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 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 this pop-up menu is equivalent to using the command Select Set from the Edit menu.
Note: MacPattern uses 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.
