Navigation:  Looking at the MCL-Designer V4 Work Area > The Menu Bar Area > Navigating the Icon Shortcut Bar > Detailing the Icon Shortcut Bar

 

Overview

 

The Icon Shortcut Bar is divided into several sections according to the use of each icon group. This chapter will deal with each group separately.

 

 

 

 

File section

 

"Home" icon

 

Clicking this icon provides access to the following options:

 

 

"New"

Is used to create a new project. See Creating a New Project.

 

"Recent Projects"

This area displays a list of the most recently opened projects. It also informs you which MCL-Designer's version you are working with and provides an exit from MCL-Designer V4 by clicking .

 

"Open"

Is used to open previously created projects from the default project's folder. The location of the default project's folder can be modified in the "Designer Setup" option, accessed via the "Tools" menu (see Detail of MCL-Designer Setup). When you click it, it opens the following window:

 

 

The window is divided into 4 sections:

 

•Search box

Enables you to search for a specific project. Enter the information in and the results are automatically displayed below.

 

•Main Section

Displays the existing projects in the default project's folder. Select the desired project and click to open its current version.

To browse for projects in different folders/locations, click in the lower left corner of the window.

 

•Project's Info

Provides details of the selected project in the "Main Section"(name; author; company; target device, creation date and update date).

 

•Project's Version(s)

Displays the existing versions of the selected project in the "Main Section". If you want to open a particular version of the selected project, double-click it OR  select it and click .

 

If you click each version's corresponding , it opens a window with the selected version's restore points:

 

 

To open a specific restore point, select it and click OR  double-click it.

Once the intended version/restore point is open, there is the possibility to edit or save it as a new version.

 

Operations available in the "Select a Project" window

 

•Right-click a project with several versions in the "Main Section"(version > 01.00) to open a menu with the following options:

 

 

▪If the selected option is "Delete Project (All Versions)", a confirmation window is displayed:

 

 

Click to confirm or to cancel.

 

 

•Right-click a version of a project (in the "Project's Version(s)" section) to open a menu with the following options:

 

 

▪If the selected option is "Delete Version", a confirmation window is displayed:

 

 

Click to confirm or to cancel.

 

▪If the selected option is "Delete Project (All Versions)", a confirmation window is displayed:

 

 

Click to confirm or to cancel.

 

 

•When you open a project that was created in a previous MCL-Designer version, a yellow bar is displayed to provide options to save, convert to the current MCL-Designer V4 version and/or edit that project's version.

The images below illustrate different bars for different situations - the available options depend on the current MCL-Designer version and the MCL-Designer version the selected project was created in:

 

 

There is a message referring that the project you want to open was created in an MCL-Designer version previous to the current one.

The available options are:

 

Use it to execute the project's conversion into the new MCL-Designer version. Operationally speaking, the converted project becomes a new project but maintains its name and version number. The original project  (prior to conversion) is lost.

 

Use it to execute the project's conversion into the new MCL-Designer version (with a different name or an incremented version number) and, at the same time, maintain the project's previous version. Both project versions are saved into the "Projects" folder.

 

 

When using this option, remember that you are converting the project. So, you must define a new name or a new version or both for the project version you want to save. It cannot maintain the old name and version number.

 

Before a “Convert” or “Convert to” operation, the project is always in a "Read Only" compatibility mode – some options will be inactive (greyed out).

As for the options that are available, any changes to the project before the conversion is executed are applied after the conversion.

 

1. Maintain the version's name or enter a new one.

2. Maintain or increase/decrease the version's number.

3. Maintain the version's location (in the "Projects" folder) or click and browse for a new location.

4. Click to apply or to abort the operation.

 

This option is only available within an MCL-Designer version that is higher than 4.4.3-1300 and for projects that have been created within a 4.4.3-1300 version or higher of MCL-Designer.

Use this option to retrieve the MCL-Designer version that was used to create the selected project. There is no conversion, the current/up to date version of MCL-Designer is closed and the selected project's original MCL-Designer version is opened.

 

 

There is a message referring that the project you want to open was created in an MCL-Designer version previous to the current one.

The options available are:

 

This option is only available within an MCL-Designer version that is higher than 4.4.3-1300 and for projects that have been created within a 4.4.3-1300 version or higher of MCL-Designer and if the difference between the current MCL-Designer version and the version that the project was created in consists of minor updates (ex: a maintenance release). Use it to open the project in the up-to-date version of MCL-Designer - there is no conversion.

 

This option is only available within an MCL-Designer version that is higher than 4.4.3-1300 and for projects that have been created within a 4.4.3-1300 version or higher of MCL-Designer.

Use this option to retrieve the MCL-Designer version that was used to create the selected project. There is no conversion, the current/up to date version of MCL-Designer is closed and the selected project's original MCL-Designer version is opened.

 

Only available in an MCL-Designer version that is higher than 4.4.3-1300 for a project that was created in a 4.4.3 or higher version. Click it to disable the option when MCL-Designer has a minor update (an update that does NOT require conversion - ex: a maintenance release).

 

•If you click and open a published project, it is possible to create a new version of that published project to change it. Depending on the opened/up-to-date MCL-Designer version and the version that the project was created in, you will view a yellow bar with different options:

 

 

Clicking this option enables the editing of the newly opened project version. See Save as.

 

Only available in an MCL-Designer version that is higher than 4.4.3-1300 for a project that was created in a 4.4.3 or higher version.

Clicking this option retrieves the MCL-Designer version that was used to create the selected project. The current/up to date version of MCL-Designer is closed and the selected project's original MCL-Designer version is opened.

 

 

Clicking this option enables the editing of the newly opened project version. See Save as.

 

Only available in an MCL-Designer version that is higher than 4.4.3-1300 for a project that was created in a 4.4.3 or higher version.

Clicking this option retrieves the MCL-Designer version that was used to create the selected project. The current/up to date version of MCL-Designer is closed and the selected project's original MCL-Designer version is opened.

 

Only available in an MCL-Designer version that is higher than 4.4.3-1300 for a project that was created in a 4.4.3 or higher version. Click it to disable the option when MCL-Designer has a minor update (an update that does NOT require conversion - ex: a maintenance release).

 

•It is possible to develop speech and non-speech applications with MCL-Designer V4 (depending on your subscription). Speech applications are identified with a .

 

 

•If you attempt to open a speech application within an MCL-Designer V4 that does NOT have enabled Speech attributes, you will get the following error message and the operation will be aborted.

 

 

•If required, you can control the display of information in the "Select a Project" window:

 

▪On the upper right corner of the "Select a Project" window, click to hide the Project's Info and Project's Version(s) sections and to display them again.

 

▪Click , mouse over the button and, then, check/uncheck the columns as required.

 

 

Save

Is used to save the project changes in the corresponding .mprj file and sources (located in the previously defined project's folder). This option affects the project’s .mprj file and sources, it does NOT create/update the project’s PDK file

 

Save as

Is used to save the current project with a new name or information, meaning, it actually creates a new project with its own .mprj file and new sources. This option does NOT affect PDK files. In the resulting window, fill in the available options.

 

 

1. Enter the new version's name.

2. Maintain or increase/decrease the version's number.

3. Maintain the new version's location ( in the project's folder) or click and browse for a new location.

4. Click to apply or to abort the operation.

 

Report

Is used to create an account of a project's details such as all the specifications and screen shots. A report can be customized to include only the details you specified in the "Report Settings" window.

 

Configure the "Report Settings" by checking the details you want to have included in the report.

 

 

"Developer Report"

Creates a detailed account of all the project settings, like screen properties, routines, procedures, screen shots and more. The Developer Report is ideal to document all the project's characteristics for support or reference.

 

"User Report"

Creates a document that includes developer comments for the end-user of the project. The User Report is ideal for creating a user guide (or manual) based on technical information provided by the project developer, which is intended to provide help to anyone using the project.

 

If the current project includes more languages than the "Native Language", there will be a related section ("Localization (Screenshot)") available.

Select the language of the report from the corresponding drop-down.

 

 

After configuring the report, click to create it - it is generated as a PDF and will open, automatically, using your default PDF reader.

 

 

Close

Is used to close the current project. If the project has unsaved data, a new window opens offering the possibility to save the changes (OK), close the project without saving the changes (No) or maintaining the project open (Cancel).

 

This section of the Icon Shortcut Bar relates to the project itself and includes tools from the "File" drop-down menu (Menu Bar).

 

 

 

Edit & Project section

 

This section of the Icon Shortcut Bar includes tools from the "Edit" and "Project" drop-down menus (Menu Bar).

 

 

 

 

Edit & General section

 

This section of the Icon Shortcut Bar relates to some editing options available.

 

 

Detail of "Undo/Redo History" window

 

 

Click the operation you want to return to OR  use the icons located at the bottom of the window:

 

to undo the first operation.

to undo.

to redo.

to redo the last operation.

 

 

The is not active if the opened project has been published. See To Publish a Project. Remember that a published project cannot be changed.

To change a published project, open it and create a new version. See To Save a Published Project.

 

 

Text section

 

This section consists of text alignment tools. It affects every text within any selected control.

 

 

 

Screens section

 

This section consists of tools that affect open screens.

 

 

 

Controls section

 

This section consists of tools that affect selected controls in an open screen.

 

The rule for all control format commands is that the last control to be selected acts as the template.

 

 

 

 

Grid section

 

The Grid section includes tools that affect the screen grid. These settings can be changed in the “Grid/Colors” tab (located in the MCL-Designer Setup, in the "Tools" drop-down menu). See “Grid/Colors” tab.

 

 

 

Zoom section

 

The Zoom section is used to either "zoom in" or "zoom out" the open screens in the Working Area. You can select a percentage from the drop-down or use the magnifying glass icons (the plus sign to increase the zoom and the minus sign to decrease the zoom).