A quick tour of Task Assistant Manager for Users

The Task Manager toolbar for users

The Task Manager toolbar in ArcMap is the gateway to the Task Assistant window. The image below shows the Task Manager toolbar configured for the Task Assistant user installation.

Button	Name	Function
	Task Assistant window	Toggles the visibility of the Task Assistant window
	Validate Workflow	Validates the task assistant workflow settings against the current map document and configuration information
	Reset Workflow	Unchecks all selected check boxes and resets results of the Validate Workflow command

Task Manager toolbar buttons and their functions

The Task Assistant window

The primary component of Task Assistant Manager is the Task Assistant window, which is composed of the following:

• Task Assistant toolbar
• Task Assistant shortcut menu
• Task Assistant tabs

The Task Assistant toolbar

The Task Assistant toolbar includes tools to open task assistant workflows.

In addition, during the execution phase of steps that enable tools, a tool palette is also available on the Task Assistant window toolbar if that step contains ArcGIS tools or commands. Tools that require interaction can be grouped together in a single step so the tool palette can show the tools or commands needed whenever a step requires the use of more than one.

In map navigation, for example, ArcMap provides a number of different tools: Zoom In, Zoom Out, and Pan. The icon for the first tool or command in the list displays along with a drop-down arrow. Clicking the drop-down arrow displays the other tools or commands in the list for selection.

Note:

The drop-down arrow for the tool palette does not display when a step has only one tool or does not require a tool, making the tool palette unnecessary.

The Task Assistant window

The Task Assistant window displays the overall task assistant workflow and any associated subtasks needed to execute a GIS task. When a step is selected, a GIS task is executed based on the properties set by the task assistant workflow designer.

Accessing the Task Assistant shortcut menu for users

The Task Assistant window shortcut menu is accessed by right-clicking the Task Assistant window and allows you to

• Open and close workflows.
• Access recent task assistant workflows.
• Show step check boxes.
• Associate task assistant workflows with saved map documents.

The Task Assistant tabs

The Task Assistant tabs allow you to view step help, track the history of workflow execution, and set application specific properties.

The Help tab

The Help tab displays the step description, if one was created by the designer during the task assistant workflow design process. Descriptions are optional but are often useful for those accessing the task assistant workflows.

The History tab

The History tab displays a log of the steps or tasks that have been completed and by which user.

Right-clicking the History tab provides the following options:

• Clear History—Clears the displayed history information from the History tab.
• Save History—Saves the displayed history information. Choosing this option allows you to browse to the location in which you want to save the history information. History is saved as a comma-separated text file.
• Load History—Allows you to browse to the location from which you want to load history information.
• Edit Notes—Allows you to append notes to a specific item in the history information. The notes appear under the Notes column on the History tab.

The Properties tab

The Properties tab allows you to set application-specific properties as well as refresh the configuration file.

The following can be set on the Properties tab:

• Execute Step(s)—When this check box is checked, steps execute when clicked in the Task Assistant window. It is useful to have the check box checked for testing and verification and unchecked during design.
• Close Workflow(s) on MXD Close—When this check box is checked, the current workflow in the Task Assistant window closes when the MXD is closed. Upon a new ArcMap session, the Task Assistant window is empty.
• Refresh Config—Refreshes the default configuration file. The configuration file contains ArcGIS commands, geoprocessing tools, feature templates, and layer information that is loaded in the current MXD. Also see the Append MXD Items and Refresh MXD Items Only options discussed below.
• Append MXD Items—This check box allows you to specify how the map configuration is reset when the map document is changed. When this check box is checked, the map configuration information on the Designer tab is not cleared when a new document is opened; instead, the new map configuration information is appended to the existing map configuration information.
• Refresh MXD Items Only—If this check box is checked when Refresh Config is clicked, only the MXD configuration information (layer information and geoprocessing tools) is refreshed. Configuration items such as commands are not refreshed.

Note:

Within the Task Assistant user installation, task assistant workflows are always in execute-only mode. For this reason, the Execute step, Append MXD, and Refresh MXD Items Only controls are unavailable for selection.