Window Types

The Database Browser Window

After a database index file has been loaded this window displays a list of all the entries in the database. 

This window is only vertically sizeable. You may scroll through the list using the scroll bar or the special keys on an extended Macintosh keyboard.

Depending on whether you have chosen Show Entry Name or Show Accession No from the Prosite or Blocks menu, the list will display entry names or accession numbers of database entries.

The selection of database entries is slightly different from the standard Macintosh selection techniques, but hopefully more convenient for this special purpose:

•Single-clicking at an entry selects or deselects it, depending on its old status. 

• Selecting one entry does not deselect others. Thus, you do not have to press Shift or 
  Command to select more than one entry. Simply click on all the entries you want to 
  select. This way, it is very easy to make discontinuous selections.

Double-clicking on an entry line opens a database entry window (see below) which shows any information available about this pattern.

There are two additional important areas in a database browser window:

• The bar at the top contains information about the number of entries in the database.

• The bar at the bottom shows the currently active entry set (see help topic ‘Entry Sets’). 
  Clicking in this area displays a pop-up menu with a list of available entry sets. 

Thus, you can conveniently switch between the entry sets in a database index file. Using the pop-up menu is equivalent to using the command Select Set from the Edit menu.

Note: MacPattern employs the standard Macintosh List Manager to display the list window. This is certainly the easiest way from a programmer’s point of view, but it has a major drawback: List Manager drawing is slow with long lists. On less powerful machines such as the Macintosh Plus you will notice a remarkable delay when a database browser window is activated or deactivated, especially when many entries are selected.

The Database Entry Window

Double-clicking a database entry in the browser window opens a new window that displays all information on this particular pattern or block. MacPattern will read this information from the database .dat and .doc files, if available.

This is a standard Macintosh window, including scroll bars, close, grow and zoom box. You can select any text for copying to the Clipboard, but the content of the window cannot be modified.

You may save the documentation to disk or print it, by selecting the appropriate menu options.

The Results Window

This window is opened at the end of a pattern or block search and displays the results of this search.

Like the database entry, the results window is a standard Macintosh window, including scroll bars, close, grow and zoom box. You can select any text for copying to the Clipboard, but the content of the window cannot be modified.

You may also save the results to disk or print them, by selecting the appropriate menu options.

Note: MacPattern uses the TextEdit routines of the Macintosh Toolbox to display the results. This routines can handle a maximum of 32K bytes. Therefore, any results which are bigger than 32K cannot be displayed and are saved to disk instead.

The Sequence Window

This window is opened after selecting the Load Sequence File menu item.

It can be moved but not sized. It simply displays the sequence file name (as the window title) and the sequence format.