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All arKItect functionality is exposed via Ribbon User Interface.

Ribbon itself represents different menus or tabs, clicking on each activates different Ribbon Categories which permit the user to access different project management and utility tools.

There are 3 principal parts of the Ribbon:

Let's have a more closer look at the Ribbon structure and how it can be used efficiently.

Main button (File)

This is a big button with arKItect logo. It gives access to basic project actions such as Open Project, Create Project, Copy project, Change Workspace etc.

Open Project or Saved Copy

Create New Project or Import arkz

Change Workspace

Copy, Rename or Delete Project

Lock Project or Forbid Project Deletion

Preferences

Allows access to standard arKItect Preferences

Ribbon menus and Categories

This is where all arKItect functionalities can be found.

There are 6 Ribbon menus and corresponding Categories:

  • Home
  • Diagram
  • Tools
  • Configuration Management
  • Import Export
  • Data and User Administration.

Each Ribbon Category consists of a set of Ribbon Panels. Ribbon Panel is a logical union of some controls.

Let's have a more close look at each Ribbon menu with corresponding Category and Panels with controls.

Home

This Ribbon Category allows access to main functionalities.

Undo, Redo Panel

Allows executing Undo / Redo operations

  • Undo last done operation
  •  Redo last undone operation

Design Panel

Allows changing diagram selection mode:

  •  Selection. When selected allows to select objects, links, ports and labels by clicking on them or by drawing selection rectangle.
  •   Zoom. When selected, a left-click or a double-click will zoom in, right-click will zoom out and drag-and-drop will define a zoom in zone.
  •  Pan. When selected, you can move the diagram by clicking on it and moving the mouse. This works only if the diagram is not displayed in its entirety.

Display Panel

Allows applying 3 display modes

Navigation Panel

Allows navigation between treeviews, diagrams and variant application

  •  Select a projection to display. Only visible filters are seen in this list (for more information, see the Invisible Filters)
  •  Select a variant to apply
  • Select a phase to apply
  •  Show or hide a projection tree, that is the treeview
  •  Go to previous diagram or one of the previous diagrams
  •  Go to next diagram or one of the next diagrams.This is available only if you have used  button to navigate.
  •  Go to parent diagram. Change the focus object to the parent (go "up" in the hierarchy).

Object Panel

Allows access to Object information and execute cut, copy paste operations over selected objects:

Allows operations like Cut, Copy and Paste on currently selected objects:

Refresh Panel

Allows to reload the current project: it reloads all the data from the server and recomputes what is displayed on screen

Search Panel

Allows access to different search utilities

Palette Panel

Allows access to Palette pane

Project Tools

Allows access to Project Tools pane

Arrange Panes

Allows to reset panes to default positions

Diagram

This Ribbon Category allows access to diagram functionalities.

Zoom Panel

Allows to apply different zoom mode in diagrams

  •  Activate/deactivate zoom mode in diagrams, use left/right mouse buttons to zoom in/zoom out
  •  Restore default zoom mode (100%)
  •  Zoom to fit selected objects on the screen. This is available only when any object is selected
  •  Zoom to fit the whole diagram on the screen

Layout - Links, Graph, RBD Panels

  

(see functional description in Diagram Layout Toolbar)

Layout - Links allows to align or reset positions of ports and gates, also controls auto redrawing of links:

  •  Align ports and gates with its using objects
  •  Reset and redraw ports and gates
  •  Enable/disable auto redrawing of links by shortest path when connected objects are moved in the diagram

Layout - Graph allows to organize diagrams either horizontally or vertically:

  •  Auto Set Layout Vertically
  •  Auto Set Layout Horizontally
  •  Organize diagram as a Vertical Tree
  •  Organize diagram as a Horizontal Tree

Layout - RBD specifies some important actions for Relation Block Diagrams:

Objects - Align, Size, Move Panels

  

Allows to control relative positions and sizes of objects (see Align Toolbar for Objects - Align Panel, Layout Toolbar for Objects - Size Panel and Nudge Toolbar for Objects - Move Panel).

Full screen Panel

 

Allows to activate a Full screen display .

Advanced Panel

  •  Allow to control display of special diagrams
  •  Allow to convert links to gate and back .
  • Allow to control Grid behavior in Diagrams : - show / hide grid; - make objects snap to grid (this option is active but unmodifiable when snap to grid has been set at the filter level by arKItect Designer). These options can also be accessed through Preferences.

Tools

This Ribbon Panel allows access to scripting functionalities.

Scripting Panel

Allows access to Project  and Common  Tools (scripts).

Debug Panel

Allows to adjust script error level signaling and display error trace

  •  Show Program trace window
  •  Allows access to Python scripting log

Notification Panel

Allows access to notification tools like Create a Shortcut and send it by e-mail

  •  Copy current diagram into clipboard as an URL
  •  Send e-mail with a link to the current diagram
  •  Create shortcut to the current diagram

Show / Hide Panel

Allows access to Metamodel panel and status bar

  •  Open Metamodel panel (available only for arKItect Designer)
  •  Show / hide the status bar.

Settings Panel

Allows to define and apply different font size for main controls (Ribbon itself, Treeviews, Properties, Location, Options etc.).

 

Restore / Recover Panel

Allows to restore a Saved Copy or gives access to Saved Copies.

Configuration Management

This Ribbon Panel allows access to History, Object Revisions, Project Revisions and Options / Variants Management.

History Panel

Allows access to project History.

Project Revisions Panel

Allows to configure, create and manage project revisions.

Objects under Revisions Panel

Allows to see objects under revision control management.

Compare & Merge Panel

Allows to executing different operations on project dumps.

Manage Options & Variants Panel

Allows access to project Options and Variants management:

Sharing Panel

Allows to Create specific project or synchronize the project.

Import Export

This Ribbon Category allows access to different Import / Export utilities.

Export Panel

  •  Allows to save current diagram as an image file. The file type can be jpeg, bitmap, tiff, targa, pdf or svg.

    Icon

    There is no print functionality in arKItect, but you can save a Diagram as an image and then print it out.

  •  Allows to export project into MS Word
  •  Allows to export project to html.

Import / Export Metamodel Panel

Allows to import / export the Metamodel (available only for Designer).

Import / Export Data Panel

  •  Allows to import / export Objects or Projections.
  •  Allows to import / export Variants / Phases.
  • Allows to import  / export  all project data.

Data and User Administration

This Ribbon Category allows access to some utilities for User Administration as well as Metamodel.

Administration Panel

Allows access to User Rights management module  and Workspace Web Manager .

Preferences

Allows access to standard arKItect Preferences 

Quick Access Toolbar (QAT)

This is a very useful part of the Ribbon User Interface which allows to make all work with arKItect more efficient.

The main idea of this toolbar is to make some Ribbon Panels or controls accessible all the time without activating a corresponding Ribbon Category and locating the control each time when it is needed.

E.g. imagine that you often switch between different treeviews using the Treeview drop-down list (Home Category). At the same time you work with Objects Revisions (Configuration Management Category). Clearly you will spend a lot of time if you need constantly to switch between these two Categories to call either Objects Revisions or Treeviews navigation. Solution is simple - put one or both controls into QAT. How - see below.

Positioning

Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) can be positioned either above or below the Ribbon.

When positioned above the Ribbon it is placed to the left from the caption.

To change current position of the QAT click on a small arrow button from the right of the QAT

and select "Show Below the Ribbon" item.

Now the Ribbon looks like below:

To position the QAT above the Ribbon click on a small arrow button from the right of the QAT

and select "Show Above the Ribbon" item. The Ribbon will be again placed above the Ribbon:

Add items to QAT

Adding items

Suppose we often use Treeviews drop-down list and we want it to be accessible without the need to switch into Home Category each time. Right click on Treeviews control

and select "Add to Quick Access Toolbar". The Treeviews drop-down list will be placed in the QAT:

Adding Ribbon panels

It is also possible to add into QAT a complete Ribbon panel containing several controls.

For example, let's suppose that we want to add Design Panel of the Home Category into QAT. To do so, right click on Design Panel caption (be careful, if you click outside the caption you will add only one control instead of the complete Panel)

 

and select "Add to Quick Access Toolbar". Now, complete Display Panel will be added into QAT:

While it may look less efficient - you need to do an additional click on the panel icon to display the panel - we find it useful in case you don't want to overweight the QAT.

Remove items from QAT

To remove a control from QAT, right click on the control in the QAT

and select "Remove from Quick Access Toolbar".

Minimize / Maximize Ribbon

It is possible to hide Ribbon Categories leaving only the Ribbon menus.

To do so, right click anywhere on the Ribbon

and select "Minimize the Ribbon". The Active Ribbon Category will be hidden leaving only the Ribbon menus:

Now, when you need to access some Category in the Minimized state just click on the Ribbon menu item you need and the Active Ribbon Category will slide down allowing you to select the control you need. As soon as you are finished, the Active Ribbon Category will slide away again.

To restore Ribbon to the Maximized state, right click anywhere on Ribbon menus

and uncheck "Minimize the Ribbon". This will restore the Ribbon to its maximized state with Ribbon Active Category displayed permanently.

It is also possible to restore the Ribbon to its maximized state by clicking once on Home Ribbon menu or by clicking twice on any Ribbon menu items other than Home.

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