While Loop |
Use the While Loop action to configure a group of one or more actions that continue to run sequentially as long as the specified condition continues to be satisfied.
You can configure the properties for the While Loop action on the following tabs.
Options
Run: Specifies the amount of time that you want to run the action, as follows:
While variable meets condition: Specifies that the action runs as long as the variable meets the specified condition.
Variable: Specifies the variable that you want to use for the conditional statement. Enter the variable in the input box. Alternatively, expand the list and then select a recently used variable, or select Variables or More Variables to open the Insert Variable dialog.
[Relational Operator]: Specifies the relational operator to use for the conditional statement. Click the existing operator to open a list of additional operators, and then click the one that you want to use. For more information, refer to Relational Operators. The operators that are available in the list depend on whether you select Text or Decimal for the Type option.
Value: Specifies the values to use for the conditional statement. To add a value, click , click <enter a value>, enter the value that you want, and then press Enter
. To delete a value, use the secondary mouse button to click it, and then click Delete. Some operators, such as Is blank and Is not blank, do not require a value to be specified. In these situations, the Value field is not available.
Type: Specifies whether the conditional statement is evaluating a text or decimal value.
Check condition before running actions: Specifies that the condition is checked before the actions are run.
While expression meets condition: Specifies that the action runs as long as the expression meets the specified condition.
Input box controls (Tree View tab)
[Conditional Joiner]: Specifies the conditional joiner for the conditional statements within the group. The default conditional joiner is And.
Click the existing conditional joiner to access a menu that you can use to configure your conditional expression in one of the following ways:
And, Or, NotAnd, NotOr: The menu options include a list of conditional joiners. Click the conditional joiner that you want to use for the conditional statements. For more information about the supported conditional joiners, refer to Conditional Joiners.
Add Condition: Click to add another conditional statement to the current group.
Add Group: Click to add a subgroup of conditional statements to the current group.
Remove Group: Click to delete the subgroup. Available when you open the menu from a subgroup.
Clear All: Click to delete all conditional statements (including subgroups). Available when you open the menu from the top-most group.
: Visible to the right of each conditional joiner in your expression. Click to add a conditional statement to the group that is associated with that joiner.
: Visible to the right of an existing conditional statement when you point to the statement. Click to delete the conditional statement.
Variable: Specifies the variable that you want to use for the conditional statement. Enter the variable in the input box. Alternatively, expand the list and then click a recently used variable, or select Variables or More Variables to open the Insert Variable dialog.
[Relational Operator]: Specifies the relational operator to use for the conditional statement. Click the existing operator to open a list of additional operators, and then click the one that you want to use. For more information, refer to Relational Operators. The operators that are available in the list depend on whether you select Text or Decimal for the Type option.
Value: Specifies the values to use for the conditional statement. To add a value, click , click <enter a value>, enter the value that you want, and then press Enter
. To delete a value, use the secondary mouse button to click it, and then click Delete. Some operators, such as Is blank and Is not blank, do not require a value to be specified. In these situations, the Value field is not available.
Type: Specifies whether the conditional statement is evaluating a text or decimal value.
Check condition before running actions: Specifies that the condition is checked before the actions are run.
Forever (unless Stop or Go To action is executed): Specifies that the action runs continually unless a Stop or Go To action is run.
Action
Name: Specifies the name of the action. You can replace the default name by entering a new name in the field.
Description: Specifies a description for the action.
Run Action: Specifies how often you want the action to run.
Always: Specifies that the action runs each time the event occurs.
Never: Specifies that the action does not run when the event occurs.
Conditionally, based on variable: Specifies that the action runs only when a selected variable meets a specified condition. Use this option in situations in which there is only one condition that determines whether the action runs. After you select this option, you can create the conditional statement in the input box.
Variable: Specifies the variable that you want to use for the conditional statement. Enter the variable in the input box. Click to see a list of recently used variables or click More Variables to open the Insert Variable dialog.
[Relational Operator]: Specifies the relational operator to use for the conditional statement. Click the existing operator to display a list of additional operators, and then click the one that you want to use. For more information, refer to Relational Operators. The operators that are available in the list depend on whether you selected Text or Decimal for the Type option.
Value: Specifies the values to use for the conditional statement. To add a value, click , click <enter a value>, enter the value that you want, and then press Enter
. To delete a value, use the secondary mouse button to click it, and then click Delete. Some operators, such as Is blank and Is not blank, do not require a value to be specified. In these situations, the Value field is not available.
Type: Specifies whether the conditional statement is evaluating a text or decimal value.
Conditionally, based on expression: Specifies the conditions under which the action runs. Use this option for situations that require more than one conditional statement. When you select this option, you can create the conditional expression in the input box by creating the conditional statements that you want. You create and edit your conditional expression on the Tree View tab. Click the Text View tab to see a read-only text view of the conditional expression.
Input box controls (Tree View tab)
[Conditional Joiner]: Specifies the conditional joiner for the conditional statements within the group. The default conditional joiner is And.
Click the existing conditional joiner to display a menu that you can use to configure your conditional expression in one of the following ways:
And, Or, NotAnd, NotOr: Click the conditional joiner in the list that you want to use for the conditional statements. For more information about the supported conditional joiners, refer to Conditional Joiners.
Add Condition: Click to add another conditional statement to the current group.
Add Group: Click to add a subgroup of conditional statements to the current group.
Remove Group: Click to delete the subgroup. Available when you open the menu from a subgroup.
Clear All: Click to delete all conditional statements (including subgroups). Available when you open the menu from the top-most group.
: Adds a conditional statement to the group that is associated with that joiner. Visible to the right of each conditional joiner in your expression.
: Deletes the conditional statement. Visible to the right of an existing conditional statement when you point to the statement.
Variable: Specifies the variable that you want to use for the conditional statement. Enter the variable in the input box. Click to see a list of recently used variables or click More Variables to open the Insert Variable dialog.
[Relational Operator]: Specifies the relational operator to use for the conditional statement. Click the existing operator to display a list of additional operators, and then click the one that you want to use. For more information, refer to Relational Operators. The operators that are available in the list depend on whether you selected Text or Decimal for the Type option.
Value: Specifies the values to use for the conditional statement. To add a value, click , click <enter a value>, enter the value that you want, and then press Enter
. To delete a value, use the secondary mouse button to click it, and then click Delete. Some operators, such as Is blank and Is not blank, do not require a value to be specified. In these situations, the Value field is not available.
Type: Specifies whether the conditional statement is evaluating a text or decimal value.
Error Handling and Diagnostics
Ignore errors and continue running actions: Specifies that if the action fails, the remaining actions continue to run. When this option is not selected and the action fails, the resulting behavior depends on several factors, as follows:
The action is within a Group action
If you specified Sequentially for the Execute Actions property on the Group action's Execution tab, no further actions within that Group action are run. No actions outside of this Group action are affected.
If you specified In Parallel for the Execute Actions property on the Group action's Execution tab, the errors are ignored, and the other actions within that Group action are run. No actions outside of this Group action are affected.
The action is not within a Group action
If you specified Sequentially for the Execute Actions property on the event's Execution tab, no further actions within the event are run.
If you specified In Parallel for the Execute Actions property on the event's Execution tab, the errors are ignored, and the other actions within the event are run.
To add an action to the While Loop action
In the Events pane, click next to While Loop.
In the New Action dialog, select the action that you want to add, and then click OK. Alternatively, double-click the action.
Use the action property tabs to configure the new action as required.