Navigating Echoview

Echoview makes extensive use of Microsoft Windows navigation and presentation conventions. Toolbars, menus and dialog boxes all work in a manner which will be familiar to users of applications such as Microsoft Word or Excel. In addition, customised shortcut keys are used for common tasks and to make using Echoview as ergonomic as possible.

We recommend using one hand on the keyboard for tasks such as scrolling and zooming echograms, while the other hand makes selections with the mouse, particularly when working with large data sets.

Context-sensitive menus

Menus and menu choices in Echoview vary according to the context. For example, the Fileset menu appears when a filesets window is active, the Echogram menu appears when an echogram window is active.

Echoview also makes extensive use of the Shortcut (right-click) menu to give quick access to frequently-used commands.

Shortcuts

Shortcut keys have been widely implemented in Echoview, permitting rapid navigation and reducing mouse travel.

Toolbars

The Echoview menu toolbar is always displayed. Other toolbars are checked/unchecked for display using the View menu. In addition these toolbars can be moved (using the mouse pointer) to any position on the screen.

To display or hide a toolbar:

  1. On the View menu, click Toolbars
  2. On the Toolbars submenu, click the toolbar you would like to display or hide

The following toolbars are available:

Note: Windows can have an associated icon that is used on tabs or in menus.

Workspace and docking

The Echoview application opens an Echoview window. You can arrange Echoview display elements within the Echoview window. You can also arrange Echoview display elements outside the Echoview window (on the desktop or extended desktop). Collectively the workspace can be saved by Echoview so that when you open the EV file, your workspace is reinstated.

The docking system used by Echoview allows you to arrange Echoview display elements in a number of ways to suit your workflow.

  Echoview display element

Action

Windows

Echograms, Scenes, Dataflow, Fileset ....

Dialog boxes

Utility dialog boxes

Messages, Region browser, Live viewing, Details

Dock to Echoview window (sides)     P
Dock to pane P    
Tab to a panel P    
Float P P P

Panels and panes

The ideas of a panel and panes within a panels underpin how Window to Window docking (and the arrangement of Windows) works in the Echoview workspace.

A panel can contain a Window or Windows. In the case of many Windows in a panel, each window in the panel occupies a pane. A special case is where a panel has one pane, the Echoview application window is one example of this special case.

Drag Windows to a new position:

  • Panes display (transparent) docking guides. The drag-shadow of the window shows where a window can dock.
  • Docking a Window to a pane in a panel can split off a new panel. Panels can be fluid.
  • You can rezise panels and panes. Mouse over and drag resize dividers.
  • Tabbed panels display forward and back arrows, to move through tabs, when display space is inadequate.
  • Once a simple panel is tabbed, it is possible to change it to a panel with more panes (whilst maintaing the Tab ability).
  • Press CRTL to stop a window from docking.
  • With many windows, it may be easier to arrange docked windows if you float windows elsewhere before you re-dock.

Window menu > Arrange All

Optimizes panels and panes within the Echoview window.

Window menu > Arrrange Panes

Optimizes panes in a panel.

 

Specify how a new window is opened, to dock or float, with:
File menu > Configuration > Interface > set When opening a new window.

docking guides

See also

Echogram navigation
Echogram status bar
3D Navigation