User Options (Preferences)



The user options (user preferences on the Mac), dialog can be located on the Tools Menu.

 It currently has five tabs:


Figure 1. The User Options Dialog - showing the DnD Options tab.

The 'DnD' tab, as seen in figure 1., has all the drag and drop options on it.  The following table list them with explanations:


Option

Purpose

Never Drag and Drop Files to 'Linked Files' folder

By default, if you drag a file into Compendium, it creates a reference node and copies that file to your 'Linked Files' folder. I don't wish files to be copied and reference to your 'Linked Files' folder, check this option.

Drag and Drop Files to 'Linked Files' folder with Prompting.

If you check this option, you will be prompted each time you drag a file into Compendium, and asked if you wish the file to be copied to your 'Linked Files' folder and linked to there.

Drag and Drop Files to 'Linked Files' folder without Prompting.

If you check this option then files that you drag and drop into Compendium will automatically be copied and reference to the 'Linked Files' folder.

Always drop test as Text without choices. Currently when you drag text into Compendium it opens a dialog and asked you how you wish the text to be processed. Currently there are only two options, plain text processing of Excel processing.

If you wish all text to be processed as plain text without seeing this dialog, check this option.

Always add directories recursively? If you drag and drop a file folder into Compendium do you always want Compendium to process all that folders child folders and all those child folder's child folders etc.. If you just want to process the first level contents leave this unselected.

The 'Map & Rollover' tab currently has three options, (see figure 2):

Figure 2. The Map & Rollover tab.


Option

Purpose

Cursor Movement Distance

Allows you to set the distance the cursor is moved when using the arrow keys to move it around.

Show map border when map has image?

Allows you to switch on and off, extra borders which are drawn around view node icons when they have images as their icons.

This allows them to be distinguished from references nodes with images as icons.

Scale oversized images on rollover?

This option applies when you have selected to display images on rollover. If you have selected to display images on rollover they would normally be displayed in their actual size. If you wish large images to be scaled to fit the visible area of the view, then check this option.

Detail rollover length Allows you to change the amount of detail text that is displayed when you rollover a '*', on a node.

The default cut off point is 250 characters. This option allows you to enter an different length.

Enable single click for opening nodes? If you select this option then, when in a map, all map and list nodes with be opened with a single click. All reference nodes will be launched with a single click and all other nodes will have their contents dialog opened with a single click instead of a double click.

 

The 'Audio & Zoom' tab, has options to set (figure 3):

Figure 3. The Audio & Zoom tab

The first one consists of two radio buttons which allow you to choose to have audio sounds in Compendium, for example when you delete a node you could here a sound etc.

The second options is a dropped down menu which allows you to set the default zoom level that views open at.

The 'Arrange' tab currently has four options, (see figure 4):

Figure 4. The Arrange tab.


Option

Purpose

Left to Right: Vertical Gap

Sets the vertical gap between nodes when doing a 'Left to Right' arrange.

Default = 20

Left to Right: Horizontal Gap

Sets the horizontal gap between nodes when doing a 'Left to Right' arrange.

Default = 30

Top-Down: Vertical Gap

Sets the vertical gap between nodes when doing a 'Top-Down' arrange.

Default = 40

Top-Down: Horizontal Gap

Sets the horizontal gap between nodes when doing a 'Top-Down' arrange.

Default = 20

 

The 'Misc' tab currently has one option, (see figure 5):

Figure 5. The Misc tab.

Option

Purpose

Iocn Sets

This allows you to change the icon set that is used for the main node types.

Look and Feel

This allows you to switch look and feel.

N.B. Sometimes you need to restart Compendium for a clean repaint of the look and feel.

Enable communications with the uDig Application

This option enables and disables communications with the Ecosensus extended version of the uDig GIS application.

Use kfmclient to open files?

This option only applies to Linux users. If you are using the KDE desktop then you can choose to use kmfclient, the KDE tool for opening URLs from the command line, to open references nodes.

the advantage is that it does automatic file type recognition so you so you don't need to tell Compendium which application to open a file in ever.