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2010-07-27T21:22:39Z

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== User Interface ==

<noinclude>{{Pr4_UG_ui_TOC}}<div id='pr4_ug'></noinclude>

{{#var:Pr4}}'s User Interface (UI) is, in a sense,
the chief justification for using the program.
After all, any text editor can be used
to edit [[{{#var:G}}XML|XML]] files.
Add a few commands to do tasks like inferring relationships
and you've got a functionally equivalent set of tools.
You will <i>not</i>, however,
have anything like the convenience that {{#var:Pr4}} provides.

Although {{#var:Pr4}} is commonly called an "ontology editor",
it is actually an OWL-specific
[{{#var:wp}}/Integrated_development_environment integrated development environment] (IDE).
That is, it provides an integrated environment (ie, workbench)
for developing and maintaining OWL ontologies.

=== Architecture ===

The UI's architecture is based on two powerful abstractions:
[[{{#var:G}}View|views]] and [[{{#var:G}}Tab|tabs]].
Although both occupy rectangular regions of the display screen,
their manner of use is quite different.
Each view is a specialized tool,
optimized for performing a particular task.
Each tab presents a set of tools (ie, a toolkit),
optimized for performing similar or related tasks.

==== Views ====

Most views allow the user to display (and typically, edit) some aspect
of an ontology.
In all cases, however, a view acts as a tool
for performing a specialized set of actions.

{{#var:Pr4}} categorizes most views by the kind of information they present:
[[Pr4_UG_rv_An|Annotation]],
[[Pr4_UG_rv_Cl|Class]],
[[Pr4_UG_rv_Da|Data property]],
[[Pr4_UG_rv_Dt|Datatype]],
[[Pr4_UG_rv_In|Individual]],
[[Pr4_UG_rv_Ob|Object property]], and
[[Pr4_UG_rv_On|Ontology]] views.
All remaining views are categorized under [[Pr4_UG_rv_Mi|Misc]] (miscellany).
This categorization scheme is built into {{#var:Pr4}}
(eg, in the [[Pr4_UG_ui_Menu_Bar|Menu Bar]])
and is also used by the [[Pr4_UG_rv|Views reference chapter]] in this guide.

==== Tabs ====

A tab is a collection of views,
arranged within the tab's own display region.
{{#var:Pr4}} defines several "default" tabs,
but these may be modified or even deleted by the user.
Additional (eg, task-specific) tabs may also be defined.

=== UI Elements ===

Views and tabs, while very important, are not the whole story.
Most interaction occurs in the Main Window,
generally within a small number of tabs.
Navigation among these tabs is made possible by the Tab Bar.
If the user wishes to perform an unusual action,
s/he may use an item in the Menu Bar.
If the program needs to support an unusual interaction,
it may display a [[{{#var:G}}Dialog_Box|dialog box]].

The following list summarized these high-level UI elements:

* [[Pr4_UG_ui_Dialogs|Dialogs]] - temporary windows that display status and/or enable actions

* [[Pr4_UG_ui_Main_Window|Main Window]] - focus of most user interaction
** [[Pr4_UG_ui_Tab_Bar|Tab Bar]] - selects a set of views for the Main Window
** [[Pr4_UG_ui_Views|Views]] - rectangular regions of the Main Window

* [[Pr4_UG_ui_Menu_Bar|Menu Bar]] - sets of options for the overall program

</div>

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