ActiveBPEL® Designer User’s Guide

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Preserving BPEL Layout With VBPEL Files

The diagram you create on the Process Editor canvas is stored in a file called a .vbpel file (visual BPEL). For every .bpel file there is a corresponding .vbpel file that stores the process layout, including drawing elements. For example, if a process displays labels, ovals, or rectangles, their properties are stored in the .vbpel file.

The .vbpel file is an XML file, based on the XGMML (extensible graph mark-up and modeling language) standard.

You can display .vbpel files in the Navigator by selecting a Navigator Filter from the toolbar drop-down arrow. You may need to use .vbpel files for one of the following reasons:

• To preserve layout when copying files to new locations
• To use the Eclipse Replace with Local History option

Preserving layout when copying a BPEL file to a new location

If you copy a BPEL file to a new location, and you want to preserve all layout properties, including activity coordinates, font sizes, colors, and drawing elements, then you must also copy the corresponding .vbpel file. Note that you can also copy only the .vbpel file, and then in ActiveBPEL Designer, you can save the .vbpel file as a .bpel file.

If you copy a BPEL file without its corresponding .vbpel file, the BPEL file opens in the Process Editor in Auto Layout mode and drawing elements are not preserved.

Using the Eclipse Replace with Local History option

Eclipse keeps a local edit history of .vbpel files. If you want to display a previous version of a BPEL file, do the following:

1. Display .vbpel files in the Navigator by selecting a Navigator Filter from the toolbar drop-down arrow.
2. Close the BPEL file in the Process Editor.
3. From the right-mouse menu of the corresponding .vbpel file, select Replace with Local History.
4. Select the local edit file you want.
5. Re-open the BPEL file.

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