Spawn Pane

Spawn is the term used to describe an activity that was system generated as a result of another activity being processed. If you delete or recycle an activity that spawned other activities, the spawned activities will be deleted or recycled as well. The Activity Details screen in OIPA lists the activities that were spawned.

Note: Spawns can only be configured at the plan level because transactions reside at the plan level.

In the Rules Palette, spawn configuration is divided into four sections:

At the top is a list of spawns the transaction will trigger. Transaction to spawn displays a list of transactions that will be spawned. Highlighting a transaction in the list will display all related information regarding the spawn. The SPAWNCODE indicates when the transaction should be spawned. A list of SpawnCodes from AsCodeSpawn in the AsCode table are listed below. If the spawn's occurrence is based on a date field then select the field value for SPAWNCODE and the FIELD combo box will be enabled so you can choose the correct variable from a combo box.

Spawn tab on the Spawn Screen

Code Value	Description
01	Immediate: spawn on the effective date.
02	One Year: spawn a year from the effective date.
03	Field Value: spawn on a date defined from a field in the activity.
04	1 Business Day: spawn on the next business day.
05	One Month: spawn a month from the effective date.
06	Segment: spawn one for each segment.
07	1 Quarter: spawn one quarter from the effective date.
08	Spawn multiple: spawn an activity for each Pattern Field (Field0, Field1, etc.).
09	Policy: spawn an activity for each policy in the plan.
10	SpawnMultiFields: This spawn code is used with transactions that have MultiFields. On selecting this spawncode, the MultiFields column on the screen is enabled with two options: Yes and No. Yes- spawns the current activity's MultiFields to the spawned activity. No- MutiFields values will not be spawned. If this attribute is not present, No will be assumed.

This section gives the user the option to configure a condition when the transaction should be spawned. If no condition is given then the transaction will always be spawned.
Spawn fields is where you indicate the variables from the processed activity that should be passed to the spawned transaction. You may select an option from a combo box in the FROM field, which is filled with all the fields and math variables available in the spawning transaction. If no selection is made in the FROM field, the field will not be spawned. In a majority of the cases all FROM fields will be filled in. FROM fields allow date entry and are sorted by the datatype of the TO fields.

Spawn fields

The Quick Search section is used to add a new spawn to the transaction. To add a spawn, type the transaction name in the Quick Search box. You will filter through all available transactions in the Transaction box. Highlight the desired transaction and select the Add button. The transaction will be added to the spawn list.

Note: An activity is an instance of a transaction. When you select an activity the transaction configuration is executed.

You can insert an entire Spawn section from a CopyBook or you can configure the Spawn section through the Spawn pane.

Insert Entire Spawn Section from CopyBook

Navigate to the transaction and click the Spawn pane.
Expand the CopyBook section at the top of the pane.
Click the Include box.
Click lookUp and select the CopyBook from the CopyBook Lookup window.
Click OK. The CopyBook spawn information will be added to this pane.

Copybook section expanded on Spawn pane

Steps to Create a Spawn

Select the Spawn pane.
Search for the transaction you want to spawn from the Quick Search box.
Select the transaction name from the Transactions list.
Select Add, which adds the transaction to be spawned.
Use the Up or Down button to move the spawn to the correct order. This is important if one activity relies on the output of another activity.
Select the Spawn Code from the drop-down box. The Spawn Code specifies how or when you want the transaction to be spawned.
Set the Spawn Condition if the spawn should only occur when some condition result is true. If left blank, the spawn will always occur.
Select the spawn fields needed to complete the spawn. The To section automatically populates with the applicable math variables or fields for the activity the values are going to. The From section has drop-down boxes where you will select a field or math variable that stores the values needed to pass to the activity you are spawning. The From value will be passed to the specified To field of the spawned transaction.

Spawn icons in AS Main Explorer and Spawn pane open in Configuration Area

After you create a spawned activity, it will be listed in the rule’s folder. You will notice a finger icon next to each of the spawns. By double-clicking on the finger icon you are taken to the spawned transaction’s folder.