Data Source Area

The Data Source area displays the contents of the file being processed. There is a separate tab for each file, which allows you to open multiple files at once.

You must select text from the file and select a parameter to define a read or write action. The action is executed as soon as it is created: the value of the parameter is updated with the text read, or the file is updated with the parameter value written, allowing you to see how the file and parameters will look when the Data Exchanger component is executed.

The text is highlighted in different colors to indicate how the Data Exchanger processes the text:

Green Data being read into a parameter.
Pink Data being written from a parameter
Orange String found using the Marker command.
White Current section (initially the whole file).
Yellow Sub-sections of the current section. If you format part of a file as a table and click outside the table, the table will be yellow and the rest of the file will be white.
Gray Area outside of the currently selected section. If you format part of a text file as a table and select the table, the table will be white and everything outside the table will be gray.

Clicking a gray or yellow section navigates through the sections. Clicking in a green or pink highlighted area selects the read or write action and the parameter. Right-clicking in the data area displays a menu of available actions. Depending on the area where you click, the following options may be available:

Load Sample File Loads a new data file to test how the parsing instructions will act on it.
Edit Section Details Changes the details of how the section (or whole file) is parsed. Typically, this option is used to change the delimiters that separate words.
Edit Selected Statement Edits the currently selected statement (action). This is usually a read or write action. If no read/write action is selected, it is the section.
Edit Format For Write actions, opens a dialog box where you can set a format to control how a number is printed.
Find For the General Text format, opens a find dialog box to search for text.
Marker For the General Text format, opens a find dialog box to search for a string and remembers where it was found. This marker can be used as an anchor for subsequent read/write actions.
Insert Read Creates a read action. This action works in the same manner as the Read button in the Parameter Read/Write area. If a write action is currently selected, this action converts the write action to a read action.
Insert Write Creates a write action. This action works in the same manner as the Write button in the Parameter Read/Write area. If a read action is currently selected, this action converts the read action to a write action.
New Section Creates a new section from the currently selected text.
Remove read/write instruction Removes the selected read or write instruction. This is the same as the button located in the Parameter Read/Write area.
Delete Section Deletes the currently selected section, or the whole file if the current selection is the whole file.
Close Data Source Removes the whole file, regardless of the section currently selected.