Summary > Manual conventions > Definitions | Using the mouse | Modifier keys | Keys Return, Enter, Tab | Active and hidden records | Lists of values | Windows elements | Button bar > Main Menu


Conventions used in manual and program

Definitions

In this manual certain terms are used to define objects on the screen or program elements and some conventions to recognize quickly when reading:

Field: is a space intended to contain information. It can be of type text, number, date, time, storage and computation. Most of the fields on the screen is visible and accessible within a field and then clicking with the mouse you can enter data or choose from a list of values. But a field can only accept data of the same type of the field itself. For example if you enter text into a numeric field, the text entered may not be used in a calculation. In container fields, you can enter any data: they are mainly used to house images, movies or sounds. Calculated fields show the result of a formula, and therefore can not accept any kind of input.
To enter information in one field is always necessary to first click the mouse or press <tab> <enter> or to position the cursor in the field. The format of a field may vary according to the information: it may look like a simple box to type free text or numbers, or it can have an associated list of values to choose from one of the proposed values. The value list can be viewed in different ways depending on the number of choices available: as radio buttons or checkboxes if the choices are few and bound, or as pop-up menu or drop down list where the choices are many.
Some fields contain information that is entered automatically by the program.

Record: is the drive of a data base: a single adjustment related to an entity means a mixture or a food or a recipe. A record is made up of several fields which contain information about the object: for example a food product, name, price, units and so on.

Table: Contains information organized in a consistent set of fields for a number of records. In some cases, a table is already in itself an archive. Sometimes more than one table held together by connections called relations, are a more complex archive

Archive is a collection of information about a data set. An archive can be composed of one or more tables linked together. Tables can be linked through relationships based on key fields. Example: A recipe is a record in the table recipes, but is related to other records in the table that contains the ingredients of the recipes. Thanks to the relationship between the two tables, each recipe can view and use only ingredients that belong to it. The archive consists of the tables then Recipes Recipes and Ingredients. For a record in the table recipes are part of the table records the ingredients in the recipe (uno_a_molti report).

Portal: it is an object that looks like a table with one or more rows inserted in one screen. Generally a multi-line portal is smooth and shows records of a linked table, such as rows that contain records that are part of a mixture.

At times, the portal can accept input and editing of new data, in other cases not.

Button: any object on the screen that performs an action when clicked: it is recognizable because the mouse cursor turns into a hand. Even a field can be both a button. Button is connected to a procedure that is running more or less complex actions (such as creating a new record, or compose a shopping list for multiple menu at once). The buttons are generally associated with a quick help that explains the function when we dwell on it with the mouse, the cursor itself also when it passes over Uun button changes from arrow to hand.

Pop-up window: it is a pop-up window for temporary use and it remains on top and can only be closed again at the end of the procedure which has been invoked or by clicking the close button within the window. The normal buttons do not work on Windows or Mac for the closure seats on the top edge and you can not click on another window below.

Status area: it is the portion of the gray box located on the top of the screen. Normally it is only visible in Preview mode.

Always contains a Continue button that allows you to continue and print: the procedure that shows the preview it is always followed by a dialogue to print what is displayed.
The active buttons Print and Page Setup do what they say, by temporarily suspending the current process, but when you press the Enter or Return key on your keyboard or clicking the Continue button to continue the procedure again asking if you want to print.

Panels: to contain a large number of fields and buttons on the same screen, they are frequently arranged in overlapping panels that work just like in the options window of Windows. Simply click the top tab to access the contents of the panel. A panel structure has a layer for each panel on which the objects are arranged. The panels can be nested.


 

Using the mouse

When the cursor is over a clickable object , eg. a button, it turns into a small hand. In Gelato Italiano are several clickable items (besides the buttons, as well as some fields when clicked activates a procedure) and this feature helps to recognize them immediately, also on some items are active aids fast, or a small piece of information that appears when you stop on an object with the mouse cursor: here's an example.

The mouse wheel can be used in displaying lists to scroll the window. To navigate through records in a list you can use the left and right arrows on your keyboard while to go to the first or last record in the list you can use up arrow or down arrow

The right mouse button pressed on a field opens a context menu that varies depending on the nature of the field (and in accordance with the operating system) for text fields integrates the menu items related to the formatting of text in the field:

Right-click in a text field on Mac OSX


Right-click in a text field on Windows XP

Right-click on a container field (images) in Windows offers more than Mac OSX the ability to insert an OLE Object (Object Linking and Embedding). An OLE object can be a file in another application (eg Word) that is dynamically linked to the field that hosts it: changing the file in its native application, you will see the changes immediately in the field. Double-clicking the object in the field will open the application that created it

 

Modifier keys

In some cases, pressing a key on the keyboard associated with the click of a mouse button activates a different procedure from that normally assigned to the object. Can be key-modifiers <ctrl>, <alt> and <shift> keys. Some special procedures may be performed by the combination <ctrl+clic> or <ctrl+shift+clic>. It means that you must press the key or keys indicated and, holding down the button, click with the mouse.


 

Return, Enter and Tab

The Return key is located on the main alphanumeric keyboard and the Enter key, located on the numeric keypad, have different effects:

Return is used to:

• wrap when you are typing text in a field

• accept a value selected from a drop down list and go to the next field

Enter is used to:

• exit the current field if you are typing a text (same effect as clicking off the field)

• accept a value selected from a drop down list, but without leaving the field. A second pressure validates the active field and in some cases goes to the next field.

The Tab key:

• is used to move from one field to the next in the order of default entered. If you want to insert a tab in a text field, you must type alt-tab (press tab while holding down the alt key)


 

Active records and hidden records

The program can show all, some or none of the records in the archives.
Only active records can be processed (printing, data export, display) and then, in some situations, you may need to search to make active the records you want, or press the Find button to display the entire contents of the archive.


 

Lists of Values

To make easier data entry or suggest the appropriate values, some fields have drop down lists or pop-up menu.

The drop-down lists appear when you click in the field, can be explored with the keyboard, if they are long have scroll bars. Some lists are an index of the values recorded in the same field or a field to an archive, then, the greater the number of values, the longer the list (for example, the list of ingredients mixed in the archive).
If at the bottom of the list you see "Edit ..." you can change the values of the list by selecting it.

A drop down list can be scrolled in different ways:

with the keyboard:

• press the arrow keys to scroll up and down the list one line at a time;

• Press and page up or page down to scroll the list one page at a time;

• Press home or end to the beginning or end of the list;

• type the first letter of the desired item to gradually restrict the list only those items that begin with the same letters

with the mouse:

• Use the scroll bar to the right of the list by clicking on the arrows, dragging the slider or by clicking above or below it.

to enter the value shown in the list:

• Press Return, Enter or Tab on the keyboard, the value is entered and the cursor moves to the next field, or

• clicking on highlighted item, the cursor moves to next field.


 

Window elements

In the lower left corner of the window are four small buttons:

The number on the left is the zoom ratio, if clicked cycles between the last two levels of zoom used. Example: 150> 100> 150 and so on.


*      Minimize button: Decreases the zoom level (100 > 75 > 50 > 25%)


*     Maximize button increases the zoom level (100 > 150 > 200 > 300 > 400%)

*    Button in the status: if it is not active in light gray and the area was not viewable. The status area is visible only in Print Preview mode and during the Advanced Search.


 

Button bar

The left side of the bar contains buttons to return to the main menu to move between the three environments in Gelato Italiano: Mixes, Ingredients and Recipes

The two buttons with green arrows work like the Back and Forward buttons of a web browser: allow respectively to return to recently viewed screens and go on to later ones already visited. Frequently happen to have access to a tab in a different table to enter data on the fly. After the release, to go back and start again from the exact spot just a click on the small button with the arrow on the left: these two buttons allow you to keep in the archives.

The navigation buttons to scroll through records: First, Previous, Next, Last.

The other buttons to the right perform different functions, described by the pop-up message can be seen lingering with the mouse pointer over the button for a few seconds. The buttons shaded in gray are not available at that time.

Quick Search

Use this device to quickly find an entry in a database: click and type in a word, then press <return>. Gelato Italiano will search the word you typed in a number of significant fields in the archive where you are, for example in the archive of Mixes and Recipes of the search is done in the name, in the preparation and field notes, in ingredients does research in the field of the name, in the category field and the field notes.

 

Summary > Manual conventions > Definitions | Using the mouse | Modifier keys | Keys Return, Enter, Tab | Active and hidden records | Lists of values | Windows elements | Button bar > Main Menu