[modules/gui.git] / doc / salome / gui / input / setting_preferences.doc

/*!

\page setting_preferences_page Setting Preferences

All user preferences of \b SALOME application can be customized using the
common \b Preferences dialog box. This dialog can be open using the
<b><i>File > Preferences...</i></b> menu item.

The \b Preferences dialog box consists of two parts:
- Available preferences sections are listed in the left part of the dialog
box; usually this list contains "SALOME" item that specifies general
application preferences and a separate section for each SALOME module
available in the current session.
- The tabbed widget at the right side of the dialog box provides
controls that can be used to customize the preferences.

\note The preferences for modules become accessible only after
explicit loading of these modules. Until then the dialog box will
show the corresponding warning message. 

More detailed information about preferences for certain modules can be found in the User's guide of the corresponding module.

General application preferences are specified in the \b SALOME section
of the \b Preferences dialog box. These preferences affect on the
application look-n-feel and common functionality.

If the study has just been started and other
modules have not been loaded yet, it will be possible to change only the settings which refer to
the whole GUI SALOME session. 

<h2>General Preferences</h2>

\image html pref_salome_general.png

- <b>Language</b>
  - <b>Current language</b> - the language used by the application
  GUI. The language change will come in force only after the application is restarted.
- <b>Look and feel</b>
  - <b>Opaque resize</b> - force opaque resize mode for viewers area (tabbed workspace).
  Clear this checkbox for less perfomant workstations.
  - <b>Drop-down buttons in toolbars for action groups</b> - when
  checked, the action groups are represented in the viewer toolbars as
  a single drop-down button, switchable by the user. Otherwise, all
  the buttons from the action groups are displayed in the toolbar. 
- <b>Study Properties</b>
  - <b>Multi file save</b> - if checked in, your study will be saved in
    several HDF files (one basic HDF file which will store the main
    information about the saved study and several other files for the
    data created by each component used during the study
    session). Opening of this study requires that \b ALL saved files
    should be stored in the \b SAME directory. If you would like to
    copy your saved study in another directory or machine, you should
    copy all stored files. Otherwise, if you try to open this study,
    some data will be lost and it will lead to invalid functioning of
    the SALOME platform. 
  - <b>ASCII save</b> - if checked in, your study will be saved in
    ASCII format file (or files).
  - <b>Store positions of windows</b> -  if checked in, positions of windows
    will be saved in a special file at the end of the current session and
    then restored for a new session.
  - <b>Store positions of toolbars</b> -  if checked in, positions of toolbars
    will be saved in a special file at the end of the current session and
    then restored for a new session.
  - <b>Auto-save interval (min)</b> - allows to specify the time interval (in
    minutes) for automatic study saving operation. If the time interval is
    equal to 0 ("Disabled" value is shown) the automatic saving is not performed.
  - <b>Store/restore last GUI state</b> - if checked in, all GUI settings are
    saved with the rest of the data whenever you save the study. When the
    study is reopened, the GUI state is restored.
  - <b>Multi file python dump</b> - allows to generate multiple files
    (separately for each component) for dumping of a study to a python script.
    If the option is disabled, the study is dumped to a single python script.
  - <b>Publish in study in python dump</b> - if this option is switched on,
    the Python script resulting from Dump Python operation will
    include commands related to the publication of the data in the
    study (if this option is supported by specific module).
  - <b>Save GUI state in python dump</b> - if this option is switched on,
    the Python script resulting from Dump Python operation will
    include commands related to the GUI state.
- <b>External browser</b> - allow to define what browser will 
    be used to show SALOME reference manuals: internal (built-in
    SALOME browser) or external (IE, Netscape, Mozilla, ...). In
    addition, it is possible to specify 
    - \b Application - this option allows you to set an external browser (IE,
    Netscape) which will be used for viewing SALOME reference manuals. By
    default, Mozilla is used.
    - \b Parameters - additional parameters required for launching of
    the external browser (if applicable).
- <b>Python console</b> - here you can quickly set the parameters
  (style, size, face) of the \ref font_color_dlg "font" used in
  embedded Python console. 
- <b>Show MRU items</b> - allows to define the maximum \b Number of
items in <b>Most Recently Used</b> list and the <b>Link type</b>: 
  - \b Long - shows the full path to the file. 
  - \b Short - shows the file name only.
  - \b Auto - shows full paths to the files only if some files from
different locations have the same name.

<h2>3D Viewer Preferences</h2>

\image html pref_salome_3dviewer.png

- <b>Navigation style</b> - this option allows to choose one of the
  modes of work with mouse in OCC and VTK 3D viewers.
  - <b>Salome Standard Controls</b> - allows to manipulate objects in the
  viewer with the mouse and locked Ctrl button: increase or decrease the
  zoom ratio with the left mouse button, translate object in any
  direction with the central mouse button or rotate it with the right
  mouse button.
  - <b>Keyboard Free</b> - allows to manipulate objects in the viewer
  with the mouse without locking Ctrl button. In this case the
  operations are assigned to the buttons differently: rotation is made
  with the left button, translation with the right and zoom with both
  pressed in the same time.
- <b>Zooming style</b> - this option allows to choose a zooming mode.
  - <b>Relative to the view's center</b> - allows to zoom the view 
  relatively to its center.
  - <b>Relative to the cursor</b> - allows to zoom the view
  relatively to the current cursor position.
- <b>Trihedron</b> - viewer trihedron settings:
  - <b>Size</b> - size of the coordinate axes (global trihedron)
    displayed in the viewer.
  - <b>Relative size</b> - if this option is switched on, trihedron
    axes scale to fit the size of the scene displayed in 3D viewer.
  - <b>Show static trihedron</b> - allows to show/hide the static
    mini-trihedron located in the bottom-left corner of the viewer.

\anchor occ_preferences
<h2>OCC 3D Viewer Preferences</h2>

\image html pref_salome_occviewer.png

- <b>Background</b> - specifies the default background for the viewers,
  separately for (for more details, refer to the \ref viewer_background
  "this page"):
  - <b>3D View</b>
  - <b>XZ View</b>
  - <b>YZ View</b>
  - <b>XY View</b>

\anchor vtk_preferences
<h2>VTK 3D Viewer Preferences</h2>

\image html pref_salome_vtkviewer.png

- <b>Projection mode</b> - allows choosing between \b Orthogonal and
\b Perspective projection mode.
- <b>Background</b> - specifies the default background for the viewer;
  for more details, refer to the \ref viewer_background "this page".
- <b>Speed Increment</b> - defines the number of units by
  which the speed increases or respectively decreases after pressing [+]
  or [-] keyboard buttons.
- <b>Modification Mode</b> - allows choosing between \b Arithmetic
  and \b Geometrical progression used for zooming.
- <b>Dynamic pre-selection</b> - switches dynamic pre-selection on/off.
- <b>Spacemouse</b> - a mouse-like manipulator device specially designed
  for working with 3D presentations, objects, etc. You can reassign the
  actions listed below to any of its buttons.
  - <b>Decrease Speed Increment</b> - decreases by 1 the speed
  increment used for the keyboard (same as [-] key).
  - <b>Increase Speed Increment</b> - increase by 1 the speed
  increment used for the keyboard (same as [+] key).
  - <b>Dominant / combined switch</b> - toggles button to switch to
  dominant or combined movements. 
- <b>AVI Recording</b>
  - <b>Mode</b> - allows to choose from two recording regimes:
    - <b>Recording all displayed frames</b> - records exactly at the
    FPS rate specified by the user. 
    - <b>Recording at a given FPS</b> - records only when the contents
    of the viewer change (some activity is performed).  In the AVI file
    non-recorded images are substituted with the copies of the latest
    recorded image, which produces files with lower quality but requires
    less system resources.
  - <b>FPS</b> - allows to define the FPS (frames per second) rate for
  the clip. Set greater value for better quality.
  - <b>Quality</b> - allows to set the quality of the clip in the
  interval between 0 and 100.
  - <b>Progressive</b> - allows to record a progressive API file.
- <b>Names of groups</b> - allows to specify parameters of the
titles displayed in the viewer:
  - <b>Text color</b> - allows selecting the text color;
  - <b>Transparency</b> - allows selecting the text transparency.

\anchor plot2d_preferences
<h2>Plot 2D Viewer Preferences</h2>

\image html pref_salome_plot2dviewer.png

- <b>Show legend</b> - this options specifies if it's necessary to
show legend by default.
- <b>Legend Position</b> - this submenu allows to set the default position
of the legend, it can be located to the left, to the right, on top or
on bottom of the graph.
- <b>Legend font</b> - this allows to set type and face for the font of Legend item.
- <b>Curve Type</b> - this allows to set the representation of graphs in
your presentations. You can see only <b>Points</b>, points connected with
<b>Lines</b> or points connected with smooth <b>Splines</b>.
- <b>Marker Size</b> - this submenu allows you to set the size of
markers in your graphs.
- <b>Horizontal</b> and <b>Vertical axis scale</b> - this submenus allow you to set
the scale for vertical and horizontal axes. It can be either <b>Linear</b> or
<b>Logarithmic</b>. Note that the <b>Logarithmic</b> scale can be used only
if the minimum value of corresponding component (abscissa or ordinate)
of all points displayed in the viewer is greater than zero.
If this condition is not met, the scale is switched to <b>Linear</b>
automatically, even if it is set to <b>Logarithmic</b>.
- <b>Background color</b> - this submenu allows to select the background
color. Click on the colored line to access to the
\ref select_color_and_font_page "Select Color" dialog box.
- <b>Legend font color</b> - this allows to select the color of the
font of the legend item. 
- <b>Highlighted legend font color</b> - this submenu allows to select
the color of the font of the selected legend item. 
- <b>Selection color</b> - this submenu allows to select the color of
selected object in the viewer. 
- <b>Deviation marker color</b> - this submenu allows to select the
color of the deviation marker. 
- <b>Deviation marker line width</b> allows to define line width of
the deviation marker. 
- <b>Deviation marker tick size</b> allows to define size of the upper
and lower horizontal lines of the deviation marker. 

<br><h2>Directories Preferences</h2>

\image html pref_salome_directories.png

- <b>Quick Directory List</b> - this section allows to create and manage
a custom quick directory list. To add a directory in the list, press
the "Add directory" button:
\image html image70.png
then the &quot;<b>...</b>&quot; button and browse the data tree for the
directory you need.
The "Up" and "Down" buttons(see the picture below) help you to sort
the directories in the list:
\image html image73.png
\image html image75.png
To remove the selected directory from the list, press the "Delete"
button:
\image html image72.png

<br><h2>Object Browser Preferences</h2>

\image html pref_salome_objbrowser.png

- <b>Search Tool</b> - specifies behavior of the
\ref using_find_tool_page "Search tool".
  - <b>Enable auto-hiding</b> checkbox - hides the search tool
  automatically after short perioud of time when it is not used.
- <b>Look and feel</b>
  - <b>Auto size for the first column</b> - this checkbox enables automatic
  resizing for the first column.
  - <b>Auto size for other columns</b> - this checkbox enables
  automatic resizing for the other columns.
  - <b>Resize columns after expanding an item</b> - this checkbox enables
  resizing columns on expanding an object browser item.
  - <b>Browse to the published object</b> - this combobox allows to enable
  automatic browsing to the objects just published to the study (using GUI
  dialogs only). It means that the object browser will be scrolled to the
  published objects, make them visible if they are collapsed and select the
  first of them. Three modes are allowed for activating this feature:
    - <b>Never</b> - automatic browsing is disabled.
    - <b>After Apply & Close only</b> - browsing is activated when the
    dialog is accepted by <b>Apply & Close</b> or <b>Ok</b> buttons (or if
    the objects are published without using a dialog, for example, by
    clicking a context menu button) and not activated when the
    <b>Apply</b> button is pressed and therefore the dialog remains visible.
    - <b>Always</b> - automatic browsing is always enabled.
- <b>Default columns</b> - these checkboxes allow to display or hide <b>Value</b>,
<b>Entry</b>, <b>IOR</b> and <b>Reference entry</b> columns in the Object Browser.

<br><h2>Shortcuts Preferences</h2>

\image html pref_salome_shortcuts.png

- <b>Shortcuts settings</b> widget allows to define custom shortcuts for
various operations. To change keyboard sequence for a certain action - select the
action and press the custom keys combination.


\subpage select_color_and_font_page "Font and color preferences"
are most oftenly used types of user settings.

When you change settings (click \b OK or \b Apply button) each module
receives the notification about what preferences are changed. You can
also click \b Defaults button to restore default preferences or \b Close
button to quit the dialog box without any changes. 

\b Import button allows loading specific user file containing
preferences from any location at the computer through a standard
Import dialog box.

\image html import.png

The preferences files usually have *.xml extension. Also,
preferences files automatically saved by the application (stored in the
~/.config/salome directory) have no extension and by default start with
.SalomeApprc. followed by SALOME version number. Usually there is a
separate preferences file for each SALOME version in use. Preferences
are saved to the file in the end of the working session and restored
at the application start-up.

\note The preferences you set will be default preferences for all \b new
objects, but they are not retroactive and do not automatically apply
to the existing objects.

*/