Renaming a business object attribute

Renaming an attribute of a business object can break your application if you do not also update all the dependencies that use the former attribute name. Refactoring makes those updates for you.

You can edit the attributes of a business object from the business object editor. If you change an attribute by typing a new name into the object in the editor view, no relationships will change.

To change the name of an attribute and all the dependencies on that name:

  1. In the editor, right-click the attribute that you want to change.
  2. In the pop-up menu, select Refactor > Rename.
    This screen capture shows the menu for refactoring an attribute.
  3. In the Rename wizard, type the new name. As soon as you change the name, the Preview button becomes available.
  4. Leave the check box selected. To see the refactoring actions that will be performed to complete the renaming and update dependencies across the application, click Preview. Click the plus signs to see details. If you try to refactor while you have unsaved changes in an editor, you will be prompted to save the changes in the editor. Save the changes if you are sure you want to do so, or click Cancel to reconsider the changes before saving the editors and refactoring.
  5. Accept all the refactoring actions. Click OK to initiate the refactoring operation or Cancel to close the wizard without making the change. Be aware that you cannot undo a refactoring operation once it is performed except by refactoring again. The status bar shows that the workspace is being updated. It clears when the refactoring operation finishes.

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