Working with the Language Rules Editor

The contents of this article pertain to the current version of Author Studio released in the fall of 2023. If you have not updated to the newest version of the product, see our Archived Author Studio Documentation here.

The Author Studio business language rule editor is designed to make working with and authoring rules in business language as easy as possible. InRule®’s business language authoring offers a highly intuitive medium to author rules using English-like syntax with a menu-driven, point-and-click interface. These simple-to-use features further extend InRule's unique ability to efficiently manage sophisticated rules and complex calculations. 

To learn more about the Business language template, see the article, Business Language Template Reference.

Activating the Editor

To activate the editor, the rule application must be checked out. If the rule application is not checked out, the user will be prompted to check the rule application out. To learn how to check a rule application out, read the article Rule Application Check-Out and Check-In. Once you have checked the rule application out, you can start editing by clicking on the editing workspace and letting it load. 

The Editor Bar

Shortcut Keys

When there is a keyboard shortcut key, the shortcut is identified by hovering over the widget within the Toolbar.

Undo 

The Undo feature allows you to step backward in the order of the changes the user has made. There are a total of five historical steps that can be remembered. Once the changes have been saved or discarded, the undo feature clears its history and starts over. Shortcut keys can be used for this function by pressing Ctrl+Z for PC or Cmd+Z for Mac users.

Redo 

The Redo icon allows you to revert an Undo. Once the changes have been saved or discarded, the undo feature clears its history and starts over. Shortcut keys can be used for this function by pressing Ctrl-Y for PC or Cmd-Y for Mac users.

Insert

The Insert icon allows you to add another action. This action will be added above the selected action. 

Move Up

Use the Move Up icon to move an action’s location upward within the hierarchy. When an action is selected, that action will move up one spot per click. If the action cannot be moved, the Move Up arrow will not be clickable. 

Move Down

Move an action’s location downward within the hierarchy by using the Move Down button. When an action is selected, that action will move down one spot per click. If the action cannot be moved, the Move Down arrow will not show as a clickable feature in the toolbar. 

Expand Selection

The Expand Selection feature allows you to select an action and then expand the selection through the hierarchy. As a result, the user can quickly select an action(s) and then the parent actions. Shortcut keys can be used for this function by pressing Ctrl-Up arrow for PC or Cmd-Up for Mac users.

Contract Selection

Clicking the Contract Selection icon enables you to select an action and then contract the selection through the hierarchy. As a result, the user can quickly select an action(s) and then the child's actions. Shortcut keys can be used for this function by pressing Ctrl-Down arrow for PC or Cmd-Down for Mac users.

Copy Selection

Copy Selection allows you to highlight actions and copy them to the clipboard, making them pasteable. In the cases where a highlighted action is not copyable, the Copy Selection icon will not show as a clickable feature in the toolbar. Shortcut keys can be used for this function by pressing Ctrl-C for PC or Cmd-C for Mac users.

Cut Selection

The Cut Selection tool allows you to highlight actions and cut them from the editor. This places the cut actions onto the clipboard, making them pasteable. In cases where a highlighted action is not cuttable, Cut Selection will not show as a clickable feature in the toolbar. Unlike the Copy Selection, the Cut Selection removes the selected section highlighted. Shortcut keys can be used for this function by pressing Ctrl-X for PC or Cmd-X for Mac users.

Paste Selection

The Paste Selection icon becomes active when an item is copied or cut and put onto the clipboard. When selected, the section copied or cut will then be pasted above where the cursor is in the editor. Pasted items will paste with the same hierarchy as they had when copied or cut. Shortcut keys can be used for this function by pressing Ctrl-V for PC or Cmd-V for Mac users.

Delete Selection

Delete Selection becomes active when an action item(s) are selected. The shortcut key for this function is pressing Delete.