Data Fill Method

Data fill methods provide various mechanisms for populating the descendant data elements of a Data Model, Data Section or Data Table.

Remarks

Data fill methods define how data is populated into the child elements of a Data Model, Data Section, or Data Table during extraction. Each fill method encapsulates a specific strategy for populating fields, tables, or sections, and can be configured to run automatically or conditionally based on the extraction context.

Overview

• Data fill methods are attached to Data Models, Data Sections, or Data Tables to control how their descendant data elements are populated.
• Common scenarios include running child extractors, performing lookups, or applying custom logic to fill data fields.
• The execution of a fill method can be controlled using the 'Trigger' property, which allows for conditional or event-driven population.

Execution Flow

1. During the extraction process, each configured data fill method is evaluated.
2. If the 'Trigger' property is empty or evaluates to true, the fill method executes and populates the relevant data elements.
3. If 'Overwrite' is set to true, existing values in the target elements will be replaced; otherwise, only empty elements are populated.

Usage Scenarios

• Automatic Extraction: Configure a fill method to run automatically for all documents of a given Content Type, ensuring consistent data population.
• Conditional Logic: Use the 'Trigger' property to execute fill methods only when certain conditions are met (e.g., based on document content or prior extraction results).
• Custom Strategies: Implement custom fill methods by deriving from this class to support advanced extraction or data manipulation scenarios.

Related Concepts

• Data Model, Data Section, Data Table: The objects to which fill methods are attached.
• Data Rule: For post-extraction data normalization and validation.
• Lookup Specification: For integrating external data sources during extraction.

Notes

• Multiple fill methods can be configured on a single data container, and their execution order may affect the final data values.
• For advanced scenarios, custom fill methods can be created by subclassing this class and implementing the required logic in the Execute method.
• Proper configuration of the 'Trigger' and 'Overwrite' properties is essential for achieving the desired extraction behavior.

Properties

Name	Type		Description
General
Name	String	►	A descriptive name for this data fill operation. Requiredtrue The 'Name' property identifies this fill method within the list of fill methods attached to a Data Model, Data Section, or Data Table. Use a clear, descriptive name to indicate the purpose or strategy of the fill method (e.g., "Run Child Extractors", "External Lookup", "Custom Calculation"). The name is displayed in configuration UIs and logs, and is used to distinguish between multiple fill methods on the same container. The name is also used by the Fill Descendants command to identify which fill methods to execute during extraction.
Options
Trigger	Boolean Expression	►	An optional Boolean expression determining whether this fill method should run automatically during extraction. ConverterConverter The 'Trigger' property allows you to specify a condition under which this fill method will execute. If left empty, the fill method always runs. Enter a Boolean expression referencing data values, variables, or context to control execution. This enables conditional extraction logic, such as running a fill method only for certain document types or when specific data is present. Example: @DocumentType == "Invoice" && @TotalAmount > 0
Overwrite	Boolean	►	If true, data elements already containing a value will be overwritten. DefaultTrue If 'Overwrite' is set to true, this fill method will replace any existing values in the target data elements. Set to false to only populate fields and collections that are currently empty. Use this option to control whether extraction results should always be refreshed, or only filled in when missing. This is especially important when multiple fill methods are configured, or when data may be pre-populated from other sources.

Derived Types

There are 3 implementations of Data Fill Method.

AI Extract	Populates descendant data elements by asking an AI chatbot to read them from the document content.
Fill Descendants	Executes a named Data Fill Method on all descendant Data Field Container elements in parallel.
Run Child Extractors	Executes extraction for a subset of child Data Elements within a Data Field Container.

See Also

Boolean Expression

Used By

Data ModelData SectionData Table