Format Builder
Format Builder Menus
File Menu
Edit Menu
Insert Menu
View Menu
Tools Menu
Shortcut Menu
File Menu
The following commands are available from the File Menu.
Menu Command
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Description
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New
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Creates a new Message Format document.
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Open
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Opens an existing Message Format document.
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Close
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Closes the current Message Format document.
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Save
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Saves the current Message Format document.
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Save As
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Saves the current Message Format under a different name document.
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Properties
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Opens the Properties window for the selected file or message format. You can change the MFL encoding or MFL version for the selected item.
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Exits
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Closes the application.
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Edit Menu
The following commands are available from the Edit Menu.
Note: Some commands may be unavailable, depending on the actions you have taken.
Menu Command
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Description
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Undo
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Reverses the previous action. The Undo command in the Edit Menu changes to indicate the action that can be undone. For example, changing the name of a field to Field1 and clicking Apply causes the Edit Menu to read "Undo Apply Field Field1".
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Redo
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Reverses the effects of an Undo command. The Redo command in the Edit Menu changes to indicate the action that can be redone. For example, changing the name of a field to Field1 and then undoing that action causes the Edit Menu to read "Redo Apply Field Field1".
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Cut
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Removes the item currently selected in the left-hand pane, and it's child objects, from the tree. This item is placed on the clipboard for pasting into another location.
Note: This action is not available if the Message Format (root) item is selected.
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Copy
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Makes a copy of the item currently selected in the left-hand pane for insertion elsewhere in the tree.
Note: This action is not available if the Message Format (root) item is selected.
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Paste
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Inserts the cut or copied item. An additional menu displays when you select Paste. You can choose to paste the item as a child or sibling of the selected item. In addition, you can choose to paste a reference as a sibling of the selected item.
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Duplicate
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Makes a copy of the item selected in the tree. The duplicate item contains the same values as the original item. The name of the duplicate item is the same as the original item name, but the word "New" is inserted before the original name. For example, duplicating an item called "Field1" results in an item with the name "NewField1".
When you duplicate an item with a numeric value in its name, the new item name contains the next sequential number. For example, duplicating "NewGroup1" results in a group named "NewGroup2".
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Delete
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Deletes the item selected in the tree, as well as all child objects of that item.
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Move Up
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Moves the selected item up one position under its parent.
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Move Down
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Moves the selected item down one position under its parent.
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Promote
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Promotes the selected item to the next highest level in the tree. For example, Field1 is the child object of Group1. Selecting Field1 and clicking the Promote tool makes it a sibling of Group1.
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Demote
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Demotes the selected item to the next lower level in the tree. For example, Group1 is the sibling of Field1. Field1 immediately follows Group1 in the tree. Selecting Field1 and clicking the Demote tool makes it a child of Group1.
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Insert Menu
The following commands are available from the Insert Menu.
Menu Command
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Description
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Field
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Inserts a new field. You can choose whether to insert the field as a child or sibling of the item selected in the tree.
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Group
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Inserts a new group. You can choose whether to insert the group as a child or sibling of the item selected in the tree.
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Comment
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Inserts a comment. You can choose whether to insert the comment as a child or sibling of the item selected in the tree.
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View Menu
The following commands are available from the View Menu.
Menu Command
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Description
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Show Palette
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Displays the palette window. For more information on the palette, see Using the Palette.
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Expand All
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Expands the entire tree pane to show the child objects of all items in the tree.
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Collapse All
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Collapses the entire tree pane to show only the root message format.
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Tools Menu
The following commands are available from the Tools Menu.
Menu Command
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Description
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Import
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Displays a list of the installed importers. Choose the importer from which you want to import a message.
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Test
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Opens the Format Tester. Refer to Format Tester for more information.
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Options
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Displays the Format Builder Options dialog. Refer to Format Builder Options for more information.
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Help Menu
The following commands are available from the Help Menu.
Menu Command
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Description
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Help Topics
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Displays the main Help screen.
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How Do I. . .
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Provides step-by-step instructions for performing the basic tasks in Format Builder.
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About
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Displays version and copyright information about Format Builder.
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Shortcut Menu
The following commands are available from the Shortcut Menus. You can access the Shortcut Menus by right-clicking an item in the tree.
Note: Some commands may be unavailable, depending on the item you have selected in the tree.
Menu Command
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Description
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Cut
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Removes the item currently selected in the left-hand pane, and it's child objects, from the tree.
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Copy
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Makes a copy of the item currently selected in the left-hand pane for insertion elsewhere in the tree.
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Paste
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Inserts the cut or copied item. An additional menu displays when you select Paste. You can choose to paste the item as a child or sibling of the selected item. In addition, you can choose to paste a reference to the cut or copied item as a sibling of the selected item.
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Insert Group
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Inserts a new group. You select whether to insert the group as a child or sibling of the selected item.
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Insert Field
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Inserts a new field. You select whether to insert the field as a child or sibling of the selected item.
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Insert Comment
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Inserts a comment. You select whether to insert the comment as a child or sibling of the selected item.
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Duplicate
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Makes a copy of the currently selected item. The duplicate item contains the same values as the original item. The name of the duplicate item is the same as the original item name, with the word "New" inserted before the original name. For example, duplicating a group called "Group1" results in a group with the name "NewGroup1".
When you duplicate an item with a numeric value in its name, the new item name contains the next sequential number. For example, duplicating "NewGroup1" results in a group named "NewGroup2".
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Delete
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Deletes the selected item.
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