1.6 User Interface Layout

Apart from the standard menu and toolbar, Simplifier Manager has four main parts: the middle area containing open Documents, the Toolbox, the Inspector, and the Project Manager.

If any panel is closed, it can be opened again from the View menu. Restarting the program resets the view to default.

Figure 1.1: The layout of Simplifier Manager.

1. Toolbox — here all the different logic blocks can be found.
2. Logic graph — this is where all logic is created.
3. Main Menu — here all the standard functions can be found.
4. Documents — here the different open documents are displayed.
5. Toolbar — here the most frequently used functions can be found.
6. Inspector — here settings for blocks in the logic can be changed.

1.6.1 The Main Menu

The main menu is the standard Windows-style menu found in the top-left corner of the program. Here all different commands can be found.

1.6.1.1 File

The File menu contains commands for managing files and projects.

• New (Ctrl+N) — opens the project settings dialog for creating a new project.
• Open (Ctrl+O) — opens the default Windows file selection dialog, where an already existing .simple project file can be selected and opened.
• Save (Ctrl+S) — saves the current project, overwriting the currently open project file. If the project has not been saved before, the save file dialog will display, letting the user select a directory and a name for the project file. Note that the project file is the same as the file name, and if a new name is selected for the file, the project will change its name to the new name.
• Save As (Ctrl+Shift+S) — opens the save file dialog where the user selects a new directory and name and saves the project in that location.
• Close Project — closes the current project. If the project has not been saved, the user is asked if the project should be saved, or if the changes should be discarded.
• Settings — here different settings in Simplifier Manager can be changed, such as language or color theme.
• Check for updates — manually checks for updates. The software also checks for updates automatically every time it starts. If a new update is available, a dialog is displayed asking the user if they want to update.
• Exit (Alt+F4) — closes Simplifier Manager. If the project has not been saved, the user is asked if the project should be saved, or if the changes should be discarded.

1.6.1.2 Edit

The Edit menu contains commands for editing the blocks in the currently open graph editor.

• Undo (Ctrl+Z) — undoes the last undoable change in the current node. Note that some changes in the project are not undoable.
• Redo (Ctrl+Y) — redoes the last undone change.
• Cut (Ctrl+X) — cuts the currently selected blocks from the graph editor. This is equivalent to doing Copy + Delete.
• Copy (Ctrl+C) — copies the currently selected blocks to the clipboard.
• Paste (Ctrl+V) — pastes the blocks that are in the clipboard to the currently open graph editor.
• Delete (Del) — deletes the currently selected elements from the graph editor.

1.6.1.3 Project

The Project menu contains commands for editing the currently open project.

• Overview — opens the overview document, displaying all nodes in the current project.
• Project Settings — opens the Project Settings dialog, where the project can be changed.
• Edit ID numbers — opens the dialog for editing ID numbers for nodes in the network.
• Passwords — opens the dialog for editing passwords in the project.
• Add Node — adds a new node to the project.
• Compile — compiles the project.
• Simulate — simulates the project.
• Print report — generates a report for the project.

1.6.1.4 Communication

The Communication menu contains various communication-related commands.

• Download — this command compiles the project (if not already compiled) and shows the dialog to download the project to a network.
• Start online — starts or stops Online Mode. This command is only available when the project is compiled, and all serial numbers are specified.
• Read debug data — reads debugging data from a Safety Simplifier via USB and saves it to a file.

1.6.1.5 View

The View menu contains commands for opening different panels in the program.

• Show Toolbox — opens the Toolbox panel and sets focus to it.
• Show Inspector — opens the Inspector panel and sets focus to it.
• Show Error List — shows the error list containing errors and messages from the compiler.

1.6.1.6 Help

From the Help menu the Manual can be opened.

• Release Notes (open browser) — shows the release notes and changes for the latest software.
• Open Manual — opens this manual.
• About — shows information about the application.

1.6.2 The Toolbar

The Toolbar is displayed right below the Main Menu and contains many of the most-used commands.

1.6.3 Documents

Documents in Simplifier Manager work much like tabs in modern web browsers. When a document is opened it will display in the middle area of the window. You can switch documents by clicking on the different documents in the document header section.

Most of the work done in Simplifier Manager will be done in some type of Document (for example, the program logic is edited in a document).

1.6.4 The Toolbox

This panel contains all the different logic blocks available when programming. Note that it is empty when a logic document is not open.

Figure 1.2: The toolbox with the Input and Safety functions categories expanded.

1.6.5 The Inspector

The Inspector is where settings for blocks can be changed. Selecting a block in the logic diagram displays its settings in the Inspector panel.

Figure 1.3: The Inspector panel, showing settings for an E-stop block.