Determining if variable settings are incorrectly configured

  

Symptoms

---

• No variables on form
• Variables values wiped out
• Mandatory value not mandatory
• Not mandatory is actually mandatory
• Variable not visible
• Variable is read-only
• Variable is not read-only

Resolution

---

If the Variable Editor or variables within the editor are not appearing as expected, the variables may have been set up in a number of places incorrectly:

• Variables configured on the catalog item itself may not behave as expected and therefore cause confusion
• The form that holds the Variable Editor may have configurations that do not play well with the settings of the item
• Conditions on the form may be triggering some behavior

A good place to start troubleshooting is to ensure that the variable itself is correctly configured. There are multiple configuration points for a variable and any one of these may contribute to unexpected behavior. 

To determine if variable settings are incorrectly configured:

1. Navigate to Service Catalog > Maintain Items.
   
   
2. Select the item that is causing issues.
   
   
3. Open the Catalog Item form and navigate to the related lists at the bottom. The Variables related list holds the variables and their configurations.
   
   
   
   
4. From the list, open the variable causing the issue.
   
   
5. Try the following troubleshooting steps:

• • Mandatory: mandatory behavior can be configured in many ways. For example, in the Mandatory field, in a client script, or in a UI policy. It is important that these different mechanisms do not clash with each other or you may see unexpected behavior.
    
    
  • Read-Only: read-only behavior can be configured in many ways. Using multiple methods for the same variables can create unexpected behavior.
    
    
  • Default value: default value / dynamic default value are powerful features because they allow scripting. They can also create confusing behavior for end users on how certain fields are populated without them filling them out. Checking the settings/configurations here is a good place to start.
    
    
  • Active: a false value here may cause problems.
    
    
  • Read roles: if the variable is correctly configured for Mandatory, Read-Only, Default value, and Active, the variable still may not be visible if there are restricted Read roles. If there are no roles, then this variable appears to everyone, otherwise it is removed from the form.