Scenario

Overview

A Scenario is one or more Processes executed in a sequence. You can use a Scenario to organize multiple Processes or alter how a Process executes by passing arguments.

Creating a New Scenario

From the Command Ribbon, click the File tab to open the Backstage Menu, select the Home tab if it is not already selected, and click the New Scenario button. This will open a new, blank Scenario Editor like shown in the red box below:

Opening an Existing Scenario

From the Command Ribbon, click the File tab to open the Backstage Menu.

On the Home tab, recently opened scenarios will appear in the Recent Files list (1). Alternatively, click the Open command (2) to open a standard File Open dialog to select the file to open. A Scenario file is stored on the file system using the .abscenario file extension.

Scenario Editor

The following screenshot shows an example of a Scenario that has been opened in the Scenario Editor:

Process Calls

The Process Calls (1) that will be performed when executing the Scenario are displayed at the top of the editor. The following columns display information about the Process Call:

Process

The name of the Process that is being called.

Input & Output

A list of any significant Input or Output Arguments and their corresponding values. An Argument is significant if a value has been defined or if the corresponding Parameter is required.

Options

A list of any non-default options that might impact how the Process is executed.

Instructions

The Instructions Pane (2) is displayed at the bottom of the editor (by default) for the selected Process Call. This is where you provide the details needed by the Process during execution. The tabs along the left of the Instructions Pane organize the details into these categories:

Identification

How to identify the process being executed.

Arguments

The values being passed as Input and Output Arguments to the Parameters defined by the Process.

Options

Additional options related to the Process Call.

Interface Customization

The Scenario Editor provides several features to customize the user interface to meet your individual needs or tastes.

• You can auto-hide the entire Instructions Pane (2) by clicking the Pin button (3) in the title bar of the pane. This will allow the Process Calls List (1) to be displayed full-screen and hide the Instructions Pane behind a tab. If you then hover over the tab, the Instructions Pane will automatically expand. It will hide again if you move the mouse away from the pane or select other controls. Click the Pin button again to stop the pane from auto-hiding and dock it at the original location.
• The size of each pane can be adjusted by clicking and dragging the Resize Bar between the two panes.
• If you prefer the Instructions Pane (2) to be positioned on the right instead of the bottom, you can click on the Title Bar of the pane and drag it toward the right edge of the Scenario Editor window. Guides will display on the screen as you drag the window. Release the mouse over the right or bottom guide to dock the pane on that side.
• If you prefer the Process Calls List (1) to display the details of each call in a single line, right-click on the list and select Compact View from the context menu. Repeat the process to turn the feature off. Each view has benefits over the other, so you can easily switch between the view styles as needed.