Element chaining

Element chaining refers to how wizard, notebook, and dialog container elements can be linked together to perform one task.

Element chaining uses the following guidelines:

• There is no limit on the number of container elements that can be chained together.
• Users can go back to any previous container element by clicking on that item in the page history.
• To return to the previous container element, call the top.goBack() function from the WebSphere Commerce Accelerator's top frame. This normally happens when a user clicks the OK or Finish button in the chained container element.
• After returning from the chained container element, the originating container element displays the same panel from which it launched the chained container element. For example, if a user is in the second panel of a wizard and chained container element launches, the second panel of the originating wizard displays after the user completes the chained container element.
• Optionally, a container element can save its current state, without going back to the server, before it calls another one. For example, a user entering information in the second panel of an unfinished wizard can go to another wizard, come back, and find all of their information still there.
• Optionally, the chained container element can return a variable to the originating container element. This is frequently the hashtable value, model. This name is used across all User Interface elements.