Using the new interface of Scope XTC /DP pre-release

The new Interface

There are four basic windows:

1)      Project Window

  This is where you design and layout the circuit and surface of your device - like before.

What has changed is that there are two different 'Views' for the Project Window - Surface View (F8) and Circuit View (F7). The views can be changed by clicking the mode buttons at the top right of the Project Window or by pressing the equivalent keys (F7 or F8) when the focus is inside or on the Project Window. In Surface View only surface elements are visible. In Circuit View only circuit elements are visible. In Scope surface and circuit elements are distinguished by their ViewID in the GO Attributes. On how to change and use the ViewID please refer to 'the new conventions'.

Click on the pictures for full size graphics and a discussion in detail.

When using two Project Windows you can also set one to Surface View and one to Circuit View, so you can edit the circuit and the surface simultaneously. This is especially helpful when connecting pads of your circuit to surface controls.

Circuit design and layout is as before - you still find the Move (Ctrl-M), Use (Ctrl-U) and Edit (Ctrl-E) modes. Due to the new view concept the functions flip-in / -out are now obsolete. In order to edit the surface of a device or module navigate to the level where the circuit representation of the surface is and switch to Surface View. The surface you want to edit must be hidden - Scope will do that for you automatically. You can then edit the surface as before. If you are using your own control elements, make sure that their ViewID in the GO Attributes is set to 'Surface'. Please also refer to 'the new conventions' when you have problems with the conversion of the ViewID.

To use your own control elements (faders, knobs, etc.) you have to set their ViewID to 'Surface' (Project Explorer -> GO -> Attributes -> set the flag to 'Surface'). If you cannot see a surface element you have just dragged in from the File Browser, it may help to go into the Project Explorer, select this item in the list, open the GO Attributes and check if its ViewID is set to 'Surface'.

The 'ModuleProperties' window was redesigned and is now the 'Module Attributes' window (right click a circuit node and select 'Attributes'). The new 'Module Attributes' window provides more information.

 

2)      File Browser

  The File Browser is the Scope equivalent of the 'MS Windows Explorer'. Via the 'Fav' button you can manage your favorites.
By using the round buttons on the left side you can access your hard disk drives, the floppy and CD-ROM drives.
Here you can drag and drop the devices and modules from the File Browser into the Project Window or Project Explorer. You can also Ctrl-drag (keep the Ctrl-key pressed while dragging) your device into the file browser to save it.

3)      Project Explorer

 
The Project Explorer shows a hierarchical representation of your current project - the ModuleTree. From the top of the Project Explorer window you can access the Pad lists and the GO list. From the Pad list you can access the Attributes and the Connections dialog and from the GO list the GO Attributes and the Add GO dialogs. The old ‘Store’ and ‘Connect’ buttons have been replaced by new ones.

Each of these lists has a ‘Freeze’ button which locks the list to a selected module so that changing the focus to another module  will not affect the content of a ‘frozen’ list.

Click on the pictures for full size graphics and a discussion in detail.

4)     Toolbar


 

From the Toolbar you can access the different editing tools (Text, Alignment, Color, etc.) There you can also find the 'Help Window' (shortcut: F1) and 'Highlight selected Object' (when building surfaces you might want to turn the highlight off).

Generally it is a good idea to use the Help Window. In order to get basic information about the modules and specific pads position the mouse cursor over a module or a pad to see the help text displayed inside this window.

The offset values in the Align dialog box are now measured in conjunction to the base surface - no longer to the edges of the screen.


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