Creating a user interface part

You can create a reusable set of user interface elements called a "part", which you can use to populate sketches and storyboards. Parts can contain a single element, such as a menu, or can include many elements that are aggregated in a container element, such as a panel or group.

Before you begin

Reuse parts in user interface sketches and storyboard frames to create persistent user interface elements. For example, if you are creating sketches of Web pages that all have the same menu, first create a part that consists of only the elements in that menu, and then add the part to each sketch. If you later decide to change the menu in your sketches, you only have to change the one part, for the changes are automatically reflected in every sketch that contains the part.

About this task

To watch a movie that shows you how to create a part, click here.

Procedure

  1. Do one of the following actions:
    • From the Artifacts project page, click Create Artifact > User Interface Part.
    • Click File > New > User Interface Part.
    • In a user interface sketch, right-click an element or multiple elements that are grouped in a single container (such as a shell, panel, or group) and select Extract Part.
  2. In the New User Interface Part window, type a name for the part. This name, which is displayed with the artifact in the project pages and in the Project Explorer, can include uppercase and lowercase characters and spaces.
  3. Browse to a project and a folder for the new part.
  4. (Optional) Add a tag to the new part.
  5. (Optional) Select a template for initial content for the part.
  6. (Optional) Click Next, select attribute groups to associate with the part.
  7. Click Finish. The part editor opens.
  8. For parts with a single element, drag an element from the palette to the Content Area. Important: The Content Area must contain at least one element. Only elements within the Content Area will appear when the part is reused in another artifact.
  9. For parts with more than one element, drag a container element, such as a panel or group, into the Content Area.
  10. To resize the container, select it and drag a sizing handle. To modify its properties, right-click the container and click Properties.
  11. Right-click an element in the canvas for a menu of actions you can perform on the element, such as cut, copy, delete, edit text, or modify properties and appearance.
  12. Click File > Save.

What to do next

After you create a part, you can add that part to a sketch, which populates the sketch with the elements in the part. If you later change an element in the part, the change is propagated in each sketch that includes the part. You can open the original part from within the sketch by clicking on the icon above the selected part in the sketch. You can also add parts to storyboard frames and other parts.

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