Copying and Reusing Task Steps

In computer programming, the reuse of code is a common technique that attempts to save time, reduce redundancy and eliminate errors by using the same segment of code in multiple applications. The Task Builder plays a  similar role by allowing task steps to be copied and re-used in another section of the same task or inserted onto the steps of a new or existing task. Reusing of steps can be accomplished in several ways depending on whether you want to reuse all steps of an existing task or just certain steps.

In addition, the Import Steps option can import all of the steps of an existing task onto another.

Saving a Copy of a Task

Steps of an existing task can be re-used in a newly created task by selecting the Save AsCopy command. This is an ideal method for copying all of the steps of an existing task onto a new task.

To save a copy of a task

1. Open the task you wish to copy steps from.

2. In the Task Builder ribbon, select File -> Save copy as...

3. Navigate to the desired location, enter a name for the new task, and click Save.

Copying and Pasting Task Steps

The Copy and Paste commands allow you to reuse steps within a single task by copying a group of steps and pasting them onto another section of the task. Because more than one instance of the Task Builder can be opened simultaneously, code reuse can be performed across multiple tasks as well. The Copy command, in effect, copies the .AML code associated to each task step. This code can be pasted onto a specific step on the same task or another task. It can also be pasted onto a document such as Notepad. Alternatively, a Copy Description command is available, allowing the text description of each step, as opposed to the .AML code, to be copied.

To copy steps from one task onto existing steps of another task:

1. Open the task you wish to copy from.

2. Select the step(s) from the task you wish to copy from. To select a group of steps, hold down CTRL during selection. Use CTRL+A to select all.

3. On the Ribbon, select the Home tab and click the Copy button from the Clipboard command group.

OR

 Right-click the highlighted step(s) and select Copy from the context menu.

4. In the Steps panel of the task you wish to copy steps onto, select the step you want to place the previously copied step(s) and do one of the following:

• On the Ribbon, select the Home tab and click the Paste button from the Clipboard command group.

• Right-click and select Paste from the context menu.

• On your keyboard, press CTRL + V.

The copied steps are pasted directly above the selected step of the second task.

To copy steps from one task onto a newly created task:

1. First, create a new task.

2. Open the task you wish to copy steps from

3. Select the step(s) from the task you wish to copy from. To select a group of steps, hold down CTRL during selection. Use CTRL+A to select all.

4. On the Ribbon, select the Home tab and click the Copy button from the Clipboard command group.

OR

 Right-click the highlighted step(s) and select Copy from the context menu.

5. Go to the new task, right-click anywhere inside the empty Steps panel and select Paste from the context menu.

The copied steps are pasted directly onto the Steps panel of the new task.

To copy and paste step descriptions:

1. From the Steps panel, select the step(s) in which to copy the description from. To select more than one step, hold down CTRL during selection or use CTRL+A to select all steps.

2. From the Ribbon interface, select Copy -> Description from the Clipboard command group or right-click and select Copy -> Description from the context menu.

3. Go to the location in the Steps panel where you want to paste the copied descriptions and do one of the following:

• On the Ribbon, select the Home tab and click the Paste button from the Clipboard command group.

• Right-click and select Paste from the context menu.

• On your keyboard, press CTRL + V.

You can also paste copied steps or step descriptions in other documents such as e-mail messages or text files.

Using Snippets

Another way of using a group of steps within a specific task is to save the steps as Snippets. Snippets provide an easy way to implement frequently used code into a task. They are particularly useful to those who use specific activities that contain commonly used properties or settings. Instead of re-entering the properties for a specific activity or series of activities every time they're added as task steps, users can save existing steps as a snippet and simply drag and drop the snippet wherever it is needed in any task.