Up until 1.1, the TOSCA substitution mappings grammar only allowed for exposure of capabilities and requirements. Mapping of the node type properties to the inputs of the implementing topology was not supported. ONAP used to work around this TOSCA limitation by using a special naming convention for properties and inputs. For each input defined by the designer for a VNF or service topology, SDC generated a property with exactly the same name on the substituting node type. The run-time components also relied on this hidden "same name" convention to pair between a node property and an input of the node's implementing topology.
TOSCA 1.2 extended the substituting mappings construct and made possible to map the properties of a node type to the inputs of the implementing topology in a clear, declarative and standard way.