To group nodes into a Composite node, select the nodes that you want to group and from the toolbar click the Group Nodes button. Or, select the nodes that you want to group, then right-click and select Group from the menu.
If you are building your Composite from scratch, you can open the Composite node and then place, connect and configure nodes in the same way as you would for building a data flow. You can also drag and drop nodes into a composite.
When a Composite node is selected on the canvas, the Properties panel Configure tab displays a count of the number of nodes contained within the Composite.
Defining inputs and outputs
Any input or output connections from the selected nodes are preserved when you group nodes.
For example, you have four nodes connected as follows: A-->B-->C-->D
If you group B and C into a Composite, the connections from the Composite to the data flow will exist via A to B and C to D, and B will remain connected to C, as follows: A-->(B-->C)-->D.
To add new connections from your Composite to the data flow you will need to add input and output pins, or input and output bundles.
Defining input and output pins
When you add a composite node to a data flow you'll see that it has a single input pin. The pin is displayed as a dashed circle to indicate that an input can be connected to the node. To add an input pin to a new composite node, click the output pin of a node and drag a connection wire to the input pin of the composite.
After you have made the connection, an input pin is added to the composite for the new connection. To add another input pin, repeat the process.
To add input and output pins from within the Composite node:
- Double-click the Composite to open it.
- Once inside the Composite, right-click the canvas and select Insert >Input, then right-click again and select Insert >Output.
Alternatively, you can also create new input and output pins from the Define tab of the Properties panel. Type the names of the new pins that you want to create into the Inputs and Outputs lists, respectively. The pins appear on the canvas, allowing you to connect them up to the corresponding pins on the contained nodes.
You can rename Composite pins by right-clicking and selecting Rename.
Defining Input and Output bundles
If you want to pass multiple data sets into a composite node by using a Connection Point, you need to add an Input bundle to the composite.
You can add input bundles to a composite in the same way as for adding input pins. Drag a connection from a connection point, and connect it to the avaiable input pin on the composite, which is displayed as a dashed circle.
To add input and output bundles from within the Composite node:
- Double-click the Composite to open it.
- Once inside the Composite, right-click the canvas and select Insert > Input Bundle.
- To pass multiple data sets out of the Composite, add an Output Bundle. Right-click the canvas and select Insert >Output Bundle.
Within a composite node, connection points and connection filters are displayed in the same way as in a data flow. For example, connections that contain multiple data sets are displayed as a thicker connection wire than connections that contain a single data set.
Navigating back out of the Composite
You can use the Breadcrumb Bar above the canvas to return back up a level to the data flow and connect the nodes in the data flow up to the pins on your Composite node.