Understanding Interface Tools
Use interface tools to author apps and macros. The tools make it easy to design user-interface elements and update workflow tools at runtime based on user specifications.
Anchors
Interface tools have their own set of connector anchors.
Input and output anchor: This connector anchor displays on every Interface tool. The Action and Condition tools can accept multiple inputs through this anchor. Only Interface tools can be connected to other Interface tools with this anchor, with the exception of workflow tools with an expression editor. Go to Expression Editor for more information.
Optional input anchor: This connector displays on Interface tools (questions) that could use input from another tool to populate the interface element. These tools all have this optional input anchor type: Drop Down tool, List Box tool, Map tool, and Tree tool.
Condition anchor: This connector can only be connected to other condition anchors. The Condition tool has true and false output condition anchors that you can only connect to an Action tool input.
App or macro anchor: This connector displays when a workflow is saved as an app or macro, each tool in the workflow gets a lightning bolt anchor. Only Interface tools can connect to these anchors and it indicates that there are Interface elements and actions updating a workflow tool.
Interface Tools
Add an Interface tool to the workflow canvas to automatically change the workflow type to an app or macro. Go to Workflow Configuration for more on workflow type.
The XML in Interface tools is read-only.
Action Tool: Updates values of development tools with the values from the interface questions at runtime.
Check Box Tool: Displays a check box option in an app.
Condition Tool: Tests for the presence of user selections. The state is either true or false.
Control Parameter Tool: Creates a Control Parameter input for a batch macro.
Date Tool: Displays a calendar in an app.
Drop Down Tool: Displays a single selection list in an app.
Error Message Tool: Displays an error message.
File Browse Tool: Displays a file-browse control in an app. This tool can be used to read an input or write an output.
Folder Browse Tool: Displays a folder-browse control in an app.
List Box Tool: Displays a multi-selection list of check boxes in an app.
Macro Input Tool: Creates an input for a macro.
Macro Output Tool: Creates an output of a macro.
Map Tool: Displays an interactive map for the user to draw or select map objects in an app.
Numeric Up Down Tool: Displays a numeric control in an app.
Radio Button Tool: Displays a mutually exclusive option in an app.
Text Box Tool: Displays a free-form text box in an app.
Tree Tool: Displays an organized, hierarchical data structure in an app.
Additional Resources and Examples
For additional information and examples, in Designer go to Help > Tutorials > Intro to Applications > Understanding a Designer Application or Help > Tutorials > Intro to Macros > Understanding a Designer Standard Macro.