Code Templates

You can define short names for predefined blocks of code called code templates. The short names are displayed in the Content Completion window when the word at cursor position is a prefix of such a short name. If there is no prefix at cursor position (a whitespace precedes the cursor), all the code templates are listed.

Oxygen XML Editor comes with numerous predefined code templates. You can also define your own code templates for any type of editor. For more details, see the example for XSLT editor code templates.

To obtain the template list, you can use the Content Completion on request shortcut key (CTRL+SPACE) or the Code Templates on request shortcut key (CTRL+SHIFT+SPACE). The first shortcut displays the code templates in the same content completion list with elements from the schema of the document. The second shortcut displays only the code templates and is the default shortcut of the action Document > Content Completion > Show Code Templates.

The syntax of the code templates allows you to use the following editor variables:

${caret} - The position where the caret is inserted. This variable can be used in a code template , in Author operations, or in a selection plugin.
${selection} - The XML content of the current selection in the editor panel. This variable can be used in a code template and Author operations, or in a selection plugin.
${ask('message', type, ('real_value1':'rendered_value1'; 'real_value2':'rendered_value2'; ...), 'default_value')} - To prompt for values at runtime, use the ask('message', type, ('real_value1':'rendered_value1'; 'real_value2':'rendered_value2'; ...), 'default-value'') editor variable. The following parameters can be set:
- 'message' - the displayed message. Note the quotes that enclose the message.
- type - optional parameter. Can have one of the following values:
  - url - input is considered an URL. Oxygen XML Editor checks that the URL is valid before passing it to the transformation;
  - password - input characters are hidden;
  - generic - the input is treated as generic text that requires no special handling;
  - relative_url - input is considered an URL. Oxygen XML Editor tries to make the URL relative to that of the document you are editing.
    Note: You can use the $ask editor variable in file templates. In this case, Oxygen XML Editor keeps an absolute URL.
  - combobox - displays a dialog that contains a non-editable combo-box;
  - editable_combobox - displays a dialog that contains an editable combo-box;
  - radio - displays a dialog that contains radio buttons;
- 'default-value' - optional parameter. Provides a default value in the input text box.
  Examples:
  - ${ask('message')} - Only the message displayed for the user is specified.
  - ${ask('message', generic, 'default')} - 'message' is displayed, the type is not specified (the default is string), the default value is 'default'.
  - ${ask('message', password)} - 'message' is displayed, the characters typed are masked with a circle symbol.
  - ${ask('message', password, 'default')} - same as before, the default value is 'default'.
  - ${ask('message', url)} - 'message' is displayed, the parameter type is URL.
  - ${ask('message', url, 'default')} - same as before, the default value is 'default'.
${timeStamp} - Time stamp, that is the current time in Unix format. It can be used for example to save transformation results in different output files on each transform.
${uuid} - Universally unique identifier.
${id} - Application-level unique identifier.
${cfn} - Current file name without extension and without parent folder.
${cfne} - Current file name with extension.
${cf} - Current file as file path, that is the absolute file path of the current edited document.
${cfd} - Current file folder as file path, that is the path of the current edited document up to the name of the parent folder.
${frameworksDir} - The path (as file path) of the frameworks subfolder of the Oxygen XML Editor installation folder.
${pd} - Current project folder as file path.
${oxygenInstallDir} - Oxygen XML Editor installation folder as file path.
${homeDir} - The path (as file path) of the user home folder.
${pn} - Current project name.
${env(VAR_NAME)} - Value of the VAR_NAME environment variable. The environment variables are managed by the operating system. If you are looking for Java System Properties, use the ${system(var.name)} editor variable.
${system(var.name)} - Value of the var.name Java system property. The Java system properties can be specified in the command line arguments of the Java runtime as -Dvar.name=var.value. If you are looking for operating system environment variables, use the${env(VAR_NAME)} editor variable instead.
${date(pattern)} - Current date. Follows the given pattern. Example: yyyy-MM-dd.