Task Builder Ribbon

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Contextual Tabs
Application Button
Quick Access Toolbar
Other Ribbon Operations
Using Access Keys

Rather than the standard menus and toolbars, the Task Builder has ribbon, a contextual interface designed to help you quickly find the commands that you need to perform during task construction. The ribbon spans the top of Task Builder and is filled with graphical representations of control elements that are grouped by different functionality. Commands are organized in logical groups that are collected under operation-related tabs. Enlarging or maximizing the Task Builder auto-expands the ribbon vertically.

Contextual Tabs

The Task Builder ribbon is categorized into two contextual tabs, the Home tab and Available Actions tab. Each represents an activity area. Each tab has several groups that show related commands together. A command is a control, button, or menu that represents the operation to perform. To view a description of each command and associated hot-keys (if any), place the cursor directly above the desired command. The tables below 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	Control	Command	Description	Hot-Key
Document		Save and Close	Saves the current task and closes the Task Builder.	CTRL+A
		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. creating a task 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 Copy As...	Saves a copy of the task as an AML (AWE Markup Language) file.
Clipboard		Cut	Cuts the selected step(s). To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection. To select all steps, press CTRL+A or click Select All from the Find group.	CTRL+X
		Copy	Copies the selected step(s) to the clipboard. To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection.	CTRL+C
		Copy Description	Copies the text description of the selected step(s). The description can then be pasted into another document such as Notepad. To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection.
		Paste	Pastes the previously copied or cut step(s). The step(s)s are pasted directly below the currently highlighted line in the Steps pane.	CTRL+V
		Delete	Deletes the selected step(s). To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection.	(DEL)
Find		Find	Finds a specific word or phrase within the task.
		Find Next	Finds the next instance of a word or phrase.
		Find Previous	Finds the previous instance of a word or phrase.
		Replace	Replaces an occurrence of the selected text string.	CTRL+H
		Replace Next	Replaces the next occurrence of the selected text string.
		Select All	Selects all steps included in the Steps pane.	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 On/Off	Turns step numbers On/Off as they appear on the Steps pane (On by default).
		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).
		Status Bar	Turns the status bar display On/Off (On by default). The status bar is seated along the bottom of the Task Builder GUI and provides the following information about a running task: The step number currently running or selected The status of the step, such as Running, Finished, or Error The percent completion of a running step The action being executed by a running step
		Icon Size	Specifies how the unique icons associated to each action should appear in the Steps pane. The available options are: None - Icons will not be displayed in the Steps pane. Small (Default) - Small icons will be displayed in the Steps pane. Large - Large icons will be displayed in the Steps pane.
		Windows	Shows/Hides specific Task Builders. All windows are shown by default.
Task		Run	Runs the steps of the current task sequentially. More on run options	F5
		Run All	Runs all the steps of the current task sequentially. More on run options	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	F9
		Pause	Pauses a running task. More on run options	F6
		Stop	Stops/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 step(s) up one line. To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection.
		Down Arrow	Moves the selected step(s) down one line. To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection.
		Left Arrow	Decreases indentation of the selected step(s). To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection.	CTRL+LEFT
		Right Arrow	Increases indentation of the selected step(s). To select multiple steps, hold down CTRL during selection.	CTRL+RIGHT
		Create Region	Creates a region.
		Clear Region	Clears a the selected region.
		Expand All Regions	Expands all regions.	Shift+E
		Collapse All Regions	Collapses all regions.	Shift+C
		Format Steps	Enables/Disables Auto-formatting of steps. When enabled, blocks of steps contained within a conditional (If) statement or Loop process are formatted (indented) to improve distinction (Enabled by default).
		Enable/Disable	Enables/Disables execution of the selected step(s). 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 step(s). 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.	CTRL+F3
		Next Bookmark	Goes to the next step that contains a bookmark.	F3
		Previous Bookmark	Goes to the previous step that contains a bookmark.	SHIFT+F3
		Breakpoint	Adds a breakpoint to the selected step(s). 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).	F8
View		Display	Indicates how the data located in the Steps pane should be displayed. The following options are:
		Visual Mode	The steps of the task are displayed in Visual Mode which displays a plain English text description of each step.
		AML Mode	The steps of the task are displayed in AML (AWE Markup Language) mode, the internal language used by AWE.
Insert		Actions	Allows you to select an action to insert into the Steps pane. Clicking Actions will display a drop-down list of all available actions housed by categorized folders (in the same manner that they appear in the Available Actions pane).
		Add Variable	Adds a variable to the highlighted section of the Steps pane.	CTRL+ALT+V
		Add Comment	Adds a comment to the highlighted section of the Steps pane.	CTRL+ALT+C
		Add Attachment	Adds an attachment to the highlighted section of the Steps pane.
		Add Label	Adds a label to the highlighted section of the Steps pane.

Available 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	Control	Command	Description
Operation		Add Step	Gets the action selected from the Available Actions pane and places it as the last step on the Steps pane.
		Insert Step	Gets the action selected from the Available Actions pane and places it in the specified location on the Steps 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.
		Expand All	Expands all folders in the Available Actions pane.
		Collapse All	Collapses all folders in the Available Actions pane.
		Categories	Enables/Disables categorized folders in the Available Actions Toolkit (Enabled by default).
		Reset Available Actions	Resets the Available Actions Toolkit to its original state. All previous modifications will be discarded.
My Actions		Clear Popular	Clears the Available Actions pane's popular list of actions.
		Clear Favorites	Clears the Available Actions pane's favorite actions list.
		Clear Recent	Clears the Available Action's recent list of actions.
		Clear All My Actions	Clears the My Actions list.
		Remove from Favorites	Removes the selected action from the Favorites list.
		Add to Favorites	Adds the selected action to the Favorites list.

Application Button

The Application Button is located in the upper-left corner of the Task Builder and presents a menu of commands that mainly involve doing something to or with a task file, such as commands that traditionally reside in the File menu of older versions of the Task Builder (i.e. Open, Save, Print, Close). The right side of the menu lists your recently opened tasks. These are always conveniently visible so that you don't have to search your computer for a task you frequently work on. In addition, the bottom right corner of the menu contains the Editor Options button, a tool which allows you to customize all aspects of the Task Builder.

Application Button 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).

Control	Command	Description	Hot-Key
	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
	Print	Prints the steps of the current task as they appear in the Steps pane.
	Send	E-mails the current task to the specified recipient. The available send options are: Mail Recipient - Sends the displayed task in the body of an e-mail Mail Recipient (As Attachment) - Ssends the displayed task as an e-mail attachment. Mail All to Recipient (As Attachment) - Sends all open tasks as e-mail attachments.
	Tools	Operates a specific Task Builder operation. The available options are: Expression Builder - Opens the Expression Builder Reset - Resets the Task Builder interface to its original form. Selecting this option opens a dialog box warning you that all customizations will revert to default. Click Yes to proceed. Import Steps - Imports steps from another task to the current task.
	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.

Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access Toolbar is the small area to the upper left of the ribbon and provides you with one-click shortcuts to commonly used commands that are independent of the ribbon tabs that are currently displayed. You can add your favorite commands to it so that they are available no matter which tab you are on. Additionally, you can move the Quick Access Toolbar from one of two possible locations.

Default Quick Access Toolbar Commands

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

Control	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 include: Find Next - Finds the next instance of a word or phrase. Find Previous - Finds the previous instance of a word or phrase.	CTRL+F
	Run	Runs the steps of the current task sequentially. More on run options Sub-commands include: 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	Closes the current task file. If changes were made, a dialog box will appear prompting whether to save the changes. Click Yes to proceed.	CTRL+Z
	Redo	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.	SHIFT+CTRL+Z

Hiding Default Quick Access Toolbar Commands

The Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu contains the list of popular commands. By default, all of these commands are displayed on the toolbar.

To hide a default command:

Click the down arrow at the right of the Quick Access Toolbar.
On the menu, click to select any checked items that you want to hide. This will remove its corresponding check-mark indicating that it is now hidden from the toolbar.
Click to select any unchecked items that you want to add to the toolbar.

Adding Commands to the Quick Access Toolbar

You might see a command on a particular tab that you would like to add to the Quick Access Toolbar. This way, you could have access to that command all the time, regardless of what tab you are currently in. You can add a group of commands to the toolbar as well.

To add a command to the Quick Access Toolbar:

Right-click any item anywhere on the ribbon that you want to add to the toolbar.
Choose Add To Quick Access Toolbar from the shortcut menu.
To reverse the process, find and right-click the command on the Quick Access Toolbar and select Remove From Quick Access Toolbar.

To add a group of commands to the Quick Access Toolbar:

On the ribbon, right-click the section that displays the name of the group that you want to add to the toolbar.
Choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar from the shortcut menu.
To reverse the process, right click the group on the Quick Access Toolbar and select Remove From Quick Access Toolbar.

Displaying the Quick Access Toolbar Below the Ribbon

In addition to adding and removing commands, you can also customize the Quick Access Toolbar to be displayed below the ribbon. There is an option to select which accomplishes this on the Customize Quick Access Toolbar panel (at the bottom).

To show the Quick Access Toolbar below the ribbon:

Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button.
On the menu, click the option Show Quick Access Toolbar Below the ribbon.
To reinstate the toolbar above the ribbon, click the option Show Quick Access Toolbar Above the ribbon.

Other Ribbon Operations

Minimizing the ribbon

There is no way to delete or replace the ribbon with the toolbars and menus from the earlier versions of Task Builder. However, you can minimize the ribbon to make more space available on your screen. When minimized, the tabs are still available, providing easy access to commands. The ribbon can be minimized/restored in a number of ways.

To minimize the ribbon, do one of the following:

Right-click on any section of the ribbon and select Minimize the ribbon from the list that appears. Perform the same actions to restore the ribbon.
Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button (located to the right of the Quick Access Toolbar) and select Minimize the ribbon from the list that appears. Perform the same actions to restore the ribbon.
Double-click the name of the active tab. Double-click the tab again to restore the ribbon.
Press CTRL+F1 to minimize the ribbon. Press CTRL+F1 again to restore the ribbon.

NOTE: To use the ribbon while it is minimized, click the tab you want to use, and then click the option or command you want to use.

Using Access 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.

NOTE: Along with the new Access Keys, original keyboard shortcuts (or hot-keys) found in older versions of Task Builder can also be used. To view the name of each command and determine associated hot-keys (if applicable), hover the mouse directly above the desired command.

To use the Access Keys

Press and release the ALT key. The KeyTips are displayed over each feature that is available in the current view.

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

NOTE: To cancel the action that you are taking and hide the KeyTips, press and release the ALT key.

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	Press
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

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Last modified: 31-Oct-11 at 13:32:34