Changing the type of an element

Before you start:

To complete this task, you must already completed the following tasks:

You can change the type of an element in your message model to another existing type, or you can create a new simple type or a new complex type.

To change the type of an element to an existing type:

  1. Switch to the Broker Application Development perspective.
  2. Ensure that the Outline view is visible in the Broker Application Development perspective of the workbench. If the Outline view is not visible, from the workbench menu, click Window > Show View > Outline.
  3. In the Outline view, click the element for which you want to change the type.
  4. Display the Properties tab of the Message Definition editor by clicking Properties in the bottom left corner of the editor area.
  5. In the Properties Hierarchy select Logical Properties > Global Element. If Global Element is not in view, expand Logical Properties by clicking +.
  6. In the Details view, in the Type property, click the new type you require.
    Tip: If the type you require is not displayed, you can find it by clicking (More...) in the list. This displays the Type Selection window with additional options. If you know which type you require, specify the first letter in the text box at the top of the Type Selection window. Matching types are then displayed, making the selection process easier.
  7. When you have selected the type you require, click OK.

The change to the element type is reflected throughout where the element occurs.

The task above explains how to switch to an existing type. If you want to create a new simple type or a new complex type, select (New Simple Type Restriction), (New Simple Type List), (New Simple Type Union), or (New Complex Type) in the Type list (see step 6 above). For information on how to create a new simple type or a new complex type see Adding a simple type to an element or Adding a complex type to an element.

Related concepts
Message model objects: elements
Related tasks
Adding a simple type to an element
Adding a complex type to an element
Related reference
Message model object properties