Avio Manager 2D - An Overview

The new Avio Manager 2D performs the same tasks as the old Avio Manager but it offers better graphic display with the nodes with inputs and outputs and the connections between the individual channels being visible as lines.

• On the left side of Avio Manager 2D you will find the familiar tree structure with its filter function just like in the old Avio Manager. On the right side you can open an Editor with graphic display of all nodes and connections. This is done by clicking button Show Editor which you can find in the toolbar. Information on all the buttons in the toolbar.

  Refresh Avio Nodes  ...searches for new resources in the network and updates the view.    Add additional Treeview  ...opens a new tree view window.    Show Editor  ...opens the Editor for graphic display of nodes and connections. Activate Highlight Value  ...when a new value is received the value box is provided with a yellow frame for 2 seconds to indicate that a new value has arrived.   Default Connection  ...allows the type of default connection to be selected in the dialog popping up. The three possible types of scaling can, however, also be preselected by clicking the following buttons: Direct  ...direct connection without value scaling. Scaled  ...scales the source channel value range to match the target channel value range. Smart  ...values are changed or evaluated via formulas. The desired default formula can be stored in the dialog Default Connection.   Undo/Redo  ...opens the Undo/Redo list that allows connections to be undone or redone. See also Undo/Redo list for connections.   Layer  ...opens the Layer window that allows Layers and their connections to be enabled/disabled.   Load Project  .....opens saved projects, i.e. the graphic display of the nodes and connections.    Save current Project  ...saves the current project. Shortcut: Ctrl + S, Ctrl + Shift + S saves all projects.   Save current Project As  ...saves the current project under a different name which needs to be entered.   Show Startup Wizard  ...opens the Avio Manager startup dialog for opening and creating new projects.   Save Offline Data  ...saves offline data of the current Avio network.   Load Offline Data  ...loads offline data of an Avio network from a file and displays it in Avio Manager.   Settings  ...opens the Settings Dialog.    Help  ...opens the Avio Manager Help topics.    About  ...shows the version and some other information.    Show Avio Connections  ....opens the windows for reading and writing connections.    Display Show Values Column  ...opens column Show Values. Note: If this column is not visible you need to move the horizontal scroll bar.

   

• For a graphic display of a node drag and drop it from the tree view into the right window. If you only need very few channels for a node you highlight the required ones and drag and drop them into the right-hand window. This way you only need to drag and drop and arrange those Avio resources into the right-hand window that are required for connecting functional groups. By default the Snap to Grid function is enabled which facilitates structured arrangement and size adjustment of nodes and notes. Holding down Ctrl temporarily deactivates the snapping function.

• For more extensive projects you create an additional Editor for further functional groups by clicking the plus sign next to Default Editor, entering a name and clicking OK. This helps you to create Editors for any number of subareas of your Avio System and allows for a clear structure.

• The channels show the inputs on the left (yellow) and the outputs on the right (blue). If you connect an output with an input by dragging with the mouse a query appears asking for the number of connections, just like in the old Avio Manager (optional shortcuts as in the old Avio Manager: Ctrl for direct connection, Shift for scaled connection, Ctrl+ Shift for formula-based connection, press Alt key additionally to create a bidirectional connection). The connection is indicated by a line in the corresponding color (white: direct, yellow: scaled, green: formula-based). See also Adjusting the value ranges.

• As known from the previous version of Avio Manager, several highlighted channels (hold the Ctrl key down while highlighting blue outputs) can be dragged and dropped on one input. When you do this dialog Multiconnect opens up where you can specify whether all outputs are to be connected to one or to several channels. Option Destination Overflow Mode defines the actions to be performed if there are not enough inputs available:

• Modulo  ...start again from the beginning

• Saturate  ...connect all the remaining outputs to the last channel

• Truncate  ...ignore remaining outputs

The type of connection can be selected for every connection (direct, scaled, smart). Upon selecting Smart, the formula can be entered after double-clicking column Formula.

• In the dialog Smart Connection, where the formula is defined, there is now the field Note (History) for remarks to be displayed in the history before the formula.

• The Undo/Redo list now shows connections that have been dragged, deleted or modified. This way it is possible to see whether the connections have been made as required according to the information about source and target and other details displayed. Every connection has an Undo button which allows the connection to be moved onto the Redo list. The connections in the Redo list can also be recovered. See Undo/Redo list for connections.

• As known from the Avio System, connections between nodes whose inputs are connected, are saved automatically. However, the arrangement of Avio resources in the Editor must be saved separately so that it can be loaded again at a later time. This is done via buttons Save and Load at the top of the program window. Shortcuts are Ctrl+ S for saving the current project and Ctrl + Shift + S for saving all projects.

• The inputs or outputs of a node can be hidden as necessary by clicking out or in in the node box at the top. When you click io both the inputs and outputs are shown again.

• There two useful options in the Editor. When you enable Hide unused channels all the channels without incoming or outgoing connections are hidden. When you enable Collapse all nodes the channels of all nodes are hidden, while a condensed form of the connections is still visible.

• The slider control on the top right-hand side of the Editor allows changing of the display size. The other buttons offer options for adjusting the display:

 ...resumes the standard zoom value.

  ...adjusts the display size in a way which allows all nodes to be visible.

  ...adjusts the display in a way which allows all highlighted nodes to be visible.

  ...enables shift mode and allows you to move the visible portion with the mouse. Alternatively you can enable this mode by clicking the central mouse key/mouse wheel.

 ...moves the visible portion so that all nodes are centered.

 ..moves the visible portion so that all highlighted nodes are centered.

• In the Editor you can rename a tab by double-clicking the name.

• Mousing over a connection highlights it so that it can be followed more easily.

• Channels and ports can be moved by drag & drop within their ports.

• Value scaling of connections in the Editor can be changed via the context menu or in Tree View for Read/Write connections.

• Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X or Ctrl+V can be used to copy and paste or shift highlighted nodes from one tab to the other.

• Connections and nodes are deleted by highlighting them and hitting key Del or by selecting the corresponding option in the context menu. This can also be done for a number of highlighted elements. In the query coming up you can choose whether the nodes or only their connections are to be deleted. Note: When you press Del and the Ctrl key additionally the nodes are deleted without any query.

• If a connected channel is not available in the Editor the connection cannot be displayed as a line. In such a case a short line and an ellipse indicate that the connection is not displayed in its entirety. You can right-click it and select Node name Connection name Insert Source Channel or Insert Destination Channel for the missing channel to be inserted and the connection to be displayed in full.