Task Builder Ribbon

Overview

The ribbon is a contextual interface designed to increase efficiency and make it easier for users to find features and quickly access popular commands and controls during task construction. The ribbon spans the top of Task Builder, directly below the title bar. It is filled with graphical representations of control elements which are grouped by different functionality. Commands are organized in logical groups, which are collected together under operation related tabs. The ribbon brings the most common commands to the forefront, in plain sight, so you no longer have to roam aimlessly through the clutter of menus, sub-menus and toolbars searching for what you want.

Enlarging or maximizing the Task Builder window auto-expands the ribbon vertically. To add additional space, the ribbon can be collapsed so only the tabs appear. This can be accomplished by clicking the Pin/Unpin Ribbon button. Since not every single option will fit on the ribbon, drop-down menus are available which are represented by small arrows below certain buttons/commands. Clicking such arrows displays a drop-down menu which contain related sub-commands. For example, if you click the arrow below the Run icon, a drop-down menu will appear displaying related commands such as Run All, Run Selected, Run From Here, and Step (shown below).

Related Topics

ClosedTabs & Commands

The Task Builder ribbon is categorized into three contextual tabs, File, Home, and Actions. 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 Commands

The following table details each command found in the ribbon's Home tab along with their associated controls and keyboard hot-key combinations (if applicable). Each command is categorized by the group they reside in.

Group Icon Command Description Hot-Key
Document Save and Close Saves the current task and closes the Task Builder window. ALT+ SHIFT + A
Save Copy As... Saves a copy of the task as an AML (Automate Markup Language) file. CTRL + SHIFT + S
Clipboard Cut Cuts the selected steps. To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection. To select all steps, press CTRL+A or click from the Find group. More on copying reusing task steps CTRL + X
Copy Copies the selected steps to the clipboard. To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection. More on copying & reusing task steps CTRL + C
Copy Description Copies the text description of the selected steps. The description can then be pasted into another document such as Notepad. To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection. More on copying & reusing task steps CTRL + D
Paste Pastes the previously copied or cut steps. The stepss are pasted directly below the currently highlighted line in the Steps pane. More on copying & reusing task steps CTRL + V
Delete Deletes the selected steps. To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection. (DEL)
Find Find Finds a specific word or phrase within the task. More on Find & Replace CTRL + F
Find Next Finds the next instance of a word or phrase. More on Find & Replace F11
Find Previous Finds the previous instance of a word or phrase. More on Find & Replace F12
Replace Replaces an occurrence of the selected text string. More on Find & Replace CTRL + H
Replace Next Replaces the next occurrence of the selected text string. More on Find & Replace CTRL + SHIFT +R
Select All Selects all steps included in the Steps panel. CTRL + A
Select Step Number Opens a dialog box allowing entry of the desired step to select. Mainly used to quickly navigate to a specific step within a task that includes a significantly large amount of steps. CTRL + G
Select Label Opens a dialog box allowing entry of the desired label to go to. Used to jump to another section of the task defined by a Label.   CTRL + L
Layout Step numbers Turns step numbers On/Off as they appear on the Steps pane (On by default). More on editing task steps ---
Word Wrap Turns word wrap On/Off. When set to ON, the text becomes wrapped in the Steps pane so it doesn't scroll across the entire screen (On by default). More on editing task steps ---
Panel Layout Shows/Hides specific Task Builder windows. All windows are shown by default. ---
Task Run Runs the steps of the current task sequentially. More on run options F5
Run Selected Runs the selected steps. More on run options CTRL + F5
Run from Here Runs all steps from the specified step onward. More on run options SHIFT + CTRL + F5
Step Runs the task one step at a time starting from the highlighted step. Click this button each time you want to run the next step. More on run options CTRL + F2
Pause Pauses a running task. More on run options F6
Stop Stops and resets a running task. More on run options CTRL + F2
Step Edit Opens the properties of the selected step for editing. ---
Up Arrow Moves the selected steps up one line. To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection. More on editing task steps CTRL + UP
Down Arrow Moves the selected steps down one line. To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection. More on editing task steps CTRL + DOWN
Left Arrow Decreases indentation of the selected steps. To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection. More on editing task steps CTRL + LEFT
Right Arrow Increases indentation of the selected steps. To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection.  More on editing task steps CTRL + RIGHT
Create Region Creates a region. More on Regions CTRL + R
Encapsulate in Region Encapsulates any selected steps into a region. More on Regions CTRL + E
Rename Region Renames the selected region. More on Regions ---
Clear Region Clears the selected region. More on Regions ---
Clear All Regions Clears all regions. More on Regions ---
Expand All Regions Expands all regions. More on Regions CTRL + SHIFT + E
Collapse All Regions Collapses all regions. More on Regions CTRL + SHIFT + C
Reset Indent Removes indentation from a step. More on editing task steps ---
Disable Enables/Disables execution of the selected steps. To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection. Disabled steps appear grayed out and are ignored during task execution. Newly added steps are enabled by default. ---
Bookmark Adds a bookmark to the selected steps. To add to multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection. Bookmarks are a means of marking steps so you can find them easily when constructing or editing a task. More on bookmarks CTRL + F3
Next Bookmark Goes to the next step that contains a bookmark. More on bookmarks F3
Previous Bookmark Goes to the previous step that contains a bookmark. More on bookmarks SHIFT + F3
Breakpoint Adds a breakpoint to the selected steps. To add a breakpoint to multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection. A breakpoint is a debug tool that pauses task execution at the specific step to allow the developer time to examine particular data that may change during the course of the task (i.e. variables or datasets). More on Breakpoints F8
View Visual Mode The steps of the task are displayed in Visual Mode which displays a plain English text description of each step. More on editing task steps ---
AML Mode The steps of the task are displayed in AML (Automate Markup Language) mode, the internal language used by Automate. More on editing task steps ---
Insert Add Variable Adds a variable to the highlighted section of the Steps pane. More on Variables CTRL + ALT + V
Add Comment Adds a comment to the highlighted section of the Steps pane. More on Comments CTRL + ALT + C
Add Attachment Adds an attachment to the highlighted section of the Steps pane. More on Attachments ---
Add Label Adds a label to the highlighted section of the Steps pane. More on Labels ---
Recorder New Recording Opens the Automate Recorder – a powerful feature that simplifies the process of automating and recording user interface interactions and actions in Automate. By using the Recorder's intuitive interface, you can quickly and easily create and add recordings to new or existing tasks. More on the Recorder CTRL + ALT + R
Edit Edits an existing Recorder recording. More on the Recorder CTRL+ ALT + E
Split Splits a Recorder recording into two recordings at the specified step. More on the Recorder CTRL + ALT + T

Actions Tab Commands

The following table details each command found in the ribbon's Available Actions tab along with their associated controls and keyboard hot-key combinations (if applicable). Each command is categorized by the group they reside in.

Group Icon Command Description
Actions Panel Add Step Gets the action selected from the Available Actions pane and places it as the last step on the Steps pane. More on Steps
Insert Step Gets the action selected from the Available Actions pane and places it in the specified location on the Steps pane. More on Steps
Expand All Expands all folders in the Available Actions pane. More on Available Actions Pane
Collapse All Collapses all folders in the Available Actions pane. More on Available Actions Pane
Categories Enables/Disables categorized folders in the Available Actions Toolkit (Enabled by default). More on Available Actions Pane
Sort A to Z Changes the sort order of the current Available Actions view to alphabetical A to Z. Click again to reverse the sort order. More on Available Actions Pane
My Actions Panel Clear Favorites Clears the My Actions favorite actions list. More on My Actions pane
Clear Recent Clears the My Actions recent list of actions.  More on My Actions pane
Clear All Clears all the My Actions Favorites, Snippets, Recent, and Frequent lists. More on My Actions pane
Clear Snippets Clears the My Actions snippet action list. More on My Actions pane
Clear Frequent Clears the My Actions frequent actions list. More on My Actions pane
Clear Folder Clears the selected snippet folder in the My Actions pane. More on My Actions pane
Add to Favorites Adds the selected action to the Favorites list.  More on My Actions pane
Add as Snippet Adds the selected step as a snippet. More on My Actions pane
Create Folder Creates a snippets folder. More on My Actions pane
--- Remove Selected Removes the selected step, snippet, or region. More on My Actions pane

ClosedFile Menu

The File tab 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 task at hand. They include items that normally reside in the File menu of legacy systems, such as New, Open, Save, Print, and Close . The right-hand portion of the menu lists the most recently opened tasks. These are always conveniently visible so that you don't have to search your computer for a task you previously opened or frequently work on. The bottom right corner of the menu contains the Options button. Clicking this button opens a Preferences dialog that supplies an assortment options used to configure visual and behavioral attributes of the Task Builder.

NOTE: File menu commands and options differ depending on whether Task Builder is launched from Task Administrator or independently as a stand-alone component. Below displays the File menu that appears when Task Builder is opened independently. For more details, see External Tasks & Subtasks.

File Menu Commands

The following table provides a description for each command found when clicking the Application button along with their associated controls and keyboard hot-keys (if applicable).

Command Description Hot-Key
Help Opens the embedded help files. ---
New Creates a new task. Selecting this option adds a new tab in the Steps pane.
NOTE: Using this option creates an unmanaged task.
CTRL + N
Open... Opens an existing task. A standard Windows Explorer dialog appears allowing you to navigate to the task (.AML) file to open. CTRL + O
Save Saves the current task. If the task being saved is a managed task, it will be saved to its present location. If saving an unmanaged task (i.e. created using the New option), a standard Windows Explorer dialog appears allowing you to select the folder in which to save the task (.AML) file. CTRL + S
Save As Saves a copy of the task file or saves the task file in another format. A standard Windows Explorer dialog appears allowing you to navigate to the location in which to save the task (.AML) file. SHIFT + CTRL + S
Save All Save all open tasks. ---
Close Closes the current task file. If changes were made, a dialog box will appear prompting whether to save the changes. Click Yes to proceed. ---
Close All Closes all currently opened tasks. If changes were made to one or more tasks, a dialog will appear prompting whether to save the changes. Click Yes to proceed. ---
Print Prints the steps of the current task as they appear in the Steps pane. ---
Send Emails the current task to the specified recipient.

The available send options are:

  • Mail Recipient - Sends the displayed task in the body of an email.
  • Mail Recipient (As Attachment) - Sends the displayed task as an email attachment.
  • Mail All to Recipient (As Attachment) -Sends all open tasks as email attachments.
---
Close Closes the current task file. If changes were made, a dialog box will appear prompting whether to save the changes. Click Yes to proceed. ---
Close All Closes all currently opened tasks. If changes were made to one or more tasks, a dialog will appear prompting whether to save the changes. Click Yes to proceed. ---
Options Allows access to available Task Builder Options. The table below lists available options. ---
Exit Closes the Task Builder. ---

ClosedTitle Bar

The title bar spans across the top of Task Builder. It contains the title of the current task as well as controls that enable you to set the Task Builder interface to full screen or minimize/maximize the current display. By default, it also contains the Quick Access Toolbar which provides easy one-click access to commonly used controls.  

ClosedQuick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access toolbar is a small, customizable area to the upper left of the ribbon that provides you with one-click shortcuts to commonly used commands that are independent of the ribbon tabs that are currently displayed. You can add specific commands to the Quick Access Toolbar so they are available no matter which tab you are on. Additionally, you can move the toolbar from one of two possible locations; above or below the ribbon, or you can hide it altogether to save space.

Quick Access Toolbar Default Commands

By default, the Quick Access toolbar exposes single-click buttons that represent the most often used commands, such as Open, Save, Undo,Redo, and Run. The following table provides a description of those commands:

Icon Command Description Hot-Key
Open Opens an existing task. A standard Windows Explorer dialog appears allowing you to navigate to the task (.AML) file to open. CTRL + O 
Save Saves the current task. If the task being saved is a managed task, it will be saved to its present location. If saving an unmanaged task (i.e. created using the New option), a standard Windows Explorer dialog appears allowing you to select the folder in which to save the task (.AML) file. CTRL + S
Find Finds a specific word or phrase. Sub-commands are as follows:
  • Find Next - Finds the next instance of a word or phrase.
  • Find Previous - Finds the previous instance of a word or phrase.
---
Run Runs the steps of the current task sequentially. Sub-commands are as follows:
  • Run All - Runs all the steps of the current task sequentially.
  • Run Selected- Runs the selected steps.
  • Run From Here- Runs the task from the selected step.
  • Step- Runs the task step by step.
F5
Undo Returns to a previous state by undoing the effects of one or more commands. Helpful for undoing mistakes. CTRL + Z
Redo Returns back to the state that was previously undone. CTRL + Y

To Add a Command to the Quick Access Toolbar

  1. On the ribbon, click the appropriate tab or group to display the command that you want to add to the Quick Access Toolbar.
  2. Right-click the command, and then click Add to Quick Access Toolbar on the shortcut menu.

To Remove a Command from the Quick Access Toolbar

  1. Right-click the command you want to remove from the Quick Access Toolbar.

  2. Click Remove from Quick Access Toolbar on the menu that appears.

To Remove a Default Command from the Quick Access Toolbar

  1. Click the More Buttons icon (to the right of the toolbar).

  2. On the drop-down menu that appears, select the commands you want to omit from the toolbar. The check mark beside that command will disappear indicating that the command has been removed.

  3. To reinstate the command, follow the above directions and simply select the command previously omitted.

To Display the Quick Access Toolbar Below the Ribbon

  1. Click the More Buttons icon (to the right of the toolbar).

  2. From the drop-down menu, select the option Show Quick Access Toolbar Below the Ribbon. The toolbar is then displayed below the ribbon.

  3. To reinstate the toolbar above the ribbon, select the option Show Quick Access Toolbar Above the Ribbon.

ClosedAccess Keys

If you prefer to use the keyboard instead of the mouse, the ribbon provides keyboard shortcuts called Access Keys that enable you to quickly perform operations without reaching for the mouse. Access keys provide a quick and convenient way to use a command by pressing a few keystrokes, no matter where you are in the program.

To Use the Access Keys

  1. Press and release the ALT key. The KeyTips are displayed over each feature that is available in the current view.
  2. Press the letter, number or character combination shown in the KeyTip over the feature that you want to use. Depending on which letter/number you press, you may be shown additional KeyTips.
  3. Continue pressing letters/numbers until you reach the command or option that you want to use.

ClosedOther Keyboard Navigation Options

Another way to use the keyboard to work with the ribbon is to move the focus among the tabs and commands until you find the feature that you want to use. The following table lists some ways to move the keyboard focus without using the mouse:

To Do This...  
Select the active tab of the ribbon and activate the access keys. ALT or F10. Press either of these keys again to move back to the document and cancel the access keys.
Move to another tab of the ribbon. ALT or F10 to select the active tab, and then LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW
Minimize or restore the ribbon. CTRL + F1
Move the focus to each command in the ribbon, forward or backward. ALT or F10, and then TAB or SHIFT + TAB
Move down, up, left, or right among the items in the ribbon. DOWN ARROW, UP ARROW, LEFT ARROW, or RIGHT ARROW
Activate the selected command or control in the ribbon. SPACE BAR or ENTER
Open the selected menu or gallery in the ribbon. SPACE BAR or ENTER