Defining external options

An external option is typically defined on the top-level module in the structure. Its allowed values are the same as those on the option that references it. In addition, the value set for the external option on the top-level module in the variant rule is propagated to all options that reference the external option. The following figure shows an extension of the refrigerator freezer example that illustrates this concept. Creating external options Create an item called GO-5000 to define global options. This item is a standalone module and contains three global options for color, width and voltage. Each such global option is specified with standard allowed values. The color global option is used in the refrigerator freezer and door assembly modules so that the allowed values are controlled from the color master global option in the GO-5000 module. To set the actual value configured for the unit color on the door module for some variant of the product, you must create a link between the unit color option in the refrigerator freezer and the option in the door assembly, as shown in the previous figure. The appliance width external option is created in the refrigerator freezer module. It is used by the door width option in the door assembly module and by the carcass width option in the carcass module. Typically, the external option would reference a global option, but this is not mandatory. In this case, the value set for the appliance width for any variant of the refrigerator freezer is automatically propagated to the options that use it lower in the structure (namely door width and carcass width), without needing to create a link.