Workflow Designer Ribbon

The Workflow Designer Ribbon is categorized into three contextual tabs, File, Home, and Options. Each represents an activity area grouped together with related commands, controls or buttons that represents the operation to perform. To view a description of each command and associated hot-keys (if any), hover the mouse cursor directly above the desired command. The following tables describe the available commands contained within each tab.

Home tab

The Home tab (shown below) consists of commands that perform general workflow actions and operations such as Run, Stop, Pause, Update and Close. This tab also contains clipboard related commands to provide developers a convenient way to copy/paste objects to a workflow and as well as a command that allows you to select the default flow control arrow.

Home tab commands

The following table describes the Home tab's available command groups, associated buttons and other graphical control elements along with relevant hot-keys (if any).

Group	Icon	Command	Description	Hot key
App		Update All and Close	Updates any changes made to all open workflows and closes Workflow Designer.	---
Workflow		Update	Updates any changes made to the current workflow (without closing Workflow Designer).	CTRL + S
		Close	Closes the current workflow. If changes were made, a dialog will appear prompting whether or not to save them.	---
		Save Image	Saves the current workflow diagram displayed in the Main workspace of Workflow Designer as an image. Pressing this button opens a dialog allowing specification of the drive, directory and name of the file in which to save the image. The following formats are supported: JPEG (.jpg) Bitmap (.bmp) Graphics Interchange Format (.gif) Portable Network Graphics (.png)	---
		Print	Prints the current workflow diagram that appears in the Main workspace of Workflow Designer.	CTRL + P
		Run	Executes the current workflow. This is an ideal way to test all or part of a workflow during its design and construction. Developers can examine the course of a running workflow in real-time by viewing the workflow diagram in the main workspace. They can also view output data and examine the Shared Variables, Shared Datasets or Shared Arrays tab of the Output/Shared Objects panel. NOTE: If the beginning of the workflow contains any triggering events or conditions, they are ignored during manual execution. However, other non-triggering conditions contained in the middle of a workflow (that is, conditions used as wait objects or conditional statements) will operate as normal. To test workflow triggering functionality, avoid running it manually. Instead, allow the monitored triggering event/condition to transpire.	CTRL + F5
		Pause	Pauses execution of a running workflow.	---
		Step	Enables step by step execution of each object in a workflow after a Breakpoint is reached.  NOTE: This option only appears when a Breakpoint is encountered and a workflow object is selected.	---
		Stop	Stops execution of a running workflow.	---
Clipboard		Paste	Pastes another instance of the clipboard objects onto the current workflow. IMPORTANT: The Paste option generally creates another instance of the original objects. However, it does not add an independent copy to the Repository. This means that you risk adversely affecting other workflows that use the object. The Paste option generally creates a new icon and not an entirely new independent Repository object. Therefore, any changes made to a "pasted" object will impact the original Repository item as well as all workflows that this item resides in. In order to paste an independent copy of an object, use the Paste New Item option instead. This option creates a new Repository object which can be edited without impacting the original object.	CTR + V
		Paste New Item	Pastes a copy of the clipboard objects onto the selected workflow and creates a new copy in the repository which can be modified without compromising the original objects and any workflows that currently use them. This option is ideal in situations where a copy of the original object requires only minor changes to its properties because it eliminates the time consuming and repetitive task of creating a new object and setting its properties from the beginning.	---
		Copy	Copies the selected objects to the clipboard. To select multiple objects, hold down CTRL during selection. This option is used to create a copy of an existing workflow object. Use the Paste option to paste an instance of the original item onto a workflow. NOTE: Use the PasteNew Item option to paste an independent copy of the item and add a new unique repository object of that item.	CTRL + C
		Select all	Selects (highlights) all objects in the current workflow.	CTRL + A
		Paste New Item	Pastes a copy of the clipboard objects onto the selected workflow and creates a new copy in the repository which can be modified without compromising the original objects and any workflows that currently use them. This option is ideal in situations where a copy of the original object requires only minor changes to its properties because it eliminates the time consuming and repetitive task of creating a new object and setting its properties from the beginning.	---
Arrow Style		Elbow	If selected, indicates that the default style of flow control arrows to be used will be the elbow design.	CTRL + F
		Straight	If selected, indicates that the default flow control arrows will be straight.	---
Default Arror Type		Success	Sets the Success Arrow as the default flow control arrow linked to newly added workflow objects (default).	---
		Failure	Sets the Failure Arrow as the default flow control arrow linked to newly added workflow objects.	---
		Result	Sets the Result Arrow as the default flow control arrow linked to newly added workflow objects.	---
Help		Help	Displays help contents (F1) or the 'About Automate 10' window. During Automate evaluation period, the 'About' page displays the total evaluation days and number evaluation days left. It also displays the current version of the software. NOTE: To view the help topic for a specific section of SMC or WFD, left mouse click anywhere in that section and press F1 key.	F1

Selection tab

The Selection tab (shown below) is normally hidden from view. It only appears when a workflow object is added to or selected from the main workspace. Commands that appear on this tab varies depending on the type of workflow object added/selected. The following table describes the available Selection tab groups and commands as well as their associated hot keys (if any).

Selection tab commands

The following table describes the Selection tab's available command groups, associated buttons and other graphical control elements along with relevant hot-keys (if any).

Group	Icon	Command	Description	Hot-Key
Item		Edit	Edits the selected workflow object and opens the editor for that object.	---
		Delete	Deletes the selected objects. To select multiple objects, hold down CTRL during selection.	---
		Rename	Renames the selected object.	---
		Enabled	Use as a toggle to enable/disable selected workflow objects. Disabled objects appear dimmed in the main workspace.	---
		Repository Properties	Displays the properties of the selected object that are saved to the repository.	---
		Workflow Properties	Displays the properties of the selected object as it relates to the workflow.	---
Execution		Run from here	Runs the workflow from the currently selected object. Execution options are only available upon selection of an object that contains a breakpoint. For more details, see Debugging Workflows.	CRTL + SHIFT + F5
		Resume	Resumes execution. Execution options are only available upon selection of an object that contains a breakpoint. For more details, see Debugging Workflows.	---
		Step	Steps through each object of the workflow sequentially. Execution options are only available upon selection of an object that contains a breakpoint. For more details, see Debugging Workflows.	F10
		Stop	Halts execution and logs status as success. Execution options are only available upon selection of an object that contains a breakpoint. For more details, see Debugging Workflows.	---
Clipboard		Paste	Pastes another instance of the clipboard objects onto the current workflow. IMPORTANT: This option generally creates a new icon representing the original object and not an entirely new independent Repository object. Therefore, any modifications made to a "pasted" object will impact the original Repository object as well as all workflows that this object resides in. In order to paste an independent copy of an object, use Paste New Item instead. This option creates a new Repository object which can be edited without impacting the original object.	CTRL + V
		Cut	Cuts the selected objects. To cut multiple objects, hold down CTRL during selection.	CTRL + T
		Copy	Copies the selected objects to the clipboard. To select multiple objects, hold down CTRL during selection. Use the Paste option to paste an instance of the original item onto the workflow. Use PasteNew Item to paste an independent copy of the item and add a new unique Repository object for that item.	CTRL + C
		Select all	Selects all objects in the workflow.	CTRL + A
		Paste New Item	Pastes a copy of the clipboard objects onto the selected workflow and additionally saves a new copy to the Repository. This option creates a new and unique Repository object, which you can edit without compromising the original object as well as other workflows that currently use it. This is ideal in situations where minor changes need to be performed to an existing object because it eliminates the tedious procedure of having to create a new object and setting its properties.	---
Association		Associate Existing	Associates the selected workflow item with an existing repository object. This eliminates redundancy and provides a quick and convenient way to reuse pre-existing objects.	---
		Disassociate	Removes the association with the selected objects.	---
Agent		Select Agent	Displays the list of available agents, agent groups, process agents and system agents that the object can be assigned to.	---
Breakpoint		Breakpoint	Adds a breakpoint to the selected item. Breakpoints provide a means of pausing execution at a specified point in order to examine certain aspects of the workflow. Breakpoints take effect only when a workflow is run from the Workflow Designer and are ignored when the workflow is triggered or executed outside of the Workflow Designer. For more details, see Debugging Workflows.	F9
Label		Use Label	Uses the object's label instead of its repository name. A label replaces the name of an object for the current workflow. It can be used to simply convey details about an object. More significantly, it is useful when a single object is shared between two or more workflows because it provides a way to determine which workflow the object belongs to. It can also be used to distinguish a specific instance of an object that may be used more than once in a single workflow. NOTE: This option creates an alias for the particular object as it relates to the specific workflow. Label names appear italicized making them easy to recognize.	---
		Edit Label	Edits the current label used for the selected object instead of the Repository name. This option can also be used to label an object that is currently not labeled.	---

Options tab

The Options tab (shown below) contains commands that modify the "look and feel" of the Workflow Designer.

Options tab commands

The following table describes the Option tab's available command groups, associated buttons and other graphical control elements.

Group	Command	Description
Grid	Show Grid	Displays a grid or graph layout in the WFD's workspace. The grid serves as a visual framework on which a developer can organize workflow objects in an organized, easy to view manner (disabled by default).
	Snap to Grid	Causes the objects in the workflow to attach itself to the grid when selected.
	Vertical Spacing	Increases or decreases the space between the vertical grid points.
	Horizontal Spacing	Increases or decreases the space between the horizontal grid points.
Behavior	Allow Unbuilt Items	If enabled, allows unbuilt objects to a workflow without automatically opening the object's properties editor. If disabled, launches the properties editor dialog for any unbuilt objects added to a workflow (enabled by default). NOTE: Objects with empty properties are considered "unbuilt."
Arrow Text	Show Success Arrow Text	If enabled, shows the text associated with the Success Arrow. If disabled, the arrow appears in the workflow without a text display (enabled by default).
	Show Failure Arrow Text	If enabled, shows the text associated with the Failure Arrow. If disabled, the arrow appears in the workflow without a text display (enabled by default).
	Show Result Arrow Text	If enabled shows the display text of the Result Arrow. If disabled, the arrow appears in the workflow without a text display (enabled by default).

The File menu is located in the upper-left corner of the ribbon and presents a menu of commands and operations that do not directly relate to the editing of the workflow at hand. They include items that normally reside in the File menu of legacy systems, such as Update, Close, and Print. The table below describes the available file menu commands.

Icon	Command	Description
	Update	Updates any changes made to the current workflow (without closing Workflow Designer).
	Close	Closes the current workflow. If changes were made, a dialog will appear prompting whether or not to save them.
	Print	Prints the current workflow.
	Update All and Close	Updates any changes made to all open workflows and closes Workflow Designer.
---	Exit	Exits Workflow Designer. If changes were made, a dialog will appear prompting whether or not to save them.

The Quick Access Toolbar (shown below) is a row of buttons that provides users an easy way to select commonly used WFD features and commands. This toolbar is situated, by default, directly above the Ribbons panel, on the top left corner of the WFD interface. There's also an option to fit the toolbar directly below the Ribbons panel.

To move the toolbar below the ribbon

Right click an empty space on the Ribbon and select Show Quick Access Toolbar below Ribbon.

To add items to the toolbar

Right-click the desired item from the Ribbon and select Add to Quick Access Toolbar.

To remove items from the toolbar

Right-click the desired item that exists in the toolbar and select Remove from Quick Access Toolbar.

The Ribbon provides a feature that allows you access any Quick Access Toolbar or Ribbon command with a few keystrokes instead of using the mouse. These shortcut keys (shown below) are called as Access keys.

To use access keys

1. Press and release the ALT key. The KeyTips are displayed over each feature that is available in the current view (as shown below).

2. Press the letter/number shown in the KeyTip over the feature that you want to use. Depending on which letter/number you pressed, you may be shown additional KeyTips.

3. Continue pressing letters/numbers until you press the letter of the specific command or option that you want to use.