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LabChart can be extensively
customised to increase its ease of use. You can hide
or lock any menu or menu command to create a very simple
LabChart interface or you can create new menus. This is
particularly useful for teaching in a laboratory environment,
for instance, where you might want students to be able
to use some features of LabChart, but not to edit or delete
data in files.
LabChart Menus — LabChart for
Macintosh and LabChart for Windows
The LabChart menus (File, Edit, Setup, Commands, Windows,
Macro – and Help in LabChart for Windows)
and their commands can be modified from the default
settings by using the Menus dialog box. Choose Edit > Preferences > Menus… to
open this dialog box (Figure 1a and 1b).
 Figure 1a -
The LabChart for Macintosh Menus dialog box. Figure 1b -
The LabChart for Windows Menus dialog box.The LabChart for Mac Menus
dialog box will initially display the File menu: to
move to the displays of adjacent menus, click the arrows
at the top left (Figure 1a), or press the right or
left arrow keys on the keyboard.
The two scrolling lists in the LabChart for Windows Menus
dialog box show the menus and menu commands that can
be modified (Figure 1b). The left-hand scrolling list,
Menus, shows the menus available, including those added
by LabChart extensions. The right-hand scrolling list,
Items, shows the items in the menu selected in the
Menus list. Click any menu in the list to select it
and see its contents in the Items list.
By default, all menu titles will have ticks to their
left and all menu items will have ticks and open padlocks
to their left. This indicates that everything is visible
and unlocked.
Clicking a tick will change it to a cross, and hide
the item beside it. Clicking the tick beside the menu
title will hide the menu: it will not appear in the
menu bar when you return to the LabChart window, and any
keyboard shortcuts will not work. Clicking a tick beside
a menu command or a dividing line hides it: it will
not appear in the menu, and neither will any keyboard
shortcut work (Figure 2). Clicking a cross will change
it to a tick, and show the previously hidden item beside
it.  Figure 2. Hiding Edit menu items
in LabChart for Macintosh. In this case, users cannot
choose to delete a selection of data or delete a channel.Clicking an open padlock (with
a U for unlocked on it) changes it to a closed padlock
(with an L for locked on it), and locks the menu command
beside it (Figure 3). The command still appears in the
menu, but if it is chosen or the keyboard shortcut typed
(or its equivalent Tool Bar button is clicked in LabChart
for Windows), an alert notifies the user that it
is locked and cannot be used. Clicking the closed padlock
changes it to an open one, and unlocks the previously
locked menu command beside it.
 Figure 3. Locking Edit menu items
in LabChart for Windows. Users can see the menu items
Clear and Clear Channel, but cannot use them.Special
Access: Since it is possible to change menu
preferences so that vital menu commands are locked
or menus themselves hidden, it is necessary to have
a back door in. Access to dialog boxes often needed,
but made unavailable in order to safeguard files,
is possible through the Special Access dialog box,
which appears on typing Command-\ (LabChart for Macintosh)
or Ctrl-\ (LabChart for Windows).
For more information on customising LabChart menus, see
your LabChart for Mac or LabChart for Windows User's
Guide. |