how to store the child CDT field in parent CDT using Ruleinput in the interface.?(one to many-flat relation)

Question

Hi All, 
 I have inserted the interface code, comment field line :152, here how can we pass the ruleinput to value and saveinto parameter.? 
 thanks in advance. 
 a!localVariables(
 local!griddata: 'type!{urn:com:appian:types:IA}IA_asupplier'(),
 local!selection: ri!addProduct.status,
 local!comments,
 
 a!formLayout(
 label: if(
 ri!Manager = true,
 "Approval for Product",
 "Add Product Details"
 ),
 contents: {
 a!sectionLayout(
 label: "",
 contents: {
 a!columnsLayout(
 columns: {
 a!columnLayout(
 contents: {
 a!dropdownField(
 label: "Product Name",
 labelPosition: "ABOVE",
 placeholder: "--- Select a Value ---",
 choiceLabels: cons!IA_ProductName,
 choiceValues: cons!IA_ProductName,
 value: ri!addProduct.productname,
 saveInto: ri!addProduct.productname,
 searchDisplay: "AUTO",
 required: true,
 disabled: ri!Manager = true(),
 validations: {}
 ),
 a!dropdownField(
 label: "Category Type",
 labelPosition: "ABOVE",
 placeholder: "--- Select a Value ---",
 choiceLabels: cons!IA_CategoryType,
 choiceValues: cons!IA_CategoryType,
 value: ri!addProduct.categoryType,
 saveInto: { ri!addProduct.categoryType },
 searchDisplay: "AUTO",
 required: true,
 disabled: ri!Manager = true(),
 validations: {}
 ),
 a!paragraphField(
 label: "Product details",
 value: ri!addProduct.productdetails,
 saveInto: { ri!addProduct.productdetails },
 required: true,
 disabled: ri!Manager = true()
 )
 }
 ),
 a!columnLayout(contents: {})
 }
 )
 }
 ),
 a!gridLayout(
 label: "Supplier Details",
 labelPosition: "ABOVE",
 headerCells: {
 a!gridLayoutHeaderCell(label: "Name of Supplier"),
 a!gridLayoutHeaderCell(label: "Quantity"),
 a!gridLayoutHeaderCell(label: "Location"),
 a!gridLayoutHeaderCell(label: "PhoneNumber"),
 a!gridLayoutHeaderCell(label: "")
 },
 columnConfigs: {
 a!gridLayoutColumnConfig(width: "DISTRIBUTE"),
 a!gridLayoutColumnConfig(width: "ICON"),
 a!gridLayoutColumnConfig(width: "DISTRIBUTE"),
 a!gridLayoutColumnConfig(width: "DISTRIBUTE"),
 a!gridLayoutColumnConfig(width: "ICON")
 },
 rows: {
 a!forEach(
 items: ri!addProduct.supplierDetails,
 expression: a!gridRowLayout(
 contents: {
 a!pickerFieldUsers(
 maxSelections: 1,
 groupFilter: cons!IA_SupplierGroup,
 value: fv!item.suppliername,
 saveInto: fv!item.suppliername,
 required: true,
 readOnly: ri!Manager = true
 ),
 a!integerField(
 value: fv!item.quantity,
 saveInto: fv!item.quantity,
 required: true,
 validations: if(
 tointeger(fv!item.quantity) <= 0,
 "Please enter greater than 0",
 {}
 )
 ),
 a!textField(
 value: fv!item.location,
 saveInto: fv!item.location,
 readOnly: ri!Manager = true
 ),
 a!textField(
 value: fv!item.phoneNumber,
 saveInto: fv!item.phoneNumber,
 readOnly: ri!Manager = true
 ),
 a!richTextDisplayField(
 value: a!richTextIcon(
 icon: "times",
 link: a!dynamicLink(
 saveInto: a!save(
 target: ri!addProduct.supplierDetails,
 value: remove(ri!addProduct.supplierDetails, fv!index)
 )
 ),
 showWhen: ri!Manager = false,
 color: "NEGATIVE"
 )
 )
 }
 )
 )
 },
 addRowLink: a!dynamicLink(
 label: "Add Suppplier",
 saveInto: a!save(
 target: ri!addProduct.supplierDetails,
 append(
 ri!addProduct.supplierDetails,
 local!griddata
 )
 ),
 showWhen: ri!Manager = false()
 ),
 validations: {},
 shadeAlternateRows: true
 ),
 a!radioButtonField(
 label: "Status",
 labelPosition: "ABOVE",
 choiceLabels: cons!IA_StatusARR,
 choiceValues: cons!IA_StatusARR,
 value: ri!addProduct.status,
 saveInto: ri!addProduct.status,
 showWhen: ri!Manager = true(),
 choiceLayout: "STACKED",
 validations: {}
 ),
 a!paragraphField(
 label: "Reason/Comments",
 labelPosition: "ABOVE",
 value:local!comments,
 saveInto:ri!addProduct.multicomments.comments,
 refreshAfter: "UNFOCUS",
 height: "MEDIUM",
 showWhen: or(
 local!selection = "Reject",
 local!selection = "Return"
 ),
 required: true,
 readOnly: if(
 'recordType!{fb9fc1c0-b1ff-43a2-aea6-c4a11b2d7bbe}IA AddProduct.fields.{ed9bcd81-5050-4eaa-90b9-f18c43a669ee}status' = "Return",
 true,
 false
 )
 )
 },
 buttons: a!buttonLayout(
 primaryButtons: {
 a!buttonWidget(
 label: "Submit",
 saveInto: ri!addProduct.activeStep,
 value: if(ri!addProduct.status = "Approve", 3, 2),
 submit: true,
 style: "PRIMARY"
 )
 },
 secondaryButtons: {
 a!buttonWidget(
 label: if(ri!Manager = true, "Submit", "Cancel"),
 value: true,
 saveInto: ri!cancel,
 submit: true,
 style: "NORMAL",
 showWhen: ri!Manager = false(),
 validate: false
 )
 }
 )
 )
) 
 child cdt 
 
 parent cdt

Peter Lewis · Accepted Answer

In cases like this where you must construct the data structure to match, I almost always use a local variable to save the initial value and then define the CDT on button click to format the data how the CDT expects it. To do this, you just save into a local variable in your paragraph field and then use a type constructor CDT to save your results into your parent CDT. Something like this should do the trick for the paragraph field: 
 a!paragraphField(
 label: "Reason/Comments",
 labelPosition: "ABOVE",
 value:local!comments,
 saveInto: local!comments,
 refreshAfter: "UNFOCUS",
 height: "MEDIUM",
 showWhen: or(
 local!selection = "Reject",
 local!selection = "Return"
 ),
 required: true,
 readOnly: if(
 'recordType!{fb9fc1c0-b1ff-43a2-aea6-c4a11b2d7bbe}.fields.{ed9bcd81-5050-4eaa-90b9-f18c43a669ee}' = "Return",
 true,
 false
 )
) 
 Then, you can construct the appropriate CDT on the button like this: 
 a!buttonWidget(
 label: "Submit",
 saveInto: {
 a!save(
 target: ri!addProduct.activeStep,
 value: if(ri!addProduct.status = "Approve", 3, 2)
 ),
 a!save(
 target: ri!addProduct.multicomments,
 value: type!IA_Comments(
 comments: local!comments
 )
 )
 },
 submit: true,
 style: "PRIMARY"
)

Peter Lewis · Answer

At a basic level, you have to make sure that you don't provide the comment with the same ID to the second form. One way of approaching this is to append a new item to your CDT list and refer to that second item in your form - you can directly save into the second item like this: 
 a!save(
 target: ri!addProduct.comment[2],
 value: ri!addProduct.comment[2]
) 
 That being said, now that I see this whole flow it does make me somewhat question this design. Do you expect to always have exactly two comments (to represent the initial form and manager? If so you might want to think about either storing these as two separate fields on the base record or adding an additional field into your comments record that specifies the type of comment that is added.