Alias overview

You can use aliases to configure settings dynamically. You can do this for various features, such as selection of overlays, output connectors, driver settings, etc.

Several alternatives

An alias includes several alternatives. The alias also includes the conditions for when to select a specific alternative. For example, an alias for output connector selection contains several connector alternatives, and the conditions for when to select a specific connector.

Two types of aliases

There are two types of aliases:

•	Script alias, where you use scripting to determine which alternative to select.

•	Lookup alias, where you use lookup tables to determine which alternative to select.

Script alias

The script contains a number of statements to determine which alternative to select. The example below shows a script for output connector selection, where the alternatives (connector names) are spoolSWE and spoolFIN.

if(&countryCode = "SWE")

{

   $connector = "spoolSWE";

}

if(&countryCode = "FIN")

{

   $connector = "spoolFIN";

}

See Script alias for more information.

Lookup alias

The lookup table is a text file that includes all the alternatives. The example below shows a lookup table for output connector selection, where the alternatives (connector names) are spoolSWE and spoolFIN.

SWE    spoolSWE

FIN    spoolFIN

See Lookup alias for more information.

Default alternative

You must specify a default alternative. This alternative is used if there is no matching condition specified in the alias. For example, the script alias above includes conditions for &countryCode="SWE" and &countryCode="FIN". If &countryCode is neither SWE nor FIN, the default alternative is used.

When to use script alias, and when to use lookup alias

There are no general rules for when to use script alias, or when to use lookup alias. There are however some features, for example font size and font color, that do not support lookup alias.

Where to set the alias

You set aliases in the Design Center user interface at the same place as you set fixed values. Instead of setting a fixed value, you select a default alternative, specify the type of alias (script or lookup), and specify the alias parameters.