Using the SRGS Grammar editors

The SRGS editors consist of an SRGS-ABNF editor and an SRGS-XML editor. The SRGS-ABNF editor is a source editor while the SRGS-XML editor is a multi-page editor that has a graphic and a source editor page.

The Graphics Editor is used to graphically build grammar rules. Rule elements are selected from the Palette and placed on the Canvas. Element properties can be modified in the Property Sheet. The Outline View lists a summary of rules built.

• Canvas
  The canvas is the area on which grammar objects are arranged and linked to represent grammar rules. The following are some canvas constraints:

  • Rules are arranged vertically, one after the other on the Canvas.
  • Items in a rule expansion can only be placed in designated locations (see drop targets below).
  • Figures on the Canvas are not re-sizable. Figure sizes are determined by the editor and are sized large enough so that their ID can be seen.
• Drop targets and mouse icon feedback

  The drop targets and mouse icon feedback refer to the visual aids that the editor gives when dropping grammar elements onto the Canvas. They are used when adding new rules or grammar elements by dragging and dropping them from the palette.

  • When dragging and dropping a new rule declaration to the canvas, the drop targets are shown when the mouse icon is moved near a legal place to drop the declaration. When the mouse icon hovers in the vicinity of a place that a rule can be added, a horizontal line is drawn to mark the legal drop area and the mouse icon changes to a plus (+) sign. If inserting a new rule between existing rules, all rules after the inserted rule are shifted downward to allow for the new rule.
  • When dragging and dropping a new rule element (Item, Reference, Embedded Reference), drop targets appear as lines that designate the place where the figure can be dropped. The mouse icon also gives feedback by changing to a plus (+) sign to indicate a legal drop location. Clicking the left mouse button drops the selected element into the designated area and automatically connects it to an existing element.

• Outline view

  The outline view is a zoomed-out view of the whole canvas. Selecting an item in this view transitions the editor to that item on the canvas.

• Property sheet

  The property sheet is used for viewing and editing the properties of the elements on the canvas. You can access these properties by right-clicking in any white space on the canvas.

• SISR editing view
  The SISR editing view is used for editing SISR. Clicking on a figure that contains a tag in the graphical editor makes its content available in the SISR editing view. This view provides:

  • Syntax checking for SISR
  • Content Assist for SISR
  • Source coloring for SISR
• Pop-up menu
  The pop-up menu is displayed by right-clicking on a rule element on the canvas. Certain menu options are invalid for some objects. The following table shows the options that might be available for a selected object:

  Table 1. Pop-up menu options

  Menu Option	Description
  Add Repetition	Adds repetition to the selected object.
  Edit Comment	Adds a comment to the selected object.
  Delete	Deletes the selected object.
  Add Tag	Adds a Script Tag to the selected object.
  Make Optional	Changes the “scope” of the selected rule object to optional.

The source editor is a fully functional XML based editor for writing grammars. It validates the SRGS source and reports errors. It contains features for Source Formatting and Content Assistance.

Any updates in the SRGS-XML source editor are reflected in the graphical editor.