How to Work with Processes > Working with the Platform Services Processes Group > Working with Inbox / Receive Message Process

Process Purpose

This is a Messagebox Service related process.

The "Inbox / Receive Message" process is used to synchronously receive a message from the back-end via an Inbound (Device <- Platform) topic profile.

When you add a process, you are required to define its settings. This occurs in the process's properties window which is displayed automatically after having added the "Inbox / Receive Message" process.

If any subsequent edition is required, double-click the process to open its properties window and enter the necessary modifications.

In this case, the properties window includes two tabs - "Message" and "Error".

Fill in the following options:

Source

Topic Name

Select the intended topic profile from the drop-down. This list only displays the Inbound (Device <- Platform) topic type profiles.

If required, click to edit the topic profile. See To Edit a Message Box Topic Profile.

Message Header

Variable

Create/select the variable that receives the data from the message header (all header parameters are consolidated into one variable).

Click to add a variable. See To Select/Create a Variable.

Message Body

Content

Define the content type for the message's body - "Variable" (default selection) OR "File".

This selection affects the related option (located below).

Select the content type for the message's body. The selection of the target (Variable/File) affects the related option (located below).

Variable/File

Depending on the selected content, you will access the corresponding field that will receive the message body:

Content	Related Field
Variable	Variable field - Click to create the variable that receives the data from the selected message topic.
File	File field - Enter the name of the file with the response OR click to edit the selected data file. See Editing a Data File.

Additional Informations

Message Topic

Click to select the variable that receives the topic name.

Sender

Click to select the variable that stores the message's sender.

Date Time

Click to add the variable that stores the message's date. and time

Message ID

Click to define the variable that receives the message's ID.

Proceed to the "Error" tab.

"Error" tab

Fill in the following options:

If ... Go to

Comm Error

Select a target location from the drop-down or list, in case a "Comm Error" occurs. See Detail of a window below.

When defining a screen as a target destination (ex: via a “Go to” process), you CANNOT use variables to specify the name of that target screen. You must select the intended screen from the available drop-down/list.

No Message

Select a target location from the drop-down or list, in case a "No Message" occurs - no messages available in the topic. See Detail of a window below.

Detail of a window:

"S:Menu" is a screen included in the same program as the process.

"R:Routine_1" is a routine included in the same program as the process.

If required, use the icons on the upper right corner of the process properties window:

Use it to set up a time out. See Time Out.

Use the icon to attach any relevant notes to this process. Click it and enter your notes in the resulting text box. These notes will be displayed in the corresponding "Actions" tab or "Process" window (in the "Notes" field) and in the "Developer Report".

After filling in the required options, click to conclude or to abort the "Inbox / Post Receive Message" process.

The added process is displayed in the corresponding "Actions" tab or "Process" window.

When creating a file, we recommend you use the related best practices (ex: do NOT use special characters).

For more detailed information, register/log in to our MCL Community and access MCL's Knowledge Base ("File Name Best Practices").

If you want to use a label as a target destination, you can use the "Auto-Label" mechanism. This alternative to the "Set Label" process allows you to create a label in the properties window of a process - specifically, in the fields used to define target destinations (ex: the "If Error..." type fields). See To Automatically Create a Label.

Use the right-click in MCL-Designer's input boxes to access some related options as well as the general "Cut", "Copy"; "Paste"; "Search" actions (active/inactive according to the current context).

Ex: If you right-click the "Variable" input box (included in a "Conversion's" properties window), you are provided with general editing/search actions and other more specific options such as "Variable Select" (see "Variable Select"); "Variable Insert" (see "Variable Insert"); "Insert Special Character" (see To Insert Special Characters into a Control's Text Input Field) and "Localization Select" (see Localization List).

If you right-click another input box, it may provide other possibilities.