2 Desktop for Eclipse Elements

Desktop for Eclipse is the VoiceObjects development environment based on the Eclipse framework.

This chapter provides an overview of the basic elements of Desktop for Eclipse. The major elements are described in more detail in the following chapters: Chapter 3 – Repository Browser, Chapter 4 – Object Browser and Object Palette, Chapter 5 – Dialog Designer and Chapter 6 – Object Editors.

For more information on how to develop applications with VoiceObjects see Chapter 7 – Basic Commands and see the Design Guide.

Elements Overview

Initially, Desktop for Eclipse shows the following default layout, also called the VoiceObjects perspective:

Desktop for Eclipse controls certain menus and bars and consists of various views and editors.

Views in Eclipse can typically be closed and re-opened or moved around (see views and editors). To reset the layout to the default settings of the VoiceObjects perspective, open the Window menu and click Reset Perspective.

Menus and Bars

Desktop for Eclipse contains the following control elements:

Element	Description
Menu bar	Contains both standard Eclipse and VoiceObjects-specific menus.
Toolbar	Contains shortcut buttons to frequently used commands.
Status bar	Displays the most recent information about the current project and the VoiceObjects environment.

Menu bar

The menu bar of Desktop for Eclipse allows access to both standard Eclipse and VoiceObjects-specific menus and options. The current documentation only covers the VoiceObjects-specific part. For details on the standard Eclipse menus see the Eclipse documentation.

The VoiceObjects-specific options are explained in detail below.

VoiceObjects menu

The VoiceObjects menu contains commands associated with projects and project versions or the administration of your VoiceObjects installation.

The VoiceObjects menu commands have the following functions:

Command	Function
Import	Opens up the Import window to import objects and files into the current project. For details see Import objects in Chapter 7 – Basic Commands.
Export Project Version	Opens up the Export window in order to export an entire project version. For details see Export a Project Version in Chapter 3 – Repository Browser.
Backup All Projects	Opens up the Backup All Projects window in order to create a backup of all projects and libraries in the repository. For details see Backing Up All Projects in Chapter 3 – Repository Browser.
Project Documentation	Opens up the Project Documentation window to specify various options and create the corresponding project documentation as a PDF document. For details see Creating Project Documentation in Chapter 9 – Project Documentation and Storyboard Export.
Storyboard Export	Opens up the Storyboard Export window to specify various options and create the corresponding storyboard as a Microsoft Excel file. For details see Creating Storyboard Export in Chapter 9 – Project Documentation and Storyboard Export.
Launch Storyboard Manager	Launches the Storyboard Manager for Design and Migration. For details on how to use this tool see the Storyboard Manager Guide.
Developer Portal	Opens up the VoiceObjects Developer Portal in a new browser window.
Support Chat	Initiates a chat session with Voxeo Extreme Support, if a Support agent is available.
Check for Update	Checks if there are any updates available for download for the VoiceObjects Desktop version you are working with.
Switch Connection Mode	Opens up the Switch Connection Mode dialog to change from standalone mode to network mode or vice versa. For details see Configuring the Connection Mode in Chapter 10 – VoiceObjects Preferences.
Change Password	Allows changing your current password.
Configure Licenses	Opens up the License editor to view or modify the current licenses or to specify new licenses. For details see Chapter 4 – Managing Licenses in the Administration Guide.
Enter Reviewer Annotation	Opens up the Reviewer Annotation window to enter an annotation for the project version. For details on entering reviewer annotations see Entering a Reviewer Annotation in Chapter 3 – Repository Browser.
Optimize Embedded Database	Optimizes the embedded database used as Metadata Repository when working in standalone mode.

i8Note: Depending on your user role and the mode you are currently working in not all of the commands explained above may be accessible. For detailed information on user roles and their privileges see Chapter 2 – User Management – Basic Topics in the Administration Guide.

Windows menu

The Windows menu contains commands associated with perspectives and views or with preferences of plug-ins.

The Window menu commands have the following functions:

Command	Function
New Window	Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
New Editor	Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
Open Perspective	If the VoiceObjects perspective does not show up when entering Desktop for Eclipse you can open it using this command. Click Other and select VoiceObjects to open the VoiceObjects perspective.
Show View	Can be used to open a specific view of the VoiceObjects perspective, e.g. Desktop Logs. Note that some views like Outline and Navigator are Eclipse standard views. To open these views click Other and expand the folder General at the top in order to access them.
Customize Perspective…	Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
Save Perspective As…	Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
Reset Perspective	Resets the layout of the VoiceObjects perspective to the default layout.
Close Perspective	Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
Close All Perspectives	Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
Navigation	Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
Working Sets	Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
Preferences	Opens the Preferences window to specify plug-in-related settings. In order to define the VoiceObjects preferences click VoiceObjects in the left pane and specify the settings displayed in the right pane.

Help menu

The Help menu contains commands associated with help and assistance, software updates and general information about Eclipse and the plug-ins used.

The Help menu commands have the following functions:

Command	Function
Welcome	Opens up the VoiceObjects Welcome screen (for details see Chapter 1 – Getting Started with Desktop for Eclipse).
Help Contents	Opens up the general Eclipse Help which includes the VoiceObjects Help.
Search	Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
Dynamic Help	Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
Key Assist…	Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
Tips and Tricks…	Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
Cheat Sheets…	Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
Software Updates	Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
About Eclipse Platform	Opens up the About screen of Eclipse including information about the currently installed version of VoiceObjects Desktop for Eclipse. In order to view the About screen of VoiceObjects click the VoiceObjects logo.

Toolbar

The toolbar contains icons for commands frequently used in Desktop for Eclipse.

If you point to an icon a tooltip will be displayed providing the name of the command.

Button	Command	Sub-Command	Function
	New	Project	Opens up the general New Project window of Eclipse.
		VoiceObjects Project	Opens up the New Project window of VoiceObjects in order to create a new VoiceObjects project. For details see Creating a Project in Chapter 3 – Repository Browser.
		Other	Opens up the general New window of Eclipse.
	Save		Saves the active editor in the editor area.
	Print		Deactivated when working with the VoiceObjects perspective. Refer to Chapter 9 – Project Documentation and Storyboard Export for details on how to print dialog flows etc.
	Display Options		Related to dialog flows. Opens up the Display Options window to specify the display options for the active dialog flow.
	Expand Subtrees		Related to dialog flows. Expands the object selected in the active dialog flow - including all its subtrees.
	Collapse Subtrees		Related to dialog flows. Collapses the object selected in the active dialog flow - including all its subtrees.
	Refresh		Refreshes all active views.
	Debug		Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
	Run		Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
	External Tools		Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
	Search		Opens up the Search window to search for specific objects. For details see Chapter 8 – Object Search.
	Select Working Sets		Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
	Navigation Buttons		Eclipse functionality – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.

Status bar

The status bar at the bottom of Desktop for Eclipse displays the most recent information about the current VoiceObjects environment.

The following information is displayed here:

· An icon visualizing the connection mode, either standalone or network. The tooltip of the icon shows the repository ID of the Metadata Repository currently connected to (or just Standalone if working in standalone mode).

· The name of the user currently logged into Desktop for Eclipse. The corresponding user role is displayed in a tooltip.

· The currently opened project and project version.

· If the currently opened project or project version is locked this is indicated by a green lock icon (locked by yourself) or red lock icon (locked by another user).

· The product version and build number of Desktop for Eclipse.

Views and Editors

Views and editors are the main visual entities, which appear in an Eclipse-based environment. In Desktop for Eclipse there is a single editor area, which can contain multiple editors, and a number of surrounding views, which provide context.

The following elements are available in Desktop for Eclipse. Not all of them are displayed initially when entering the VoiceObjects perspective but open up as required. They are listed according to their location in the VoiceObjects perspective starting in the upper left corner.

Element	Description
Repository Browser	Contains folders and subfolders representing the projects and project versions and the libraries available. Moreover it contains folders for project-independent configuration objects filled with the respective objects available for that type. For details on the Repository Browser see Chapter 3 – Repository Browser.
Object Browser	Contains folders and subfolders filled with the respective objects available for that type in the current project. For details on the Object Browser see Chapter 4 – Object Browser and Object Palette.
Navigator	Standard view of Eclipse showing the available resource files of the workspace. The workspace also contains all project documentation and storyboard export files generated by VoiceObjects.
Editor area	Used for creating or editing objects in editors and for displaying dialog flows in Dialog Designers. In Desktop for Eclipse there is a single editor area, which can contain multiple editors or Dialog Designers.
Object editors	Used for creating or editing objects. Object editors vary depending on the particular object type. Object editors always consist of an Outline and an object type-specific editor (see below). For details on the object editors see Chapter 6 – Object Editors.
Outline	Related to object editors. Shows an overview on the currently open editor and may be used for navigation. By clicking an item in the Outline the corresponding section will be displayed in the editor.
Editor	Shows the content of an object and allows editing it. If multiple objects are open at the same time, one tab will be shown for each open editor in the editor area.
Dialog Designer	Displays dialog flows for selected objects of the current project in the editor area. For details on the Dialog Designer see Chapter 5 – Dialog Designer.
Object Palette	Contains folders for all object categories filled with the respective object types, using the same structure as the Object Browser. With the Object Palette new objects can easily be created by double-clicking or by using the drag & drop functionality to directly link them into an object editor or a dialog flow. For details on the Object Palette see Chapter 4 – Object Browser and Object Palette
Control Center	Enables the administration of remote servers and services. The Control Center is described in detail in the Deployment Guide. To access the Control Center, you need the appropriate rights (administrator or controller).
Console	Standard view of Eclipse – not covered in the VoiceObjects documentation.
Search Result	Displays a list of objects that match the search criteria defined in the Search window. The Search Result is also filled with the corresponding objects if double-clicking a category or object type folder in the Object Browser. For details see Chapter 8 – Object Search.
Test Monitor	Used for intermediate testing of an object or an application. For details on the Test Monitor see Test Application in Chapter 7 – Basic Commands.
Desktop Logs	Displays a list of all Desktop log files (see Desktop Logs below).
Desktop Sessions	Displays the currently active Desktop sessions. For details see Monitoring Desktop Sessions in Chapter 2 – User Management – Basic Topics in the Administration Guide.

Views in Eclipse can typically be moved around by dragging their tab header to a specific position.

They can be closed by clicking the Close button in the upper right corner, as well as minimized by clicking the Minimize button and maximized by clicking the Maximize button .

To re-open a view, open the Window menu, click Show View and select the view you want to be displayed. Note that some views cannot be opened manually, but will open up automatically if required. The Object Browser for instance will be displayed when double-clicking a project version or library in the Repository Browser.

Desktop Logs

The Desktop Logs information is initially displayed as a tab at the bottom of the VoiceObjects perspective next to the Control Center. It contains a list of all Desktop log files and allows viewing these files.

In order to view a log file either double-click it or right-click it and select View from the context menu. The log file will then be loaded into the editor area.