Using the PeopleSoft Application Designer User Interface

This table describes the six main elements that comprise the PeopleSoft Application Designer user interface:

Element	Description
Title bar	Displays the name of the database, the active project (optional), and the active definition (optional) in the following format: Application Designer - DB_NAME - PROJECT_NAME - DEFN_NAME (Type)
Menu	Provides access to PeopleSoft Application Designer items and features.
Toolbar	Displays buttons that are useful in editing the active definition.
Project workspace	Provides a graphical representation of the components that are contained in a project. The project workspace has two folder tabs: Development View. Upgrade View.
Definition workspace	Displays individual definitions that you open.
Output window	Contains the output text from PeopleSoft Application Designer operations, such as Build (SQL Create and Alter), Find Definition References, Upgrade, Results, Validate, and PeopleCode Log.

Note:

You should maximize the PeopleSoft Application Designer window to make optimal use of the different workspaces.

Application Designer Menus

This topic reviews the general PeopleSoft Application Designer menus. Specific menus appear for each definition when it is open and active. Those menus are discussed in the topic about each definition.

Note:

The menu items that appear on each menu often depend on the type of definition that is open in the definition workspace. Those menu items are described in the corresponding topics.

In addition to the standard Microsoft Windows File menu items, several PeopleTools-specific items appear in the File menu. This table lists the PeopleTools-related File menu items:

File Menu Items	Usage
Save Project	Save the project.
Save Project As	Save the active project definition. This menu item enables you to change the name of the project when you save it.
Print Project	Print an Upgrade Project report for all the elements in the open project.
Merge Projects	Create a new project from selected definitions of two existing projects.
Project Properties	Edit properties for the open project.
Definition Properties	Provide general comments and change attributes for the active definition. You can change attributes for Use, Type, and Internet properties, depending on the definition type.
View Report	View a report of the definition in an open window in the workspace.
Report from File, Print Preview	View a print preview of a selected report file that is saved to a disk.
Report from File, Print	Print a selected report file from a disk.
Report from File, View Report	View a report from a selected report file that is saved to a disk.
List of last opened definitions	View and open one of the last few definitions you opened. You can configure the maximum number of definitions that appear in the list. See Setting PeopleTools Options.

In addition to the standard Microsoft Windows-based menu items, such as Cut and Paste, two PeopleTools-specific menu items appear in the Edit menu. This table describes their use:

Edit Menu Items	Usage
Find Definition References	Search for all related definitions and references (fields, records, pages, PeopleCode, application packages, and so on) to the current open definition. The results appear on the Find Definition References tab of the Display window. See Finding Definition References.
Find In	Search through all PeopleCode, SQL programs, HTML definitions, and Free form sub style sheets for a text string that you describe in a dialog box. You can also specify which type of PeopleCode and SQL programs to search. You can also search for custom style classes used in fluid pages and page fields, enabling you to identify where specific style classes are referenced across PeopleCode, HTML definitions, free form sub style sheets, and fluid page field definitions. See PeopleCode Developer’s Guide: Using the Find In Feature.

This table describes the use of View menu items:

View Menu Items	Usage
View Definition	View a definition that is referenced in the active definition. For example, if you highlight a record field in a record definition, then selecting this option opens the selected field definition.
View PeopleCode	View PeopleCode characteristics of the active definition.
Filtering	Select a filter option for your view of upgrade: No Filtering. Selected for Upgrade Action. Not Selected for Upgrade Action. Custom Filtering.
Toolbar	Show or hide the toolbar.
Status Bar	Show or hide the status bar.
Project Workspace	Show or hide the project workspace.
Output Window	Show or hide the output window.
Property Window	Show or hide the property window.

This table describes the use of Insert menu items:

Insert Menu Items	Usage
Current Definition into Project	Insert the active definition into the project.
Definitions into Project	Display a dialog box to insert definitions into the project.

This table describes the use of Build menu items:

Build Menu Items	Usage
Current Definition	Display a dialog box to build or alter the record definition that is currently active in the definition workspace.
Project	Display a dialog box to build (SQL Create and SQL Alter) all project records.
Settings	Display a dialog box in which you set parameters that apply to build operations.

This table describes the use of Debug menu items:

Debug Menu Items	Usage
PeopleCode Debugger Mode	Start the PeopleCode Debugger, which invokes a debugging session and causes a full Debug menu to appear. When in Debugger mode, a Local Variables pop-up window appears in the definition workspace. See PeopleCode Developer’s Guide: Understanding the PeopleCode Debugger.

This table describes the use of Tools menu items:

Tools Menu Items	Usage
Validate Project	Validate attributes of the active project.
Validate Database for WSRP	Important: WSRP is desupported in PeopleTools 8.61, and currently exists for backward compatibility only.
Compile All PeopleCode	Validate all of the PeopleCode in the current database. Displays the Compile All PeopleCode dialog box where you can choose to compile and save all PeopleCode and all Directive PeopleCode. See PeopleCode Developer’s Guide: Compiling All PeopleCode Programs at Once andLifecycle Management Guide: Compiling and Saving Directive PeopleCode.
Compile Project PeopleCode	Validate the PeopleCode in the current project.
Diff / Merge Project PeopleCode	Compare and merge two PeopleCode definitions during an upgrade.
Diff / Merge External Text	Compare and merge two versions of an external text file (such as a Data Mover script or a SQL script) during an upgrade.
Compare and Report	Compare two projects and report on the differences.
Copy Project	Copy the current project to a database or a file, or export a project from a file to your database.
Data Administration	Open dialog boxes that describe space allocation in the database.
Change Control	Open dialog boxes to view history or set system-wide change control options as the administrator.
Upgrade	Upgrade an application project.
Translate	Translate base and operator language databases.
Miscellaneous Definitions	Set custom field formats, toolbars, colors, styles, access profiles, and file type codes. Important: Styles are a desupported feature. You must maintain styles by using style sheet definitions. See Understanding Style Sheets and Style Classes.
Bulk Operations	Insert, modify, or delete certain definition types across your entire database in one operation.
Options	Select commands specifying insertion commands, definition language preference, validating options, PeopleCode fonts, definition owner ID, and more.

This table describes the use of Window menu items:

Window Menu Items	Usage
Cascade	Cascade all of the definitions that are not minimized in the definition workspace into overlapping layers of definitions with the definition names visible.
Tile	Reorganize and resize all of the definitions that are not minimized in the definition workspace so that they are all visible and do not overlap.
Arrange Icons	Group all of the minimized definitions in the definition workspace.
Close All	Close all of the definitions in the definition workspace.

This table describes the use of Help menu items:

Help Menu Items	Usage
Current Window	Provide context-sensitive help that is related to the active window by opening the appropriate documentation in the appropriate location.
PeopleBooks Library	Go to the PeopleSoft Online Library (the online documentation for PeopleTools and your licensed PeopleSoft applications).
About PeopleTools	Display the PeopleTools release level, application release, user ID, database name, database type, and application server name.

PeopleSoft Application Designer Toolbars

In addition to the standard Microsoft Windows toolbar button items, such as Cut, Paste, and Save, several items are PeopleTools-specific. The command name appears in parentheses following its description.

Field or Control	Description
	Open the Definition Properties dialog box (File, and then Definition Properties).
	Open the Build dialog box (Build, and then Current Definition).
	Toggle the display of the project workspace (View, and then Project Workspace).

Project Workspace

View projects and their associated definitions in the project workspace. A project organizes a collection of definitions in logical groups for easier development, adaptation, maintenance, and upgrade.

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Project workspace shown with a project open. You can find definitions for the fields and controls later on this page.

Work with a development project or an upgrade project by selecting either the Development tab or the Upgrade tab at the bottom of the project workspace.

The text on the Development and Upgrade tabs might not appear if your monitor is not large enough to display it.

Definition Workspace

Use the definition workspace to create and modify definitions. You can maximize, minimize, cascade, or tile them in the workspace.

Output Window

The output window displays status messages of various PeopleSoft Application Designer operations. The output is organized into different categories by using tabs at the bottom of the window.

The text that appears in the output window is context-sensitive, which enables you to select it and perform related operations. For example, if you have a field definition open, select Edit, and then Find Definition References to list the definitions that reference the active field definition. The list appears in the output window. Double-click any of the related definitions listed to open them.

The output window has several tabs that relate to numerous functions that you can perform with PeopleSoft Application Designer: This table describes the use of the tabs:

Tab	Usage
Build	Create tables, indexes, views, triggers, and alter tables. If you select the Log to Output Window option in the Build settings, then errors, warnings, and informational messages appear here. You can control the level of detail that appears.
Find Definition References	View definitions that other references use or reference. Double-click a definition to open it.
Upgrade	View upgrade actions that are initiated from PeopleSoft Application Designer.
Results	View messages related to project operations, like opening a project or inserting definitions into a project.
Validate	Validate projects and components, and view the results.
Find In	View the Find In dialog box output. Double-click a definition to open it. You can limit the Find In search to a specific project rather than the entire database.
PeopleCode Log	View errors that you receive when you are in the debugger stepping through code.