GUI
This page provides an index to all major components of visone's graphical user interface (GUI). Follow the links below to get additional information about these components. The most common usage scenarios are illustrated in the basic learning trails.
The menus can be accessed by clicking on the strings in the top row of the visone window; follow the links below to get additional information.
toolbar
The toolbar (the row of icons just below the menu entries) provides direct access to many frequently used operations (click on the icons below to get additional information).
Short descriptions of these operations are provided below.
- new empty network creates another tab in the visone window, containing an empty unnamed network (shortcut: Ctrl+n)
- open network from file opens a file browser, allowing to load an existing network from a supported network format (shortcut: Ctrl+o)
- save network to file saves modifications to the network or proceeds to save as if network has never been saved yet (shortcut: Ctrl+s)
- zoom out zooms to the next smaller custom zoom factor (shortcut: Alt+o)
- zoom in zooms to the next larger custom zoom factor (shortcut: Alt+i)
- zoom to 100% zooms to default size, used for newly generated empty tabs (shortcut: Alt+1)
- fit network zooms (in or out) to fit network into tab (shortcut: Alt+t)
- fit all networks collects coordinates from all tabs and applies common zooming to fit all networks into their tabs based on these coordinates
- clear background clears background information (such as contour lines, concentric circles, or status levels)
- analysis mode allows the selection of elements (appropriate in most situations);
- edit mode allows the creation of nodes and links;
- navigation mode for zooming;
- open the attribute manager providing operations for the creation, configuration, inspection, import, export, and (automatic) modification of attributes
- open the collection manager allowing the creation of network collections. A network collection is a set or sequence of several networks that belong together, e.g., by building a longitudinal network.
- open the animation window providing an animated view of the evolution of the network collection that was set as active in the collection manager.
- apply the quick layout If you don't have any particular reason to chose a specific layout algorithm, the quick layout button is the best general-purpose solution of the layout algorithms currently implemented in visone.
tabs
The tabs in the left-hand side of the visone window give access to complex operations, such as network analysis, visualization, or transformation; follow the links below to get additional information.
network area
The network area is the large part of the visone window aligned to the lower right corner. Besides displaying the network, this area provides direct access to inspect and/or modify node and link properties, as well as to select, create, or delete nodes and links. How your mouse interacts with the network area depends on the current mode. The three modes are (click on the icons to get additional information)
- analysis mode allows the selection of elements (appropriate in most situations);
- edit mode allows the creation of nodes and links;
- navigation mode for zooming;
To change the mode click on the appropriate icon in visone's toolbar.
A mouse right-click on a node or link (or one of several selected nodes or links) opens the node context menu or link context menu, respectively. These context menus allow, among others, to open the node properties dialog or link properties dialog in which graphical properties of nodes, links, and labels, as well as attribute values can be modified.