Basics: Velocity

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Velocity – the quick way, to realize small customizings in Polarion.

In this Part, I will explain the basic functionalities of Velocity in Polarion. Additional information about APIs will be introduced in other posts.

First of all: What can I do with Velocity?

• Configure report widgets even more detailed
• Create your own widgets
• Render information dynamically in documents
• … short: Code that I can access the Polarion API with and customize reports & documents.

Where can I use Velocity?

• Script blocks in report pages
• Velocity widgets
• Classic wiki pages
• Classic wiki blocks in documents
• Administration (e.g. Test Execution Form)

I want to show the capabilities of Velocity at the example of a code block in a report page. There you can simply repeat, what I am writing.

Go to Polarion and create a new „Live Report Page“. Then add a new widget of the type „Script – Block“ to it. In this you can write Velocity code and try things.

Attention: You might not be able to use the latest Velocity version here.

For you, I will mention the most important functions:

1. Declare variables:
   #set($variableInteger = 1)
   #set($variableString = „abc“)
   #set($variableList = [])
   #set($x = variableList.add($e))
2. Loops:
   Foreach:
   #foreach($e in $elements)
   doSth
   #end

3. More Loops
   ____
   How to create a „for-loop“:
   #set($start = 1)
   #set($end = 5)
   #set($range = [$start..$end])
   #foreach($i in $range)
   doSth
   #end
   

4. Conditions: IF / Else
   #if($var == „XYZ“)
   doSth
   #else
   doSthElse
   #end
   

5. Macros / Functions:
   Important: Macros must be defined, before they are called!
   #macro(nameOfMacro $variable1 $variable2)
   doSth
   #end

6. Commenting:
   ## This is a comment
7. Find out class of an object
   By using the attribute „.class“ you can find out, from which class an object is.
   

8. Important: The Object Factory allows to use things like a Map, although velocity itself doesn’t provide something like that. You can access it in the velocity context via „$objectFactory“. (Might not work in classic wiki content/pages)

I hope this could give you a basic overview of the most important functions in Velocity.