Figure 42 shows a typical view of Activity Editor.
Figure 42. Activity Editor

Activity Editor has four main windows: the Activity Workbook window,
the Library window, the Content window, and the Properties window.
- Activity Workbook window--This window, usually referred to as the
editing canvas, is where you drag and drop the function blocks that make up
the business logic for your action node.
- Library window--This window contains a tree view of the available
function blocks and, optionally, the named groups. The function blocks
are arranged in folders according to their purpose (see Supported function blocks for more information). In addition, this window
contains the following folders:
- System--This folder contains system elements that can be added to the
editing canvas. System elements include comments, descriptions, labels,
to-do tags, and constants. (See New Constant function block and Tags for activity definitions for more information on using these
components.)
- Library--This folder enables you to customize the Library
window. It contains any user-defined function blocks that have been
specified in the Activity Settings view in System Manager.
- My Collection--This folder enables you to create a collection of the
components you use most often. You can place regular function blocks in
this folder, or create your own reusable component group (see Component groups for more information).
- Variables--This folder contains global variables that are available
for use in the current activity. It typically contains the port's
business object variables, as well as all of the other business objects and
variables defined in the scenario.
- Content window--This window contains a large icon list of the
function blocks available within the currently selected folder in the Library
window. You can select a function block to view its description and
properties in the Properties window, or you can drag and drop a function block
icon onto the editing canvas to create part of the activity flow.
- Properties window--This window displays the properties of the
currently selected function block. Properties are displayed in a grid
within this window. Some properties can be edited directly in the
Properties window, while others are read-only.
The following sections describe the views, menus, toolbars, and keyboard
shortcuts that are part of the Activity Editor interface.
Activity Editor has two views: Graphical and Java. The
Graphical view, as shown in Figure 42, enables you to drag and drop function blocks to create
activity definitions. This is the only supported method for creating
activity definitions in Process Designer Express.
The Java view is read-only; it displays the Java code that is
underneath the graphical function blocks.
This section describes the functionality available from the Activity Editor
menus.
The Activity Editor File menu provides the following options:
- Save--Saves the activity to Process Designer Express.
- Print Setup--Opens the Print Setup dialog box for specifying print
options.
- Print Preview--Switches the editor to print preview mode. This
menu option is available only in the Java view.
- Print--Opens the Print dialog box for printing the current
activity. This menu option is available only in the Java view.
- Close--Closes the Activity Editor.
The Activity Editor Edit menu provides the following options:
- Cut--Deletes the selected item. The item is copied to the
clipboard.
- Copy--Copies the selected item to the clipboard.
- Paste--Pastes the object currently in the clipboard into the activity
at the point where the cursor is located.
- Delete--Deletes the selected object.
- Select All--Selects all objects in the activity.
- Find--Finds specified text in the editing area. This menu
option is available only in the Java view.
- Goto Line--Moves the cursor to a specified line. This menu
option is available only in the Java view.
The Activity Editor View menu provides the following options:
- Design mode--Toggles between Design mode and Quick View mode.
- Quick View mode--Toggles between Quick View mode and Design
mode.
- Go To--Opens the following submenu for navigating within the
activity:
- Back--Moves backward in the navigation history.
- Forward--Moves forward in the navigation history.
- Up One Level--Displays the diagram from one higher level.
- Home--Goes to the top-level diagram in the Graphical view.
- Zoom In--Magnifies content in the editor.
- Zoom Out--Minimizes content in the editor.
- Zoom To--Opens the Zoom dialog box for specifying a particular level
of zoom.
- Library window--Toggles the Library window on and off.
- Content window--Toggles the Content window on and off.
- Properties window--Toggles the Properties window on and off.
- Toolbars--Opens the following submenu for displaying and closing
toolbars:
- Standard--Toggles the Standard toolbar on and off.
- Graphics--Toggles the Graphics toolbar on and off.
- Status Bar--Toggles the status bar on and off.
- Preferences--Opens the Preferences dialog box for specifying the
Activity Editor's default behavior.
The Activity Editor Tools menu provides the following option:
- Translate--Translates the current activity to Java code and opens the
Java view. The code shown in this window is read-only; it cannot
be edited directly.
The Activity Editor Help menu provides the following options:
- Help Topics--Opens the help topics.
- Documentation--Opens the InterChange Server Express
documentation.
The Activity Editor Context menu is accessed by right-clicking on the
editing canvas. It provides the following options:
- New Constant--Creates a new Constant component on the editing
canvas.
- Add Label--Creates a new label component on the editing
canvas.
- Add Description--Creates a new description component on the editing
canvas.
- Add Comment--Creates a new comment component on the canvas.
- Add To Do--Creates a new reminder component in the activity.
- Add To My Collection--Creates a new component group for reuse in the
Library window.
Activity Editor has two toolbars: the Standard toolbar and the
Graphics toolbar. The Standard toolbar provides functionality for
saving and printing activities, cutting, copying, pasting, and deleting
elements in the activity, and accessing help.
The Graphics toolbar provides functionality for navigating within
activities. The buttons correspond to the View --> Zoom and
View --> Go To menu items.
Table 28 lists the Activity Editor menu items and the keyboard
shortcuts associated with them.
Table 28. Activity Editor keyboard shortcuts
Menu
| Menu item
| Keyboard shortcut
|
File menu
| Save
| Ctrl+S
|
Print Setup
| Ctrl+Shift+P
|
Print Preview
| No shortcut available
|
Print
| Ctrl+P
|
Close
| No shortcut available
|
Edit
| Cut
| Ctrl+X
|
Copy
| Ctrl+C
|
Paste
| Ctrl+P
|
Delete
| Del
|
Select All
| Ctrl+A
|
Find
| Ctrl+F
|
Goto Line
| Ctrl+G
|
View
| Design Mode
| No shortcut available
|
Quick View Mode
| No shortcut available
|
Go To/Back
| Alt+Left Arrow
|
Go To/Forward
| Alt+Right Arrow
|
Go To/Up One Level
| No shortcut available
|
Go To/Home
| Alt+Home
|
Zoom In
| Ctrl++
|
Zoom Out
| Ctrl+ -
|
Zoom To
| Ctrl+M
|
Library Window
| No shortcut available
|
Content Window
| No shortcut available
|
Properties Window
| No shortcut available
|
Toolbars
| No shortcut available
|
Status Bar
| No shortcut available
|
Preferences
| Ctrl+U
|
Tools
| Translate
| Ctrl+T
|
Help
| Help Topics
| F1
|
Documentation
| No shortcut available
|
