EASAP Builder uses a hierarchical tree structure, called the EASAP Tree, to organize and define an EASAP. The fundamental approach to constructing an EASAP in EASAP Builder is to create and configure objects on the tree. There are five main branches on the tree:

• PROPERTIES Branch
• USER INTERFACE Branch
• PROCESSES Branch
• OUTPUT Branch
• SPREADSHEET LIST Branch

Each of the five main branches and their respective sub-branches will contain objects that are designed for a specific purpose on the individual branches. EASAP objects are described in more detail at Tree Objects.

The PROPERTIES branch contains objects that specify basic properties of the EASAP and where it is to be located in the Applications Library.

The USER INTERFACE branch contains all of the objects that define the graphical user interface visible to users.

The PROCESSES branch contains objects used to couple the EASAP to the underlying software applications.

The OUTPUT branch contains objects used to generate the reports stored and viewed in the Results Library after the EASAP has finished running.

The SPREADSHEET LIST branch contains one or more SPREADSHEET's, which are used to connect the EASAP to Excel workbook files.

To efficiently work in EASAP EASAP Builder, you need to know how to navigate within the Tree.

There are two ways to expand a branch:

• Click on the plus sign (+) to the left of an object
• Type the right arrow key on your keyboard with an object selected

Likewise, there are two ways to contract an expanded branch:

• Click on the minus sign (-) to the left of the object
• Type the left arrow key on your keyboard with an object selected

Only one object can be selected on the tree at one time. A selected object is highlighted using a dark blue rectangular box around the object name in white.

There are four ways to select an object:

• Click on the object name or icon on the tree
• Use the up, down, right and left arrow keys on your keyboard to move your selection from one object to the next on the tree
• Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to move up or down the tree a page (screen height) at a time
• Use the Home key to go to the top of the tree or the End key to go to the bottom

The DORs tab is used to help understand the relationships between objects on the tree. Examples of the dependency view are shown at Dependency View.

In EASAP Builder, you have the ability to upload files and folders to the EASAP workspace using the Files tab. The functionality of the Files tab compliments the file upload capability found in the Files selection under the Authoring menu [[wiki:guides:authors:authoringmenu#files|on the EASA web pages. However, the Files tab provides even greater functionality with the capability to:

• Upload subfolders,
• Create new folders with the right-click menu,
• Delete files and folders with the right-click menu, and
• Rename files and folders with the right-click menu.

The interface of the Files tab is shown below.

Tip: It is possible to upload multiple files at once using the File Browser window. You can do this by holding the Ctrl button on the keyboard while making multiple file selections with the mouse.

For EASAPs created in EASA 3.0 or higher, a LockedFiles subfolder is created within the main EASAP folder. Files uploaded into the LockedFiles folder cannot be accessed by users in User mode. For older EASAPs, a LockedFiles folder can be created manually using the right-click menu. Another special folder that must be created manually for any EASAP is named UnrestrictedAccess. Files in the UnrestrictedAccess folder are accessible without any access checking, so even someone that is not logged in to EASA can access files in one of these folders.

When working in Tree mode, you can modify the behavior and look of both the Tree structure on the left and the object parameter tables on the right. Also, diagnostic messages for both diagrams and data processing of object values can be activated under this tab.

Under the Options tab, you can clear the cell dependencies already calculated for the spreadsheets with the Clear Dependencies button. The options available on the Options tab are shown below.

Tip: The selections within the Diagnostics box are useful for identifying and correcting errors in diagramming, Excel interactions and database operations.