The BARfly menu is laid out like what you'd normally expect for desktop
applications. There are seven menu choices: File,
Edit, Insert, Run, Information,
Options, and Help.
File Menu
The file menu handles disk file-oriented operations. This includes three
types of files: data files loaded for node editing
in BARfly's node browser and data display window, BAR implementation files
used for representing schemas, and BAR registries
used for storing compilations of BAR implementation files. All categories
of files can be created from scratch, opened (loaded from disk), and saved
(stored on the disk).
To close a tab in the data display view, the user selects Close
from the menu, or else clicks on the data display window's close box.
The file menu also permits the user to create BAR_Services instances
and manage them. Handling independent BAR_Services objects is an advanced
concept; more about this topic can be found here.
Finally, the user can exit the application if desired. Clicking on the
main window's close box has the same effect.
Edit Menu
The edit menu handles node editing operations. The user will find
familiar many of the menu items, including Undo, Redo,
Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete,
and Select All . BARfly differs from
other applications, though, in how it implements the traditional copy-and-paste
methodology. With BARfly, the user can copy and paste just about any
type of data, not just text. More information about copying and pasting
can be found here.
The F2 key can be used to edit the contents of a node when a
node is selected in the node browser. A second press of F2
will accept the changes to that node. More about the nuances of node
editing can be found here.
Since BARfly treats just about any file as a database, there is one very useful
aspect of databases that is made available for the user: bookmarks.
The user can create bookmarks and navigate to them by pressing the F6
key. More about node bookmarks can be found here.
The user can search for a variety of different types of data by using Find.
Unlike word processing applications, BARfly allows the user to search for many
more types of data than just text, such as types, names, and numeric
quantities. There is also an alternate line-based search with Goto
Line.
BARfly contains versatile search-and-replace capabilities with the Replace
menu item. The user can replace nearly any type of data with nearly any
other type of data, including clipboard contents.
Insert Menu
The insert menu handles node creation and destruction operations, as well as
other operations like registry editing and bookmark creation.
Generally speaking, insertion and deletion of nodes is only possible when the
user selects a specific node in the node browser window. If the user is
editing node data, these menu items become unavailable. More information
on node insertion and deletion can be found here.
The user can create a node bookmark to a node using the F4 key.
The node currently selected in the node browser (or the subnode browser in the
data display window, if a subnode browser is displayed)
will automatically be referenced the next time the bookmark is navigated
to. More about node bookmarks can be found here.
A complete list of all bookmarks, from all open files, can be displayed and
edited with the Manage Bookmarks menu item. The user can
delete bookmarks from the window that appears.
If a BAR implementation file has been edited and tested to the user's
satisfaction, the Register Format menu item can be used to add
the file to a BAR file format registry. Similarly, the Unregister
Format menu item can be used to remove the file from the
registry. More about registries can be found here.
Run Menu
The run menu handles several different categories of code compilation and code
execution tasks.
The F7 key compiles the BAR implementation file current being
edited. Optionally, the user can pass command-line constants to the
compiler with Shift+F7. More about I.F. formats can be
found here.
Some implementation files support incremental deserialization and
incremental serialization. After pause points occur
during deserialization or serialization, the F5
key can be used to resume the deserialization or serialization operation.
Functions built into a specific BAR implementation file can be accessed and
executed by pressing the F8
key. The user can select a function from a dialog, as well as any
required parameters to pass to the function before execution.
The user can also access interfacial functions associated with the BAR engine
itself by pressing the F9 key. The user can select a
function from a dialog, as well as any required parameters to pass to the
function before execution.
Finally, the user can revalidate a file opened for node editing by pressing
Alt+V. The BAR deserialization and serialization processes
can get very complex, so revalidation ensures that the nodes currently being
edited, when saved in binary format, will load back into memory correctly.
Information Menu
The information menu displays node information, general information, or
information about a BAR implementation file. More information about the
information menu can be found here.
Options Menu
The options menu handles the selection of a variety of different options for
the BARfly application.
The Data File Load Settings and Data File Save Settings
menu items select options for loading and saving data files. More details
about such settings can be found in Data
File Load Settings and Data File Save
Settings.
The BAR I.F. Load/Save Settings menu item selects options for
loading and saving BAR implementation files. There are several nuances
behind loading and saving such files, as well as automatic registry storage in
the event of loading or saving. More details about such settings can be
found here.
Users will likely wish to customize some fine elements of node editing by
selecting the Node Data Editing and Tree Control Line Info
menu items. This includes options such as when prompts appear, which
views are displayed when editing specific types of data, and what type of
information to display in the node browser and subnode browser. More
details about such settings can be found in Node
Editing Settings and Tree Control
Line Info Settings.
BARfly can display node data in many different ways, known as views.
You can customize the appearance and functionality of each view by selecting
the settings for the appropriate view. More details about such settings
can be found in Subnode View Settings,
Dump View Settings, Text View Settings,
and Raw View Settings.
The BAR_Services Settings menu item and Memory
menu item are closely tied together. BARfly uses, as a fundamental part
of its architecture, one or more BAR_Services instances.
A BAR_Services instance is the high-level "container" object for the BAR
engine's functionality. The plethora of options provided with these two
menu items gives the user a great deal of control over BARfly's memory usage
and allocation strategies. More details about such settings can be found
here.
The Messages menu item controls how notification messages are displayed to the
user. The user can elect to receive certain types of messages in the form
of message boxes, log lines, or some
combination of the two. More details can be found
here.
Optionally, the user may wish to temporarily hide
the node browser or log windows. The
user can hide or restore these window to view by selecting Display Node
Browser and Display Log.
In case the user has gotten a bit too "creative" in manipulating windows, to
the point when they might no longer be visible on-screen, the user can
reset the window positions to their default configuration by selecting Reset
Window Positions.
Help Menu
The help menu displays online help and build information for BARfly.
See also: [The BARfly Windows]
[Moving and Resizing Windows]
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