Corticon uses seven basic data types: Boolean, Decimal, Integer, String, DateTime, Date, and Time. An attribute must use one of these types. Yet you also have the option of creating custom data types that extend any one of these basic seven.
You define and maintain Custom Data Types in a Vocabulary by selecting the Vocabulary name in the tree view.
Data Type Name
When defining a custom data type, you must give it a name with no blanks. The name must comply with standard entity naming conventions (see the Quick Reference Guide for details) and must not overlap (match) any of the base data types, any other custom data type names, or the names of any Vocabulary entities.
Base Data Type
The selection in this field determines which base data type the custom data type extends.
We already used this feature in the custom data type containerType, a String, in the Basic Tutorial. It lists its labels and values.
Figure 10. Vocabulary Editor Showing the Custom Data Type containerType
Enumeration Or Constraint Expression?
Enumeration - When the Enumeration for a Custom Data Type is set to Yes, as shown above, the Constraint Expression field is disabled, and the Label and Value columns are enabled.
Constraint Expression - When the Enumeration for a Custom Data Type is set to No, the Constraint Expression field is enabled and the Label and Value columns are disabled.
The following sections explore each of these features.