Perform Basic Operations

The following help topics describe basic operations and conventions for interacting with Ecce. For information about starting and quitting Ecce, see the Gateway.

Manage Tools on the Desktop

You have a variety of options for arranging and using the Ecce tools on your desktop. For example, you can create multiple instances of the same tool for performing parallel tasks, and quickly bring a hidden or minimized tool to the front of your display.

How to...	Instructions
Bring the Gateway to the front when it is hidden by other windows	First right-click on the message area in the footer of most Ecce tool windows. From the resulting pop-up menu, choose Show Gateway.
Start a single instance of a tool	Click or Shift-click on the corresponding tool icon in the Gateway. OR Within an active tool, open the Tools menu and choose the desired tool option.
Bring a tool window to the front of the screen display	Click on the tool icon in the Gateway (or click on the "windows" menu under the Ecce wave and choose the tool from the resulting pull-down menu of active windows.)
Start a new instance of a tool in a separate window	Shift-click on the tool icon when the tool is already open. OR Click on the tool icon with the right mouse button . From the resulting pop-up menu, choose New. OR Within an active tool, open the Tools menu and shift-click on the desired tool option.
Minimize (iconify) a tool	Click on the tool window's menu button . From the resulting menu, choose Minimize.
Minimize (iconify) all open tools	Click on the Gateway's menu button . From the resulting menu, choose Minimize.
Quit an Ecce tool (and close its window)	From the first (leftmost) menu on the tool's menu bar, choose the Quit option. OR Just click on the tool window's menu button and choose Quit (or Close) from the resulting menu.

Use the Mouse in Ecce

The mouse is used in a variety of typical point-and-click interactions: selecting items and menu options and editing typed data. In Ecce the mouse has special uses for drag & drop operations (described separately) and for context-sensitive access to online help.

Note: Most mouse interactions in Ecce use the left mouse button . When following online help instructions, use the left mouse button unless specified otherwise.

How to...	Instructions
Select an item (such as an item in a list)	Place the mouse cursor over an item and click on the left mouse button to select the item. Tip: In situations where a selection must be confirmed (for example, by pressing an "OK" button after selecting something), you may be able to select and confirm it simultaneously by double-clicking on the item.
Edit a project or calculation name (in the Calculation Manager)	Double-click on the project/folder or calculation name in either the project tree or workspace to select the entire item. Type to replace the name, or click on the name again to position the insertion point and edit the name. Disallowed characters -- Ecce does NOT accept the following keyboard characters in a project or calculation name: space   tab   /   '   :   $   ~
Open a pop-up menu	Move the cursor over various items in the Ecce interface (such as an icon in the Gateway, a property panel in the Calculation Viewer, a property, a table, or window area) and click the right mouse button. If a pop-up menu is available, it will list options that apply to that item. (Some items may require that you hold down the right mouse button to keep the pop-up menu visible.)
Get context-sensitive Quick Help about items in a window	Position the mouse cursor over the item and press the Help key (F1 on SGI keyboards). If no Quick Help is available for that item, Ecce opens the online help overview for the corresponding tool or operation.

Drag & Drop with the Mouse

This is the general procedure for Ecce drag & drop operations:

1. Place the mouse cursor over a draggable object (such as the calculation name in the Calculation Manager).
   
   
2. Press and hold down the middle mouse button. Then move the mouse to drag the object toward the desired location (another project folder, a different position in a list, another tool).
   

   When an object is dragged, the mouse cursor becomes a gray "move" cursor. The actual appearance of the drag & drop cursor varies, depending on the graphic interface of your system.

   
   
3. Position the cursor over an object that can accept a drop, such as the drop site (below) in the lower right corner of another tool window.
   

   	Many Ecce tools have a drop site for accepting dragged objects. More about... Drag & Drop Operations
   	The dropsite appears depressed and shows a green arrow whenever the tool CAN accept the dragged object.
   	The "move" cursor may turn green when it is positioned over a drop site that CAN accept the dragged object.
   	The "move" cursor may turn red when it is positioned over a drop site that CANNOT accept the dragged object.

   Warning: Dropping on a drop site that is not ready (usually because it is still processing the last drop) may cause crashes. Wait until the "move" cursor turns green.

4. Release the middle mouse button to "drop" the dragged item at the new location.

   For dragging items between tools, the information actually transferred between tools depends on what information is usable in the destination tool. For example, the Builder loads only the chemical system information from a dragged calculation while the Calculation Editor loads all available calculation parameter information.