Refreshing Data Views Containing Unions

This section briefly describes how Message Analyzer data and operations are refreshed in response to Union modifications.

Refreshing Message Data

If you change a Union field, property, or annotation but the Type does not change, and you do not modify the Name value of the Union, then an automatic refresh of message data is performed for all open data viewers in which the Union is active. For example, you might have a Union displaying in the Analysis Grid viewer as a result of loading a view Layout that contains a column that is named by the Union. Moreover, you might have a Layout for the Chart viewer that uses the Union in a visualizer component where you have configured a formula to perform a particular calculation for the data display. In these cases, a refresh of message data could involve an update to the displayed set of Union values. The previously indicated type of change to a Union is the only one that can result in an automatic refresh of message data in all data viewers and visualizers that are currently open and using the Union. In all other cases, there is no automatic refresh of data, as described in Pending Changes.

Refreshing Operations in Progress

If Message Analyzer is sorting, grouping, filtering, or performing some other operation on a message set when a Union data change occurs, all applicable data viewers that use the Union will restart those operations.

Pending Changes

If you modify a Union by changing the Name, or if the Type changes because of adding or removing a Union field, property, or annotation, or if you delete the Union, then message data in all open data viewers that use the Union is not refreshed. Instead, the Union is internally marked for either the edited state or deleted state and awaits a Message Analyzer restart before the pending changes are applied.

At this time, you are advised to manually remove such a Union from all Message Analyzer features in which it is currently used. For example, if there was a Name change for the Union, after a restart it will no longer exist under its previous Name in any feature that formerly used it. Therefore any Filter Expressions, view Layouts, Chart Layout formulas, Color Rules, and so on, that use such a Union will be impacted. Note that even the display of Aliases can be affected. For example, a Union value that displays in an Analysis Grid column that is named by the Union, could be an Alias due to the underlying alias Value (as in the Alias Editor dialog), and Union modifications can change the way an Alias displays.