You can make code changes by using the Copy/Insert Snippet functionality. A code snippet provides a sample code that needs to be implemented in the respective file described in the guide step. In most cases, you need to provide input for the dynamic content that is substituted in the snippet. Once all the values are supplied, you can see the following options:
- Copy: Copies the code snippet to the clipboard. You can then insert it into any file and change it as you wish.
- Insert Snippet: Automatically inserts the code snippet into the relevant file. The applied change is highlighted, and the confirmation message Code snippet has been successfully applied appears.
The Insert Snippet button is disabled if the guide cannot be applied. This can happen if the guide refers to a different OData version or page type than the selected project, or if there is no project selected.
In some guides, code snippets do not have any parameters. Other guides contain dropdown lists and text boxes allowing you to specify the parameters to customize the code snippet.
Most drop-down lists parameters are context-dependent and only populated when guided development has the context. Also, there are static dropdown parameters, when the values in them remain the same regardless of the context. In some cases, parameters that only have one selection option available for the given project may automatically select that option.
Some parameters depend on each other. For example, the Navigation Property parameter in the Add semantic highlights to line items in tables based on their criticality guide can only be selected after a value is selected for the Entity parameter. Parameters that are dependent on a previous parameter selection are marked with an (Information) icon tooltip. Hover over the icon to see where another parameter selection is required.
Parameters can be mandatory and optional. Mandatory parameters are marked with an asterisk at the end of their name. If you click Insert Snippet without providing values for mandatory parameters, there is an error message for each mandatory field that is not filled in. Some parameters also feature inline validation in the form of an error message to help you correct formatting issues. Sometimes, an error message is also shown when no values are available for the dependent fields for a selected value. The error is cleared and the Insert Snippet button will be reactivated once the issue is addressed. Similar inline error messages also appear for duplicated parameters that cause errors if inserted. Remove or change the parameter value to clear the error.
In addition, in some guides, such as Add progress indicator column to a table or Add a field group as a section to a page, parameters selected in the first step are prefilled in step 2 when appropriate. For example, the values selected for the Entity type parameter in step 1 will be filled as the default value for the Entity type in step 2 with the tooltip 1 displayed. If you want to change the prefilled values, you can do so manually.
In some guides, such as Configure multiple selection for a table and Configure table type, parameters are prefilled reflecting the current settings in the project.
In some guides where you can refer to annotations using qualifiers, you can update these annotations by entering the existing qualifier in the guide. This will populate the rest of the parameters with values that reflect the current annotations. You can then update these values and click Insert Snippet to confirm your changes. This functionality is available in the Add a field group to an object page and Configure Multiple Views guides.
i18n keys for the globalization of your project can be automatically generated from the values you enter into input fields in guides. To create an i18n key in guided development, enter a value into the input field and click the 🌐 (Internationalization) icon.
A popup opens, asking if you would like to generate a text key for your value. Click Apply.
This will add the i18n key to your i18n.properties file. You can click the Internationalization icon to jump to the file for further revisions if necessary.
