Rational Developer for System z

Navigating in the flow editor with the keyboard

This topic describes how to perform various tasks in the flow editor using the keyboard.

The flow editor supports the control key functions provided by the IBM® Rational® Software Development Platform (see Navigating in the Enterprise Service Tools with the keyboard).

The flow editor also supports the following control keys:
Key: Function in the flow editor:
Arrow keys For navigating from node to node.
/ (front slash) Cycles through the connections of the currently selected node.
. (period) Enables moving the currently selected node or note (see To move a node or a note on the canvas) or resizing a note (see To resize a note on the canvas).
The following sections describe how to perform various tasks in the flow editor using both the platform control keys and the additional control keys:
  1. To make the flow editor the topmost editor in the view
  2. To shift the input focus to the main tab of the flow editor
  3. To expand or contract the command palette in the flow editor
  4. To select a command to perform from the menu on the command palette
  5. To add a node or a note to the canvas
  6. To select a node or note in the flow
  7. To move a node or a note on the canvas
  8. To resize a note on the canvas
  9. To connect two nodes on the canvas

To make the flow editor the topmost editor in the view

To make the flow editor the topmost editor in the editor area:
  1. These steps assume that the flow editor has been opened but is not currently the topmost editor in the editor area.
  2. Holding down the Ctrl key, press F7 repeatedly until the Editor menu item is selected, then release the Ctrl key. This shifts the input focus to the editor area.
  3. Holding down the Ctrl key, press F6 repeatedly until the flow editor instance that you want to work with is selected, then release the Ctrl key.
  4. The flow editor instance that you want to work with should now be the topmost editor in the editor area.

To shift the input focus to the main tab of the flow editor

To shift the input focus to the main tab of the flow editor:
  1. Make the flow editor the topmost editor in the editor area (see To make the flow editor the topmost editor in the view).
  2. Holding down the Ctrl key, press the Tab key repeatedly until the main tab of flow editor (the tab that displays the name of the flow) has the input focus. (The main tab of the flow editor has the input focus when the name of the flow displayed in the main tab is underlined.)

To expand or contract the command palette in the flow editor

To expand or contract the command palette in the flow editor:
  1. Shift the input focus to the main tab of the flow editor (see To shift the input focus to the main tab of the flow editor).
  2. If the command palette is contracted and you want to expand it:
    1. Press the Tab key twice to shift the input focus to the small dark-blue arrow at the top of the compressed command palette.
    2. The small blue arrow should now be surrounded by a dotted rectangle, indicating the that small blue arrow has the input focus.
  3. If the command palette is expanded and you want to contract it:
    1. Press the Tab key three times to shift the input focus to the small dark blue arrow at the top of the expanded palette.
    2. The small blue arrow should now be surrounded by a dotted rectangle, indicating the that small blue arrow has the input focus.
  4. Press Enter.
  5. The palette expands or contracts.

To select a command to perform from the menu on the command palette

To select a command to perform from the menu on the command palette:
  1. Expand the command palette, if it is not already expanded (see To expand or contract the command palette in the flow editor).
  2. Shift the input focus to the main tab of the flow editor (see To shift the input focus to the main tab of the flow editor). The text in the main tab of the flow editor should now be underlined.
  3. Press the Tab key four times. This shifts the input focus to the menu on the command palette.
  4. Use the up and down arrows to move the input focus to the menu entry that you want to perform.
    • A dotted rectangle indicates which entry has the input focus.
  5. Press Enter.
  6. The menu entry appears depressed to indicate that it is selected.
  7. The remaining instructions depend on which menu entry you selected:
    Command selected: Instructions:
    Selection: See To select a node or note in the flow.
    Connection If you are using the keyboard only, do not select this menu entry. To connect two nodes, see To connect two nodes on the canvas.
    Note, Receive, Reply, Throw, Invoke, Assign, Switch, While See To add a node or a note to the canvas.

To add a node or a note to the canvas

To add a node or a note to the canvas:
  1. On the command palette:
    1. To add a node, select the type of node that you want to add to the flow (Receive, Reply, Throw, Invoke, Assign, Switch, While) (see To select a command to perform from the menu on the command palette).
    2. To add a note, select Note.
  2. The menu entry that you selected should now appear depressed to indicate that it is selected.
  3. Press Shift-F10 to open the flow editor's contextual menu.
  4. Select Add Node to Canvas and press Enter.
  5. A node of the type that you selected or a note is added to the canvas.
  6. Typically you will want to move the new node to another position (see To move a node or a note on the canvas).

To select a node or note in the flow

To select a node or note in the flow:
  1. On the command palette, select the Selection command (see To select a command to perform from the menu on the command palette).
  2. The Selection menu entry should now appear depressed to indicate that the Selection command is active.
  3. Press the Tab key. This shifts the input focus to the flow editor's canvas.
  4. Use the arrow keys to move the marking rectangle from node to node or to a note.
  5. Move the marking rectangle to the node or note that you want to select.
  6. The node or note is now selected.

To move a node or a note on the canvas

To move a node or a note on the canvas:
  1. Select the node or note (see To select a node or note in the flow).
  2. Press the period key (.):
    • If you are moving a node, press the period key once.
    • If you are moving a note, press the period key until the move icon is displayed.
  3. Use the arrow keys to move the node or note to the position that you want.
  4. Press Enter to confirm the new location, or press Escape to cancel the move operation.
    Note: When you press Escape, you will not see the cancellation reflected on the flow editor's canvas until you press Ctrl-S (Save) after having made some other change to the flow.

To resize a note on the canvas

To resize a note:
  1. Select the note (see To select a node or note in the flow).
  2. Press the period key (.) until the resizing handle that you want is selected.
  3. Use the arrow keys to move the sizing handle to the position that you want.
  4. Press Enter to confirm the new size, or press Escape to cancel the resize operation.
    Note: When you press Escape, you will not see the cancellation reflected on the flow editor's canvas until you press Ctrl-S (Save) after having made some other change to the flow.

To connect two nodes on the canvas

Note: You can connect any two nodes so long as the source node has at least one output terminal (terminal) and the target node has at least one input terminal (Terminal).
To connect two nodes on the canvas:
  1. Select the source node (see To select a node or note in the flow).
  2. The input focus should be still be on the flow editor's canvas. (You can still move the marking rectangle from node to node.)
  3. Press Shift-F10 to open the flow editor's contextual menu.
  4. Select Create Connection and press Enter.
    1. If the source node has multiple output terminals (Terminals), the Terminal Selection window opens.
    2. Select the terminal that you want to be the source of the connection.
    3. Press OK to close the Terminal Selection window.
  5. A connection line appears, anchored to the selected terminal (Terminal).
  6. Use the arrow keys to move the marking rectangle from node to node.
    • If the marking rectangle is a double rectangle, then you can connect to the selected node.
    • If the marking rectangle changes to a single rectangle, then you cannot connect to the selected node. (For example, if the selected node is a Receive node, which has no input terminal, then the marking rectangle changes to a single rectangle.)
  7. Move the marking rectangle to the target node.
  8. Press Enter to complete the connection to the target node or press Esc to cancel this connection.
  9. At this point the input focus is still on the flow editor's canvas, and the Selection mode is still active. You can immediately select another node and create another connection.

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