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Orbeon Forms - Referring to a control value outside a template section

With Orbeon Forms, I have a form which has embedded template (library) section. I would need to retrieve a value from a control in the main form to a control in the template section. I found some conversations about similar issues with the template sections.

This sounds essentially like the same case as I have: http://discuss.orbeon.com/Retrieve-value-outside-library-section-template-td4663317.html

The way it is suggested there did not work as expected. It is suggested to use function xxf:instance(), so for example xxf:instance('fr-form-instance')/mysection/mycontrol should work. However, I could not get the reference point outside the library section when I added such function to a control inside the library.

For debugging I ran command inside the library section control: saxon:serialize(xxf:instance('fr-form-instance'), 'xml'). This returned me XML of only the section which contains only the library section part of the main form basically like this:

<library-section>
    <grid>
        <controlInLibrary>Control value blah blah</controlInLibrary>
    </grid>
</library-section>

If I'll run the same command in the main form part, I'd get the whole form, library section included:

<form>
    <another-section>
        <grid-another>
            <control1/>
            <control2/>
        </grid-another>
    </another-section>
    <library-section>
        <grid>
            <controlInLibrary>Control value</controlInLibrary>
        </grid>
    </library-section>
</form>

Obviously the example XMLs here are simplified.

How is this xxf:instance() function supposed to work to get data outside the library? What I might be doing wrong?

I got it working the opposite way (data from template section control to main form control) according to another thread, but that apparently does not work both ways: Orbeon Form Builder - Referring to a control within a Section Template

Solution

  • Got an answer to this from Orbeon support elsewhere. The working solution at least in my case is that the function is formed like this:

    xxf:instance('|fr-form-instance|')//outer-field

    (With //outer-field obviously being the reference to the desired control on the main form.)