Quickly access rules in your application stack with the Application Explorer. Results are organized by work pool, case type, category, and rule type in a tree format. This explorer is most useful in development settings where a majority of rules have an Applies To key part that matches a case type.
The Application Explorer is available to all developer roles. Use the Application menu to ensure that the explorer results are populated by the expected application and work pool.
To configure the explorer:
Load the Application Explorer in the Explorer panel by clicking the 
icon.
Use the application scoping control to further refine results.
Only rules from the applications you select appear in the Explorer panel. All selections persist after log out, after you click Apply.
Use the top-level menu to customize the appearance of results.
The following options are available in the Application Explorer top-level menu, denoted by the
icon:
| Menu item | Description |
|---|---|
| Refresh App Explorer |
Refreshes all classes in the Application Explorer and restores the tree to a fully collapsed state. Updated results include recently created, renamed, and deleted rules. |
| Create |
Gives you full access to the create forms for all record types, organized by category. Deprecated rule types are excluded from this menu option. |
| Explorer Inheritance |
Allows you to control which inheritance model is used to order and display the classes in the tree. Options include: Show all, Pattern only (selected by default), and Directed only. |
| Explorer Display |
Controls whether the Application Explorer displays rules by name or by label. Options include: Display by name and Display by label. |
Enter a class name in the autocomplete field to set the root of the tree. The specified class name filters child results to display only rules that apply to the specified class.
Classes that inherit from the specified class name appear as individual child nodes. The Explorer Inheritance options can be used to limit which classes are displayed.
Tips:
The Application Explorer is organized in a tree format that you can expand or collapse at any level. If there are no matching results for a specific rule category or type, that node is omitted from the tree. Clicking each node type yields different results in the Designer Studio.
Use the table below to understand the node type hierarchy.
| Icon | Node type | Click to see... |
|---|---|---|
|
Class | A list of instances for this class or work pool. |
|
Rule category | No available click option. Expand to list relevant rule types. |
|
|
Rule type |
A list of instances for this rule type in all application layers. Expand to see the same list filtered by choices you made in the application scoping control. |
|
Rule instance |
The form for this rule. The version is determined by rule resolution. Click and drag the icon next to a rule instance to insert property and section rules directly into supporting UI forms. For example, you can drag a property into the layout of a section. |
|
Rule instance with circumstances |
The base version of a circumstanced rule. Expand to see all circumstance versions for this rule. The circumstance values appear in lieu of the rule name. |
|
|
Property rule instance of mode Page or Page List |
The form for this rule. The version is determined by rule resolution. Expand to see embedded properties. |
| N/A | "Show all results..." |
A list of instances for this rule type in all application layers. This option appears when the number of results exceed performance thresholds. For more information, see Initial Dynamic System Setting data instances. |
One or more of the following right-click actions is available on each node level, based on relevancy:
| Menu item | Description |
|---|---|
| Create |
Opens the create form for the specified rule type. This option is disabled for deprecated rule types. |
| Create properties |
Opens the Data Designer where you can create and edit properties in the Composition Grid on the Definition tab of the selected data type. |
| Define expression | Creates a declare expression rule with the selected target property. |
| Definition | Opens the class rule form. |
| Inheritance |
Gives you a visual representation of the class inheritance path from the selected class down to @baseclass. Click any row in the table to open the class rule form. Click outside the overlay to dismiss it. |
| Refactor |
Gives you access to refactoring tools. Options include: |
| Refresh [class name] |
Refreshes the specified class only without disturbing the results or expand/collapse state of other tree nodes. Updated results include recently created, renamed, and deleted rules. |
| Refresh all | This option is equivalent to the Refresh App Explorer option in the top-level explorer menu. |
| View |
Opens a list of rule instances that applies to the parent class node in the tree. This list excludes deprecated rules in Pega- rulesets. |
Use the Pinned Classes section to display a custom list of classes without having to explicitly switch context in the Application Explorer. Pin any class in your application stack by hovering on the class name and clicking the pin icon. Alternatively, use the Edit button to pin multiple classes at once.
A few additional factors affect how Application Explorer results are populated: