Navigation:  How to Work with Global Events > Exporting/Importing a Global Event

 

Overview

 

Global events that have been developed within MCL-Designer are reusable. With the use of the Library (a folder that stores reusable elements such as data files, programs, screens, etc.) and the "export"/"import" procedures, global events created in a specific MCL-Designer project can be exported (into Library) and, later on, be imported into another project or projects (from Library).

 

 

To Export a Global Event

 

Step-by step

 

1. Open the "Procedures" module.

 

2. Right-click the global event you want to export.

 

 

3. In the resulting menu, click the "Library Export" option to open the corresponding "Export to Library" window.

If required, select a different source Library or rename it by clicking . See To Define a Library.

 

 

4. Fill in the following options:

 

 

It is possible to append project resources to the global event's export, even though they are not included in the global event.

a. To view all project resources, click .

 

 

b. Check the project resources you want to include in the export. (If you have checked the "Add Global Event Resources" option, the corresponding resources will be selected when you expand the project's resource list.)

 

c. If you want, click to hide the resource list.

 

5. Click to conclude the export.

 

The exported global event is available in the Library ("Global Events" section) and ready to be imported into another project.

 

As an alternative, you can use a Drag-and-Drop to initiate an export:

 

a. Open Library Manager (shortcut key - F4).

b. Drag the global event you want to export and drop it on the Library Manager's window. This opens the corresponding "Export to Library" window.

c. Proceed as described in steps 4 and 5 ("To Export a Global Event to Library").

 

 

 

 

To Import a Global Event

 

Step-by-step

 

1. Open the destination project and use one of the following methods to access the Library Manager's window:

 

a. Go to the "Menu Bar", click "Tools" and, in the resulting menu, select "Library Manager".

 

 

b. Click <F4>.

 

c. Right click an empty area in the "Procedures" module or "Global Events" (the section's name), and, in the resulting menu, select "Library Import".

 

Whichever the option chosen (a, b or c), it opens the "Library Manager" window.

If required, select a different source Library or rename it by clicking . See To Define a Library.

 

 

2. Select the element type ("Global Events") you want to import in the "Group" section, to the left.

 

 

Library elements that have speech attributes, meaning, that were created within speech projects, are identified with a (ex: Global_Event_P7).

A speech element (a program, a screen, a routine, a global procedure or a global event) can only be imported into projects being developed within an MCL-Designer V4 with enabled speech attributes.

 

3. Use one of the following methods to open the "Import into Project" window and continue the import operation:

 

a. Double-click the desired global event.

 

b. Drag the intended global event into the "Procedures" module area.

 

 

c. Select the intended global event and click .

 

d. Right-click the selected global event and click the "Import to Project" option.

 

 

The corresponding "Import into Project" window opens.

 

 

This window displays information that cannot be edited (regarding the global event being imported) and information you can edit (the "Destination" section).

 

If the destination project contains a global event with the same name as the global event being imported, the name of the imported global event will automatically change to "..._X" ("X "refers to an incremented number.

 

 

If the global event being imported is a speech global event and the target project does NOT have enabled speech features (= MCL-Designer V4 does NOT include an MCL-Voice add-on), the "import" operation is aborted.

 

 

 

If the global event being imported is locked (Export option that turned the selected element into a non-editable element - see To Export a Global Event), you will NOT be able to edit its name. The option "Global Event Name" will be inactive (displayed in gray).

 

 

You can either opt to change the name of the global event that already exists in the destination project (if it is not locked) and keep both global events OR  proceed with the import, in which case, the newly imported global event will overwrite the one that already exists in the destination project.

 

4. View, maintain or enter new information, as required by the project.

 

 

 

It is possible to append project resources (appended during an element's export into the Library - see To Export a Program to Library) to the global event's import, even though they are not included in the global event.

a. To view all project resources, click .

b. Check the project resources you want to include in the import.

c. If you want, click to hide the resource list.

 

5. Click to conclude the global event import.

 

The newly imported global event is displayed in the "Procedures" module and available to the current project.

 

When the import includes language files (containing the imported element's localization tags), check the enabled languages of the destination project. If the imported language files relate to a language that is NOT enabled in the destination project, you have to define it as a project language in the project's "Localization" tab (a project properties tab). See Localization.

Ex: The import of a global event that includes a language file in "Dutch" into a project that only has "French" as an enabled language, will require that you add "Dutch" to the list of project enabled languages (in the "Localization" tab). If you skip this step, the imported "Dutch" language file will NOT be available for use.