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You are probably looking at a window containing some kind of
graphical layout in which are embedded text entry boxes,
buttons, dials, gauges, etc.

This 'dashboard' has been designed for you by some person or
team of people, to give you control of an instrument, telescope,
or other system run by keyword-based control software.  By
entering values, manipulating sliders and knobs, and pushing
buttons, you can write keyword values;  by looking at graphical
and text displays you can see keyword values.

You can use the Command window and the popup Script Editor to
write to keywords directly, so that you can execute several
keyword writes at once;  or you can use the GUI to set several
desired values and then send all the keyword writes at once.

No matter who designed the dashboard, there are certain underlying
GUI principles which the designer (we hope) did not change.  This
Help writeup will attempt to explain the basic Dashboard features.

If you have questions about the underlying design of the Dashboard,
write to de@ucolick.org.  If you have questions about the particular
implementation, control system, colour scheme, etc., talk to
the designer.

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More Help!

A couple of special mouse clicks are bound to context-sensitive
help information.

Control-Mouse-1 on any meter should pop up a Help message explaining
the type of meter and how to use it.

Control-Mouse-2 on any meter should pop up a Help message explaining
the keyword(s) underlying that meter, what they mean, their datatypes,
etc.

Double-Click on some kinds of compound meters (tinted boxes containing
one or more labels and value displays) may pop up sub-Dashboards offering
more detailed control of that subsystem.  Consult your site-local
documentation for the specific application.

Shift-Mouse-2 on a standalone meter will divorce it from the 
Dashboard: the meter should jump into a toplevel window of its own,
which you can place anywhere you like.  It remains active.
The PutMeAway button will restore the meter to its rightful
location on the dashboard.  

This meter detachment feature is mostly useful for graphical meters like 
Plots, and Dial Gauges, or large meters like Gridded Control Panels and 
Log Meters.   I really don't recommend that you detach lots of small
meters and scatter them about your X11 desktop, as it's too easy to
lose them.

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Simple Conventions

If


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