Form objects and other user interface components are referenced in methods by using a certain syntax. For example, using the default naming scheme form3/button5 refers to a button with the name button5 in form3 and form2/graphics3 refers to a graphics object with the name graphics3 in form2. You can change the names of forms and form objects. For example, if form1 is your main form, then you can change its name to main.

To simplify referencing form objects as well as menu, ribbon, and toolbar items by name, you can create shortcuts with a custom name. In the Settings window of an object or item, click the button to the right of the Name field and type a name of your choice.

All shortcuts that you create are made available in a Shortcuts node under Declarations in the application tree.

In the Settings window for Shortcuts below, a number of shortcuts have been created for a button, text labels, input fields, units, and toolbars.

The shortcuts can be referenced in other form objects or in code in the Method Editor. The example below shows a shortcut, tempVis, used as an input argument to a temperature plot.

Shortcuts are automatically updated when objects are renamed, moved, copied, and duplicated. They are available in methods as read-only Java® variables, just like string, int, double, and Boolean declarations.

Shortcuts are also available in the Model Builder, for use with the Application Builder. In the Settings window of a model tree node, click the button to the right of the Label field and type a name of your choice.