# Working in the Design View

This section describes the components and tools you use to design your business process in the WebLogic Workshop graphical design environment. Ensure that you are familiar with the following items—you will use them throughout the tutorial.

Application Pane

Provides a hierarchical representation of the source files in your project, and provides a place where you can save, open, add, and delete project files. Projects group source files as WebLogic Server Web applications.
If the Application pane is not visible in WebLogic Workshop, choose View —> Application from the WebLogic Workshop menu

Design View

The Design View is your primary working canvas. It displays the business process as you design it. When you are working in the Design View, you can access the tools you need from the WebLogic Workshop menu bar.

You can also right-click a node or a group of nodes in the Design View to access options—different options are available depending on the process node you are designing. Options available from the right-click menu include the following: Rename to rename the node, Add Exception Path to add an exception path to a node or a group of nodes, Add Message Path to add a message path to a node or group of nodes, Cut, Copy, Delete, and so on.

To learn more about groups of nodes in the Design View, see Grouping Nodes in Your Business Process.

Source View

The Source View displays the source code for the current business process. As you design your business process, source code is written to the JPD file in keeping with the work you do in the Design View. You can also design and edit your JPD file in the Source View. To learn more about the Source View, see Business Process Source Code.

Palette

The Palette displays the nodes that you can add to your business process. Nodes represent different types of logic in your business process.
If the Palette is not visible in WebLogic Workshop, choose View —> Windows —> Palette from the WebLogic Workshop menu.
As you drag a node from the Palette onto the Design View, targets appear on your business process. As you drag the node near a target location, the target is activated . When this happens, you can release the mouse button and the node snaps to the business process at the location indicated by the active target. Note that if you create a node at an invalid location (that is, if you create invalid logic in your business process flow) that node is marked with the following icon in the Design View: . Move your mouse pointer over the error icon to see a message that describes the error.

Data Palette

The Data Palette includes the following tabs: Variables and Controls. The Variables tab displays the variables created in your business process, and allows you to create new variables. The Controls tab displays the instances of controls in your business process and allows you to add new instances.

Use the Add command on the Data Palette to create instances of variables and controls in your project. You can also create variables and instances of controls in other ways as you work in the Design View to create your process logic. As you work through the tutorial, you will employ the various methods of designing controls and variables in your business processes.
If the Data Palette is not visible in WebLogic Workshop, choose View —> Windows —> Data Palette from the menu bar.

Property Editor

Provides read and write access to the properties of a node or group of nodes selected in the Design View.
If the Property Editor is not visible in WebLogic Workshop, choose View —> Property Editor from the menu bar.

### Functions and Shortcuts

You will use the following functions and shortcuts frequently throughout the tutorial:

Save: Saves the file currently displayed in the Design or Source View.

Save All (Ctrl+S): Saves all the files in your application.

Start (Ctrl+F5): Build and run the business process currently open in the Design or Source View.

Stop (Shift+F5): Stop building and running the business process currently open in the Design or Source View and the Test Browser.

Build (F7): Build your application.

F2: To change the label (name) on a node in your business process, click F2 when your mouse is active on the node in the Design View, enter the name you want to give the node, then click Enter on your keyboard.

Use the up and down arrows on your keyboard to navigate up and down between the nodes in your business process.

Use the right and left arrows on your keyboard to expand and collapse a group of nodes.

Related Topics

Using Keyboard Shortcuts