Chapter 13: Designing Screen Layouts

[13.1]

As described in an earlier chapter, you can configure the size and position of windows in Family Tree SuperTools and then save that configuration in a "layout".

This chapter provides some examples of customized screen layouts in order to give you some sense of the variety that is possible and to get your creative juices flowing.

But first some tips about building effective screen layouts.....

[13.2]

By default, the Layout toolbar is enabled and docked to the top of the screen. It is especially handy when designing layouts.

Each of the main display windows is represented by a button on the Layout Toolbar. When a window is open, its button is recessed (or "pushed in") on the toolbar. To open or close a window, just click on its button.

Click on the Layout Manager button (circled here in red) to save the current window configuration as a new layout or to overwrite an existing layout.

Click on the drop-down list to switch between layouts that you have designed.

[13.3]

You can also open and close individual windows using the Window menu.

A check mark indicates the the window is open.

Simply select a window from the menu in order to open or close it.

[13.4]

If you use a high screen resolution, then you will have more space to arrange windows and view data. We recommend at least a 800x600 screen resolution.

Lower screen resolutions will display text with larger fonts but then less information (and fewer windows) will fit on the screen at the same time.

To change your screen resolution, right click on the windows desktop and choose Properties. On the Settings tab, make a note of the current settings in case you decide to reverse the changes that you make. Change the "Desktop area" to a higher number for a higher screen resolution. If you are concerned about legibility, you might also change the Font Size on the same tab to "Large Fonts."

Your Windows Property screen might look somewhat different than the screen shot, depending on your operating system. Note that any such changes to your Windows properties will affect all applications that are run on your computer. If you decide that you don't like the effect, go through the same steps to change it back again.

[13.5]

There are seven display windows on the Window menu (and Layout toolbar).

Note that it isn't expected and it is probably not a good idea to design a layout with ALL of the windows open at the same time. Unless you have a very high resolution screen, each of the windows would have to be so small as to be ineffective. The screen shot is offered as an example of a bad layout.

We recommend that you design layouts with an effective configuration of the windows which you use most often. On the occasions that you need one of the other windows, open it by clicking on its button on the Layout toolbar.

You can also design different layouts for different objectives or contexts and switch between them with the Layout toolbar.

[13.6]

One way to make effective use of screen space is to place a window in a reduced but still useable size on the screen. When you need the full advantage of the window, click on its Maximize button.

In this layout, for instance, the Tree View is far too small to be legible. It is big enough, however, to see (by the color) which ancestral lines are known and which are not. To examine the Tree View in detail, click on the Maximize button (circled here in red). When you are finished, click on the same button again (now it will look like two small boxes) to "restore" the window to its layout position.

[13.7]

It is possible to lose track of the position of a window if, for instance, you:

• position one window behind another
• move a window beyond the borders of the screen
• design a layout using a high resolution and then switch to a lower resolution, causing some windows to be positioned beyond the new borders of the screen.
• reduce the size of the application window.

In such cases, you can use the Arrange All feature on the Window menu to make all open windows visible again. This feature will allocate approximately equal space to each open window. In doing so, it can make some really ugly and ineffective layouts but it accomplishes the goal of bringing the windows into the open where you can continue to work with them.

If a window is not visible after Arrange All, then make sure that it is open using the Window menu or the Layout toolbar.

[13.8]

To move a window, drag its title bar with the mouse.

To resize a window, drag one of its borders with the mouse. When the mouse is positioned properly to resize a window, the mouse cursor will be a double-headed arrow.

The easiest way to position a window into an allocated space on the screen is to drag the window so that two of the borders are aligned properly. Then resize the other two at the same time by dragging the corner of the window.

[13.9]

By default, Family Tree SuperTools is opened in a maximized state. That is, the application window uses the entire screen.

If you reduce the size of the application window, that size can be saved as part of a layout.

Under normal circumstances, if you reduce the size of the application window, it will truncate your view of the windows inside it (Details, Project Explorer, etc.). Any window that is maximized inside the application window, however, will automatically be resized as the application window itself is resized.

[13.10]

You can resize the columns of a list by dragging the border that is to the right of that column header with the mouse.

In this screen shot, dragging the circled column header will affect the size of the Date column.

For the best results, resize columns only after you are happy with the size and position of the window.

[13.11]

You can reduce the size of a window and still see data that is beyond its borders by using Item Tips as described in an earlier chapter.

You can turn on Item Tips with the right-click menu or from the Preference screen.

[13.12]

The Focus Group is represented on the Layout toolbar and its status, size and position are saved in a layout file.

[13.13]

There are a total of 5 toolbars in Family Tree SuperTools. They can be enabled through the View > Toolbars menu.

Toolbars can be dragged with the mouse and docked to the border of the application window. A toolbar can also be resized by dragging its border like that of a window.

The characteristics that are saved in a layout include the status, size, and position of each toolbar.

[13.14]

You can reduce the size of the Project Explorer window so that only its buttons are visible. You can then continue to use those buttons to navigate to the previous person, next person, etc.