The File menu contains commands for loading and saving various types of data files the program uses. The File menu contains the following commands:
Load Session -- Loads a session file from disk. A session file consists of all information required to define an entire session of multiple control panels. Session files have a '.mcp' prefix. The default session file is called 'MIDIPanl.ini', however. Roll across the Load Button for more information. Note that the directory a session is loaded from is remembered as the default Panel/Session file directory.
Load Panel -- Loads an individual Panel file. A Panel file contains all information required to define a single control panel, such as a Button, Fader or Patchlist panel. The directory a panel is loaded from is remembered as the default Panel/Session file directory.
Load PatchList -- Loads a patchlist (.ins) file from disk. The patchlist can be a MIDI Control Panel format patchlist (which includes channel and port settings), a Cakewalk or similar format Master.ins file, or an ordinary text file (.txt), with an understandable format. See the PatchList Panel help topic for MCP patchlist format details. One or more Patchlist panels will be created to hold any program banks found and selected from the file. Note that this command creates a new Patchlist panel from a patchlist (.ins) file, while the Load Panel menu item loads previously saved Patchlist Panel (.mpl) files that have patchlists already assigned to them. This menu item creates a PatchList panel with default ID Icon and color settings, unlike the Clone PatchList' item on the Tools menu, which clones Icon and color (picture, text) settings from the currently active panel. The program remembers the directory the latest patchlist file load/save operation occured in as the default patchlist directory.
Save Session -- Saves the current session file, or the default startup session, 'MIDIPanl.ini', in the startup directory, if no other session has been loaded. You do NOT get a chance to select a different file name when you choose this! You can roll the mouse accross the diskette icon on the Toolbar to see what the current session file name is.
Save As -- Saves the current session as a file with a name of your choice. The default file name is the last session file loaded. Named session files are stored in the directory your panel files are stored. If you choose a different directory, it is stored as the new default Panel/Session file directory.
Save Active Panel -- Saves the current active control panel as an individual panel file (.mpl). The actual menu item will be 'Save <Panel Type>' where <Panel Type> is one of the MIDI control panel types, Buttons, HFaders, VFaders, JoyStkCtrl, Patchlist or Patch Sub-Group. Only the currently active (hilighted) panel of this type is saved, not all panels of this type. This menu item will be disabled if no panels are visible. Panel files are stored in the Panel/Session directory. If you choose a different directory, it is stored as the new Panel/Session directory. Note that all the information in a panel file is stored in a session file. There is no need to create individual panel files unless you want to re-use a panel in a different session or share it with someone, via email for example. All MIDI Control Panel files are simple ASCII text (except the MIDI files, of course), so there is no need to encode them when emailing.
Exit -- exits the program, after prompting to save any (unsaved) changes. See the Exit button help topic (roll across the button with the mouse) for further details.
