Component Studio

When you use the Undo and Redo buttons to undo or redo changes in the Component File Properties Dialog, a notification appears next to the Properties button.

• Match case – Limits the search to items that matches the capitalization of the string you type
• Match whole word – Checks the string you type against whole words in the components in the current component file.

• All searchable text – Searches for the text in all of the options (you use this to select and deselect all)
• Names – Searches for the text in all component names and the names of columns in Fixed Tables, Table variables, and Single Select or Multi Select variables using a default option source
• Display text (titles, prompts, etc.) – Searches for the text in component titles, prompts, and other fields containing text that HotDocs displays in the interview
• Additional information – Searches for the plain text in Additional Information panes in all components
• Scripts, expressions, and tables – Searches for the text in text literals and text strings in fixed table components, as well as the Suggestion text property on Text variables, and the Option Labels property on a Single Select or Multi Select variable
• Format and input mask text – Searches placeholder field content for format text and text in input masks
• Option sources and answer suggestions – searches the text in option sources (for a Single Select or Multi Select variable) and answer suggestions (for Text variables)
• Notes – Searches for the text in each component editor's Notes tab

The following options filter your search results (you can only search within this component file):

All components – displays all components (excluding supplemental components)

• All variables – displays all variables
• • Text Variables – displays only the Text variables
  • Number Variables – displays only the Number variables
  • Date Variables – displays only the Date variables
  • True/False Variables – displays only the True/False variables
  • Image Variables - displays only the Image variables
  • Single Select Variables – displays only the Single Select variables
  • Multi Select Variables – displays only the Multi Select variables
  • Table Variables – displays only the Table variables
• Dialogs – displays only the dialogs
• Computations – displays only the computations
• Fixed Tables – displays only the Fixed Tables

• Dialog Elements – displays only dialog elements

Enables you to sort the component file's components. You can choose between the following sort options:

• by Name—sorts components by their names from A to Z
• by Type—places variables first, then computations, then Dialog Elements and finally dialogs; items of each type are sorted within their type depending on settings Natural and Reverse
• Natural—sorts components from A to Z
• Reverse—sorts components from Z to A

• Using a Selected Components list, review the components you select. You can remove a component from the Selected Component list by hovering over the component name and clicking the x button
• Using a property grid, edit the properties of multiple components simultaneously. The property grid has the following key features:
• • Properties are grouped into a logical manner (similar to how they are in their respective component editors, e.g. Display, Behavior, etc.) which you can interact with using a hierarchical tree control
  • Only displays and enables you to edit the properties that the each selected component shares in common (e.g. if you select a text component and a date component, you will see and be able to edit the Prompt property, but not the answer suggestion related properties—as those are specific to text components)
  • Enables you to expand and collapse property groups using expanders and edit properties by either typing new values into text boxes, making selections using drop-down lists, or checking boxes
  • Edit the data in Single Select variables, Multi Select variables, and Fixed Table components, including individual cells, rows, or columns
  • Displays a description of the property in a description pane at the bottom

You can also use keyboard shortcuts to select multiple components in the contents pane.

Enables you to create a component depending on the type you select in the drop-down list.

If you set the Filter (All Components) on the left to a given type, the create button displays and creates this type when you click the create button.

Displays the contents of the component file according to search parameters, sorting, and any filters or multiple selection you apply. Select a component from the list to view it in the right pane, or double-click a component to pin it open for editing.

• Close a tab by clicking the x button on the currently focused tab. For other opened tabs you hover over a tab to reveal the close button
• Rearrange tabs by clicking and dragging a tab left or right within the row of tabs to move it to a new position in the tab row
• Move the tab to new window by clicking and dragging on a tab until it "snaps" into its own window (this behavior is also available in the tab's right-click menu)

If you have a component open in another window when you close Component Studio, the next time you open Component Studio for this template that component is no longer open in a separate window.

• Close tab – Closes the tab
• Close other tabs – Closes all other tabs in the tab group
• Close all tabs – Closes all tabs in all tab groups
• Move tab to new window – Opens the tab in its own window, enabling you to move the component editor outside of component studio (e.g., to another monitor)
• Pin tab leftmost – Moves and locks the tab to the leftmost position in the tab group (subsequent pinned tabs will pin to the right of previously pinned tabs)
• Keep tab open – (only available from the "quick access" tab) Moves the tab from the "quick access" tab to the open tab group on the left
• New horizontal tab group – (only available with multiple components open) Moves the selected tab to a new tab group located below the current tab group
• New vertical tab group – (only available with multiple components open) Moves the selected tab to a new tab group located to the right of the current tab group
• Move to next/previous tab group – (only available when multiple tab groups open) Moves the selected tab to the previous/next tab group
• Move to main tab group (only available from a tab opened in a new window) Moves the selected tab (opened in a new window) to the most recently opened tab group in the component editor area

The purpose of the "quick access" tab is to help keep your tabs organized and to provide you a quick way to make an edit to a component without cluttering your tab groups. For example, you can review the contents of a component editor before deciding to either close or keep the tab open.

You can click the Keep Tab Open button on the "quick access" tab to move the tab to the open tab group to the left. There are also other commands available to you in the right-click menu you access by right-clicking anywhere on the tab.

Enables you to click to open the component which contains an error.

Details the nature of the error.