Creating and editing "Other" documents
Contents
To build a new document using the IDF editor directly:
| 1. | Click New control file and select Intelligent Document Format (IDF) from the  EscapeE File menu. |
| 2. | Choose Other then click OK. |
| 3. | Select Text mode. IDF editor writes the IDF code to construct a document with one blank page: |
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?> |
Enter the code for your document between the <IDF> and </IDF> tags: see About IDF syntax for descriptions of IDF elements and attributes.
Alternatively, select Tree mode in step 3 above: IDF editor switches to displaying the document's code schematically and opens the Properties editor. While programmers find this useful for getting an overview of the document's structure, the Properties editor enables non-programmers to build and alter documents without keying in code directly.
Editing IDF code in Tree mode
| • | Click on an element to expand/collapse the element and display the Properties editor. |
| • | Right-click an element and choose Properties... from the pop-up menu to display the Properties editor. |
The type of element is shown at the top of the Properties editor's Attributes panel. To change the type, select the new type from the drop-down list alongside "Type".
The attributes (and values) for the selected element are listed below "Type". You may choose which attributes to show from the drop-down list of common items on the panel above "Type". If you choose to show "All items", you will see just how many attributes IDF can offer! "Defined items" is often a better choice; if you decide to define a new attribute for that element, just select it from the drop-down list and it will be added to the Attributes panel.
Attributes of the selected element are listed in the panel with their values alongside. Many attribute values can be edited by choosing from drop-down list (e.g. Units), some can be edited by keying in the new value in an edit box (e.g. Left), and those which are underlined can be clicked to display dialogues (e.g. Font...).
The alterations you have made in the Properties editor will be coded into IDF when the OK button at the top of the Properties editor is clicked. Click Cancel to ignore the alterations.
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