is there a way to update Filter Tool programmatically WITHOUT using a List Box?

Question

Hello,

I have a standard macro which contains some Interface Tools. The interface tools are used to update filters. You can see in the screenshot below how the output of the Union Tool is connected to the List Box Q input; this sends a pair of values into the Action Tool, which in turn updates the "settings" field in the Filter's expression

When I open this workflow in Test View, check the tick boxes which are presented to me, and hit Open Debug, the resulting debug workflow works, and I get the expected output.

The problem is that if I nest this standard macro inside an iterative macro to loop different filter variables to be used in the Action Tool, it always gives me the wrong answer.

I suspect that the problem is because the standard macro remembers what boxes were ticked in the last pass, and doesn't update the items AND the tick states of each item on each pass of the iteration in the iterative macro.

Assuming that what I just said is correct, is there a way to completely bypass the checkbox mechanism and have the Action Tool configure the items in the Filter directly without the need for the List Box?

Thanks,

Nick

Nicholas_White · Answer

@flying008

b- Divide your standard macro into 2 parts, the first part uses the output of Union as the macro output, that is, the input of the latter part, so that dynamic updates can be achieved.

I think this was the trick.

I haven't yet broken standard macro into two parts yet; rather, I converted it to a batch macro with the intention of putting the functionality of the Union tool into a separate standard macro.

This is what I achieved tonight, you can see the new batch macro in green:

Just doing some early tests indicates that this will work, it loops through all the records I throw into the Control Parameter inputs and produces correct values.

When I make the separate Union standard macro and (hopefully) get it working. I think it would go inside the iterative macro right before the batch macro:

I'll update this post so that others may learn.

Thank you,

Nick

flying008 · Answer

Hi, @Nicholas_White

1- According to your current macro process, it is currently impossible to update the filter automatically following the output of the Union. The filter will only be executed according to the conditions you set in the macro itself.
So, you now have 2 ways to try to solve the problem of not being able to update automatically:
a- Change the process, try to achieve your needs without macro.
b- Divide your standard macro into 2 parts, the first part uses the output of Union as the macro output, that is, the input of the latter part, so that dynamic updates can be achieved.