Viewing and editing the source code

The OpenEdge ABL Editor is the default design editor for a valid procedure .w files. The valid .w files are the procedure files that are created using GUI Designer or standalone AppBuilder. This editor is used to edit the ABL code of such valid (.w) files.

Note: You cannot edit the auto-generated code of an AppBuilder file. The auto-generated code is read-only. See Read-only code sections of AppBuilder-generated code.

To display the source code editor while editing a design window in the ABL UI Designer, do one of the following:

Select the View Source icon from the toolbar.
Press F9.
Right-click in the design window, and then select View Source from the context menu.

This displays the source code of the complete procedure file. If you want to view only the section of the code of an object, see Viewing and editing code of an object.

Conversely, to display the design window while editing the source code, do one of the following:

Right-click in the design window and select View Design from the context menu.
Press Shift+F9.

An asterisk * icon appears on the design view and the source view (if opened), when you make changes to either of the views. The changes are synchronized when you switch between the design canvas and the source view, and when you save the file. Thus, changes that you make with either editor are immediately reflected in the other.

Once you have opened the procedure file in either the source editor or design window, it remains open in that editor until you explicitly close it.

Note: When editing the code in the source view, make sure that you do not introduce errors in the UI code. It is advisable to use the design window for all changes to the UI, and edit only application logic in the source editor.