Hiding unwanted scales.

[Chris]

Hi David.

Has this option been dropped in V4? I couldn't find it in teh program so tried the help file ("Hide Scales"). This referred me to an Options button and to a sub-window that looks suspiciously like a hangover from V3. So...

A. Is it possible to hide unwanted scales and
B. If so, how?

With my best wishes,
Chris.

[David]

Yep, it's still possible.

Open the 'File' tab. You'll find the 'Options' button there.

David.

[Jeff]

Chris,

Be aware that this is not entirely true. Every time you open a new file, all the scales show up again checked.

[Steve Raiford]

Chris, Jeff

In my latest Beta version, when I open a new file, the scale sizes that are checked are those scales that were checked at the time I last saved a file and closed the program, which may or may not be all of them.

Steve Raiford

[Chris]

Thanks All. Didn't notice that wee button. Got ris of everything except Z and it works fine.

With best wishes,
Chris.

[Jeff]

Really, Steve? It seems like every time I open a file for the first time, those unwanted scales show up...

[Steve Raiford]

OK I got stuck on Jeff's statement that all scales were checked when he opened a new file.

My earlier observation was correct, but incomplete. And I definitely see some abnormal behavior.

When a file is saved, the scale options are saved. If the program is closed, and then reopened, the selected scales in a NEW file OR if you open any existing file, are the scales that were selected the last time a file was saved, which may not be the same file now being opened.

David. If this is not being caused by the fact I am testing with the Beta version, this does not make a lot of sense, is not intuitive, and causes the user many extra steps, expecially for a user like Jeff that works on many layouts.

I would suggest that any given file, once saved, retains the option settings when reopened. If the user is creating a new layout either have all  options checked and let the user set the options one time for each file, or a better solution would be to provide a section to set starting preferrences strictly for new files.

In addition to the scales checkboxes, other things should go here like units of measure, whether grids are on or off, default text size, etc.

Steve Raiford

[David]

Which scales are displayed is not saved with a file, but is a setting per user.
That's why it is in the 'Options'.

Perhaps that causes the confusion?

David.

[Jeff]

Unfortunately, no. I constantly run into annoyance because when I open a file ALL scales are checked. I then, of course, UNcheck the ones I'm not using in editing the file, then save the edited file. I find that it is just as likely for all the checks to return the next file I open. It happens on new files and old files. I don't think it necessarily happens for every single time I open a file, but I'm going to start keeping score. I'll report on it tomorrow or the next day.

p.s. As you know, David, I feel that those settings SHOULD be saved on a per-file basis...

[Chris]

Hi David.

I agree with Jeff. I will start workign in both N and Z in the near future and it would be much easier if the appropriate scale library opened for the file  I am working on. It's more of a niggle than teh end of teh world.

Best wishes,
Chris.

[Steve Raiford]

Allow me to share basic program philosophy.

Once a parameter is set in a particular file, it should always remain with the file and the file should always open with the same settings regardless of what the user may have done on other files. AR obviously is not doing this. In AR the parameters of an opened file are dependant on what the user did on some other file.

As a minimum everytime someone starts a new "Job" or starts a new layout, the program should always open with the same set of starting parameters. AR does not do this. The opening parameters are determined by what the user did previously which often is not relevant to starting a new layout.

A nicer, more user friendly approach for starting a new layout would be to have the new file always open with parameters that are set somewhere by the user. This is most beneficial when the user always works in metric, always works in HO, always prefers to have grids turned on etc. Every user has a set of parameters that he is most likely to want to see everytime he starts a new job, but his preferences will not always be related to the layout he last saved.

Having a set of "opening a new file starting parameters" would be the best way. Each user could set everything however they want for each new layout.

AR may not yet be programmed to handle a set of user defined starting parameters, but there is an easy workaround when AR is fixed so at least the settings of one job do NOT effect the settings in another layout when opened. I mentioned this in another thread within the last 30 days. A technique I have used since the late 70's is to start a job with all the parameters set the way I want. For example an "N" scale layout. Then before doing any work on that layout, I save that as "N start". I would do the same for "HO" or any other set of starting parameters I might want to use frequently. When I want to start a new layout I would start with the appropriate "start file, and immediately rename it to whatever I wanted. Effectively never changing the startup file.

To sumarize, even though this is already too long for some readers, first please fix AR so the settings of one job can not effect the settings of another. Secondly consider adding or enabling a section of user definable startup parameters to be used only for new jobs.

And yes David, it is confusion, and the more I understand the behavior, the more I can see how frustrating it is for anyone that ever works on more than 1 layout.

Steve Raiford

[Steve Raiford]

David

Allow me to expand on your explanation that "scales" is a setting per user option.

To be truly a user option, it would have to apply across all jobs for the user. For example having the program display in French instead of Dutch could be a user option, and regardles of what job he is working on he would have all the program information presented in the language of his choice. This would never change for the user, and selecting a language would most likely work as a user option.

This does not work for something like hiding track scale as track scale is not constant for the user. It may change with each job he does for himself, and even more so when he looks at jobs others have started.

Steve Raiford

[Janbouli]

All of a sudden I too have the problem of showing all scales when opening a file . I also have to pick a scale plus library each time I open a file now, this was not the case before. Does this have anything to do with copying files from one opened project to another?It only happens with my large layout file , the other files where I have my structures open with the Atlas code 55 box opened and no other scales showing.

[David]

It might have to do with having multiple copies open.
What scales are shown is saved each time you close AnyRail.

Many new users had problems having all scales hidden when starting the program for the first time. We've tried to fix that in version 4.10. As a side effect, everyone going from 4.9 to 4.10 has all scales open again.

Please open the 'File' tab, click 'Options', and set it the way you want. If you have multiple copies of AnyRail open, the settings of the last one you close will be saved.

David.

[Jeff]

Yes, it seems to be back to the way it used to be, now. I'm not going to say 'fixed', because I'm not happy with the original situation. If one is to have stability in settings, there has to be a change in program behavior. I don't know what's best- perhaps letting the FIRST file opened in a case of multiple open copies of AR and files be the ruling copy. That would let us have some consistency, though why someone would have two different scale layouts open at the same time, I don't know. At least that would let the loaded layout choose the open libraries and scale.