File Menu

The File menu contains operations for performing actions on files, such as opening, saving, and printing. It also contains operations for connecting an application to the API and for quitting.

Note: Menus can also be used mouseless with keyboard commands.

File and Printer Management

• New
  Clearing the graph area, i.e. removing the graph in the base window. In multi-view mode, when there are different views (base windows) to one graph, this operation only affects the base window where this operation was triggered and not the other views of the same graph Afterwards, the cleared view will be disconnected from the other views to act independently.

• Open...
  Loading a daVinci graph or graph status from file. After selecting this menu entry, a file browser will appear to specify the filename. In multi-view mode, loading a graph in one view will display the new graph only in the base window where this operation was triggered. Afterwards, this view will be disconnected from the other views of the former graph to act independently. This is called multi-graph mode, because this way different graphs are visualized at the same time.

• Save
  Saving the current graph status to a file for loading it in a later session. This stores the status directly without showing a file browser. The filename for the status is generated automatically, e.g. when graph my_graph.daVinci is loaded, the filename will be my_graph.status in the same directory. Note: This operation overwrites a file with the same name without asking the user to confirm.

• Save As...
  Saving the current graph or graph status to a file. After selecting this menu entry, a file browser will appear to specify the filename. Saving a status is used to restore the current session later, especially to preserve the layout of a graph.

• Print...
  Sending the current graph in PostScript format to a printer or storing it in a PostScript file. After selecting this menu entry, a print dialog window will appear to specify the parameters.

• Connect Application...
  Connecting a daVinci application to the API. After selecting this menu entry, a file browser will appear to specify the filename of the application binary and the options. Read more about applications in the concept document. Such an external application program can use daVinci as a graphical user interface for graphs. One application is the graph editor which is part of the daVinci distribution.

• Disconnect Application
  Disconnecting a daVinci application which is currently connected to the API. Afterwards, the user will be able to connect another application. Disconnecting is only possible if the application supports this feature (i.e. it has to terminate after receiving answer disconnect from the API).

• Close
  Closing a base window, i.e. remove it from screen. In multi-view mode, when there are different views (base windows) to one graph, this operation only affects the base window where this operation was triggered and not the other views of the same graph. This operations is only available when more than two base windows are opened in a session. The last base window cannot be closed. So, this operation will never quit daVinci, but it may close the last view of a graph.

• Exit
  Exiting a daVinci session. Note: The user is not asked to confirm before quitting, so be sure to save the status for all graphs if you want to keep the layout for a later session.