Designing Components

Create a component to make, for example, a symbol or a well-defined function available for future reuse.

The Design Process

You can create a component in two ways:

• Compose your graphics and group the elements as a Component. You then save the component in a category in the Components pane, or
• Open the component editor, draw your component and save it in a components category.

NOTE: When a component is edited in the components editor, the root element is called ComponentContent. The element has two metadata elements that contain the name of the component and the description. These elements are not present when the component is used in a graphic.

Component Documentation and Saving‌

Make components easier to understand and use by entering the following information in the Properties Dialog box before saving the component:

• A descriptive name
• A short, comprehensive description of the function
• Notes on the usage
• Exposed properties
• Links or Bindings, if any

You can edit the name and description of a component in the Component library by editing the properties of the component. Editing the <Component> definition from within the TGML document is not supported.

NOTE: To create a line break in the description, press CTRL+ENTER. Pressing ENTER is the same as clicking OK.