Configuring a user-defined editor

Configure a user-defined editor to specify the Java™ code that the editor uses and to specify configuration values and notifications used by the code.

Before you begin

Assign a user-defined editor to a pattern parameter; see Defining the user interface.

About this task

To configure a user-defined editor for a pattern parameter, select a Java code project and a Java class within that project. The code in the Java class is run when the editor is used by a pattern user. You can create a new code project and Java class if required.

You can use your code project for user-defined editor code and for Java and PHP code to modify pattern instances. For more information about using Java and PHP to modify pattern instances, see Modifying pattern instances by using Java or PHP. By including user-defined editor and pattern instance modification code in the same code project for patterns that use both types of code, you need to distribute fewer projects to pattern users.

You can specify configuration values when you configure your user-defined editor. These values can be used by your user-defined editor code. For example, you can enter a list of configuration values that are used to populate a list in your user-defined editor.

You can select parameters in your user-defined pattern that send change notifications to the user-defined editor. Your editor code can use change notifications to update the value of the parameter to which the user-defined editor is assigned when other pattern parameter values change.

Procedure

To configure a user-defined editor, complete the following steps:

  1. In the Pattern Configuration tab of the Pattern Authoring editor, select the parameter to which you have assigned a user-defined editor. Click Edit.
    The Edit parameter window opens.
  2. Click the Editor tab. In the Parameter editor field, confirm that User-Defined Editor is selected, then click Configure Editor.
  3. In the Project name field, select the project that contains the Java code for your user-defined editor. To create a new code project, click New Project and complete the following steps:
    1. Enter a plug-in ID for the new code plug-in.
      After the plug-in is created, the plug-in ID is shown in the Projects section of the Application Development view. The plug-in ID is also used to identify the plug-in when you distribute it to pattern users.
    2. Clear Add an example pattern authoring Java class to the project.
    3. Clear Add PHP support to the project.
    4. Click Finish.
  4. In the Class name field, select the class in the code project you want to run when the user-defined editor is used.
  5. Optional: You can create a new Java class by completing the following steps:
    1. Click New Java Class.
      The New Pattern Authoring Property Editor window opens.
    2. In the Source folder field, click Browse and select the folder in which to store the new Java class file.
    3. Optional: In the Package field, enter the name of the Java package for the new class.
      If you leave this field blank, the default package is used.
    4. Optional: To add an interface for the new Java class, click Add. The Implemented Interfaces Selection window opens. In the Choose interfaces field, enter the name of the interface that you want to add, select the interface in the Matching items list and click OK. The Implemented Interfaces Selection window closes.
    5. Optional: To remove an interface for the Java class, select the interface in the Interfaces list and click Remove.
    6. Optional: Click Next to view information about the Pattern Authoring Property Editor template, which is used to create the Java class.
    7. Click Finish.
  6. In the Configuration values field, enter any values that you want to be available in the Java code for your user-defined editor.
    For example, if your editor displays a list of values to a pattern user, you can enter the list of values in this field. Your editor code can then use the configuration values to display them in the editor.
  7. In the Select the visible parameters which will send change notifications to this user-defined editor field, select all parameters in your user-defined pattern from which you want change notifications to be sent.
  8. Click OK.

What to do next

Write the Java code for your user-defined editor; see Writing Java code for a user-defined editor.