When you build an information object, its output columns inherit property values from the parent maps or information objects. For example, if you use an information object called IO1 to build another information object called IO2, IO2’s output columns inherit property values from the corresponding columns in IO1. If a column property value in IO1 changes, the change is propagated to IO2. For example, if the horizontal alignment for IO1.column01 changes from left to right and column01 is an output column in IO2, the horizontal alignment for IO2.column01 also changes from left to right. Changes to a map or information object’s Name property are not propagated, however. In Figure 3-14, many of the column’s property values are inherited from the parent map.
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Figure 3-14
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If you change a property value for an output column, that property value is no longer inherited from the parent map or information object. For example, if you change the horizontal alignment for IO2.column01 to center and the horizontal alignment for IO1.column01 later changes to left, the change is not propagated to IO2.column01. In Figure 3-15, the column’s horizontal alignment is not inherited from the parent map.
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Figure 3-15
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Choosing Reset for the appropriate property in Properties, as shown in Figure 3-16, or in Prompt editor resets the property’s value to the inherited value. Any future changes to the property’s value in the parent map or information object are propagated.
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Figure 3-16
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Values for the following column properties are inherited from the parent map or information object unless the values in the parent map or information object are blank:
If the values in the parent map or information object are blank, the inheritance rules for these properties are as follows:
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If you do not set the Display Name property, the Display Name property takes the value of the column’s Name property.
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If you do not set the Heading property, the Heading property takes the value of the column’s Display Name property.
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If you do not set the Description property, the Description property takes the value of the column’s Heading property.
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If you do not set the Help Text property, the Help Text property takes the value of the column’s Description property.
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In other words, if you do not set any of these properties and the values in the parent map or information object are blank, they all take the value of the column’s Name property. In this case, propagation of these properties occurs at run time.
