Specifying Text for a Schema Element

When you define or maintain one of the following schema elements, an Enter Text button on the appropriate definition dialogs accesses a text editor window to enable you to specify or maintain descriptive text for the current element as part of the definition or maintenance of that element.

Attribute (for details, see "Adding an Attribute Property", in Chapter 4)
Condition (for details, see "Adding Conditions to Classes or Primitive Types", in Chapter 4)
Constant (for details, see "Adding a Class Constant", in Chapter 4)
External function (for details, see "Defining External Functions", in Chapter 8)
Interface (for details, see "Defining an Interface", in Chapter 14)
Jade method or an external method (for details, see "Adding Jade Methods to Classes or Primitive Types", in Chapter 4, or "Adding External Methods to Classes", in Chapter 8)
Reference (for details, see "Adding a Reference Property", in Chapter 4)
User-defined global constant in a user schema (for details, see "Adding a Global Constant", in Chapter 4)

For details about specifying or changing text for a class, see "Specifying Text for a Class" and "Using the Free-Standing Editor Window to Define Text", elsewhere in this chapter. For details about specifying or changing text for an interface, see "Specifying Text for an Interface" in Chapter 14 and "Using the Free-Standing Editor Window to Define Text", later in this chapter.

The supplementary descriptive text that you define for an element is for display only. For example, when you specify text for properties or methods in a class and you subsequently print that class, your text is printed after each of the properties or methods in which it was defined or you can view it by selecting the appropriate Text menu command for the element whose descriptive text you want to view.

You can also specify descriptive text for an element when you are not defining or changing that element, by selecting the Text command from the appropriate menu (for example, the Methods, Conditions, or Properties menus, depending on the element that is currently selected).

To specify descriptive text for an element

Click the Enter Text button on the element definition dialog (for example, the Define Attribute dialog). The Enter Text window is then displayed.
In the editor pane, enter the descriptive text for the element that you are defining or changing. The editor determines the behavior of the text editor window. Text is not automatically wrapped to fit the current window size. When you want text to start in the next line, press Ctrl+Enter. (If you want text to wrap in text and source windows, see "Maintaining Editor Options", in Chapter 2.)
Click the OK button. Alternatively, click the Cancel button to abandon your entry.

The Editor Text window is then closed and focus returns to the definition dialog from which you accessed the Editor Text window.

Descriptive text for schema elements can be viewed in one or more of the following ways, depending on the type of element for which text is defined.

In bubble help when the cursor is positioned over the element for a few seconds (for example, a method)
In the integrated editor pane of the browser when an element is selected (for example, a condition or a property)
Printed beneath the element name when the element is printed (by selecting the Print Selected command from the File menu) and the Text check box and the appropriate element type check box in the Print dialog is checked

For example, descriptive text of an attribute or reference property is displayed in bubble help when the cursor is positioned over the property in the Properties List of the Class Browser and it is also printed beneath the class name when the class is printed (by selecting the Print Selected command from the File menu) and the Text check box in the Print dialog is checked.