How to create the Properties mappers configuration

Question

HI

In your answer, you have attached a readymade configuration file that I had to simply load. It shows all data sources from my excel file (they are actually the column-headers in the excel sheet: Statement code, statement by-, logical statement).

But I cannot get the Propertis mapper to read the column headers and convert them to data sources.

Just to understand this process, I started from scratch, as follows:

1. I created a new template node from ER node, with three additional labels.

2. I saved it in my "Argument Maps" palette.

3. I launched the Properties mapper, and selected New configuration for nodes option.

4. In the Template section, I chose "single" option, and selected my node. Its thumbnail shows up in the right pane.

5. This step automatically adds a default mapping, where data source is "not applicable", and conversion type is "constant value". It makes no sense to me, but I guess it simply adds the node as template.

6. Now I wanted to add more data sources from my Excel data sheet. But the Properties mapper does not allow me to open that excel sheet and look at its data headers.

So I tried to add a new data source by clicking on the green + button at right.

The Properties mapper only gives me two options: URL and tooltip. I have no idea where to pick these from!

Thus my experiment cannot proceed from this point.

IINW I should be able to specify a data source with a {file name+sheet name+cell reference} combination.

******

After failing here, I closed the Properties mapper and started with the other possible approach: I tried to see if the Excel import dialog gives me these data sources.

1. I used the Files> open menu option, and selected my argument map excel sheet.

2. I specified the edges and nodes lists. The Data tab gets populated without any issues.

3. I switched to the Presentation tab. But here, it only allows me to select "Use configuration" check boxes for nodes and edges. And then the drop-down list below it shows only one option: Argument map (edge) and Argument map (Node). The other options are grayed out.

I can only select the layout (where I chose "Hierarchical" option).

But this GUI also does not let me create the data sources.

So the question is, how do I proceed?

Answer 1

The properties mapper documentation explicitly states that the properties mapper works on custom properties. I.e. you need to have custom properties defined for your diagram to get "Data Source" entries to choose from in addition to "URL" and "Description". There are currently two ways to define custom properties, the first one would be using "Edit" -> "Manage Custom Properties" and the second one is importing data from an Excel spreadsheet.

Excel import's support for properties mapper configurations is mostly meant to be used for repeatedly importing data with the same data columns. I.e. you use Excel import once without any properties mapper configurations, then create the configurations after the Excel import is done, and then use those configurations for subsequent imports of similarly organized data.
If you want to import your data from Excel only once, you simply create the desired properties mapper configurations after importing your data and close the properties mapper dialog with "Ok" (which will automatically run the currently selected configuration).