Copyright © TIBCO Software Inc. All Rights Reserved
Copyright © TIBCO Software Inc. All Rights Reserved


Chapter 2 Concepts : Outline View

Outline View
While the Project Explorer provides an easy way to find, select, and open project resources, the Outline View provides a quick and convenient way to navigate within a particular model, such as a form.
If the Outline View is not visible, open it by selecting Window > Show View > Outline. (If Outline is not among the view choices, click Window > Show View > Other > General > Outline.) The default area for the Outline View is the lower left corner of the Eclipse workbench but, as with other views, it can be moved to another area by dragging its title bar.
There are two modes for using the Outline View: as a hierarchical tree with expandable nodes, or as a thumbnail graphical image of the form. Switch between the two modes by clicking the button for the desired mode in the upper right corner of the Outline View.
Thumbnail Mode
The thumbnail mode shows the entire form scaled down to fit within the space designated to the Outline View. When a form cannot be entirely rendered within the canvas, a blue-shaded rectangle appears in the Outline View representing the visible portion. You can drag this rectangle with the mouse to make a different portion of the form visible in the canvas. This is a good way to move quickly from one section to another of a large form.
The Outline View is shown in Figure 55 in thumbnail mode
Figure 55 Outline View , Thumbnail Mode
 
Tree Mode
The hierarchical tree mode contains nodes for the form’s elements. At the top level is a node for the form itself. The top-level nodes under the form are for the data interface to the form, shared actions, rules, and the root panes.
In the tree mode, clicking on an item in the Outline View causes the Properties View for that item to appear in the Properties tab , and causes that item to be selected in the canvas as well, if it is a visible object. This is a good way to move quickly to a particular Properties View. Items can be copied and pasted within the Outline View, as well as rearranged by using drag-and-drop.
The Outline View is shown in Figure 56 in tree mode.
Figure 56 Outline View, Tree Mode
Using the Outline View with Forms
When a form is open in the Form Designer, the Outline View’s tree mode shows the elements that have been placed on the form, and provides a convenient way to select a pane or control and display its Properties View in the Properties view.
Figure 57 Using the Outline View with Forms, 1
When the check box called checkbox1 is clicked for instance, as in Figure 57, the checkbox1 control is selected on the canvas, and the Properties view displays the Properties View for that control, as in Figure 58.
Figure 58 Using the Outline View with Forms, 2
 
There are situations where you may also find it easier to re-arrange the order of controls and panes in the form using the Outline View instead of the canvas, such as moving a control or pane to different locations in a large form where it is difficult to view the whole form in the canvas at once.
Although the order of Parameters, Shared Actions, and Rules in the form model does not have a bearing on the execution of the form, you have the option to arrange the order of these objects in the Outline View to aide in readability, or to group by functionality. By default, items are added to these nodes in the order they were originally added to the model.
Clicking on the Data node will show a summary table of all the parameters defined in the form. From this table, you can edit some of the properties, add new parameters, and navigate to the detailed Properties View of any of the parameters. Similar tables are displayed when clicking on either the Shared Actions or Rules nodes.
Parameters
Clicking a parameter causes the Properties View for that parameter to appear in the Properties tab. Right-clicking a parameter brings up a Context Menu that allows you to delete, copy, or rename the parameter in the data model.Right-clicking on the Data node provides an option to add a new parameter.
Parameters are shown under the Data node, the first node beneath the node for the form itself in the Outline View, as in Figure 59.
Figure 59 Parameters in the Outline View
For more details, see Configuring Parameters.
Parameters Summary Table
The Parameters summary table provides an overview of the parameters. To see each parameter in the current project, select the Data node in the Outline View.
Figure 60 Parameters Summary Table
The Parameters summary table has the following fields:
Name   Name of the Parameter. To edit the name, click on the ellipsis (...) button, which appears when the name is selected. Edit the name using the Enter the Name page.
Label   Editable Label of the parameter.
Edit   Displays the text Edit as a hyperlink. When clicked, will navigate to the configuration property screen for that Parameter.
Mode   Displays either IN, OUT, or INOUT. Specifies the direction of data flow for this parameter with respect to the Form.
Type   Displays the primitive type of the parameter. When selected, a dropdown list becomes available to choose among the following types: Text, Boolean, Date Time, Date, and Time.
Length   Editable field for setting the length. It is active only if the selected type supports the length setting. Otherwise displays NA.
Decimal Places   Editable field for setting the decimal places attribute. It is active only if the selected type supports the decimal places setting. Otherwise displays NA.
Array   Check box that sets the array attribute of the parameter.
Shared Actions
Actions available to all Rules are listed under the Shared Actions node. Right-clicking the Actions node icon brings up a Context Menu that allows you to add a new action to this group.
To read an overview, see Actions.
To learn how to add actions to a form, see Setting Actions.
Rules
Rules are listed under the Rules node. Right-clicking the Rules node icon brings up a Context Menu that allows you to add a new rule to the form. You can add a rule that is either enabled or disabled using this interface.
To read an overview, see Rules.
To learn how to add rules to a form, see Setting Rules.
Managing Form Elements From the Outline View
You can manage form elements in the Outline View, such as copy an element and and paste it on the canvas , or re-arrange the order of elements within the form.
Use the Context Menu in the Outline View
To manage form elements, do the following:
1.
The pop-up Context Menu appears.
2.
Rearrange Outline by Drag-n-Drop
You can rearrange form elements in the Outline View by dragging them and dropping them on the desired new place. The new arrangement will immediately be reflected on the canvas.
Use Business Labels in Outline View
The User Preference controls the display of labels throughout the Forms Designer. This is specified using the option Include type name in labels, which improves accessibility by helping to distinguish the type of control or pane in various dialogs, instead of just relying on the icon. For more details on using this option, see Using the Option Include Type Name in Labels.
For more details about Labels, see Label.

Copyright © TIBCO Software Inc. All Rights Reserved
Copyright © TIBCO Software Inc. All Rights Reserved