The Code Editor is a syntax aware editor that helps you write code for supported properties.

The Code Editor includes the following features:

These features can be used within the Property Pages, or you can click the Editor button to open the Code Editor window and Code Editor toolbar.

When the text in the Code Editor window has been changed, an asterisk appears in the Code Editor tab. You can click the Save button to save any changes that have been made to the code.

The language that is used by the Code Editor determines which syntax colors are used, which keywords are used in autocomplete, and how collapsible nodes are identified.

You can use the following Language types for the Code Editor:

For the code languages ACS generates, use the following Code Editor language types:

No language is required for Arinc 653 for PikeOS, Arinc 653 for VxWorks, and IDL because Operation Body code is not generated.

If required, you can create schema files to support other code languages.

You can specify the language to use when using the Code Editor to edit the following properties:

For script based properties, the Code Editor always uses Visual Basic as the language.

You can specify a Code Editor language to use for the following items:

When editing a property using the Code Editor, the Code Editor searches the following items in turn until it finds a set Language property to use:

If no set Language property is found, the Code Editor uses C++, unless the Code Editor is editing a script property. When editing script properties, the Code Editor language is always Visual Basic, irrespective of the Language that is set for parent Packages and the Model.

If no language is specified, then the default language C++ is displayed.

The options for the Code Editor appear on the Tool Options dialog.

To set Code Editor options: on the Tools menu, click Options. Click the Code Editor entry, and then set the options as required on the Editor, Editor Font and Syntax Color tabs.

For information about the available options, see Tool options dialog - code editor.

When the Property Pages are showing a property that can be edited by the Code Editor, you can click the Edit button to open the code in the Code Editor window.

When making changes to code in the Code Editor windows, those changes are not saved to the Model until you click the Save toolbar button, press CTRL+S, or close the Code Editor window and click Save.

Where there are unsaved changes in the Code Editor window, an asterisk appears on the Code Editor window tab.

As you type text in the Code Editor you can pause to let the Autocomplete list appear. You can insert the required keyword by clicking it. Alternatively, you can use the arrow keys and Enter key to select and insert the required keyword.

The keywords that are available in the Autocomplete list are dependent on the Language type.

You can set the delay before the Autocomplete list appears on the Tool Options dialog. If you set the Delay for Autocomplete to 0, the Autocomplete list appears only when you press Ctrl + Space.

The Code Editor toolbar appears when the Code Editor window is open.

Use the ToolTips on the buttons to see what each button does.

The Code Editor supports collapsible nodes in the code. How collapsible nodes are identified can vary with different languages. For example, for C++, collapsible nodes are identified through braces, that is, { and } characters.

You can hover the mouse pointer over a collapsed node to view its content in a ToolTip.

You can insert model object references into your code through the Code Editor.

A model object reference is a textual reference to a dictionary item or diagram. You can right-click a model object reference, and then perform standard operations on the referenced object, such as viewing its properties. If a reference item is renamed, the new name appears in your code. If a referenced item is deleted from the model, model object references to that item become normal text formatted with strikethrough.

To add a model object reference to your code, drag the item you want to reference to the required position in the Code Editor.

To open the Find dialog: Press CTRL+F.

To open the Find and Replace dialog: Press CTRL+H.

To find text through the Code Editor toolbar: in the search box, type or select the text you want to find and then press Enter to the next occurrence of the text, or press SHIFT+ENTER to find the previous occurrence of the text.

After searching for text, you can use F3 to find the next occurrence of that text, or SHIFT+F3 to find the previous occurrence of that text.

To search for the next occurrence of text that is selected: press CTRL+F3.

The Code Editor includes keyboard shortcuts to help you quickly write your code.

For more information about the keyboard shortcuts you can use, see Keyboard shortcuts - Code Editor.

You can use the Code Editor to edit the following item properties: