The Path Query Evaluation view can be useful for Architect users as it provides a way to test, evaluate, and debug a SystemWeaver path query expression during configuration work. 


Prerequisites


Tip: Refer to the Path Query Language Reference Manual in the application Help during your work.


To use the view, select the object and enter a path expression at the ?> prompt. A valid path expression will depend on the current context, i.e., what kind of object you have selected, and in what view. 



The result of the expression is printed in the log pane below the prompt line, where the results are logged along with their commands. If you want to clear the current path query and go back to the previous one, you can use the Undo option.


 

Path expressions may return single objects or lists of objects. To always produce a printable result in the Path query evaluation view, a .Select(Name) method is automatically appended to the expression. For example, /ARCW/ARRP.Select(Name) would yield the same result as the above example.


The result includes the use of braces "{ }", as seen in the examples above, to indicate that the result of the query is a set, and brackets "[ ]" to indicate that the result is a list. 


To clear part or all of the content in the log pane, select the content and press, e.g., the Delete key. Or, use any of the other available options in the context menu as needed. 



Along with Another View

You'll often want to use this view while working in another view. There are two options. 


Secondary View

If you are working on a configurable view and need to test a query, consider loading the configurable view as a Secondary View as shown below. 



Immediate Window

The functionality of the path expression evaluator is also available in an Immediate window. To access this tool, select the object and use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+I. Since the dialog pops up as a separate window, it's ideal for evaluating path expressions while you are using another view especially when you have two monitors. Another plus with this tool is that it will provide you with the object type at the bottom left-hand corner (in the below example, "TopNode")



Even with the Immediate window, a valid path expression will depend on the current context. In the example seen above, an item was selected in the structure tree. Since the structure tree technically holds nodes, the path must start with the "Item" property of the selected node if you want to obtain item information rather than node information. 


The window can be closed with the Close (X) button