|
Visual definition
|
Activates the Visual Designer, which allows a document to be created and updated in a WYSIWYG
environment. Note: The Markup definition view below shows the same document (and all document
and module entities) in their textual representation.
|
|
Markup definition
|
Activates the Markup Editor, which allows a document to be created and updated in a markup
environment. Note: The Visual definition view above shows the same document (and all document
and module entities) in their WYSIWYG representation.
|
|
Document generation
|
Generates the currently opened document. The generated document is shown within this view
along with options that allow the document to be output in various commonly known cross-media
formats.
|
|
Form definition
|
Activates the Form Designer, which allows a form to be created and updated in a WYSIWYG environment.
Forms are encapsulated by a corresponding "Process" and used as a front-end data input mechanism
to drive documents control document generation. Processes, forms, and documents can simultaneously
be generated and utilized in GUI, Active Server Pages (ASP), and Java Server Pages environments.
|
|
Form generation
|
Generates and tests the currently opened process and form for a particular document in a GUI
environment. Web environments (i.e., ASP and JSP) can also be created and tested from the
Form definition view.
|
|
Create
|
Create either a new document and main method element, a new document and attached database
definition, or a new document based upon an existing XML data file. For more information,
please refer to the topic New Document within this manual.
|
|
Open
|
Open an existing document while automatically closing the currently loaded document. If any
modifications are pending, the user is asked if they wish to save the applicable entities.
|
|
Close
|
Close the currently shown entity of this document. Note: The base entity of a document may
not be closed. A right mouse-click will also invoke a popup menu that allows the currently
shown entity to be closed.
|
|
Close all except
|
Close all opened entities of this document except the base entity and the currently selected
entity. If the currently selected entity is the base entity, all entities except the base
entity are closed.
|
|
Save
|
Save all preferences, document entities, and form definitions that have been modified.
|
|
Revert
|
Revert back to the previously saved version of the currently shown entity for this document.
|
|
Preferences
|
Shows the IDE user preferences dialog, which allows preferences that are common to all views
of the IDE to be read and updated. For more information, please refer to the topic Preferences .
|
|
Reset Docking and Exit
|
Reset docking preferences for all control bars/toolbars and quit the IDE application.
|
|
Exit
|
Exit (quit) the IDE application.
|
|
Visual definition
|
Activates the Visual WYSIWYG Designer view. For more information, please refer to the topic IDE Views within this manual.
|
|
Markup definition
|
Activates the Markup Editor view. For more information, please refer to the topic IDE Views within this manual.
|
|
Document generation
|
Activates the document generation view. For more information, please refer to the topic IDE Views within this manual.
|
|
Form definition
|
Activates the form definition view. For more information, please refer to the topic IDE Views within this manual.
|
|
Form generation
|
Activates the form generation view. For more information, please refer to the topic IDE Views within this manual.
|
|
Visual Components
|
Show or hide various IDE visual components, such as toolbars. These menu functions are automatically
controlled when the user switches between views and are not normally directly invoked.
|
|
IDE Manual
|
Invoke the user's Browser to display the IDE manual.
|
|
Reference Manual
|
Invoke the user's Browser to display the FinerEdge Publisher reference manual.
|
|
Demonstration Tutorial
|
Invoke the user's Browser to display the FinerEdge Publisher demonstration tutorial.
|
|
Author's Guide
|
Invoke the user's Browser to display the FinerEdge Publisher document author's guide.
|
|
Programmer's Guide
|
Invoke the user's Browser to display the FinerEdge Publisher programmer's guide.
|
|
Updates and Acknowledgements
|
Invoke the user's Browser to display the FinerEdge Publisher updates and acknowledgements.
|
|
About the IDE
|
Show a dialog box that depicts general information about the IDE including its version.
|
|
Show License Dialog
|
Show a dialog box that allows a user name and license key to be entered.
|
|
Open
|
Open the selected entity.
|
|
Add/Change
|
When the entity selected within the entity pane is the currently active entity, add a new
entity under (i.e., one level lower in the hierarchy) the currently active entity. When the
entity selected within the entity pane is not the currently active entity, change the entity
name (i.e., the internally known name) or the entity value (i.e., the externally known name).
When the entity value is not specified, the entity name must refer to an entity record within
the catalog. For more information, please refer to the topics Entity
Change and Catalog within this manual.
|
|
Delete
|
Delete the currently selected entity.
|
|
Move Up
|
Move the currently selected entity up within the hierarchy at the same level.
|
|
Move Down
|
Move the currently selected entity down within the hierarchy at the same level.
|
|
Properties
|
Show the properties of the active entity (not the selected entity). To change the properties
of an entity, the particular entity must first be opened and made the active entity (i.e.,
corresponding to the active tab). This is because any properties that are changed will modify
the stored entity itself. For more information, please refer to the topic Entity
Properties within this manual.
|
|
Edit catalog
|
Invoke the catalog editor to edit the currently active catalog file. For more information,
please refer to the topic Catalog editor within this manual.
|
|
Cut
|
Cut (i.e., copy to the clipboard and delete) the currently selected elements. For additional
information relating to cutting elements in the visual designer view (and specifically within
the scope of a table), please refer to the chapter Visual Designer within
this manual.
|
|
Copy
|
Copy to the clipboard the currently selected elements. For additional information relating
to copying elements in the visual designer view (and specifically within the scope of a table),
please refer to the chapter Visual Designer within this manual.
|
|
Paste
|
Paste elements previously cut or copied elements just prior to the currently selected element
or insertion point. For additional information relating to pasting elements in the visual
designer view (and specifically within the scope of a table), please refer to the chapter Visual Designer within this manual.
|
|
Edit element
|
Invoke the corresponding dialog (if applicable) to allow the element to be edited within a
visual form along with all form fields prefilled. When the edit dialog is successfully completed
(i.e., not canceled), the element is formatted and copied back into the currently active view.
This function will also be invoked when the user double-clicks on any element from within
the visual designer or markup views. For additional information relating to the various edit
dialogs, please refer to the chapter IDE Dialogs within this manual.
|
|
Delete element
|
Delete the currently selected element or range of elements. When a single element is deleted
within the visual designer view, the element and all embedded elements will be deleted. When
a single element is deleted within the markup view, both the beginning and ending elements
(if applicable) will be deleted.
|
|
PageBox
|
Invoke the PageBox editor to create a PageBox element. For more information, please refer
to the topic Page Box within this manual.
|
|
PageArea
|
Invoke the PageArea editor to create a PageArea element. For more information, please refer
to the topic Page Area within this manual.
|
|
Table
|
Invoke the Table editor to create a Table element. For more information, please refer to the
topic Table within this manual.
|
|
Div
|
Invoke the Div editor to create a Div element. For more information, please refer to the topic Content within this manual.
|
|
Span
|
Invoke the Span editor to create a Span element. For more information, please refer to the
topic Content within this manual.
|
|
Br
|
Inserts a Br element. This element has no attributes and, as such, has no corresponding edit
dialog.
|
|
ColBr
|
Invoke the ColBr editor to create a ColBr element. For more information, please refer to the
topic Page/Column Break within this manual.
|
|
PageBr
|
Invoke the PageBr editor to create a PageBr element. For more information, please refer to
the topic Page/Column Break within this manual.
|
|
Style
|
Invoke the Style editor to create a Style element. For more information, please refer to the
topic Styles Definition within this manual.
|
|
CData
|
Inserts a CDATA element. This element has no attributes and, as such, has no corresponding
edit dialog.
|
|
Comment
|
Inserts a comment element. This element has no attributes and, as such, has no corresponding
edit dialog.
|
|
Characters
|
Invoke the special characters editor to insert special characters or entire text fragments.
For more information, please refer to the topic Insert Characters
within this manual.
|
|
Method
|
Invoke the Method editor to create a Method element. For more information, please refer to
the topic Method Definition within this manual.
|
|
Use
|
Invoke the Use editor to create a Use element. For more information, please refer to the topic Use Method within this manual.
|
|
Set
|
Invoke the Set editor to create a Set element. For more information, please refer to the topic Set (Variable) within this manual.
|
|
Var
|
Invoke the Var editor to create a Var element. For more information, please refer to the topic Variable (Output) within this manual.
|
|
For
|
Invoke the For editor to create a For element. For more information, please refer to the topic For within this manual.
|
|
While
|
Invoke the While editor to create a While element. For more information, please refer to the
topic Logic/Process within this manual.
|
|
Exit
|
Invoke the Exit editor to create a Exit element. For more information, please refer to the
topic Exit within this manual.
|
|
If
|
Invoke the If editor to create a If element. For more information, please refer to the topic Logic/Process within this manual.
|
|
ElseIf
|
Inserts an ElseIf element. This element has no attributes and, as such, has no corresponding
edit dialog.
|
|
Else
|
Inserts an Else element. This element has no attributes and, as such, has no corresponding
edit dialog.
|
|
Select
|
Invoke the Select editor to create a Select element. For more information, please refer to
the topic Logic/Process within this manual.
|
|
Case
|
Invoke the Case editor to create a Case element. For more information, please refer to the
topic Logic/Process within this manual.
|
|
QueryData
|
Invoke the query editor to create a new QUERYDATA element (and possibly generate an entire
document or portion of a document from a database definition). For more information, please
refer to the topic Query Editor within this manual.
|
|
XMLData
|
Invoke the XML data editor to create a new XMLDATA element (and possibly generate an entire
document or portion of a document from an XML data definition). For more information, please
refer to the topic XMLData Editor within this manual.
|
|
Recordset
|
Invoke the Recordset editor to create a Recordset element. For more information, please refer
to the topic Recordset within this manual.
|
|
Mark
|
Invoke the Mark editor to create a Mark element. For more information, please refer to the
topic Mark within this manual.
|
|
Find (Visual)
|
Find optional methods, elements, and attribute text within the currently active entity.
|
|
Mouse Click
|
Selects a particular element. A selected non-text element is shown surrounded by a frame.
A text element is shown with an insertion point (i.e., a blinking vertical bar) positioned
to the character corresponding to the mouse click position.
|
|
Tab/BackTab
|
Select either the next (Tab) or previous (BackTab) element from the currently selected element,
which includes embedded elements. If the Ctrl key is held while either the Tab or BackTab
is pressed, any embedded elements within the currently selected element will not be selected.
|
|
Left/Right Arrows
|
If the currently selected element is not a text element, the same action as a Tab/BackTab
is performed. If the currently selected element is a text element, the insertion point is
advanced to the next or previous character respectively. When the first or last character
of a text element is reached and the left or right arrow is again pressed, the same action
as a Tab/BackTab is performed.
|
|
Up/Down Arrows
|
If the currently selected element is not a text element, the closest element that is above
or below the current element is selected. If the currently selected element is a text element,
the closest character to the currently selected character on the previous or next line is
selected. When the first or last line of a text element is reached and the up or down arrow
is again pressed, the closest element that is above or below the current element is selected.
|
|
Multi-element select
|
Multiple elements can be selected either by clicking on a particular element and dragging
the mouse across other elements or by selecting the starting element and simultaneously holding
the Shift key while clicking the ending element. Alternatively, multiple elements can also
be selected by first selecting the starting element and simultaneously holding the Shift key
while pressing the left, right, up, or down arrow keys. Text ranges may be selected by using
the same techniques just described. The Cut, Copy, and Paste commands operate with all types
of multi-element or text selections.
Note: The visual designer will not allow multi-element selections that would compromise the integrity of the document. An example of a disallowed multi-element selection would be when the starting element for the selection is embedded within another element and the ending element lies outside of the parent element. |
|
Table select
|
One or more rows or columns of a table can be selected by the using the multi-element select
technique described above. However, complete table rows or columns can also be selected by
using the corresponding menu and toolbar functions specifically for tables (discussed later
in this chapter).
|
|
Insert elements
|
Elements can be inserted prior to an existing element by either first selecting an element
and invoking the desired menu or toolbar function or by clicking and dragging a toolbar button
onto an existing element and subsequently dropping it.
|
|
Move elements
|
Non-text elements can be moved by first selecting the element. The cursor will change to a
left-right/up-down symbol when a move is permitted. To move a selected non-text element prior
to an existing element, click and drag the element to the new location and drop it onto the
target element. Any embedded elements within the relocated element will also be moved. Automatic
scrolling will occur when dragging an element and the left-right or top-bottom of the tab
area is reached.
Note: Ranges of elements and text elements may not be moved using this technique. To move a range of elements or a portion of a text element, instead use the techniques for a multi-element selection (previously discussed) followed by the cut and paste functions described in this chapter. |
|
Cut, Copy, Paste
|
Any element or range of elements can be cut or copied from an entity and subsequently pasted
(perhaps many times) back into the same entity or another entity. Either the text or non-text
element must first be selected using the techniques described for multi-element selection.
After an element or range of elements have been selected, they may be either cut or copied
from the entity by invoking the respective menu or toolbar functions. Cut or copied elements
can be pasted (inserted) as many times as desired into the same entity or another entity by
selecting a target element and invoking the paste menu or toolbar function.
|
|
Resize elements
|
A content box element can be visually resized by first selecting the desired element. Either
the width or height of the element can be enlarged or shrunk by clicking and dragging on the
handles (small black rectangles) located on the right-hand side and bottom of the selection
frame. Any changes made to the width or height of a content box element are reflected in the
corresponding width and height style properties of the element.
|
|
Element properties
|
Element properties can be visually edited within a customized dialog form by either first
selecting the element and then invoking the Edit Element menu or toolbar function, or by double-clicking
on the element.
|
|
Delete key
|
If the delete key is pressed while a text element is selected, the character following the
insertion point will be deleted. Non-text elements can be deleted by first selecting the element
and then invoking the Delete Element menu or toolbar function. Any embedded elements within
the deleted element will also be deleted.
Note: Ranges of elements and text elements may not be deleted using this technique. To delete a range of elements or a portion of a text element, instead use the techniques for a multi-element selection followed by either the Delete key or the cut function described in this chapter. |
|
Backspace key
|
If a text element is selected, delete the character prior to the insertion point.
|
|
Spontaneous text
|
If a non-text element is selected and a character is typed, a text element will be spontaneously
inserted prior to the currently selected element.
|
|
Enter/Return.
|
If a text element is selected and the Enter/Return key is pressed, the text element will be
split by inserting a Br element prior to the insertion point.
|
|
Resize columns
|
The columns of a table may be visually resized by first selecting the desired table. The blue
dotted column grid lines are replaced by red grid lines. The user can then position the mouse
over one of the red grid lines (i.e., the cursor changes to a left-right symbol) and drag
the red grid line until the desired position is reached. Any changes made to the column widths
are reflected in the corresponding "cols" attributes of the table element.
|
|
Create table
|
Invoke the Table editor to insert a Table element prior to the currently selected element.
For more information, please refer to the topic Table within this
manual. This function supports table creation using both the HTML TR/TD model and the flexible
DIV/COLBR model (primarily used for Newspaper and AutoColBr tables).
|
|
Insert columns/rows
|
Inserts a new row or column inside of a table element. This function can be invoked from either
the content menu, the left-hand side toolbar, or the popup menu when an element directly inside
of the table is selected. When invoked from the left-hand side toolbar, another popup menu
of choices appears to allow a row to be inserted above or below the current selection, or
a column to be inserted to the left or right of the current selection. The elements of the
row or column corresponding to the selection, including their attributes and properties, are
used to establish the new row or column.
|
|
Select columns/rows
|
Selects an entire row or column inside of a table element. This function can be invoked from
either the content menu, the left-hand side toolbar, or the popup menu when an element directly
inside of the table is selected. When invoked from the left-hand side toolbar, another popup
menu of choices appears to allow a row or column to be selected.
|
|
Delete columns/rows
|
Deletes an entire row or column inside of a table element. This function can be invoked from
either the content menu, the left-hand side toolbar, or the popup menu when an element directly
inside of the table is selected. When invoked from the left-hand side toolbar, another popup
menu of choices appears to allow a row or column to be deleted.
|
|
Edit Tr element
|
Allows editing of the Tr element that corresponds to a selected Td element. An option allows
the Tr element to be designated as a header. Header Tr elements are reformatted on each subsequent
page for a table that spans multiple pages. For more information, please refer to the topic Content within this manual.
|
|
Cut, Copy, Paste
|
Multiple table rows and columns may be cut or copied and pasted, perhaps many times, into
either this entity or another entity. These functions allow a row or column to be moved within
a table by cutting specific rows or columns and performing a subsequent paste. For more information,
please refer to "Cut, Copy, Paste" within the topic Editing presented
earlier in this chapter.
|
|
Rewrap
|
Rewraps the lines of the currently shown entity at the specified column. Word boundaries will
be maintained during the rewrapping operation (i.e., words will not be split in the middle).
|
|
Print
|
Format and print the textual representation of the elements within currently active entity.
|
|
Find/Replace (Entity)
|
Find and/or replace text within the currently active entity. Allows either a standard text
phrase or a POSIX compliant regular expression to be entered.
|
|
Find/Replace (Global)
|
Find and/or replace text in either all entities of a document or just currently opened entities.
Allows either a standard text phrase or a POSIX compliant regular expression to be entered.
|
|
Go Position
|
Go to the position within the entity for the current search results pane selection.
|
|
Undo
|
Undo the last operation. This is a multi-level undo and may be repeatedly invoked to back
out changes made to the markup but prior to a save being performed.
|
|
Breakpoint
|
Sets a debugging breakpoint for the currently shown entity on the line displaying the insertion
point. Breakpoints can be set for any of the entities within a document, but are discarded
when a new document is opened (loaded). If a breakpoint is already set for the line, it will
be reset (removed). Breakpoints are shown as small (default red) circles within the left-hand
margin for the respective entities. For additional information, please refer to the topic Debug Menu and Toolbar within this section.
|
|
Mouse Click
|
A left button mouse click will position the insertion point (i.e., a vertical blinking line
in insert mode) to the character closest to where the mouse was clicked. A right button mouse
click will show an applicable popup menu of commands. If the user is currently debugging a
document and a right button mouse click is performed, special debugging commands are shown
in the popup menu.
|
|
Double Click
|
If the left button of the mouse is double-clicked over an element, a corresponding dialog
is initiated to allow the element to be visually edited (i.e., all dialog fields are pre-filled
with the element's attributes). When the user completes the edit dialog, the element is again
formatted and copied back into the entity's tab area. A mouse double-click action performs
the same function as a mouse single-click when followed by the "Edit element" menu and toolbar
command. For additional information, please refer to the topic Edit Menu
and Toolbar within this manual.
|
|
Mouse Select
|
Click and drag the mouse to select text that will be subsequently deleted, cut, or copied.
|
|
Tab/BackTab
|
Advance the text following the insertion point to the next tab position or the previous tab
position respectively. If multiple lines are selected, all lines will be tabbed or reverse
tabbed as a unit.
|
|
Enter/Return
|
Split the current line at the insertion point and advance to the next line. The cursor is
automatically positioned to the same column as the start of text from the previous line.
|
|
Left/Right Arrows
|
Advance the insertion point forward or backward one character from the current position. If
the beginning or end of the line is reached and a left or right arrow key is pressed, the
insertion point is advanced to the end of the previous line or the beginning of the next line
respectively.
|
|
Up/Down Arrows
|
Advance the insertion point up or down one line respectively while attempting to maintain
the same column.
|
|
Keyboard Select
|
Hold down the Shift key while using the Left, Right, Up, and Down arrows to select text.
|
|
Insert
|
Toggle between insert and overtype mode, which will also change the insertion point shape
and show in the status line at the bottom of the IDE window.
|
|
Delete/Backspace
|
Delete the character after the insertion point or backspace over the character prior to the
insertion point. If currently positioned at the end of a line and a Delete key is pressed,
the next line is joined at the end of the current line. If currently at the start of a line
and the Backspace key is pressed, the current line is appended to the end of the previous
line. When any text is selected and either the Delete or Backspace keys are pressed, the selected
text is deleted.
|
|
Home/End
|
Position the insertion point to the start or end of the current line respectively. If the
Ctrl key is simultaneously pressed while either the Home or End keys are pressed, position
to the start or end of the entity.
|
|
PageUp/PageDown
|
Position the insertion point up or down the number of lines shown in the entity's tab area.
|
|
Breakpoint
|
Sets a debugging breakpoint for the currently shown entity on the line displaying the insertion
point. If a breakpoint is already set for the line, it will be reset (removed). Breakpoints
are shown as small (default red) circles within the left-hand margin for the respective entities.
|
|
Step
|
Process the current element shown by the right arrow symbol and pause prior to processing
the next element.
|
|
Run
|
Continue to process the document until the next breakpoint is seen or the end of the document
is reached (i.e., the main method is exited).
|
|
Stop
|
Discontinue or halt document processing (i.e., no document output will be generated).
|
|
Add watch
|
Show a dialog that allows a variable name or expression to be added. The currently selected
text of the markup editor is pre-filled into the expression field of the dialog. The button
to the right of the expression field invokes the Expression editor. For additional information,
please refer to the topic Expression within this manual.
|
|
Change watch
|
Show a dialog that allows the currently selected watch within the watch pane to be updated.
The watch variable or expression is pre-filled into the expression field of the dialog. The
button to the right of the expression field invokes the Expression editor. For additional
information, please refer to the topic Expression within this manual.
|
|
Delete watch
|
Remove the currently selected watch from the watch pane.
|
|
Navigate to prior link
|
Position the rendered document to the prior link location from the current link location.
Any new links will be added into the link history list after the current link location (subsequent
links are deleted from the link history list).
|
|
Navigate to next link
|
Position the rendered document to the next link location from the current link location. Any
new links will be added into the link history list after the current link location (subsequent
links are deleted from the link history list).
|
|
First page
|
Position the rendered document to the first page.
|
|
Previous page
|
Position the rendered document up by whole pages.
|
|
Page up
|
Position the rendered document up by large increments. When the top of a page is reached,
position to the bottom of the previous page if one exists.
|
|
Go to page
|
Show a dialog that allows the user to enter a specific page number. When the user completes
the dialog, position to the start of the page entered.
|
|
Zoom in/out
|
Show a dialog that allows the user to selected a percentage zoom level. When the user completes
the dialog, redisplay the document at the selected percentage zoom level.
|
|
Page down
|
Position the rendered document down by large increments. When the bottom of a page is reached,
position to the top of the next page if one exists.
|
|
Next page
|
Position the rendered document down by whole pages.
|
|
Last page
|
Position the rendered document to the last page.
|
|
Show document
|
By default, the document is generated, rendered, and shown within the generate view. However,
when certain other generate commands are selected and processed, the document is regenerated
in a different format and, therefore, cannot be rendered within the generate view. In these
cases, selecting this command will again regenerate and show the document within the generate
view.
|
|
Print document
|
Generate and print the document to either a local printer or a network printer.
|
|
Generate PDF
|
Generate the document in the Portable Document Format (PDF). A dialog is shown that allows
the user to select the PDF version and a number of additional document generation options.
For more information, please refer to the topic PS/PDF Options
within this manual.
|
|
Generate PostScript
|
Generate the document in the PostScript (PS) format. A dialog is shown that allows the user
to select the PostScript version and a number of additional document generation options. For
more information, please refer to the topic PS/PDF Options within
this manual.
|
|
Generate XPS
|
Generate the document in the XML Paper Specification (XPS) format.
|
|
Generate RTF
|
Generate the document in the Rich Text Format (RTF).
|
|
Generate XHTML
|
Generate the document in the eXtensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML) format.
|
|
Generate text
|
Generate the document in a pure text format (i.e., having no embedded formatting instructions).
This option is useful to, for example, generate delimited files or XML formatted files.
|
|
Right mouse click
|
Show a popup menu of document positioning choices.
|
|
Left/Right Arrows
|
Position the rendered document in small increments to the left or right respectively.
|
|
Up/Down Arrows
|
Position the rendered document by small increments up or down respectively. When the top of
a page is reached and the up arrow is again pressed, position to the bottom of the previous
page if one exists. When the bottom of a page is reached and the down arrow is again pressed,
position to the top of the next page if one exists.
|
|
Home/End
|
Position the rendered document to the top or bottom of the current page respectively. If the
Shift key is simultaneously pressed while either the Home or End keys are pressed, position
to the start of the first or last page with the rendered document respectively.
|
|
PageUp/PageDown
|
Position the rendered document by large increments up or down respectively. If the Shift key
is simultaneously pressed while either the PageUp or PageDown keys are pressed, position the
rendered document backwards or forwards by whole pages respectively. When the top of a page
is reached and the PageUp key is again pressed, position to the bottom of the previous page
if one exists. When the bottom of a page is reached and the PageDown key is again pressed,
position to the top of the next page if one exists.
|
|
Form properties
|
Invoke the form properties editor to change the form's overall attributes. In addition to
the visual attributes of a form, a number of other attributes can be specified such as alternate
locations for both ASP and JSP process/form generation. For more information, please refer
to the topic Form (Form) within this manual.
|
|
Group frame
|
Invoke the group frame editor to create a group frame control. Group frames provide a way
to visually organize controls that have a similar purpose. For more information, please refer
to the topic Group/Label (Form) within this manual.
|
|
Static label
|
Invoke the static label editor to create a static control. Static controls are used to display
textual information or to provide a label for edit fields. For more information, please refer
to the topic Group/Label (Form) within this manual.
|
|
Edit field
|
Invoke the edit field editor to create an edit field control. Edit fields accept textual information
that will be subsequently presented to a document within a string variable. For more information,
please refer to the topic Edit (Form) within this manual.
|
|
Checkbox
|
Invoke the checkbox editor to create a checkbox control. Checkbox values will be presented
to a document within a number variable as either 0 (unchecked) or 1 (checked). For more information,
please refer to the topic Check/Radio (Form) within this manual.
|
|
Radio button
|
Invoke the radio button editor to create a radio button control. Radio button values will
be presented to a document within a number variable as either 0 (unchecked) or 1 (checked).
Furthermore, a set of radio buttons will interoperate with each other to insure that only
one radio button for a set is selected. A radio button set starts with the first radio button
seen and ends when a control other than a radio button is seen. For more information, please
refer to the topic Check/Radio (Form) within this manual.
|
|
Combobox
|
Invoke the combobox editor to create a combobox control. The selected value of a combobox
will be presented to a document within a string variable. For more information, please refer
to the topic List (Form) within this manual.
|
|
List box
|
Invoke the list box editor to create a list box control. The selected value of a list box
will be presented to a document within a string variable. For more information, please refer
to the topic List (Form) within this manual.
|
|
Image
|
Invoke the image editor to create an image control. Image controls are for display purposes
only and do not generate a corresponding variable within a document. For more information,
please refer to the topic Image (Form) within this manual.
|
|
Split line
|
Split the line at the currently selected control into two lines. All controls prior to the
selected control will remain on the current line and all other controls, including the selected
control, will create a new line (all subsequent lines will move down in the form).
|
|
Join lines
|
Join the line corresponding to the currently selected control to the end of the previous line.
|
|
Delete control
|
Delete the currently selected control from the form.
|
|
Update control
|
Invoke the corresponding form-related editor to update the properties of the currently selected
control. For more information, please refer to the topic Chapter 9 - IDE
Dialogs within this manual.
|
|
Single left click
|
Select a particular control within the form. A selection frame will be shown around the control.
|
|
Double left click
|
Initiate the corresponding dialog to edit the properties of a particular form control. The
same action can be accomplished by first selecting the control and then invoking the menu/toolbar
command to update a control's properties.
|
|
Single right click
|
Show a popup menu of choices similar to the menu/toolbar choices of the form definition view.
|
|
Move controls
|
Controls can be move around in a form by first selecting the intended control. Position the
mouse in the middle of the selection frame (i.e., the middle of the control) until the mouse
cursor changes to a left-right/up-down symbol. Click and hold the left mouse button and drag
the control to the new location. Drop the control by releasing the mouse button over the desired
location. The moved control will always be inserted prior to the existing control where it
was dropped.
|
|
Resize controls
|
Controls can be visually resized by first selecting the intended control. Either the width
or height of the control can be enlarged or shrunk by clicking and dragging on the handles
(small black rectangles) located on the right-hand side and bottom of the selection frame.
When the width or height of an control is allowed to be resized the mouse cursor will change
to either a left-right or up-down symbol respectively, however not all controls support resizing
both their widths and heights.
|
|
Test form process
|
Test the process and form in a GUI environment. The form will first appear in an operational
mode and, after the user has completed the form, the information entered is fed into the document,
which are then available as document variables. The document is then processed, generated,
and rendered within the document generation view.
|
|
Generate XHTML
|
Generate only an XHTML form from the form definition at the location determined by the corresponding
field of the form properties. For more information, please refer to the topic Form
(Form) within this manual.
|
|
Generate ASP.NET
|
Generate a valid and self-contained Active Server Pages .NET (ASPX) process along with an
embedded XHTML form and a C# code-behind file from the form definition at the location determined
by the corresponding field of the form's properties. The process will automatically create
the necessary document variables from the applicable control fields and subsequently initiate
all document processing and generation cross-media outputs that were selected through the
form's properties. For more information, please refer to the topic Form
(Form) within this manual.
|
|
Generate ASP
|
Generate a valid and self-contained Active Server Pages (ASP) process along with an embedded
XHTML form from the form definition at the location determined by the corresponding field
of the form's properties. The process will automatically create the necessary document variables
from the applicable control fields and subsequently initiate all document processing and generation
cross-media outputs that were selected through the form's properties. For more information,
please refer to the topic Form (Form) within this manual.
|
|
Generate JSP
|
Generate a valid and self-contained Java Server Pages (JSP) process along with an embedded
XHTML form from the form definition at the location determined by the corresponding field
of the form's properties. The process will automatically create the necessary document variables
from the applicable control fields and subsequently initiate all document processing and generation
cross-media outputs that were selected through the form's properties. For more information,
please refer to the topic Form (Form) within this manual.
|
|
Entity List
|
Contains one line for each catalog record. Selecting a particular record within the entity
list will populate the following fields with the respective values of that record.
|
|
Entity Type
|
Either an external entity (normal entity), font, or image types may be selected. Selecting
an entity type that is different than the currently selected catalog record's type will clear
all subsequent fields in preparation to add a new catalog record.
|
|
Entity Name
|
The internal name of the currently selected catalog entity.
|
|
Entity Value
|
The specification for the currently selected catalog entity. For example, an external entity
(normal entity) might refer to the absolute or relative name of a disk file (relative names
are with respect to the document entity's directory path). Depending upon the Entity Type
chosen, the Select button will invoke the dialog that is applicable to that entity.
|
|
Change
|
If the Entity Name is known within the catalog, the applicable catalog record will be updated
(otherwise a new catalog record will be added).
|
|
Delete
|
Delete the currently selected catalog record.
|
|
CDATA Section
|
Inserts a beginning and ending XML CDATA section. A typical use for a CDATA section would
be to embed XHTML markup within a FinerEdge Publisher HTML element but prior to an HTMLELSE
element (if applicable).
|
|
HTML Element
|
Inserts a beginning and ending HTML element.
|
|
HTMLELSE Element
|
Inserts an HTMLELSE element (i.e., used within FinerEdge Publisher HTML beginning and ending
elements).
|
|
Name
|
The name of the checkbox or radio button that is referenced within the corresponding document.
A variable is automatically generated for a document as "@Global_Name" (where "Name" is the
name given by this field).
|
|
Label
|
The label text that is shown next to the checkbox or radio button.
|
|
Value
|
The initial value of the checkbox or radio button (0=unchecked, 1=checked).
|
|
Color
|
The foreground color of the label's text (a value of "transparent" uses the default color
black).
|
|
Tab Index
|
An optional tab index that determines the tab sequence for applicable controls. A value of
0 indicates that no tab index will be set.
|
|
User
|
Optional text to remind the form's author about anything regarding the checkbox or radio button
(not shown on the form).
|
|
Help
|
Optional help text that is shown on the form when the user selects or tabs to the checkbox
or radio button.
|
|
Check List
|
The check list contains one line for each item in the list along with a checkbox positioned
to the left of each item's description.
|
|
Check All
|
Check all items in the check list.
|
|
Uncheck All
|
Uncheck all items in the check list.
|
|
Tables
|
If database table/views are being selected, show the tables in the checklist.
|
|
Views
|
If database table/views are being selected, show the views in the checklist.
|
|
Class
|
Specifies a style class. The ComboBox list is populated with all known style classes.
|
|
ID
|
Specifies a style ID. The ComboBox list is populated with all known style IDs.
|
|
Style
|
Specifies individual style properties that are applied to the element. The button to the right
of this field invokes the style editor, which allows style properties to be edited within
an intuitive form-driven environment.
|
|
Header row
|
This field is only shown when adding or updating a TR element. When checked, the TR element
is designated as a "header" row. A header row will be reproduced when continuing a table (or
embedded table) element following a page break.
|
|
Name
|
The name of the edit box that is referenced within the corresponding document. A variable
is automatically generated for a document as "@Global_Name" (where "Name" is the name given
by this field).
|
|
Value
|
The initial value of the edit box.
|
|
Tab Index
|
An optional tab index that determines the tab sequence for applicable controls. A value of
0 indicates that no tab index will be set.
|
|
User
|
Optional text to remind the form's author about anything regarding the edit box (not shown
on the form).
|
|
Help
|
Optional help text that is shown on the form when the user selects or tabs to the edit box.
|
|
Entity name
|
The internal name of the entity being added or updated within the entity panel.
|
|
Entity value
|
The external specification for the entity being added or updated within the entity panel,
which refers to the absolute or relative name of a disk file (relative names are with respect
to the document entity's directory path). The button to the right of this field allows a disk
file to be selected.
|
|
Document entity
|
If checked, this entity is designated as a document (i.e., containing a valid XML prolog and
DTD) and all subsequent fields are enabled. If not checked, all subsequent fields are disabled
and this entity is designated as a module entity (i.e., containing one or more methods that
must be called from a document entity or another module entity).
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Date format
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Date delimiter
|
A single character date delimiter.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Time format
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Time delimiter
|
A single character time delimiter.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Decimal point
|
A single character decimal point delimiter.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Thousand
|
A single character thousands delimiter.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Currency
|
A single character currency delimiter.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Default length
|
The default length used by the VAR element when the resulting expression is an empty string
(or optionally zero).
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Default character
|
The default character used by the VAR element when the resulting expression is an empty string
(or optionally zero).
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Pre-process
|
Preprocess the document and create a static references table. This is helpful to, for example,
create a table of contents at the beginning of document generation.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Style
|
Specifies individual style properties that are applied to the element. The button to the right
of this field invokes the style editor, which allows style properties to be edited within
an intuitive form-driven environment.
|
|
Tag type
|
A value of LOOP exits the most current (innermost) loop, whereas a value of METHOD exits the
active method.
|
|
Expression area
|
The expression being created or updated (may be changed directly or by using the fields below).
|
|
Variables
|
A list of variables that are known at the time the expression is being created. When a variable
is selected, a brief help description is displayed at the bottom of the form. Also, when a
variable is double-clicked or the "Insert ^" button is pressed, the variable is inserted into
the expression area at the current insertion point.
|
|
Functions
|
A list of all FinerEdge Publisher functions that may be used within any expression. When a
function is selected, a brief help description is displayed at the bottom of the form. Also,
when a function is double-clicked or the "Insert ^" button is pressed, the function is inserted
into the expression area at the current insertion point.
|
|
Operators
|
A set of buttons that correspond to FinerEdge Publisher operators that may be used within
any expression. When any of the buttons are pressed, the corresponding operator is inserted
into the expression area at the current insertion point.
|
|
Grouping/Special
|
A set of buttons that correspond to FinerEdge Publisher grouping or special characters. When
any of the buttons are pressed, the corresponding grouping or special character is inserted
into the expression area at the current insertion point.
|
|
Test
|
Tests the validity of the expression and reports the result at the bottom of the form.
|
|
Action
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Slot
|
A number ranging from 1 to N (typically 10) that identifies a particular file for Open, Read,
Write, and Close actions.
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Value
|
Depending upon the action chosen, the content of this attribute varies (see the "action" attribute
for additional information).
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Value2
|
Depending upon the action chosen, the content of this attribute varies (see the "action" attribute
for additional information).
|
|
Find What
|
The text or regular expression pattern to find. To find a regular expression pattern, the
corresponding checkbox must be selected. When this dialog has been used and subsequently dismissed,
pressing F3 will repeat the last find or replace action.
|
|
Find Next
|
Finds the next occurrence of the text or regular expression pattern in the active entity (past
the current insertion point or last occurrence of found text) that was entered into the "Find
What" field. If the end-of-file is seen, the search continues from the beginning of the file
and stops when the original starting position of the search is seen.
|
|
Replace With
|
The text that replaces any found text or regular expression pattern in the active entity.
(Only visible when performing a replace.)
|
|
Replace
|
Replaces this occurrence of found text or regular expression pattern with the "Replace With"
text in the active entity and subsequently finds the next occurance. (Only visible when performing
a replace.)
|
|
Replace All
|
Replaces all occurrences of found text or regular expression pattern with the "Replace With"
text in the active entity. (Only visible when performing a replace.)
|
|
Find whole word
|
When selected, only find whole words as opposed to text occurring within words.
|
|
Match case
|
When selected, upper and lowercase characters are relevant as opposed to ignoring upper and
lower case differences in text.
|
|
Regular expression
|
When selected, the "Find What" field designates a POSIX compatible regular expression as opposed
to normal text.
|
|
Find What
|
The text or regular expression pattern to find. To find a regular expression pattern, the
corresponding checkbox must be selected.
|
|
Replace With
|
The text that replaces any found text or regular expression pattern in the active entity.
(Only visible when performing a replace.)
|
|
Find whole word
|
When selected, only find whole words as opposed to text occurring within words.
|
|
Match case
|
When selected, upper and lowercase characters are relevant as opposed to ignoring upper and
lower case differences in text.
|
|
Regular expression
|
When selected, the "Find What" field designates a POSIX compatible regular expression as opposed
to normal text.
|
|
All entities in document
|
Find or replace within all entities of a document.
|
|
Open entities only
|
Find or replace within currently opened entities only.
|
|
Method
|
The optional method name to find.
|
|
Element
|
The optional element name to find.
|
|
Attribute Text
|
The optional attribute text to find within an element's attributes.
|
|
Find Next
|
Finds the next occurrence in the active entity (past the current location or last found occurrence).
If the end-of-file is seen, the search continues from the beginning of the file and stops
when the original starting position of the search is seen.
|
|
Variable
|
Specifies a variable whose value is changed according to the values of the Start and Step
fields for each iteration of the loop. If the variable has not been previously declared, it
is automatically created as a number type.
|
|
Start
|
The initial value of the first loop iteration. If the value of Start is greater than End,
the loop decreases in value, otherwise the loop increases in value.
|
|
End
|
The final value of the last loop iteration. If the value of End is less than Start, the loop
decreases in value, otherwise the loop increases in value.
|
|
Step
|
An optional value to increment or decrement on each iteration through the loop. If this value
is not given, a value of 1 is assumed.
|
|
Font name
|
The name of the font used in the form.
|
|
Font size
|
The size of the font (in points) used in the form.
|
|
Background image
|
A background image that is shown in the form.
|
|
Background color
|
The background color that is shown in the form. A color of transparent shows the dialog color
or web page color.
|
|
Caption text
|
The text of the optional caption for the form.
|
|
Caption color
|
The foreground color of the optional caption text for the form.
|
|
ASP url
|
The overridable Active Server Page (ASP) url that is generated for the form. If not set, the
value designated by the IDE preferences form tab (if set) or a default value is assumed. For
more information, please refer to the topic "ASP and JSP Setup" in the FinerEdge Publisher
Programmer's Guide.
|
|
ASP path
|
The overridable Active Server Page (ASP) path prefix that is generated for the form. If not
set, the value designated by the IDE preferences form tab (if set) or a default value is assumed.
For more information, please refer to the topic "ASP and JSP Setup" in the FinerEdge Publisher
Programmer's Guide.
|
|
JSP url
|
The overridable Java Server Page (JSP) url that is generated for the form. If not set, the
value designated by the IDE preferences form tab (if set) or a default value is assumed. For
more information, please refer to the topic "ASP and JSP Setup" in the FinerEdge Publisher
Programmer's Guide.
|
|
JSP path
|
The overridable Java Server Page (JSP) path prefix that is generated for the form. If not
set, the value designated by the IDE preferences form tab (if set) or a default value is assumed.
For more information, please refer to the topic "ASP and JSP Setup" in the FinerEdge Publisher
Programmer's Guide.
|
|
Temp dir
|
The overridable temporary folder name that is used to store the files generated while running
the process. If not set, the value designated by the IDE preferences form tab (if set) or
a default value is assumed. For more information, please refer to the topic "ASP and JSP Setup"
in the FinerEdge Publisher Programmer's Guide.
|
|
Generation
|
Selects one or more output formats that may be simultaneously created during document generation.
|
|
Label
|
The optional label text. If a group box is being defined, the label text is shown in the group
box's top border.
|
|
Align
|
Left, middle, or right align the label text.
|
|
Invisible
|
The field applies to a group box only. When checked, the border of the group box is invisible
(otherwise the border is visible).
|
|
Color
|
The foreground color of the group box or label's text (a value of "transparent" uses the default
color black).
|
|
Image name
|
The file name of a BMP image. Unlike a FinerEdge document, no conversion between images formats
or image sizes (e.g., scaling or repeat patterns) will occur in forms.
|
|
URL
|
The url of the image that is used when generating a web page form. This field should reference
a web-compatible formatted image (e.g., GIF, JPEG, etc.).
|
|
Text area
|
The area where symbols (characters) are edited or inserted. This is also the area that is
copied back into the selected document view when this dialog is successfully completed.
|
|
Font
|
One of the fonts in the ComboBox list may be selected in order to repopulate the font symbols
area with all possible characters that are offered by the selected font. In addition, the
symbols in the text area are also changed to reflect the new font selected. Only fonts that
have been defined within the FinerEdge Publisher catalog are shown within this list. To define
a new font that is available for general use within all documents that use a particular catalog.
For more information, please refer to the topic Catalog within
this manual.
|
|
Font symbols
|
All possible symbols (characters) within the selected font are shown in this area. A particular
symbol can be inserted into the current insertion point of the text area either by double-clicking
on that symbol or by selecting a symbol and pressing the "Insert ^" button.
|
|
Escape sequences
|
In addition to the symbols within a font, a number of commonly employed escape sequences can
be inserted into the current insertion point of the text area by pressing the desired button.
|
|
Type
|
May be either "list" for a ListBox, "drop" for a non-editable ComboBox, or "dropedit" for
an editable ComboBox.
|
|
Name
|
The name of the ComboBox or ListBox that is referenced within the corresponding document.
A variable is automatically generated for a document as "@Global_Name" (where "Name" is the
name given by this field).
|
|
Value
|
The initial value of the ComboBox or ListBox. If the value exists within the list, it is highlighted.
|
|
Tab Index
|
An optional tab index that determines the tab sequence for applicable controls. A value of
0 indicates that no tab index will be set.
|
|
Rows
|
Determines the number of rows that will be shown within the list area. When the number of
list items is greater than this value, the list items are scrolled when needed.
|
|
User
|
Optional text to remind the form's author about anything regarding the ComboBox or ListBox
(not shown on the form).
|
|
Help
|
Optional help text that is shown on the form when the user selects or tabs to the ComboBox
or ListBox.
|
|
List
|
The list of items in the ComboBox or ListBox. Selecting a particular item will populate the
List item field and allow it to be updated or deleted.
|
|
List item
|
The list item that is currently being updated or deleted.
|
|
Change
|
When a list item is not selected from the List field, it will be appended to the end of the
list, otherwise the list item will be updated into the selected position within the list.
A Change, Move up, or Delete action will unselect the List field in preparation for a possible
list addition.
|
|
Move up
|
Move the currently selected list item up within the List field.
|
|
Delete
|
Delete the currently selected list item from the List field.
|
|
Expression
|
The expression of the logic (process) element. The "..." button to the right of this field
invokes the FinerEdge Publisher expression editor.
|
|
Case Else
|
This field is only shown for a "Case" element (a "Case" element is used within a "Select"
element to signify one of the Select element's choices). Pressing this button will designate
a "Case Else" element, which is normally utilized as the last "Case" element when no other
"Case" expressions are satisfied.
|
|
Type
|
Either Fire, Initialize, or Increment may be selected. Please refer to the explanation below
for a description of each mark type.
|
|
Expression
|
Allows an expression to be specified. The expression is dependent upon the "Type" of mark
element designated. The "..." button to the right of this field invokes the FinerEdge Publisher
expression editor.
|
|
Name
|
The name of the method. Methods are used (called) by referencing this name.
|
|
Main method
|
Designates this method as the first method that is called by FinerEdge Publisher for a document
entity. All methods may be called from any other method. However, circular method references
will be detected and result in an error.
|
|
Parameters
|
The list of parameters in specific top-to-bottom (i.e., left-to-right) order of appearance.
When a parameter is selected from this list, the fields below are populated for subsequent
update or deletion.
|
|
Parameter
|
The name of the parameter being added, updated, or deleted. A method-relative variable is
established with the same name as this parameter.
|
|
By reference
|
Designates a parameter as being passed "By Reference" as opposed to "By Value" (please refer
to the explanation above under "Description").
|
|
Initialization
|
A number constant value, floating point constant value, string constant value, or an "any
type" ("*") value. An initialization constant sets the corresponding method's variable to
be a type of number, float, string, or "any type" ("*"). With the exception of "any type",
when a caller attempts to pass an incorrect type, an error is reported. In addition, the initialization
constant also designates a parameter as optional and further supplies a default value for
the visual designer to employ. (Note: An "any type" value is initially seen as an empty string.)
|
|
Change
|
When a parameter item is not selected from the Parameters field, it will be appended to the
end of the list, otherwise the parameters will be updated into the selected position within
the parameters list. A Change, Move up, or Delete action will unselect the Parameters field
in preparation for a possible parameter addition.
|
|
Move up
|
Move the currently selected parameter up within the Parameters field.
|
|
Delete
|
Delete the currently selected parameter from the Parameters field.
|
|
Main method
|
Create a new document entity and it's first (main) method.
|
|
ODBC query
|
Create a multi-connection and multi-query definition, and then subsequently create an entire
document from that definition that processes the information in the referenced connections
and queries.
|
|
XML data
|
Create an entire document based upon the structure of an XML Data file. The information and
attributes within the XML Data file are processed by the newly created document.
|
|
Class
|
Specifies a style class. The ComboBox list is populated with all known style classes.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
ID
|
Specifies a style ID. The ComboBox list is populated with all known style IDs.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Style
|
Specifies individual style properties that are applied to the element. The button to the right
of this field invokes the style editor, which allows style properties to be edited within
an intuitive form-driven environment.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Type
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Scope
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Model
|
|
|
Paper size
|
A predefined list of mnemonics that indicate the paper size (e.g., Letter, A4, etc.).
|
|
Width
|
If the Paper Size field is "Custom", this field determines the width of the paper.
|
|
Height
|
If the Paper Size field is "Custom", this field determines the height of the paper.
|
|
Orientation
|
The orientation of the document on the paper, which may be either Portrait or Landscape.
|
|
Top
|
The top margin for all pages of the document. All content, including PageAreas, are placed
within the page margins.
|
|
Right
|
The right margin for all pages of the document. All content, including PageAreas, are placed
within the page margins.
|
|
Bottom
|
The bottom margin for all pages of the document. All content, including PageAreas, are placed
within the page margins.
|
|
Left
|
The left margin for all pages of the document. All content, including PageAreas, are placed
within the page margins.
|
|
Gutter
|
This field specifies an additional left margin for odd pages and an additional right margin
for even pages. The gutter margin is applied inside of the page margins and prior to any left
or right PageAreas.
|
|
PageSegment
|
Determines when PDF and PostScript generated outputs are to be segmented into multiple output
files. For example, a value of 100 would segment the generated output into multiple files
each containing 100 physical pages. Among other uses, the PageSegment is especially convenient
for reprinting only a portion of a large document. If this field is not specified, PDF and
PostScript generated output results in a single file.
|
|
PageOffset
|
Determines where the visible page numbering begins in a document. For example, if this field
was set to a value of 5, the first page number (or the subsequent page following a page break)
would be displayed as page 5. To dynamically set a new visible page number after document
generation has begun, please refer to the topic Page/Column Break
within this manual.
|
|
Media
|
Optionally designates a printer name that is either attached to the local machine or to the
network (only used for automatic printing of document output).
|
|
Height
|
For a ColBr or PageBr element, this field specifies an optional height (explicit or percent)
that must remain on the page, otherwise a column break or logical page break will occur respectively.
|
|
Next
|
If this field is specified ("Odd", "OddBlank" or "Even", "EvenBlank"), the next page will
start on an odd or even page boundary respectively. The values "OddBlank" and "EvenBlank"
will additionally not format any PageAreas on the blank pages (otherwise PageAreas will be
formatted on blank pages). This field is only applicable to a PageBR element.
|
|
Page
|
Changes the visible document page number (related to the PageBox "PageOffset" field). This
field is only applicable to a PageBR element.
|
|
Style
|
Changes the overall default style properties for the document (related to the Entity Properties
"Style" field). Any new style properties are queued until the next page is begun. This field
is only applicable to a PageBR element.
|
|
Catalog
|
The name of the catalog file used by the IDE.
|
|
Theme File
|
The name of the FinerEdge Publisher theme file used by the database definition query editor.
|
|
Document Dir
|
The default directory in which document entities are located and saved.
|
|
Result Dir
|
The default directory in which generated document outputs are saved.
|
|
Help Dir
|
The default directory where all FinerEdge Publisher help files are located.
|
|
Date format
|
The default date format used in documents that do not override their date format. For a description
of the date format options, please refer to the topic Entity Properties
within this manual.
|
|
Date delimiter
|
A single character date delimiter.
|
|
Time format
|
The default time format used in documents that do not override their time format. For a description
of the time format options, please refer to the topic Entity Properties
within this manual.
|
|
Time delimiter
|
A single character time delimiter.
|
|
Decimal point
|
A single character decimal point delimiter.
|
|
Thousand
|
A single character thousands delimiter.
|
|
Currency
|
A single character currency delimiter.
|
|
ASP url
|
The overridable Active Server Page (ASP) url that is generated for the form. If not set, a
default value is assumed. For more information, please refer to the topic "ASP and JSP Setup"
in the FinerEdge Publisher Programmer's Guide.
|
|
ASP path
|
The overridable Active Server Page (ASP) path prefix that is generated for the form. If not
set, a default value is assumed. For more information, please refer to the topic "ASP and
JSP Setup" in the FinerEdge Publisher Programmer's Guide.
|
|
JSP url
|
The overridable Java Server Page (JSP) url that is generated for the form. If not set, a default
value is assumed. For more information, please refer to the topic "ASP and JSP Setup" in the
FinerEdge Publisher Programmer's Guide.
|
|
JSP path
|
The overridable Java Server Page (JSP) path prefix that is generated for the form. If not
set, a default value is assumed. For more information, please refer to the topic "ASP and
JSP Setup" in the FinerEdge Publisher Programmer's Guide.
|
|
Temp dir
|
The overridable temporary folder name that is used to store the files generated while running
the process. If not set, a default value is assumed. For more information, please refer to
the topic "ASP and JSP Setup" in the FinerEdge Publisher Programmer's Guide.
|
|
Comment (color)
|
The color of comment elements in both the visual designer and markup views.
|
|
Method (color)
|
The color of method elements in both the visual designer and markup views.
|
|
Style (color)
|
The color of style elements (not style properties) in both the visual designer and markup
views
|
|
Content (color)
|
The color of content elements (e.g., Span, Div, Table, etc.) in both the visual designer and
markup views.
|
|
Logic/Process (color)
|
The color of logic/process elements (e.g., If, For, Select, While, etc.) in both the visual
designer and markup views..
|
|
Breakpoint (color)
|
The foreground color of a breakpoint indicator in the markup view.
|
|
Error highlight (color)
|
The background color for an element where an error has been detected in the markup view.
|
|
Run indicator (color)
|
The foreground color of the element currently being processed in the markup view (only shown
when one or more breakpoints have been set).
|
|
Default to markup
|
When a document is opened, default to the markup view (otherwise default to the visual designer
view).
|
|
Show open entities at top
|
Open entities of a document are shown as tabs near the bottom of the visual designer and markup
editor views by default. When this option is checked, open entites are shown as tabs near
the top of the visual designer and markup editor views.
|
|
Metric display
|
In the visual designer view, show the rulers using a metric display (as opposed to a standard
display).
|
|
Hide gridlines
|
In the visual designer view, hide Table element gridlines (otherwise gridlines are shown).
|
|
Tab chars
|
In the markup view, the number of space characters to insert/delete when a the Tab/BackTab
key is pressed (an entire range of lines may also be selected and Tabbed if desired).
|
|
Wrap chars
|
When invoking the wrap tool in the markup view, the default column position where a line is
eligible for wrapping (with respect to whole words not being wrapped).
|
|
Show line numbers
|
In the markup view, show lines numbers to the left of each line.
|
|
Windows
|
The Windows font name. Setting this field will also set the Regular, Bold, Italic, and Bold/Italic
fields to their default names for font embedding.
|
|
Regular
|
The PS/PDF regular (i.e., non-bold and non-italic) font name. This value may be overridden
for Type 1 fonts by pressing the "Select" button to the right of this field.
|
|
Bold
|
The PS/PDF bold font name. This value may be overridden for Type 1 fonts by pressing the "Select"
button to the right of this field.
|
|
Italic
|
The PS/PDF italic font name. This value may be overridden for Type 1 fonts by pressing the
"Select" button to the right of this field.
|
|
Bold/Italic
|
The PS/PDF bold/italic font name. This value may be overridden for Type 1 fonts by pressing
the "Select" button to the right of this field.
|
|
Version
|
Depending upon the type of generated output, this ComboBox field is populated with various
options for output versions.
|
|
OPI
|
Enable Open Prepress Initiative (OPI) output codes for embedded images (also depends upon
the OPI style property being set for a specific image).
|
|
OPI only
|
Generate only OPI output codes for images (i.e., no images are embedded within the generated
output).
|
|
TrueType 42 only
|
When TrueType fonts are embedded within a PDF and PostScript output, generate only TrueType
42 font specifications instead of the default CID keyed font specifications (in which case
no character codes greater than 255 will appear as their actual symbols in the generated document).
|
|
Name
|
The name of the recordset known to the application.
|
|
Action
|
Either Select, New, Record, or Delete.
|
|
Expression
|
If the Action is Record, this expression must evaluate to a whole number indicating the record
to fetch.
|
|
Fetch
|
This field controls when the Recordset's variables are populated after positioning to a record
using a Record Action. After positioning to a record, a Fetch field value of "Now" will immediately
populate all variables for a record. In contrast, a Fetch field value of "Later" will populate
all variables only when the first variable of the recordset is actually used (e.g., a value
of "Later" might be used when the variables of the recordset may not be accessed based upon
certain conditions).
|
|
Parameters
|
Optionally used with either an Action of Select or New to pass additional information to the
application. Selecting a new value from this list will populate the fields below.
|
|
Parameter name
|
The name of the particular optional parameter selected from the Parameters field.
|
|
Parameter value
|
The value of the optional parameter (may not contain a semicolon) selected from the Parameters
field.
|
|
Change
|
When a parameter item has not been selected from the Parameters field, it will be appended
to the end of the list, otherwise the parameters will be updated into the selected position
within the parameters list. A Change, Move up, or Delete action will unselect the Parameters
field in preparation for a possible parameter addition.
|
|
Move up
|
Move the currently selected parameter up within the Parameters field.
|
|
Delete
|
Delete the currently selected parameters from the Parameters field.
|
|
Variable
|
The name of the variable.
|
|
Expression
|
An expression that is first evaluated, and the resulting value and type are then assigned
to the variable.
|
|
Border-style
|
Either a value of none, solid, dotted, dashed, double, groove, ridge, inset, or outset may
be specified.
|
|
Border-color
|
A color specification (see the explanation under the Description for this dialog).
|
|
Border-width
|
The width or height of the border (depending upon if a left/right or top/bottom side is being
set).
|
|
none
|
No border.
|
|
solid
|
Single solid border.
|
|
dotted
|
Border with dots.
|
|
dashed
|
Border with dashes.
|
|
double
|
Double solid border.
|
|
groove
|
Grooved 3-D border.
|
|
ridge
|
Ridge 3-D border.
|
|
inset
|
Inset 3-D border.
|
|
outset
|
Outset 3-D border.
|
|
Width
|
The width of the element, which does not include the element's margin, border, or padding.
|
|
Height
|
The height of the element, which does not include the element's margin, border, or padding.
|
|
Page-break-inside
|
Either a value of "auto" (i.e., the default) or "avoid" may be specified for a box element.
When a value of "avoid" is used, the entire element must fit onto the current page otherwise
a logical page break is implied. For Table elements, a value of "avoidrow" may also be specified
to indicate that whole or complete rows (height-wise) must fit onto the page otherwise a logical
page break is implied. Note: The document author is encouraged to only use this property when
necessary since a slightly greater amount of overhead (i.e., additional processing time) will
result for each page processed.
|
|
Margin
|
The width or height of the margin (depending upon if a left/right or top/bottom side is being
set). The margin is defined as the area just outside of the border (regardless of the border
being specified or not).
|
|
Padding
|
The width or height of the padding (depending upon if a left/right or top/bottom side is being
set). The padding is defined as that area just inside of the border (regardless of the border
being specified or not), but outside of the element's content.
|
|
Position
|
May be set to either "static", "relative", or "absolute". The value "static" is the default
value and indicates that the element is part of normal flow. The value "relative" indicates
that the element is also part of normal flow except that it is subsequently adjusted relative
to its current static position via the Relative/Absolute Position group properties. In contrast,
the value "absolute" indicates that the element is not part of normal flow and is subsequently
adjusted with respect to its parent element via the Relative/Absolute Position group properties.
|
|
Float
|
Utilized with a block-level element in order to float it either to the "left" or "right" within
a parent block-level element. If an element is floated to the "left" of a parent element,
subsequent text and elements are positioned (wrap-around) to the right of the floated element.
If an element is floated to the "right" of a parent element, subsequent text and elements
are positioned (wrap-around) to the left of the floated element. Float is reset to "none"
when "position" is set to "absolute" for an element.
|
|
Clear
|
Utilized with a block-level element in order to position it vertically and immediately following
an applicable floating element. When the "clear" is set to "left", positioning occurs if the
left edge of the block-level element is adjacent to an applicable floating element. When the
"clear" is set to "right", positioning occurs if the right edge of the block-level element
is adjacent to an applicable floating element. When the "clear" is set to "both", positioning
occurs if either the left or right edge of the block-level element is adjacent to an applicable
floating element.
|
|
Rotate
|
Either a value of 0 degrees or blank (i.e., no rotation), 90 degrees (i.e., -270 degrees),
or 270 degrees(i.e., -90 degrees) may be entered to rotate the element. Positive values indicate
a clockwise rotation while negative values indicate a counter-clockwise rotation. All embedded
text and elements are rotated by this operation, however embedded elements may not be rotated
within already rotated parent elements.
|
|
Relative/Absolute Position
|
This group consists of the left, top, right, and bottom properties and becomes enabled when
the Position property is set to either "relative" or "absolute". Relative positioning is relative
to the element's "static" calculated position (within normal flow). In contrast, absolute
positioning is not part of normal flow and is positioned with respect to its parent element.
Since absolute elements are not part of normal flow, automatic page breaks will not occur
and the element is simply truncated at the end of the current page.
|
|
Color
|
The foregound color of the text.
|
|
Background-color
|
The background color of the current element.
|
|
Background-image 1
|
The background image applied to the current element. The background image can be a catalog
image name, a relative or absolute file name, or a url. Relative names are with respect to
the document entity's directory path.
|
|
Background-image 2
|
An optional second image name that is used instead of Background-image 1 when performing XHTML
generation. When performing PDF or PostScript generation and the OPI style property is set,
the optional second image name is used as the MainImage specification in place of Background-image
1.
|
|
Background-repeat
|
Determines how an image is to be repeated. The value "no-repeat" indicates that the image
is not to be repeated. The value "repeat" indicates that the image is to be repeated in both
the x (left-to-right) and y (top-to-bottom) directions. The values "repeat-x" and "repeat-y"
repeat the image in just the x and y directions respectively.
|
|
Background-position
|
Determines how an image is positioned within the current element. The first field specifies
the image's vertical alignment (top, center, or bottom) while the second field specifies the
image's horizontal alignment (left, center, right).
|
|
Prescale
|
Prescaling will physically scale the image prior to it being output, which will reduce the
memory occupied by the image. A value of max-uniform will prescale the image to the maximum
size allowed by the parent box element. For example, a 600 dpi image can be prescaled to 300
dpi by specifying a prescaling factor of ".5" and then subsequently scaled back to it's original
size (with some loss of clarity) by specifying a scaling factor of "2.0". Using both a prescaling
and scaling factor of max-uniform is redundant (i.e., one or the other should be utilized
depending upon the desired goal). (Note: Prescaling is ignored with the XHTML output format.)
|
|
Scale
|
Scaling will only scale the image for display purposes, but will retain the image's original
size, which will preserve the image's original clarity but also utilize the original amount
of memory occupied by the image. A value of max-uniform will scale the image for display purposes
to the maximum size allowed by the parent box element. Please refer to the Prescale field
above for an example. (Note: Scaling is ignored with the XHTML output format.)
|
|
OPI
|
When Open Prepress Initiative image substitution is used, this field specifies that another
image file will be substituted by the lightweight thumbnail image specified by Background-image
2. For more information, please refer to the topic PS/PDF Fonts
within this manual.
|
|
Font-family
|
A list of fonts that will be matched (one at a time from left-to-right) against the resident
fonts of the computing platform where the document is being generated (and stopping when a
match is found).
|
|
Name
|
The name of a built-in Base-14 font or the name of a font defined in the currently active
catalog.
|
|
Change
|
When a font name is not selected from the Font-family field, it will be appended to the end
of the list, otherwise the font name will be updated into the selected position within the
Font-family list. A Change, Move up, or Delete action will unselect the Font-family field
in preparation for a possible font Name addition.
|
|
Move up
|
Move the currently selected font name up within the Font-family field.
|
|
Delete
|
Delete the currently selected font name from the Font-family field.
|
|
Font-style
|
Either the values normal or italic may be specified.
|
|
Font-weight
|
Either the values normal or bold may be specified.
|
|
Font-size
|
The vertical size of the font usually specified in points (pt).
|
|
Ref-search
|
This value is used with the reference functions to search for and retrieve specific references,
which assist in defining table of contents, indexes, page-relative information within PageAreas,
etc.
|
|
Ref-text
|
An optional value that supplies text stored along with a reference in addition to the value
assigned by the ref-search property.
|
|
Ref-sort
|
Multiple values can be given separated by commas that represent the sort keys for a particular
reference in decreasing order of significance (and may be subsequently used to sort the reference
table using the refsort function).
|
|
Ref-link
|
A value assigned to this property creates a hypertext link for a box element having the same
name as the value specified by "ref-search". Hypertext links will be generated for View, PDF,
XPS, and XHTML outputs.
|
|
Line-height
|
The distance between the baselines of two adjacent lines of text. The line-height is usually
set to be 120% of the font-size. If the line-height is less than 120% of the font size, the
line-height is automatically adjusted up to be 120% of the font size.
|
||||||||||||
|
Vertical-align
|
All vertical alignment is performed relative to the baseline of the current line, which is
only determined after all of the text fragments and elements within the line have been calculated.
|
||||||||||||
|
Text-align
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Text-indent
|
Specifies the indentation that will occur within a block-level element. If the key word "hanging"
is not used, only the first line of a block-level element is indented (otherwise all lines
but the first line of a block-level element are indented).
|
||||||||||||
|
Word-spacing
|
A value of normal or a zero value absolute measurement implies default word spacing, which
is usually optimal for cross-media generation. Non-percent measurements may be either positive
or negative and the resulting values are then factored into the default word spacing. Percentage
values are relative to the default setting being 100%. Since the default word padding is 5%
of a word's width (with a maximum of half the width of a space character in the selected font),
then a value of 95% represents no default word padding.
|
||||||||||||
|
Overflow
|
A value of "hidden" indicates that text will be truncated following the last line of text
that can be output within the given dimensions of the box element. In contrast, a value of
"visible" indicates that the height of a box element can be automatically enlarged to accommodate
the text.
|
||||||||||||
|
Text-decoration
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Decoration-align
|
The field only has an effect if the "text-decoration" property is set to an option other than
"none". In this case, "decoration-align" will cause the line to be drawn with respect to any
padding specified.
|
|
Style list
|
The list of Class or ID styles within this style element, one row for each style defined.
Selecting a style from the list of styles will populate the fields below.
|
|
Class/ID
|
Specifies either a Class or ID style. If a Class style is specified, the Tag field will be
enabled thus allowing a selection to be optionally made from the Tag list.
|
|
Tag
|
Either a blank or the value of TABLE, DIV, SPAN, or PAGEAREA may be selected for a Class style.
TD elements equate to DIV elements for contextual selectors, whereas both TD and TR elements
equate to DIV elements for class selectors.
|
|
Name
|
The unique name of the Class or ID style being edited.
|
|
Properties
|
The style properties for the Class or ID style being edited. The button to the right of this
field invokes the style editor, which allows style properties to be edited within an intuitive
form-driven environment.
|
|
Change
|
If the style is known in the Style list, the applicable style will be updated (otherwise a
new style will be added to the Style list).
|
|
Delete
|
Delete the currently selected style from the style list.
|
|
Type
|
A value of Normal causes all cells for a particular row to be synchronized height-wise prior
to starting a subsequent row. If the TABLE's "type" attribute has a value of "Adjust", "Left",
"Center", or "Right", it will be applied as a default to any columns that have not been specified
with an explicit formatting option. Additionally, If the TABLE's "type" attribute has a value
of "Left", "Center", or "Right", and the TR/TD table model is used, an inner DIV is automatically
added with a text-align style of "Right" for the "Left" and "Center" column options, and a
text-align style of "Left" for the "Right" column option.
A value of Newspaper causes the cells of a particular row to not be synchronized height-wise prior to starting a new row. A value of AutoCOLBR causes automatic column breaks to be performed on the columns of the table relative to the height of a page. When using the AutoCOLBR type, the TR/TD table model cannot be employed nor should any ColBR elements normally appear within the table. |
|
Class
|
Specifies a style class. The ComboBox list is populated with all known style classes.
|
|
ID
|
Specifies a style ID. The ComboBox list is populated with all known style IDs.
|
|
Style
|
Specifies individual style properties that are applied to the table element. The button to
the right of this field invokes the style editor, which allows style properties to be edited
within an intuitive form-driven environment.
|
|
Cell style
|
Specifies style properties that are applied to all table cells whenever a TD element is seen.
A special case arises when the border-style property is set to the single value of "solid"
(i.e., as applicable to all four sides). In this case the borders of adjacent TD cells will
be displayed only once.
|
|
Columns
|
The list of columns used by this table. Selecting a particular column from the list of columns
will populate the fields below. Note: When editing a document from the visual designer, it's
far easier and more advantageous to add and delete columns using the corresponding menu and
toolbar operations. In particular, the visual designer will insure that all of the cells for
a column are correctly added or deleted in addition to updating the list of columns (i.e.,
this field).
|
|
Column
|
Represents the particular column being edited within the list of columns. An asterisk ("*")
for any column indicates a variable width column. FinerEdge Publisher adds the widths for
all "known" table columns and then subtracts that sum from the width of the parent element.
The result is then evenly distributed over the table's variable width columns.
|
|
Default, Variable, Skip, Divider, Adjust, Left, Center, Right
|
A value of Default will allow the table type to determine the default column type. A value
of Variable utilizes the calculated value discussed in the Column field of this topic. A value
of Adjust causes the content of each column to be measured to determine it's maximum line
width. The maximum line widths for all variable width columns are then added together to determine
the total maximum line width. Next, the maximum line width for each column is divided by the
total maximum line width resulting in a fraction of the total. Finally, each fraction is then
applied to the remaining width of the TABLE element thus yielding the adjusted width for each
variable column.
When either a Left, Center, or Right is specified, the content of each column is measured to determine it's maximum line width and recorded. For these types of columns, when table model includes an inner DIV element (i.e., TABLE, DIV, DIV), the recorded value is applied to the inner element's width. Inner elements are additionally aligned to the Left, Center, Right of the parent element. When Skip is specified, the column will be skipped when performing an explicit or implicit column break. No additional drawing will take place within the column with the exception of filling in the skipped area with the current background color. When Divider is specified, the column will also be skipped during a column break, however a centered vertical line is drawn from the top border to the bottom border of the table element having with the same width and color of the table's right border. |
|
Change
|
When a list item is not selected from the Columns list, it will be appended to the end of
the list, otherwise the Column will be updated into the selected position within the Columns
list. A Change, Move up, or Delete action will unselect the Columns list in preparation for
a possible list addition.
|
|
Move up
|
Move the currently selected Column up within the Columns list.
|
|
Delete
|
Delete the currently selected Column from the Columns list.
|
|
Rows
|
This field is only enabled when creating a new table and specifies the number of initial rows
to create the table with.
|
|
Table model
|
This field is only enabled when creating a new table and specifies the desired table model
to initially create the table with. The TR/TD emulates the traditional XHTML table model,
while DIV/COLBR is a versatile table model that is particularly useful when specifying a table
type of "Newspaper" or "AutoCOLBR".
|
|
Name
|
The name of the method to invoke (call). The ComboBox lists all of the currently known methods.
When a method is selected, any parameters declared by that method are shown in the area below
this field.
|
|
Parameters
|
The list of parameters passed to the Method in specific top-to-bottom (i.e., left-to-right)
order of appearance. When a parameter is selected from this list, the fields below are populated
for subsequent update or deletion.
|
|
Parameter
|
The name of the parameter being passed to the Method. If the Method has declared a parameter
to be "By reference", a variable must be passed so that, upon exiting the Method, the corresponding
variable's value can be updated. An asterisk ("*") may be specified in order to use the parameter's
initialization value.
|
|
Change
|
When a parameter item is not selected from the Parameters field, it will be appended to the
end of the list, otherwise the parameters will be updated into the selected position within
the parameters list. A Change, Move up, or Delete action will unselect the Parameters field
in preparation for a possible parameter addition.
|
|
Move up
|
Move the currently selected parameter up within the Parameters field.
|
|
Delete
|
Delete the currently selected parameter from the Parameters field.
|
|
Expression
|
This field contains an expression that is evaluated and the resulting value written into the
generated document output.
|
|
Option
|
When the option is "xml", all "<", ">", and "&" characters are translated to "<",
">", and "&" xml entities sequences respectively. When the option is "tag",
the value of the resulting expression is assumed to contain embedded FPML tags. In this case,
the value of the expression contains additional content elements and late evaluation expressions.
These are, in turn, processed during document generation.
|
|
Length
|
The length (or implied width) of the element when the resulting expression is an empty string
(or perhaps zero). This field is optional and will default to the value set by the Entity
Properties.
|
|
Character
|
The character that is repeated for the Length field's value when the resulting expression
is an empty string (or perhaps zero). This field is optional and will default to the value
set by the Entity Properties.
|
|
Blank when zero
|
When the resulting expression evaluates to a zero number and this field is selected, the same
processing will occur as is performed with an empty string (please refer to the explanation
for the Length and Character fields above).
|
|
Class
|
Specifies a style class. The ComboBox list is populated with all known style classes.
|
|
ID
|
Specifies a style ID. The ComboBox list is populated with all known style IDs.
|
|
Style
|
Specifies individual style properties that are applied to the element. The button to the right
of this field invokes the style editor, which allows style properties to be edited within
an intuitive form-driven environment.
|
|
XML Data
|
Either the name of an absolute XML Data file, relative XML Data file, or a catalog reference
to an XML file (relative files are with respect to the document entity's directory path).
The ComboBox list is populated with all external entities that exist within the current catalog,
however only external entities that represent XML Data files should be selected.
|
|
XML Tree
|
The XML Tree is populated with a limited number of elements (normally 1000) that exist within
the XML Data file so that the individual can verify the file's content and interpretation.
However during normal document processing, the entire XML Data file is available (if desired)
for inclusion in the generated output.
|
|
Generate Document
|
Generate or regenerate a complete FPML document that is capable of reading and processing
the currently selected XML Data file structure. Note: If a corresponding document does not
exist for a particular XML Data file and this dialog is exited normally, FinerEdge Publisher
will ask the individual if they wish to generate a document.
|
|
Generate to Clipboard
|
Generate or regenerate the unique parts of the document that corresponds to the currently
selected XML Data file and copy the output to the clipboard. The content of the clipboard
may then be pasted into an existing document.
|
|
Generate format
|
When a generate theme is selected (see below), either a Field or Table type format can be
applied. A sample of the Generate format and theme is shown in the area to the right of this
field.
|
|
Generate theme
|
A number of predefined (but extensible) themes are supplied with FinerEdge Publisher. By selecting
one of the themes, a sample of the Generate format is shown in the area to the right of this
field. Also, the sample shown will vary based upon the Generate format selected.
|
|
Include Arguments
|
Generate FPML that includes the display of any arguments that are associated with the XML
elements.
|
|
Query Data
|
Either the name of an absolute FinerEdge Publisher SQL file, relative SQL file, or a catalog
reference to a SQL file (relative files are with respect to the document entity's directory
path). The ComboBox list is populated with all external entities that exist within the current
catalog, however only external entities that represent SQL files should be selected.
|
||||||||||
|
Query Tree
|
Shows all elements and their relationships to each other that are currently defined in the
FinerEdge SQL file being edited. Selecting a particular element will populate the fields of
the respective element as discussed later in this topic. With respect to the type of element
and their necessary imposed relationships, elements may be repositioned and/or moved simply
by clicking on a specific element and dragging it to a new location. For example, a field
can be moved ahead of another (target) field within the same table by dragging the desired
field and dropping it on the target field (i.e., elements are always inserted prior to a target
element).
|
||||||||||
|
New
|
Selecting this button displays a popup menu of choices.
|
||||||||||
|
Delete
|
Delete the currently selected element.
|
||||||||||
|
Show SQL
|
Show the Structured Query Language (SQL) that is automatically created for a selected query.
|
||||||||||
|
Data Sources
|
Show the Windows data source administrator dialog.
|
||||||||||
|
Gen Doc
|
Generate an entire document based upon all queries (the query editor will also ask the user
if they wish to generate an entire document, provided a corresponding document does not already
exist, when exiting this dialog).
|
||||||||||
|
Gen Query
|
Generate a portion of a document to the clipboard based upon the currently selected query
within the Query Tree field.
|
||||||||||
|
Gen Opts
|
Only shown if the Mode has been set to Normal. Display the generate options dialog, which
allow the user to specify the generated header text, footer text, etc.
|
||||||||||
|
Validate Tags
|
Only shown if the Mode has been set to XML. Validates that all fields have been correctly
associated with XML tag definitions. For more information, please refer to the topic XML Associations within this manual.
|
||||||||||
|
Mode
|
This field is only used when the query editor creates a FinerEdge Publisher document or portion
of a document (i.e., based upon a specific query). A value of Normal causes FinerEdge Publisher
to create a standard document, which is then used to generate cross-media publishing output.
A value of XML causes FinerEdge Publisher to create a document that extracts information from
an ODBC data source and subsequently generates an XML Data file from the extracted information.
|
||||||||||
|
Mode ...
|
Only shown if the Mode has been set to XML. This button allows an existing FinerEdge Publisher
XML tags (.fxt) file to be associated with the Query definition (.fsq) file and the selected
FinerEdge Publisher XML tags file to be loaded.
|
|
Connection name
|
The internal name of a connection, which is referenced by one or more query elements.
|
|
Connection string
|
The ODBC data source specification. This field is not usually edited directly and is, instead,
set by pressing the button to the right of this field, which then invokes the Windows data
source selection dialog.
|
|
Query name
|
The name of this query, which corresponds to the name used by all Recordset element operations
within the document.
|
|
Parent query
|
Queries may be nested (i.e., embedded within each other) and correspond to document Recordset
elements being nested within each other. When one query is nested within another query, each
record of information return by the outer query will invoke the inner query (with information
from the outer query's record typically driving the inner query). For example, an outer query
representing invoice records might cause an inner query to extract all invoice detail records
for each invoice record. When one query is visually dragged and dropped inside of another
query, this field is automatically set.
|
|
Connection name
|
The internal name of the connection used by this query.
|
|
Predicate
|
When None or ALL is set (i.e., the default), records having duplicate values are returned.
When DISTINCT is set, only records having distinct values are returned.
|
|
Description
|
Descriptive text that is shown as a label for the query.
|
|
Where
|
This field specifies a search condition that restricts the records to be extracted. The button
to the right of this field invokes the FinerEdge Publisher SQL Expression editor described
in this chapter.
Parameters for a Where field's search condition begin with the character "@" followed by a mnemonic name that is only known between a query author and document author. The easiest method of both creating and using parameters defined solely within the scope of the query editor is to simply invent (i.e., "make up") one or more parameter mnemonics and place them at applicable locations into the Where field's search condition. Subsequently invoking the Parameters dialog allows the values of the parameters just defined to be set. |
|
Parameters
|
Information may be passed from an outer query to an inner query without directly involving
the document by using parameter mnemonics within a Where field's search condition. The parameter
mnemonics used within a Where field's search condition will then appear in the Parameters
dialog by pressing the button to the right of this field.
|
|
Generate format
|
Only shown when the Mode field is Normal. When a generate theme is selected (see below), either
a Field or Table type format can be applied. A sample of the Generate format and theme is
shown in the area to the right of this field.
|
|
Generate theme
|
Only shown when the Mode field is Normal. A number of predefined (but extensible) themes are
supplied with FinerEdge Publisher. By selecting one of the themes, a sample of the Generate
format is shown in the area to the right of this field. Also, the sample shown will vary based
upon the Generate format selected.
|
|
Table rules
|
Only shown when the Mode field is Normal. This button invokes the Rules editor described later
in this chapter. The optional table rules allow additional table-relative instructions to
be generated for a document, which can alter the formatting of a table's rows and fields based
upon the values of the table information (e.g., highlight rows only having specific values,
etc.). While these types of formatting changes can easily be performed by the document itself,
the SQL definition author may elect to preset certain type of formatting from within the Query
Editor for generated documents.
|
|
Tag name
|
Only shown when the Mode field is XML. Associates this element with one of the applicable
XML tags as shown by the XML Associations dialog described later in this chapter.
|
|
Tag attribute
|
Only shown when the Mode field is XML. Associates this element with one of the applicable
attributes relative to the selected XML tag as shown by the XML Associations dialog described
later in this chapter.
|
|
Table name
|
The name of the data source's table. If the field is calculated (i.e., an Expression is specified),
this field must be left blank (otherwise, a valid table name must be given).
|
|
Field name
|
The name of the data source's table field.
|
|
Hide
|
Hide the field (i.e., do not show in the generated document).
|
|
Variable name
|
The FinerEdge Publisher document variable name.
|
|
Width
|
Specifies an optional width for the field that is only used during document generation.
|
|
Total
|
Automatically create a column total (as the last row) when a table format is selected by the
query.
|
|
Description
|
Descriptive text that is shown as a label for the field and at the bottom of the FinerEdge
Publisher SQL Expression editor when this field is selected.
|
|
Expression
|
A optional SQL Expression that is associated with the Field name for this field. If no expression
is set, the Field name must refer to an actual field within the table.
|
|
Sort
|
When sorting is performed on the returned records, this field can be set to either None (do
not sort by this field), ASC (sort this field in Ascending order), or DESC (sort this field
in descending order). The first field having a sort option specified is the major key, however,
table fields can also be rearranged to change the sort key order.
|
|
Option
|
The option CURRENCY represents a currency value displayed as a string relative to the currently
set currency, thousands, and decimal delimiters. (Note: A number or floating point value is
automatically displayed as a string relative to the currently set thousands and decimal delimiters.)
The options DATE, TIME, or TIMESTAMP represent a date, time, or timestamp (i.e., date and
time) displayed as a string relative to the currently set date/time formats and date/time
delimiters.
The options BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and Image indicate that this field is a binary bit stream (i.e., a BLOB field) that contains an image. The options BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, and TIFF explicitly designate the stored image's format. In addition, BMP images embedded within an OLE Object (e.g., from MSAccess) are also handled. The option Image indicates that the stored image formats may vary from database record to record. In this case, the field "Image field name" must point to a database field whose contents are suffixed by a valid supported image extension (e.g., bmp, gif, jpg/jpeg, png, and tif/tiff). For all image Options, the "Image field name" must point to a tinyint, short, long, or character field that uniquely identifies the image (so that the same image is not repeatedly extracted from the database and can be efficiently cached). |
|
Image field name
|
When any of the image Options are selected, this field must point to a tinyint, short, long,
or character field that uniquely identifies the image, although for efficiency you should
select a field that will yield the shortest unique name (i.e., tinyint, short, and long before
character fields, and shorter character fields before longer ones). Depending upon the field
type, the identifing value is optimized and utilized to uniquely name the extracted temporary
disk file containing the image. The temporary disk file name is returned in this field's variable,
which can then be subsequently used by the document (e.g., to set the background-image style
property on a formatting element).
Normally, any temporary files that are created are automatically removed when they are no longer needed. The exceptions to this rule are when documents are generated for either HTML or Text (e.g., XML exports) modes. In these two cases, the created DB image files are placed under a folder having the same name as the resulting output document (without the extension). In addition, the DB image file names returned in this field's variable are relative to the resulting output document (i.e., they are non-absolute path names). |
|
Group name
|
Only shown when the Mode field is XML. Associates this element with one of the applicable
XML groups as shown by the XML Associations dialog described later in this chapter.
|
|
Group attribute
|
Only shown when the Mode field is XML. Associates this element with one of the applicable
attributes relative to the selected XML group as shown by the XML Associations dialog described
later in this chapter.
|
|
New
|
Only shown when the Mode field is XML. Unconditionally forces a new XML group tag to be output
even if the group name has not changed since the last group output.
|
|
Tag name
|
Only shown when the Mode field is XML. Associates this element with one of the applicable
XML tags as shown by the XML Associations dialog described later in this chapter.
|
|
Tag attribute
|
Only shown when the Mode field is XML. Associates this element with one of the applicable
attributes relative to the selected XML tag as shown by the XML Associations dialog described
later in this chapter.
|
|
Join To
|
The table name to join with the table name specified by the Join From field.
|
|
Join From
|
The table name to join with the table name specified by the Join To field.
|
|
Join Type
|
A Left join is where a record from Join To table must exist within the table fields specified
by the "On" field below. A Right join is where a record from Join From table must exist within
the table fields specified by the "On" field below. A Full join is where either a record from
Join To table or the Join From table must exist within the table fields specified by the "On"
field below.
|
|
On
|
A required SQL expression that connects one or more table fields of the Join To table with
one or more table fields of the Join From table.
|
|
Header
|
The optional text of the header used during document generation. The header text may contain
escape sequences such as "1" to indicate the current page number.
|
|
Image name
|
An optional absolute, relative, or catalog image that is shown in the header of the document.
|
|
Image position
|
Position the optional image designated by "Image name" to the "left" or "right" of the header
text.
|
|
Footer
|
The optional text of the footer used during document generation. The footer text may contain
escape sequences such as "1" to indicate the current page number.
|
|
Date format
|
The default date format used in documents that do not override their date format. For a description
of the date format options, please refer to the topic Entity Properties
within this manual.
|
|
Date delimiter
|
A single character date delimiter.
|
|
Time format
|
The default time format used in documents that do not override their time format. For a description
of the time format options, please refer to the topic Entity Properties
within this manual.
|
|
Time delimiter
|
A single character time delimiter.
|
|
Decimal point
|
A single character decimal point delimiter.
|
|
Thousand
|
A single character thousands delimiter.
|
|
Currency
|
A single character currency delimiter.
|
|
Parameters list
|
The list of parameter currently defined for a query. Selecting a particular parameter will
populate the Parameter name and Parameter value fields shown below.
|
|
Parameter name
|
The parameter name that is currently being updated or deleted. The ComboBox list is populated
with the parameter names (mnemonics) that were defined in the corresponding Where field's
search condition for this query.
|
|
Parameter value
|
The parameter value that is currently being updated or deleted. Pressing the button to the
right of this field invokes the FinerEdge Publisher Expression editor.
|
|
Change
|
When a parameter has not been selected from the Parameters list field, it will be appended
to the end of the Parameters list, otherwise the parameter will be updated into the selected
position within the Parameters list. A Change, Move up, or Delete action will unselect the
Parameters list field in preparation for a possible addition.
|
|
Move up
|
Move the currently selected parameter up within the Parameters list field.
|
|
Delete
|
Delete the currently selected parameter from the Parameters list field.
|
|
Rules list
|
The list of rules currently defined for a query. Selecting a particular rule will populate
the fields below thus allowing them to be updated.
|
|
Style name
|
The ComboBox list is populated with the style names that are supported for the selected theme.
If a style name is entered that is not defined by the theme or the theme is subsequently changed,
the style name must then be defined by using the Style editor within either the Visual Designer
or Markup views.
|
|
Apply to
|
Restricts which area(s) of a table the selected rule applies to.
|
|
Expression
|
An expression that must evaluate to a number. When the evaluated number is non-zero, the additional
style properties (defined by the selected Style name) are applied to the applicable table
elements. sty.
|
|
Columns list
|
The list of columns currently defined for a rule. Selecting a particular column will populate
the fields below allowing them to be updated.
|
|
From
|
Indicates that the Start and End field table columns begin from the left hand-side or right-hand
side of the table. When beginning from the right-hand side of the table, the End field's value
will be less than or equal to the Start field's value.
|
|
Start
|
The required Starting table column number (please refer to the description of the From field
above for more information).
|
|
End
|
The optional Ending table column number (please refer to the description of the From field
above for more information).
|
|
Change (Column)
|
When a column has not been selected from the Columns list field, it will be appended to the
end of the Columns list, otherwise the column will be updated into the selected position within
the Columns list. A Change, Move up, or Delete action will unselect the Columns list field
in preparation for a possible addition.
|
|
Move up (Column)
|
Move the currently selected column up within the Columns list field.
|
|
Delete (Column)
|
Delete the currently selected column from the Columns list field.
|
|
Change (Rule)
|
When a rule has not been selected from the Rules list field, it will be appended to the end
of the Rules list, otherwise the rule will be updated into the selected position within the
Rules list. A Change, Move up, or Delete action will unselect the Rules list field in preparation
for a possible addition.
|
|
Move up (Rule)
|
Move the currently selected rule up within the Rules list field.
|
|
Delete (Rule)
|
Delete the currently selected rule from the Rules list field.
|
|
SQL Expression
|
The SQL expression being created or updated (may be changed directly or by using the fields
below).
|
||||||||
|
Fields
|
A list of all Field Element Field names that are known at the time the SQL expression is being
created. When a field is selected, a brief help description is displayed at the bottom of
the form (if defined). Also, when a field is double-clicked or the "Insert ^" button is pressed,
the field is insertet into the SQL expression area at the current insertion point.
|
||||||||
|
Operators
|
A set of buttons that correspond to all commonly known SQL operators that may be used within
any SQL expression. When any of the buttons are pressed, the corresponding operator is inserted
into the SQL expression area at the current insertion point.
|
||||||||
|
Escape sequences
|
Inserts a special escape sequences into the SQL expression area at the current insertion point
by pressing one of the corresponding buttons below. The buttons are disabled until a value
is first entered into the escape sequence edit field.
|
|
Tag/Attribute list
|
A list of all groups tags, elements tags, and tag attributes that are applicable to either
the Query or Field Element currently selected. The user should check the desired tag or attribute,
which then changes the field that invoked this dialog.
|