4.2 Anatomy of the Main Window

The SCIRun main window consists of the Menu Bar, the Global View frame, the Message frame, and the Net Edit frame (see Figure 4.1):

Menu Bar

The menu bar is used to load networks, save networks, quit SCIRun, create network modules, and perform other tasks. The menu bar consists of the following menu items:

File

The File menu contains the following items:

Load

Loads a network from a file (See this section).

Insert

Adds a network to the NetEdit frame without overlap (See this section).

Save

Saves a network to a file (See this section).

Save As...

Saves a network to a new file (See this section).

Clear Network

Removes all modules and connections from the NetEdit frame (See this section).

Select All

Selects all modules.

Execute All

Executes all modules.

New

Contains items of interest to developers only (e.g. creating new modules).

Add Info

Adds network specific notes to the current network. Notes should be used to document the purpose of the network (See this section).

Quit

Quits SCIRun. Pressing key combination Control + Q also quits.

SCIRun

The SCIRun menu is used to create modules (from the SCIRun package) for use in the Net Edit frame.

This menu is composed of sub-menus. Each sub-menu corresponds to a category within the SCIRun package. A category is a group of related modules. Each menu item in a category sub-menu creates a specific module and places it in the NetEdit frame.

The NetEdit frame pop-up menu also provides access to the SCIRun and BioPSE (and possibly other) package menus. Activate the NetEdit frame pop-up menu by clicking Btn3 (right mouse button). The BioPSEPackage has an overview of the SCIRun package.

BioPSE

The BioPSE menu creates modules (from the BioPSEpackage) for use in the NetEdit frame. It consists of category sub-menus and module menu items The SCIRun Package has an overview of the BioPSEpackage.

Other Package Menus

There may be other package menus if other packages have been installed. They also have category sub-menus and module menu items.

Global View Frame

The Global View Frame is located in the upper left corner of the main window (see Figure 4.1). It is used to navigate complex networks Navigating a Network describes the use of the Global View Frame.

Message Frame

Messages during program startup are displayed in the Message frame. The Message frame is located in the upper right corner of the main window (see Figure 4.1). Errors on startup may mean SCIRun has been installed incorrectly or has been installed from a buggy distribution. Please report these errors (report).

NetEdit Frame

The NetEdit Frame occupies the bottom of the main window(see Figure 4.1). It is used to build and execute networks (Working with Networks discusses the use of the NetEdit frame).

The Global View, Message, and Net Edit frames can be resized by moving their borders vertically/horizontally. The horizontal border separating the Net Edit frame from the Global View and Message frames can be moved up or down. The vertical border separating the Global View and Error frames can be moved left or right. To resize a frame, position the mouse pointer over a border, press (and hold) mouse button 1, and drag the mouse. A frame is removed entirely from view by dragging a border to the window's edge.