Menu Bar
The main menu bar shown at the top of the Main Display window has several different menus
associated with it.
- New Display Window - Opens a new display window which can be a map or globe display with one to four panels. Other specialty displays are also available.
- New Display Tab - Adds a new display tab to the currently active display window. This tab can be a map or globe display with one to four panels. Other specialty displays are also available.
- Open File... - Opens an Open File window, that allows for loading a bundle into the session. The option for loading the bundle can be set in the General tab of the User Preferences. There are four options when loading in a bundle:
- Create new window(s) - Displays the bundle's data in a separate Main Display window without changing anything with any previously existing Main Display windows.
-
Merge with active tab(s) - Adds the a display of the bundle's data to the currently active tab in the Main Display window. This will not remove any previously existing displays in the tab.
-
Add new tab(s) to current window - Adds tabs to the currently active Main Display window to display the bundle's data. This will not remove any previously existing displays in other tabs.
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Replace session - Removes any previously existing displays, data, and tab/panel configuration to load the bundle in from scratch.
- Save Favorite - Allows for creating a set of favorite bundles and readily access them through the Bundles menu. A favorite bundle can also be used as the Default Bundle.
- Save Bundle - Allows for saving
the current application state as a bundle.
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Default Layout - Allows for managing the default layout of McIDAS-V. See a list of the display settings stored in the default layout below.
- Save - Saves the current layout as the default layout. This creates a layout.mcv file in the McIDAS-V directory.
- Remove - Removes the currently saved default layout.
- Below is a list of the items contained in the default layout:
- All items in every tab of the Properties dialog of the panels.
- The projection used in the panels.
- Rotation and zoom level in the panels.
- Panel and tab names.
- Main Display window location, size, and tab/panel configuration.
- Data Explorer window location and size.
- Note: Saving the default layout does not affect the maps displayed in each panel or the data loaded at the beginning of each McIDAS-V session.
Map defaults can be set in the Layer Controls tab of the Data Explorer in the Map Controls. To change map defaults, use the File->Default Maps->Save as the Default Map Set menu item. To load data automatically, set a default bundle by selecting a Favorite bundle in the Defaults panel of the Advanced tab of the User Preferences window.
- Exit - Exits McIDAS-V.
- Remove - Removes all layers, all data, or all layers and data from the Main Display.
- All Layers and Data Sources - Removes all layers and loaded data sources.
- All Layers - Removes all layers. This will remove any displays or items listed in the Legend of the Main Display window, but no data will be removed.
- All Data Sources - Removes all loaded data sources without removing any layers. This will retain the displays.
- Preferences... - Opens the User
Preferences window, allowing for editing of settings for McIDAS-V.
The display menu contains facilities in creating new displays.
- Create Layer from Data Source... - Brings the Data Sources tab of the Data Explorer to the front.
- Layer Controls... - Brings the Layer Controls tab of the Data Explorer to the front.
- Add Range Rings - Creates a Range Ring display, with the initial position centered in the current projection.
- Add Range and Bearing - Adds a Range and Bearing display to show the distance, azimuth, and back azimuth of a great circle line connecting two positions on the Earth's surface. The initial position is near the center of the current entire map area. If zoomed in on the display, the range and bearing line may be off the screen.
- Draw Transect... - Opens the Transect Drawing Control window that allows for viewing, creating and modifying transects for the Transect
View.
- Drawing Freely... - Opens the Drawing Control window which allows for drawing polygons, lines, shapes, and annotations McIDAS-V
displays.
- Add Location Indicator - Creates a location indicator cross-hair on the display. See the Location Indicator Controls page for more information.
- Plot Location Labels - Lists a variety of point location plots that can be created: NEXRAD sites, state/country names, cities, volcanoes, etc. This will create a Location Control with
the chosen location information.
- Add Background Image - Adds a background image to the display that can be changed using the Web Map Server(WMS)/Background
Image Controls.
- Reset Map Layer to Defaults - Resets the map layer to default, or re-displays the map if it has been deleted.
This menu allows for configuration and editing of different McIDAS-V resources.
- Manage ADDE Datasets - Opens the ADDE Data Manager, which allows for creating and editing remote and local datasets.
- Text Data - Allows access local text products or ATCF storm data.
- Weather Text Products (from server) -
Shows the Weather Text Products window.
- Weather Text Products (from NWX files) -
Opens a window where GEMPAK tables can be loaded.
- NWS Hazard Warning (from server) - Adds a data source to the Field Selector tab of the Data Explorer containing any active severe weather warnings (e.g. Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Tornado Warning). Create Display must be clicked in order to get the warnings plotted in the Main Display.
- ATCF Tropical Storm Data -
Adds ATCF Storm Data as a data source in the Field Selector tab of the Data Explorer.
- Color Tables - Opens the Color Table Editor, which allows for viewing, creating, and modifying color tables.
- Layout Model Editor - Opens the Layout Model Editor, which allows for viewing, creating, and modifying layout models for plotting point data.
- Parameters - Contains items related to parameters in McIDAS-V. Parameters are used to determine how field names from different data sources are read and interpreted into McIDAS-V.
- Aliases - Opens the Parameter Alias Editor, which allows for defining aliases for parameters in data sets that McIDAS-V does not know about.
- Defaults - Opens the Parameter Defaults Editor, which allows for defining the default display conventions (e.g., color tables, ranges, etc.) for parameters.
- Groups - Opens the Parameter Groups Editor, which allows for defining the groups of parameters for use in derived data formulas.
- Projections Manager - Contains items related to projections.
- Edit Map Projections - Opens the Projection Manager, which allows for choosing, editing, and saving map projections for use in McIDAS-V.
- Restore Saved View - Restores the previously saved view. This will list out various previously saved views and allows for deleting previously saved views as well.
- Delete Saved Views - Deletes a previously saved view.
- Save Current View - Saves the current view. This does not include any layers that are loaded in, only the zoom level, projection, and location. When saving a current view, a name will be applied to the viewpoint. This name will be used to list out the viewpoint under the Projections menu of the Main Display as well as under Restore Saved View. Any saved viewpoints will be saved in the viewpoints.xml file stored in the McIDAS-V directory.
- Formulas - Contains items related to end user formulas.
- Create Formula - Opens the Formula Editor to allow for creating a new formula.
- Edit Formulas - Gives a list of all current formulas to edit. Selecting a formula will open the Formula Editor with that formula entered into the fields.
- Jython Library - Opens the Jython libraries window.
- Jython Shell - Opens the Jython Shell window.
- Import - Imports a formula from a file.
- Export - Exports a formula to a file. This opens an Export Formulas window that lists out all of the native formulas in McIDAS-V, as well as any formulas created by the user. The format of the file containing the formula is *.xml.
- Plugins
- Create... - Opens the Plugin Creator window, which allows for creating plugins.
- Manage... - Opens the Plugin Manager window, which allows for managing McIDAS-V plugins.
This menu lists the recently accessed data sources and layers and allows for them to be reloaded. This includes data sources from the current McIDAS-V session, and from previous sessions.
This menu allows for managing and loading favorite bundles.
- Manage... - Brings up the Local Favorites Bundles Manager.
- Favorite Bundles - Brings up the folders and list of bundles saved as favorites. Note that this menu item is only available if a favorite bundle has been saved.
This menu allows for bringing the Data Explorer for the front, as well as selecting which tab/panel is visible and active in the Main Display window.
- Show Data Explorer - Brings the Data Explorer to the front.
- Next Display - Brings the next display tab/window to the front. Note that this menu item is only available if more than one tab or window is open. The keyboard combination for this is Ctrl+N. Note that this does not change which panel is active.
- Previous Display - Brings the previous display tab/window to the front. Note that this menu item is only available if more than one tab or window is open. The keyboard combination for this is Ctrl+P. Note that this does not change which panel is active.
- List Displays... - Opens a List Displays window, which allows for selecting which tab/panel to view and make active. Note that this menu item is only available if more than one tab or window is open. The keyboard combination for this is Ctrl+L.
This menu allows for viewing the User's Guide, showing error messages, etc.
- User's Guide - Opens the McIDAS-V User's Guide.
- Getting Started - Opens to the Getting Started section of the McIDAS-V User's Guide.
- Show Help Tips - Shows the McIDAS-V Help Tips window.
- Show Console - Opens a Console window which has the error messages and other text output from McIDAS-V.
- Show Support Request Form - Opens a Request McIDAS-V Support window that allows for posting support requests to the McIDAS Help Desk.
- Visit Online Forums - Brings up the McIDAS-V Support Forums in the default browser.
- Search Online Resources - Brings up the McIDAS-V webpage in the default browser. This page includes links to information about McIDAS-V, as well as a "Search McIDAS" feature at the top of the page that allows for searching through the website and documentation.
- Check for new version - Checks to see if the current version of McIDAS-V is up to date.
- Check for new notice - Checks to see if a new notice about McIDAS-V is available.
- Release Notes - Displays the Release Notes for this version of McIDAS-V.
- About McIDAS-V - Opens an About McIDAS-V window that gives information about the version of McIDAS-V and specific information about the software including the java vesion.