This series of steps guides you through some of the features
and capabilities of the BMS Map Editor. For detailed information about
procedures and configuration, see the specific topics in the BMS Map
Editor helps.
Note: You should regularly save any modifications to a map set.
In Rational® Developer,
the BMS Map Editor is associated with .bms map set files and is available
in any perspective. The editor uses the following views:
- Project Explorer
- Outline
- Palette
- Properties
You can import map set files in certain perspectives, such as Enterprise
Service Tools.
You can export maps to a JavaServer Faces Web page and its components.
See Generating a JSF Web page for
detailed instructions.
Creating a new project
You can create a map
set only in an existing project. If you do not have an existing simple
or dynamic Web project, complete the following steps to create a new
project:
- Click .
- Select .
- Type Test project as the project name.
Test project is displayed in the Project
Explorer view, in the Other Projects group.
Creating a new map set
To create a new map
set within a project, complete the following steps:
- Click .
- Select from the list of file wizards.
- Click Next.
- Select Test project as the parent folder.
- Type New map set.bms as the file name.
- Click Finish to accept the default configuration.
The map set file New map set.bms is
displayed in Test project in the Project Explorer
view, within the Other Projects group.
Adding maps to the map set
To add and modify
maps and fields within the map set, complete the following steps:
- Click and hold the left mouse button in the Design canvas.
- Drag the full-screen map down and to the right. Note that the
size and position of the map are displayed in the pop-up box.
- In the Palette view, click Map.
- Move the cursor to the Design canvas and click to place the map.
You can use the Select tool to move
and resize the map.
Viewing and modifying map properties
Select
a map in the Design canvas. Note that the map properties are displayed
in the Properties view. The selected map is highlighted in the Outline
view.
To modify map properties from the Design canvas, complete
the following steps:
- In the Outline view, right-click MAP2.
Note that the map is highlighted in the Design canvas.
- Click the Toggle Black and White Mode button
to more easily view the selected map.
- Right-click the highlighted map in the Design canvas.
- Select Map Properties to modify the settings.
To modify map properties in the Source page, complete the
following steps:
- Click the Source tab below the Design canvas.
- Locate the Map1 label.
- Place the cursor in the source code and change the map size parameters
to SIZE=(14,60). This changes the height of the map
to 14 columns and the width to 60 columns. Note that the change is
shown in the Properties view.
Adding and modifying fields
To add and modify
a label field, complete the following steps:
- Click the Label button in the Constant
Fields drawer.
- Click in the Design canvas to place the field. If the location
is not valid (for example, outside the boundaries of an existing map),
you will not be able to place the field.
- Note that the label field is not displayed with the map in the
Outline view. Click Show Unnamed Fields to
display the label field in the Outline view.
- Left-click the field in the Design canvas once and type a new
label value.
- Double-click the field in the Design canvas.
- Add a name for the label field and click Apply.
Click Show Unnamed Fields again; the field
is displayed with its name, in the Outline view.
- Right-click the field in the Outline view. Select Cut to
remove the field from its current map.
- Select a different map in the Outline view. Press Ctrl+V to place
the field into that map.
To add and modify a password field, complete the following
steps:
- Click the Password field button in the Variable
Fields drawer.
- Place the pointer in the Design canvas. A drop box is added to
the simple pointer.
- Click and hold the left mouse button at the location that you
want.
- Draw the field to a width of 5 characters and release the mouse
button.
Note: The height in the pop-up box cannot be greater than 2
characters; the drawn box can be only 0 or 1 character high.
Align the fields by completing the following steps:
- In the Outline view, select multiple fields by holding the Ctrl
key and clicking the field icons.
- Right-click one of the highlighted fields in the Design canvas.
- Select . The
fields are aligned to the top of the map.
Use the Shift key with the Select tool to grab and move
multiple items in the Design canvas. View the maps and fields with
the other display options, to see how they can assist you in modifying
maps and fields.
Adding tables
To create a table with 3 columns
that are each 5 characters wide, you need to create a box with a width
of 15 columns. If you want to include a label row and a separator
row, you should add two rows when drawing the box in the Design canvas.
Complete
the following steps to add a table:
- Click the Table button in the Advanced
palette.
- Click the pointer in the Design canvas, using the pop-up dialog
to place the table. The Create New Table wizard
opens.
- Specify the number of rows and columns. Click Next.
- Add the number of columns that you want, specifying the parameters
of each column.
The table is displayed in the Outline view as a set of
label and input fields. You can edit these fields in the same manner
as individually placed fields.
Filtering and previewing maps
Use the
Filters feature
to view, prioritize, or hide specific maps within a set:
- Click the Filters button above the Design
canvas. Note that the name of the current filter is displayed below
the selection button.
- Click New to add a new filter.
- Move maps up or down the filter list, or deselect maps.
Note
the changes in the Preview pane. Filters display the enabled maps
in order, as you look at the Preview pane or Design canvas (the second
map is placed behind the first, the third is placed behind the second,
and so on).
- Click OK to complete the filter modification.
- Click the drop-down list beside the Filters button
and select the newly added filter from the list of available filters.
Note that the filtered maps are not displayed in the Design canvas
or the Outline view.
- Click the Preview tab. In Normal mode,
the filtered maps are not displayed.
The Preview page displays maps and fields in Web and Normal mode.
Normal mode provides a terminal-like preview, with full filtering
capability. The Web mode shows all maps in a set.