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title: "Introduction to Mule 4: Studio 7"
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# Introduction to Mule 4: Studio 7

> For the full documentation index, see: https://docs.mulesoft.com/llms.txt

Before learning about what’s new in Mule 4, you should install and familiarize yourself with
Studio 7. It is the development environment for Mule 4 applications. Beyond support for Mule 4, it
includes many new productivity improvements. Note that Studio 7 does not support opening Mule 3
applications.

## New Mule Palette

When using the Studio 6 palette, finding the right operation was a multi-step process: you had to
find the connector, drag it onto the canvas, then search for an operation. To speed this process,
Studio 7 provides a two-level palette that improves access time, discoverability, and
categorization. You can search directly for a connector operation and easily add commonly used
operations to your Favorites.

Managing your connectors and modules has also improved. In Studio 7, you can explicitly add versions
of connectors to your project, which makes the palette specific to your project. As a result, you no
longer have to see connectors or modules you are not using.

![Studio Palette](/mulesoft/current/en-us/mule-runtime/4.4/_images/studio-palette.png)

## Managing Dependencies, Automatic Maven Integration

In previous versions of Studio, every Mule module was an Eclipse plugin that required installation
through an "update site" mechanism. Now, every module is simply a project dependency, managed by
Maven. This means that you no longer have to deal with huge “update sites,” plugin installations, or
plugin versions. Studio will automatically add Maven dependencies to the ‘pom.xml’ file and keep
track of them for you.

If you don’t know Maven, don’t worry, Studio will manage Maven for you automatically by creating a
default `pom.xml` file for every project.

## Navigating to XML View

You can now navigate quickly to the XML from the visual view:

- Simply right-click on any component, and select Go to XML.

## Anypoint Platform Account Management

In every operation related to the Platform, you’ll see a quick-change toolbar that allows you to
change accounts and if applicable, the business group. You can also add accounts from the toolbar.

For example, when creating a new Mule project (File > New > Mule Project), if you select an API
implementation from Design Center, the toolbar displays at the top of the selection dialog:

![Studio credentials when creating a new Mule Project](/mulesoft/current/en-us/mule-runtime/4.4/_images/studio-credentials.png)

Similarly, if you select Search in Exchange from the Mule Palette, the toolbar displays in a
slightly different form:

![Studio Credentials in Mule Palette](/mulesoft/current/en-us/mule-runtime/4.4/_images/studio-credentials-exchange.png)

## Metadata Storage

Mule 4 applications contain an `application-types.xml` file, which is where metadata around your
data types is stored. For example, if you create a new CSV type, that metadata will be added to this
file. This new file is easy to share, commit, and merge when conflicts arise, which enables you to
do more metadata-driven development.

## Other Improvements

- A new set of graphic icons for better usability.

- A watermark text that will always display the operation name (such as, Select or Delete) when you
  change the default Display Name of the operation. This change provides you with better visibility.

- Collapsible flows with interactive preview.