Pasting information into scripts
You can paste the names of variables, functions, objects,
controls, and other items directly into your scripts. (You can also
use AutoScript. See Using
AutoScript.) If what you paste includes commented text that you
need to replace, such as function arguments or clauses in a statement,
you can use Edit>Go To>Next Marker to move your cursor to the
next commented item in the template.
|
To paste |
Use |
|---|---|
|
PowerBuilder objects and their properties, |
System Tree |
|
Properties, datatypes, functions, structures, |
Browser |
|
Contents of clipboard |
Edit > Paste |
|
Contents of Clipboard window |
Drag and drop |
|
Objects, controls, arguments, and global and |
Paste buttons on PainterBar or Edit > Paste |
|
PowerScript statements |
Paste Statement button or Edit > Paste |
|
SQL statements |
Paste SQL button or Edit > Paste |
|
Built-in, user-defined, and external |
Paste Function button or Edit > Paste |
|
Preprocessor statements |
Edit > Paste |
|
Contents of text files |
Edit > Paste Special>From |
Undoing a paste
If you paste information into your script by mistake, click
the Undo button or select Edit>Undo from the menu bar.
Some of these techniques are explained in the sections that
follow.
Using the System Tree
To paste the name of a PowerBuilder object or of any of its
properties, functions, or events, select the item you want to paste on
the Workspace tab of the System Tree and drag it into your
script.
Using the Browser
You can use the Browser to paste the name of any property,
datatype, function, structure, variable, or object in the
application.
Most tab pages in the Browser have two panes:
The left pane displays a single type of object, such as a window
or menu. The right pane displays the properties, events, functions,
external functions, instance variables, shared variables, and
structures associated with the object.
Getting context-sensitive Help in the Browser
To get context-sensitive Help for an object, control, or
function, select Help from its pop-up menu.
To use the Browser to paste information into the Script
view
-
Click the Browser button in the PowerBar, or select
Tools>Browser. -
Select the target you want to browse.
-
Select the appropriate tab and then select the object in the
left pane. -
Select the category of information you want to display by
expanding the appropriate folder in the right pane. -
Select the information and click Copy.
-
In the Script view, move the cursor where you want to paste
the information and select any text you want to replace with the
pasting. -
Select Paste from the pop-up menu.
PowerBuilder displays the information at the insertion point
in the script, replacing any selected text.For information about using the Browser to paste OLE object
information into a script, see the section called “OLE
information in the Browser” in Application Techniques.
Pasting
statements
You can paste a template for all basic forms of the following
PowerScript statements:
-
IF…THEN
-
DO…LOOP
-
FOR…NEXT
-
CHOOSE CASE
-
TRY…CATCH… FINALLY
When you paste these statements into a script, prototype values
display in the syntax to indicate conditions or actions. By default,
the statements are pasted in lowercase. To paste statements in
uppercase, add the following line to the [PB] section of the PB.INI
file:
|
1 |
PasteLowercase=0 |
This setting also affects AutoScript.
To paste a PowerScript statement into the script
-
Place the insertion point where you want to paste the
statement in the script. -
Select the Paste Statement button from the PainterBar, or
select Edit>Paste Special>Statement from the menu
bar. -
Select the statement you want to paste from the cascading
menu.The statement prototype displays at the insertion point in
the script. -
Replace the prototype values with the conditions you want to
test and the actions you want to take based on the test
results.For more about PowerScript statements, see the section called “PowerScript Statements” in PowerScript Reference.
Pasting SQL
You can paste a SQL statement into your script instead of typing
the statement.
To paste a SQL statement
-
Place the insertion point where you want to paste the SQL
statement in the script. -
Click the Paste SQL button in the PainterBar, or select
Edit>Paste Special>SQL from the menu bar. -
Select the type of statement you want to insert from the
cascading menu by double-clicking the appropriate button.The appropriate dialog box displays so that you can create
the SQL statement. -
Create the statement, then return to the Script view.
The statement displays at the insertion point in the
workspace.
For more about embedding SQL in scripts, see the section called “Using SQL in
scripts” in PowerScript Reference.
Pasting functions
You can paste any function into a script.
To paste a function into a script
-
Place the insertion point where you want to paste the
function in the script. -
Click the Paste Function button in the PainterBar, or select
Edit>Paste Special>Function from the menu bar. -
Choose the type of function you want to paste: built-in,
user-defined, or external. -
Double-click the function you want from the list that
displays.PowerBuilder pastes the function into the script and places
the cursor within the parentheses so that you can define any
needed arguments.
For more about pasting user-defined functions, see Pasting user-defined functions. For more
about external and built-in functions, see the section called “Using
external functions” in Application Techniques.
Pasting contents of
files
If you have code that is common across different scripts, you
can keep that code in a text file, then paste it into new scripts you
write. For shorter snippets of code, you can also use the Clip window.
See The Clip window.
To import the contents of a file into the Script view
-
Place the insertion point where you want the file contents
pasted. -
Select Edit > Paste Special>From File from the menu
bar.The Paste From File dialog box displays, listing all files
with the extension SCR. If necessary, navigate to the directory
that contains the script you want to paste. -
Choose the file containing the code you want. You can change
the type of files displayed by changing the file specification in
the File Name box.PowerBuilder copies the file into the Script view at the
insertion point.
Saving a script to a file
To save all or part of a script to an external text file,
select the code you want to save and copy and paste it to the file
editor. Use the extension .SCR to identify it as PowerScript code.
You might want to use this technique to save a backup copy before
you make major changes or so that you can use the code in other
scripts.