A unique work item properties hash table is created in the EPX database server each time a participant or BIC creates a new work item. This work item properties hash table is essentially a system structure that contains the values that are present each time a work item viewer is used. In this document, a work item properties hash table will be called simply a “hash table.”
A hash table contains a list of key/value pairs for each form element in your work item viewer file, and can also contain key/value pairs written by the system. The key is the name given to a particular form or system element in that specific file. The value is the actual data entered, either by the process flow participant (when viewing a work item), or by the system.
You only need to be concerned about the hash table if you have sophisticated custom development requirements. For example, you might want to place additional data in the hash table that cannot be represented by a form element, such as a timestamp to record when the work item was last saved. Or, you might need to store dates in the hash table using a single, large number that represents the number of milliseconds elapsed since some point. To make this value more user-friendly, however, you might want to add JavaScript code to the viewer file that would take the user input in MM/DD/YY format and convert it to the millisecond form for storage, then convert back to MM/DD/YY form when the work item is later opened and viewed by a user.