SAP HCI Cannot create Content Modifier External Parameter in Web UI

[jmalla]

I am not able to create an External parameter for the Content modifier. The dropdown is not enabled.

I followed the URL External parameter not working HCI Web with a user who has the same issue. The recommendation was to create the external parameter in Eclipse and deploy that.

So I created this in Eclipse:

Then I click on the Externalized Parameters tab (in between the Console and the Remote Systems tab).

Then I sync with the Editor, add the values, and then save the parameters.

I execute checks for the flow and make sure everything looks good. Then I deploy the integration content from Eclipse. I check the deployment in the console and tasks view and I get no errors:

However, when I create the external parameter for the Content modifier in Eclipse and deploy, I still do not see the external parameter that I created in Eclipse in the Web UI.

[Sriprasadsbhat]

Hello Jay,

As per understanding externalizing the parameters directly from content modifier [ WEBUI ] is not yet available ( Although there is a button externalize appearing in right corner of Content Modifier ) for Integration Project created in WEBUI, as a work around you can create a project in Eclipse and externalize the required parameter and import it to webui.

I am able to view the External Parameter Created which got created in Eclipse in WEBUI without any issues ( from Content Modifier perspective it is not editable & grayed out in WEBUI).

Screenshot from WEBUI content modifier:

Regards,

Sriprasad Shivaram Bhat

[jmalla]

Hi Sriprasad,

Thanks for your answer. I am able to create the content modifier external parameter in Eclipse - that was never the issue. The problem was when you try to deploy this to the tenant. If there is an EXISTING flow, then there is actually a bug in the deployment from Eclipse to the tenant - which we confirmed with SAP technical support on a live Skype session. The work around is to actually DELETE the flow from the HCI tenant. Then export the project from Eclipse as a zip file - and NOT deploy directly to the tenant. Then in the package view in the Web UI, you can import this "new" zip exported from Eclipse into the package. Then it works fine.

So basically, the external parameters do not move over correctly from Eclipse if there is an existing flow in the tenant. The bug is in the deployment of the parameters.prop and parameters.propdef file. If you delete the flow from the package in Web UI, and then deploy from Eclipse (instead of exporting the zip and importing using the Web UI), then the flow is NOT connected to the package. I think SAP should have the option in Eclipse to tie the flow to a package explicitly or SAP should provide a way from the Web UI to bring in an existing flow that is already deployed to the system that is not tied to a package and have this tied to a package.

I am planning to write a BLOG about this - as I spent many hours trying to figure this out and I even tried to bring up the flow xml in an editor and backdoor the content modifier external parameter - which also did not work since I had the existing flow in the tenant. It would have worked had I deleted the flow on the tenant.

Thanks,

Jay

[Former Member]

Hi Jay,

Currently, the only way you can see the External Parameters in WEBUI (greyed out) is the above way: i.e. Export/Import the iFlow from WEBUI to Eclipse, define external parameters in Eclipse, delete the iFlow in WEBUI and export/import the iflow from Eclipse to WEBUI.
As mentioned above, the external parameter features in WEBUI are still in development.

Best regards,
Pierre.