Table of Contents
AdvancedMiner Client is an IDE application. IDE stands for Integrated Development Environment. The most important distinguishing feature of IDE applications is that they integrate many different tools used for different tasks, but all serve the main purpose of creating a high quality end product. Integration is so deep that all these tools are perceived as if they where parts of a bigger whole and not autonomous elements.
The main goal of AdvancedMiner IDE is to help the user efficiently work with the object model described in the previous sections without restricting creativity and allowing much freedom. This goal is achieved by employing multiple approaches to working with objects, like a powerful scripting language, as well as using open standards like CWM and XML.
Since working with objects is fundamental to AdvancedMiner, it is very important to have powerful means for working with scripts. That is why AdvancedMiner IDE was build on top of the open framework NetBeans Platform (TM) - a popular IDE for Java programing supported by Oracle.
This chapter introduces the basic functionality of the AdvancedMiner IDE components. In the next chapter the components are discussed in detail.
When working with AdvancedMiner for the first time it is important to get acquainted with the Window System, as there are some slight differences in how windows are used in AdvancedMiner and in popular operating systems.
The basic concept used for describing window management is a component. A component is a container for some content like a script file or repository objects. When a component is moved all its contents are moved with it. Components are distinguished by their names, which are displayed in component tabs. A component tab is located at the top left corner of the component - look at the screen shots below for examples of components like Projects and Services. Components can also be grouped together in a special container called window.
The Window System determines how the components are laid out and how they can be manipulated. The Window System in AdvancedMiner IDE is inherited from the NetBeans Platform and allows for arbitrary customization of the workspace. The size and placement of each component can be modified with drag and drop operations. To understand how this works it would be best to try performing some simple windows operations. The components can be opened using the Windows menu from main menu bar. Each component will be described further in Components section of this chapter.
The size of each component can be changed by moving its borders. When the mouse cursor is over the component border, it changes its shape indicating that the border can be moved. To make this happen just press the left mouse button and start dragging. When the desired position is reached release the mouse button.
To change the location of a component move the mouse cursor over the component tab (where the name of the component is), press the left mouse button and while holding it move the component to the desired location. There is a noticeable difference between moving components in AdvancedMiner and moving windows in popular operating systems, where, when a window is moved it is placed exactly in the location where the mouse button is released. Inside AdvancedMiner moving a window defines only an approximate position - the exact position is calculated by the Window System and is represented by a red frame.
Five window locations are possible:
When the dragged component is close to the left/right/bottom border of another component, then the dragged component will snap to the left/right/bottom side of the other component;
When the dragged component is close to the top border of another component, it will be added as a new tab. This will not change the size of the other component, but the component will be covered by the dragged one. Tabs can be used to switch between components.
When the dragged component is over the tab of another component, it will be added above that component;
Double-clicking on a tab causes the corresponding component to maximize.
This approach helps to maintain a clean layout and makes the components easily accessible: either the whole component or its tab is visible.
It is important to know two types of components - documents and views. Documents are components with which the user works most of time, like editors, results of statistical procedures, charts. Views are components which support working with documents: explorers, properties, logs. These two types have different tabs and cannot be mixed together - views can be placed on either side of the document, but they cannot be added as a new tab.
Components can also be hidden on the sides or on the bottom of the workspace. To hide a component the Minimize Button is used (it can be found on the component tab).
To open a document a project must be created.
From the File menu choose New Project... , or use the shortcut key Ctrl+Shift+N and create a new Basic AdvancedMiner Project in the desired directory.
If the Projects window is not open, choose Windows|Projects from main menu or press Ctrl+1;
In the Projects window there should be a node representing the project that was created. Press the right mouse button on it, choose New from the context menu and then choose the Gython Script item;
Give a name to the new object;
In the created project a GScript object will be created and a document presenting its contents will be opened. To open a document choose 'Open' from the context menu for the node representing the Gython Script object. Try to move all those components around to get the feeling of how the Window System works.
Every type defines a set of properties and a set of actions for objects of that type. All actions that can be called for a given object are available in its context menu. This menu is opened by clicking the right mouse button on the object. Additionally, the most important actions are also accessible from the main menu and the toolbar. Some actions may be enabled/disabled in different contexts, e.g. the Save action is disabled as long as no changes have been made to the object.
The main menu consists of the following sub-menus:
File - actions for projects and external operations: creation and saving of data objects, printing;
Edit - standard editing operations such as cut/copy/paste;
View - settings for customizing the tool bar;
Navigate - actions for navigating the script editor, including bookmarking and shortcuts to Files, Projects, Favorites views.
Source - actions supporting common script edition tasks like indentation, code formatting and others.
Run - action for executing data objects, refreshing content, exporting Note that not all items can be executed, for example scripts and CWM procedural types, if they are placed inside a metadata repository;
Team - actions for working with version control systems systems;
Tools - keyboard shortcuts and IDE settings;
Window - managing windows and components;
Help;