Campbell Scientific RTDAQ Software - Manual (Page 30)

Section 1. Introduction
1-12
The most common methods for accessing functionality are:
Menus – Text menus are displayed at the top of most windows. Menu items
are accessed either by a left mouse click, or using a hot key combination (e.g.,
Alt+F opens the File menu). When the menu is opened, you can click on an
item to select it, or use arrow keys to highlight it and press the Enter key, or
just type the underlined letter.
By convention, menu items that bring up dialog boxes or new windows
requiring interaction will be followed by an ellipsis (…). Other items execute
functions directly or can be switched on or off. Some menu items show a
check mark if a function is enabled and no check mark if disabled.
Items with Program Focus – On each screen one button, text area, or other
control is selected at a time to “have the focus.” The “Focus” is usually
indicated when the item is surrounded by a dotted line or is bolded. Pressing
the tab key can move the focus from item to item. Typing text changes a
selected text edit box that has the focus. Pressing the space bar toggles a
selected check box. A selected button can also be activated by pressing the
Enter key.
Buttons – Buttons are an easy way to access a function. They are normally
used for the functions that need to be called frequently or are very important.
Clicking a button executes that function or brings up another window. Button
functions can also be accessed from the keyboard using the tab key to move
among items on a screen and pressing the Enter key to execute the button
function. Most text-based buttons have a hot-key.
Right-Click Menus – Some areas have pop-up menus that bring up frequently
used tasks or provide shortcuts. Just right-click on an area and if a context
menu appears, left-click the menu item you want.
Hot Keys or Keyboard Shortcuts – Many of the menus and buttons can be
accessed using Hot Keys. An underlined letter identifies the hot key for a
button or function. To get to a menu or execute a function on a button hold
down the Alt key and type the underlined letter in the menu name or the button
text. The hot key letters may not appear until after you’ve pressed the Alt key.
Pop-Up Hints – Hints are available for many of the on-screen controls. Let
the mouse pointer hover over a control, text box or other screen feature and the
hint will appear automatically and remain visible for a few seconds. These
hints will often explain the purpose of a control or a suggested action. For text
boxes where some of the text is hidden, the full text will appear in the hint.