Preview of the form definition (XML)

Tab Source allows viewing and editing the technical definition of the form (also a composite component and business) in the format XML. It provides direct access to the template structure, making it possible to inspect or modify elements that are not available in the standard editor view.

Features

1. XML definition preview

   • Displays the full form structure, including:

     • application steps and pages (<system:Page>),
     • base and composite components,
     • definitions of visibility and listening conditions (<data:ListeningOn>, <data:ClearOn>),
     • grid layout (<system:Page.layout>),
     • translations (titleKey, labelKey).
2. Manual editing

   • In the Source you can edit the application's XML code—for example, adjust layout parameters, change the number of columns, or add attributes not present in the graphical interface.
   • This is especially useful when working with more advanced properties, such as:

     • numColumns – number of columns on the page,
     • horizontalSpan – the component width in columns.
3. Validation

   • The system automatically validates XML syntax, and errors (e.g. missing closing tags, incorrect attributes) are flagged in the editor.
   • If a save error occurs, the form will not be saved in the repository.

Example code snippet in the Source tab

<system:Page id="Page3" mid="Page3" page="3" titleKey="Page3.title" fixedColumns="true">
    <p1:GesText id="GesText3" mid="GesText3" labelKey="GesText3.label" textKey="GesText3.text">
        <data:ListeningOn/>
        <data:ClearOn/>
        <p1:GesText.layoutData>
            <ns6:GridData horizontalAlignment="FILL" horizontalSpan="10" verticalAlignment="CENTER"/>
        </p1:GesText.layoutData>
    </p1:GesText>
    <system:Page.layout>
        <ns6:GridLayout makeColumnsEqualWidth="true" numColumns="12"/>
    </system:Page.layout>
    <data:Curtains/>
</system:Page>

The above code shows the definition of the form page with identifier 'Page3' with one label component 'GesText3' and a page layout in 12 columns.

Best practices

• Editing in the tab Source should be done carefully - preferably after saving the current version of the form.
• Before making changes, it is worth checking their impact on the form in the tab Request.

Use cases

• Changing the number of columns (numColumns), when it is not available in the graphical interface.
• Moving page or component definitions between forms.
• Finding dependencies of a given component before deleting it.

FAQ

Are changes made in Source visible immediately? Yes, changes are visible after saving or switching to another editor tab.

Can only a fragment of XML be edited? Yes, any element can be edited - both a component and an entire page block - as long as the syntax is valid.

Does the Source tab also show translations and styles? Yes, translation keys are visible (*.labelKey, *.titleKey) as well as CSS classes associated with components or pages.

Figure 1. View of the “Source” tab in the application editor