gosu

Guidewire Gosu

Gosu is Guidewire's programming language

- Has elements of both procedural and object-oriented

programming languages

- Similar to JavaScript and Java

Gosu specifies runtime business logic that:

- Executes fundamental application behavior

- Manages complex business processes

- Specifies dynamic client-side behavior

Where is Gosu used? (1)

Business rules

- Execute fundamental application

behavior, such as activity assignment

Entity enhancements

- Extend entity functionality with new

methods, such as a new

UpdateEmployees() method for

ABCompany

Gosu classes

- Create general purpose classes, such

as logging utilities, plugins, and

entities used to pass information to

external applications

Rules

PCFs

Classes

Enhancements

Workflows

Where is Gosu used? (2)

PCFs

- Specify user interface layout and

dynamic behavior, such as "inspection

date" field being visible only when

"inspection needed" set to true

Workflows

- Executes processes whose execution

is time-based, or triggered by events

in external applications, or both

- Currently, used only by PolicyCenter

and BillingCenter base applications

Rules

PCFs

Classes

Enhancements

Workflows

The Gosu Tester

The Gosu Tester is a Studio component that lets you test

Gosu code without needing to trigger anything in the

Guidewire application

- Typically requires connection to the server

Connecting Studio to the server

1. Click the

"Disconnected"

button

2. Enter login

information for

super user

3. Click Log In

Starting the Gosu Tester

Working with the Gosu Tester

Click "Run" to execute code

- Runtime Output tab results retained until you click "Clear"

print statement prints strings and variable values

- Syntax: print ( Strings_and/or_variables )

Clears Runtime

Output tab

Gosu case sensitivity

Guidewire recommends that you write Gosu code as if

Gosu were case-sensitive

Case-insensitive code will compile, but:

- It will compile and run more slowly

- Studio syntax checking will warn you of improper case usage

Future versions may require code to be case-sensitive

Lesson outline

Guidewire Gosu overview

Gosu statements

Gosu objects

Gosu subtypes

Studio features for working with Gosu

Variables

Syntax to declare variables:

var variableName : datatype

var variableName = initialValue

Syntax to set variable values:

variableName = newValue

Comments

Single-line comment

// comment

- CTRL + SHIFT + / toggles selected lines to have or not

have single-line comments

Multiple-line comment

/* comment

*/

Statements

Statements in Gosu do not require a terminator to mark

end of statement

- Compiler determines end of statement based on syntax

statement

Conditions and comparison operators

Common comparison operators:

- Equality: ==, !=

- Relational: >, =,

Concatenation operator

Concatenates two or more values into a single string

Syntax: value + value

if/else statements

Syntax: if (condition)

statement_or_{block}

else

statement_or_{block}

Ternary operator

Similar to if-else, but can

only return expressions

- It cannot execute

statements

Typically used in PCF

files where if-else

statements are

cumbersome

Syntax:

condition

? returnValueIfTrue

: returnValueIfFalse

Gosu method libraries

Available in all base applications

Syntax to reference method:

- gw.api.util.DateUtil.FunctionName(arguments)

- gw.api.util.StringUtil.FunctionName(arguments)

- gw.api.util.Math.FunctionName(arguments)

Commonly used library methods

Lesson outline


Gosu statements

Gosu objects

Gosu subtypes


Objects

Syntax to create new variable:

var objectName = new datatype()

Syntax to set variable to given object:

objectName = someOtherObject

objectName = entityName(objectID)

Working with simple value fields

Syntax to reference object fields: objectName.fieldName

Working with foreign key fields

Foreign key fields can be used to reference objects related

to given object

Syntax: objectName.fkeyFieldName.fieldName

Working with object methods

Objects have methods that can be referenced in Gosu

Syntax: objectName.methodName(arguments)

- Although code shown above is valid, it cannot be executed in

Gosu Tester because object is in read-only bundle

Determining if field value has changed

Syntax: objectName.isFieldChanged("field")

- Returns true if field named in input string has changed

since it was read from database

Retrieving original field value

Syntax: objectName.getOriginalValue("field")

- Returns value read from database

Lesson outline


Gosu statements

Gosu objects

Gosu subtypes


Subtyped entities

Guidewire entities

may have subtypes

- Each subtype

inherits the

properties and

methods of all their

supertypes

- Subtypes typically

have their own

properties and/or

methods

ABPerson

Vendor

ABPerson

ABAttorney

ABDoctor

AttorneyLicense

AttorneySpecialty

FirstName

LastName

DoctorSpecialty

MedicalLicense

ABContact AssignedUser

EmailAddress

Dot notation and subtyped objects

Server infers structure

of object based on

datatype as specified in

PCF file

ABContact Name: James Lee

EmailAddress: null

Subtype: ABDoctor

FirstName: James

Gender: male

LastName: Lee

MedicalLicense: AB3244

(next object)

run-time memory

ABContact

fields

ABPerson

fields

ABDoctor

fields

JLee

(JLee

as ABDoctor)

var JLee : ABContact

Directly referencing subtype fields

When working with an object of given subtype, you can

directly reference only fields and methods at or above that

subtype

- You cannot directly reference fields or methods below that

subtype

Indirectly referencing subtype fields

When working with an object of given subtype, you can

indirectly reference fields and methods below that subtype

by indicating child subtype where field is declared

Syntax: ( object as childSubtype ).fieldOrMethod

Testing an object's type: subtype field

Subtype field identifies object's subtype

- Syntax: object.Subtype

Testing an object's type: typeis

typeis returns true if object is of given subtype, either

directly or indirectly

- Syntax: ( object typeis Subtype )

Lesson outline


Gosu statements

Gosu objects

Gosu subtypes


Syntax checker

Most Studio components that work with Gosu include a

syntax checker

- Green square indicates code is well-formed

- Red square indicates code has syntax error

- One or more horizontal bars indicate lines with syntax errors

- Mouse over horizontal bar to display popup with more details

Code completion features

Dot completion

- Enter dot (.) after object

name

- Studio opens popup which

lists its fields and methods

- List is filtered as you type

SmartHelp

- Light-bulb icon indicates SmartHelp available for current line

- Click icon for a list of choices

CTRL + Space and CTRL + / open a selection popup to

help you complete a partial expression or value

Gosu API Reference

Gosu API Reference

documents each

entity, its fields, and

its methods

You can display

help for given

method by

clicking in name

and pressing F1

Array length

Syntax:

array.length

Arrays and loops

Gosu for loops used for iteration through objects in arrays

Syntax:

for (currentObject in objectSet) {

// statements that process currentObject

}

Adding index variable to for loops

Syntax: for (currentObject in objectSet index indexVar)

Testing for existence of element

Syntax: hasMatch(\var -> var.property == condition)

Returns a Boolean value

Finding first element of given criteria

firstWhere is array method that uses block as input

parameter

Syntax:

array.firstWhere( \ Var -> conditionUsingVar)

"\" rendered as " "

"->" rendered as " "

Finding all elements of given criteria

where is array method that also uses block as input

parameter

Syntax:

array.where( \ Var -> conditionUsingVar)

Adding object to array

Syntax: parentObject.addToArrayName(objectToAdd)

parentObject.removeFromArrayName(objectToRemove)

Gosu queries

A Gosu query is an object associated with a specific entity

that stores a database query and its results

- Gosu queries are useful when code must work with a set of

objects that does not exist as an array, such as "all contact

notes created by this user"

Objects used when querying database

Query object stores

criteria of query, such as:

- Which entity to query

- What restrictions (where

clauses) to apply

Coverage

table

query object

results object

Results object stores

results and related info:

How many results?

If necessary, how should

they be ordered?

table

condition 1

condition 2

Steps to execute a basic query

1. Create the query object

Accomplished using the make() method

2. Create the results object

Accomplished using the select() method

3. Process the results of the query as needed

Step 1: Create the query object

Syntax:

var queryObj =

gw.api.database.Query.make(EntityToQuery)

Step 2: Create the results object

Syntax:

var resultsObj = queryObj.select()

Step 3: Process results of query as needed

You can use a for loop to iterate through the result set as if

it were an array

Viewing approximation of SQL query

Syntax: queryObj.toString()

- Actual SQL may vary based on actual RDBMS

Lesson outline

Gosu query basics

Working with queries

Working with result sets

Restricting queries

Query objects have methods that add restrictions to query

- Typically, they become SQL where clause

Restricting queries: compare method

Syntax:

queryObj.compare("field", operator, value)

- Field and value must be strings

- Valid operators include:

- Equals

- NotEquals

- LessThan

- LessThanOrEquals

- GreaterThan

- GreaterThanOrEquals

Specifying value in compare method

For NULL, integer, or boolean values, do not use quotes

For strings, use quotes

For datetime and typekey, use quotes and cast object

Multiple restrictions ANDed together

Query can have as many restrictions as needed

- Restrictions are inherently ANDed together

Multiple restrictions ORed together

Syntax:

queryObj.or( \ placeholder -> {

placeholder.criteria

placeholder.criteria // add as many criteria as needed

})

Additional restriction options

Gosu Reference Guide contains complete list of all options

for restricting queries, including restrictions that make use

of:

- between and Ranges

- startsWith

- contains

Lesson outline

Gosu query basics

Working with queries

Working with result sets

Getting size of results

Syntax: resultsObj.Count

- Value will vary if number of rows in database that meet

query's criteria changes

Sorting results

Sorting methods use blocks as input parameters

- Syntax:

resultsObj.orderBy( \ row -> row.FieldName)

resultsObj.orderByDescending( \ row -> row.FieldName )

Querying when only one result is expected

Syntax:

queryObj.select().AtMostOneRow

- If single item exists, method returns that single row

- If no item exists, method returns null

- If multiple items exist, method throws exception

Business rules

A business rule is Gosu code that:

- Accomplishes some task for given entity, and

- Executes when specific event occurs to instance of that entity

TrainingApp Example

- ABContact pre-update rules

- Execute actions required by change to an ABContact, such as:

- Creating history entry to record change of assigned user

- Setting a company's Primary Contact to null if the original Primary

Contact no longer works for the company

- Triggered when ABContact object is created or modified

Examples from Guidewire applications

PolicyCenter: account validation rules

- Verifies that account is valid before committing it to database

- Triggered when account is created or modified

BillingCenter: activity escalation rules

- Escalates activity that is open for too long

- Triggered when activity is open past its escalation date

ClaimCenter: claim assignment rules

- Assigns given claim to a group and user

- Triggered when claim is created or needs reassignment

Business rule structure

Consists of name, condition, and action

- Condition code must resolve to true or false

- Action code executed only if condition is true

if

then {

}

Business rule hierarchy

Three levels (from highest to lowest)

- Rule set categories

- Rule sets

- Rules (which may be multi-leveled if child rules are present)

Hierarchy: rule set categories

A rule set

category is a

collection of rules

that have

common high-

level business

purpose

- Studio uses rule

set categories

to group similar

rules together

Hierarchy: rule sets

A rule set is a

collection of rules

that are attached

to the same

entity and share

the same trigger

- For example,

ABContact Pre-

update rule set

is attached to

ABContact and

triggers when

any ABContact

is created or

modified

Hierarchy: business rules

A business rule is

a set of one or

more lines of code

that typically

executes one

logical action

Rules can have

child rules

- If parent

condition is true,

parent action is

executed and

then child rules

are executed

Rule names

Guidewire recommends rules naming convention be

used, such as CodeNumber Purpose, where:

- Code is a 4-character code related to rule set name

- Number is a 4-digit unique number

- Purpose identifies purpose of rule

Lesson outline

Business rules overview

Rules-specific Gosu

Working with rules

Debugging rules

Root entity

Every rule set has "root entity"

- Identifies entity with which rule set is associated

Every rule has access to object that triggered rule set

- Object has same name as root entity

"aBContact"

is ABContact

object which

triggered rule

set

Normal flow of execution

When triggering event occurs:

- Rules executed in order listed in Studio

- If rule has child rules and parent rule condition is true, parent

action executed first, then child rules executed

- All rules in rule set executed unless explicit "exit" encountered

Two logical types of rule sets

"Execute all"

- All rules in rule set executed

- Example: validation rules

- All validation conditions are checked,

regardless of how many are true

"Exit after first action" rule sets

- When first true condition is found,

action taken and rule set is exited

- Example: assignment rules

- Once one assignment is made, rule set

should be exited to prevent later rules

from reassigning object

Exiting a rule set

Typically done only in rules in "exit after first action" rule

sets

- Syntax: actions.exit()

- Example:

Lesson outline


Rules-specific Gosu

Working with rules

Debugging rules

Rule set information

Selecting the rule set displays rule set description and lists

root entity

Rules in Studio

Select a rule set in Resources to display Rule Set tab

Select a rule in Rule Set tab to display Rule tab

Resources Rule Set

tab

Rule tab

Creating new rules

Right-click rule parent

Rule defaults

to true

condition with

no action

Rule conditions and actions

Use rule condition to:

- Indicate if rule action should be executed

- Control whether or not child rules are executed

If rule should always be executed, set condition to true

Working with rules

Moving rules De/activating rules

Deleting and renaming rules

Deploying rule changes

If Dynamic Code Evolution Virtual Machine (DCEVM) is

installed, must press Alt + Shift + L

If DCEVM is not installed, must restart server

DCEVM should only be used in development

environments, never in production environments

Lesson outline


Rules-specific Gosu

Working with rules

Debugging rules

Studio debugger

The Studio debugger is a set of tools that

shows how code managed by Studio is

executed

- Helps you debug code that does not execute as expected

- Useful for determining how rules are being executed

Available for most code managed by Studio, including:

Rules

Classes

Enhancements

Setting breakpoints

A breakpoint indicates a place in code where execution

should be suspended

- Once suspended, you can step through code and observe:

- Which code gets executed

- Variable and object values

To add breakpoint, click in area immediately left of line

number

Starting the debugger

Breakpoints suspend execution only when debugger is

running

To start debugger, select

Server from Debugger

menu

While debugger is running,

Debugger tab appears at

bottom of Studio

Suspending execution

When application executes code

with breakpoint

- Execution is suspended

- Studio is automatically displayed

with current line in green

- Frame tab shows current values of root and related objects

Stepping through code

"Step" tool lets you

execute one line at

a time

- Next line to be

executed displays

in green

After each line, you

can:

- View values in

Frame tab

- Observe state of

application

Watches

A watch is an expression

whose value you wish to

observe

To add a watch:

- On Watches tab, right-click

and select Add Watch

- Enter expression

- Click OK

- Expression is then listed in

Watches tab, along with its

value

Debugger panel buttons

Start or continue debugging

Stop debugging

Step to next statement after current execution point

Step into method call at current execution point

Edit breakpoints

Mute breakpoints

Open Gosu Tester

Stop and close Debugger

Stopping debugger

To stop debugger, click either Stop button

Methods

A method is a set of statements that executes a logical unit

of work

function popupButtonText

If flag entry's IsEditable boolean is true

return "View/Edit"

Otherwise,

return "View"

Method syntax

Can take input parameters, return a result, or both

Syntax:

function functionName (inputvar : datatype) : returnType {

// code to execute method

return returnValue

} input

parameter

return

value

Methods with return values

All code paths must contain a return statement, or Gosu

gives error

Return value must be of the declared return type

What is return

value if condition is

false?

Methods with no return value

If method does not need to return a value:

- Set return value to void

- Do not include any return statements

Where can you declare Gosu methods?

PCFs

- Method can be used only within that PCF

- Discussed in this lesson

Enhancements

- Method associated to given type (such as an entity)

- Can only be used by instances of that type

- Discussed in "Enhancements" lesson

Classes

- Method associated with given class

- If declared as static methods, can be used anywhere

- Discussed in "Gosu Classes" lesson

Lesson outline

Overview of Gosu methods

Creating PCF methods

Common use cases for PCF methods

PCF methods

A PCF method is a method declared on a given PCF file's

Code tab

- Method can be called by properties of PCF file or its widgets

Lesson outline

Gosu methods

Creating PCF methods

Common use cases for PCF methods

Calling PCF methods

Methods can be referenced from location and widget

properties

- Syntax: functionName (inputParameters)

Although any method can be referenced, the remainder of

this lesson focuses on PCF methods

Common use cases include method to execute when:

- Given widget is clicked

- Given widget is rendered

- Given widget's value changes

- Event occurs for a given location, such as:

- User navigates to that location

- Data modifications in that location are committed

Use case 1: When widget is clicked

Action

attribute

specifies

code to

execute

when

widget is

clicked

gosu

Documents