable Execution |
If Disable Execution is set to By default, this setting is set to |
Set Debounce |
The number of milliseconds that pass before the form loads this component. For larger modules, increasing the debounce value prevents the Decisions component from triggering before all components load in. |
Adding a Calculator Component
For this example, let's look at an inventory count for a high-end outfitter. To create this application, you'll use four Number fields for inventory counts. Then, you'll add a Calculator to calculate the total.
In this configuration, you need the following components:
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4 Number components
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1 Calculator component
Configure the Number Components
Think of your Number components as buckets for the number of small, medium, and large clothing items you have in inventory. These components act as inputs for your Calculator component. Then you need a final Number component to hold the calculated total.
1. | In the Module Builder, drag and drop four ![]() |
small |
Small |
medium |
Medium |
large |
Large |
total |
Total |
3. | Click Save & Close for each component as you add it. |
Configure the Calculator Component
Now that you have a spot for each inventory count, use a Calculator component to add them together. Set each Number component as an input, then enter the logic behind your sum calculation.
1. | Drag and drop a ![]() ![]() |
3. | Set the Trigger Type to ![]() |
4. | Complete the Inputs table as follows: |
Property ID |
Alias |
Required |
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small |
S |
No (clear) |
medium |
M |
No |
large |
L |
No |
5. | In the Outputs table, enter the following: |
Property ID |
Formula |
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total |
=SUM(S,M,L) |
Your Calculator configuration is complete. Next, use the Unit Testing tool to ensure it works as expected.
1. | Click Create Test. |
2. | In the Value column of the Input Table Enter inputs components and actions you want the component to perform., enter sample numeric values. |
3. | Click Run Test. The sum of your sample values shows in the Actual column of the Output Table. |
4. | Click Save & Close. |
5. | Save your module. |
Preview your module in Express View Express View is how your end-user views you application. Express View also lets you preview your applications to test your configuration and view the styling. After configuring a module, click Preview in the Module Editor to interact with the module in Express View, and test it out:
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