Defining Dynamic Clusters

The Dynamic Clusters dialog enables you to view the dynamic clusters defined for the class, add a new dynamic cluster, delete an existing dynamic cluster, change an existing dynamic cluster name, and view a list of the design‑time and runtime dynamic properties defined in a dynamic cluster.

A dynamic cluster can contain both runtime and design‑time dynamic properties. For details, see "Dynamic Clusters and Properties", in Chapter 4.

For details about the scope of design‑time dynamic properties, including a table providing usage decisions, see "Design-Time Dynamic Property Use" and "Deciding Between Static and Design-Time Dynamic Properties", in Chapter 4.

To access the Dynamic Clusters dialog

  1. In the Class Browser window, select the class to which you want to add a dynamic cluster or whose dynamic cluster you want to maintain.

  2. Select the Dynamic Property Clusters command from the Classes menu. (This command is enabled only when the selected class is allowed to have dynamic clusters.)

    The Dynamic Clusters dialog for the selected class is then displayed, as shown in the following image.

The Defined Dynamic Clusters list box displays the dynamic clusters defined for the class and the Properties in the selected dynamic cluster list box displays a list of the dynamic properties defined in the cluster selected in the Defined Dynamic Clusters list box. By default, runtime dynamic properties are listed in magenta and design‑time dynamic properties listed in maroon.

To add a dynamic cluster

  1. In the Cluster Name text box, specify the name of the dynamic cluster. When defining or maintaining a dynamic cluster:

    • The name cannot be longer than 100 characters, cannot contain spaces, and must begin with a lowercase or an uppercase alphabetic character.

    • The name must be unique within the hierarchy of the class in which they are defined; that is, they cannot be used in a superclass or a subclass of the class, including in any superschemas or subschemas.

    • A class can have a maximum of 255 local dynamic property cluster definitions.

    • A class can have a maximum of 65,535 local properties, both static and dynamic.

    • You cannot add dynamic property clusters to system schema classes.

  2. Click the Add button.

You can now define design‑time and runtime dynamic properties for the cluster.

To change a dynamic cluster name

  1. In the Defined Dynamic Clusters list box, select the dynamic cluster that you want to rename.

  2. In the Cluster Name text box, make the changes to the cluster name that you require.

  3. Click the Change button.

To delete a dynamic cluster

  1. In the Defined Dynamic Clusters text box, select the dynamic cluster that you want to delete.

    You can neither delete a dynamic cluster from the JADE development environment if it contains runtime properties nor delete it at run time if it contains design‑time properties. A dynamic cluster cannot be deleted in the JADE development environment if it has any properties defined.

  2. Click the Delete button. As a dynamic cluster assigned to a class cannot be deleted if the class has instances, the Delete button is disabled if the owning class has instances, because the instances may still have data associated with deleted properties that were owned by the cluster.