Use BizTalk Editor Commands
Overview
When BizTalk Editor becomes active, it adds a menu called BizTalk to the Visual Studio shell. This menu provides access to the BizTalk Editor commands and their functionality. When BizTalk Editor is active, the BizTalk menu provides the commands that are specific to editing BizTalk schemas.
In addition and where applicable, BizTalk Editor uses existing Visual Studio menu items for commands that have obvious parallels to standard application functionality. For example, when BizTalk Editor is active, the Save command on the File menu saves changes to the schema that is currently being edited.
Commands list
The following table describes the commands within BizTalk Editor that can be used in the process of developing schemas.
| Command (Menu Locations) |
Description |
|---|---|
| Open Schema (File | Open | File...) |
Opens a BizTalk schema for editing in BizTalk Editor. Also available on the shortcut menu in Solution Explorer when a schema is selected, and by double-clicking a schema in Solution Explorer. |
| Close Schema (File | Close) |
Closes BizTalk Editor for the current schema, prompting to save any unsaved changes. Also available by using the standard Close button in the upper-right corner of the main editing window in Visual Studio. |
| New Schema (Project | Add New Item... | Schema) |
Creates a new BizTalk schema for editing and opens BizTalk Editor. Also available on the shortcut menu for the BizTalk project in Solution Explorer (Add | New Item). |
| Save Schema (File | Save schema.xsd) (File | Save schema.xsd As...) (File | Save All) |
Saves the BizTalk schema currently being edited under its own name, under a new name, or as part of saving all unsaved changes, respectively. |
| Cut, Copy, Paste Node (Edit | Cut, Edit | Copy, Edit | Paste) |
Allows Schema nodes to be moved and duplicated within the schema tree view. When applicable, these commands are also available on the shortcut menu for the selected node, and by using the standard cut, copy, and paste shortcut keys: CTRL+X, CTRL+C, and CTRL+V. |
| Delete Node (Edit | Delete) (BizTalk | Delete) |
Deletes the currently selected node in the schema tree view, with confirmation prompting. When applicable, this command is also available on the shortcut menu for the selected node. |
| Find Node (Edit | Find and Replace | Quick Find) |
Provides search functionality for node names in the schema tree view, which can be useful with large schemas. |
| Properties (View | Properties Window) (BizTalk | Properties) |
Provides access to the properties of schema tree view nodes, and to higher-level objects like the schemas themselves. Also available on the shortcut menu for the selected node. |
| Insert Schema Nodes (BizTalk | Insert Schema Node | *) |
Provides a way to insert a variety of different types of nodes into the schema tree view. For more information about the types of nodes that can be added, see BizTalk Representation of Schemas. When applicable, these commands are also available on the shortcut menu for the selected node. |
| Promote (BizTalk | Promote | *) |
Provides different ways to promote properties. Also available on the shortcut menu for the selected node. |
| Expand Schema Node (BizTalk | Expand Schema Node) |
Completely expands the currently selected (and at least partially collapsed) node in the schema tree view. When applicable, this command is also available on the shortcut menu for the selected node. |
| Collapse Schema Node (BizTalk | Collapse Schema Node) |
Collapses the currently selected (and at least partially expanded)node in the schema tree view. When applicable, this command is also available on the shortcut menu for the selected node. |
| Refresh XSD (BizTalk | Refresh XSD) |
Refreshes the XSD view, which may be set to not refresh automatically by selecting the Turn Off Auto Refresh check box below the XSD view. This command is also available on the shortcut menu for the selected node, and by clicking Refresh below the XSD view. |
| Rename (BizTalk | Rename) |
Allows Record, Field Attribute, and Field Element nodes to be renamed, in place, within the schema tree view. This command is equivalent to changing the Node Name property of the selected node. When applicable, this command is also available on the shortcut menu for the selected node. |
| BizTalk Editor Options (Tools | Options | BizTalk Editor) |
Allows configuration of confirmation dialogs (on or off), as well as font and background color adjustment. |
The following table describes additional schema commands that are available on the shortcut menu for the selected schema in Solution Explorer.
| Schema command | Description |
|---|---|
| Open | Opens the selected schema in BizTalk Editor. |
| Open With | Allows the selected schema to be opened in a variety of XSD editors, including BizTalk Editor. |
| Validate Schema | Validates the selected schema. |
| Validate Instance | Validates the instance specified by the Input Instance Filename property in the Visual Studio Properties window against the selected schema. |
| Generate Instance | Generates an instance of the selected schema using the file name specified by the Output Instance Filename property in the Visual Studio Properties window. If no name is specified for the generated output instance, a default file name will be used. The default file name is the schema file name prepended to the string "_output.xml" in the folder _SchemaData in a temp folder in your Documents and Settings folder. |
| View Code | Displays the underlying XSD. |
| View Designer | Opens the schema in Visual Studio XML Schema Designer. |
| Exclude From Project | Removes the currently selected schema from the current BizTalk project. Use the Add Existing Item command to re-add a schema that was previously excluded from the current BizTalk project. |
| Cut, Copy, Paste | Use these commands to perform the standard Visual Studio behavior of cutting, copying, and pasting entire schemas within a BizTalk project. |
| Delete | Permanently deletes the currently selected schema, with a confirmation prompting. |
| Rename | Allows the currently selected schema to be renamed, in place. |
| Properties | Opens the Visual Studio Properties window for the currently selected schema, in which some of the properties of the schema can be examined and set. Note: Other properties of the schema are examined and set in the Visual Studio Properties window when the schema is selected. Properties that are set in the Properties window are those properties for which different values may make sense for the same schema when it is used in more than one BizTalk project. For more information about setting schema properties and the properties of schemas, see Setting Schema File and Schema Item Properties and Schema File Properties in the UI guidance and developers API namespace reference. |