Session Window

The figure shows the components of the window for database connections with list area (1), tool bar (2), navigation (3), dataset tabs (4),  and connection tabs (5).

List Area

The central area of the session window lists all datasets in the sections managed with the Battery Manager software:

Each list shows characteristic fields from the connected database, in the case of batteries for example an internal id, the status (active, inactive, deleted/trash) as well as a name and a manufacturer. As an example representing the other sections the following text describes the Battery List in detail.

The Id column is a numerical identification of each dataset. The id is unique for each section Battery List, Manufacturers etc. The St (=status) column shows the status of the dataset (active=green, inactive=grey, deleted/trash). By default the datasets are active and therefore used by the program. If datasets become obsolete you can either set the status to inactive or move the items to trash. Those datasets are then never used by the program and will not be listed if the status filter found in the tool bar is setup appropriately ("Active" entry). This allows for a fine-grained classification of datasets, also restoring datasets after accidentally deletion is still possible.

The Name column shows the associated name of the respective battery, the Manufacturer column shows the deposited producer. This column drawn with blue font may be clicked directly with the mouse (link), where a dialog is opened to edit the manufacturer. The Size column contains the main classification of the battery size (e.g. "9 Volt"). The Cell Type column contains the classification of the used technology for the battery (e.g. "NiMH" for Nickle Metal Hybrid). The Re column (=rechargeable, secondary battery) is selected if the battery may be recharged. The Volts column shows the numerical value for the voltage measured in V (=Volts), next to this the Capacity column is displayed (measured in mAh or Ah). In the Comment column you can find an arbitrary text of max. 1 kilobytes length.

The main function of the list is the double-click with which the selected dataset is opened for editing. With the context menu (right mouse button) new batteries can be created or existing batteries can be edited. All functions of the context menu are also available in the table menu which can be controlled with the keyboard, too.

The list is refreshed using the F5 key (see shortcuts).

Tool Bar

The tool bar component of the session window controls the display of the list area, allows for editing datasets, and displays certain subsets with search and filter functions: 

Additional buttons and choices for the list are available below the tool bar: 

The states of the line numbers and column width buttons are saved by the program persistently and will be restored the next time the application is started.

In order to search for certain datasets insert a text pattern into the input field near the Search link and start searching with ENTER oder by clicking the magnifying glass symbol to the right of the input field. The search window is displayed automatically on the right side by default if the pattern is edited. Here you can configure if matches shall be highlighted on-the-fly (yellow) and which database fields shall be searched. If you are interested in all batteries of size "9 Volt" for example then select the Sizes option and clear all other check boxes. You can do this comfortably also by using the context menu (right mouse button) of the Sizes check box. The search routines of most database systems do not care about the case here.

After the search the matches are presented by the list which may remain empty. In order to support a better overview all columns with matches are highlighted with a special color. To stop searching please click the red X next to the magnifying glass, all datasets will be displayed again. The search can also be started by clicking the Search button of the search window.

To display only certain datasets a filter can be applied. Please click on the blue Filter link, then the filter window is displayed automatically on the right side. Please consult the filter window documentation for details.

Once filter criteria has been specified a click on the Apply button starts the filtering process. Alternatively you can use the filter symbol next to the blue Filter link to start filtering. In order to be able to re-use frequently used filters quickly the filter window let's you create templates which are displayed by the chooser next to the blue Filter link. Please select a template here and start filtering.

After the filtering has been processed only the matches are displayed by the list which may remain empty. To stop filtering please click the red X next to the filter symbol, all datasets will be displayed again.

On the right side of the filter area you can find the status chooser where certain datasets can be listed by their current status. For example if you like all datasets from the trash being displayed in order to delete them finally then choose "Deleted (Trash)" here. The list will then be automatically refreshed and displays the desired datasets (may be empty).

To the right of the status chooser you can find a panel with several pieces of information for Page and All. With the navigation you can configure how many datasets shall be presented by the list (5, 10, 15 etc. or all). If the list shows 25 entries then 25 entries are bundled as a page, you can see the number of datasets displayed to the right of the Page label on top. The number in bold font denotes the number of selected datasets on the current page. The numbers behind All denote the number of overall selected datasets (may be on different pages) as well as the total number of displayed datasets. These four values can be used for a quick overview of the datasets displayed by the list including the selections.

Navigation

For large databases loaded from the Internet the navigation accelerates the displaying of datasets since not all datasets are loaded at once. In most situations it is sufficient to load the first 25 datasets only for example while the rest of the datasets are loaded when needed. If the embedded database is used or the database connection is very fast then all datasets may be loaded at once.

The navigation at the bottom edge of the session window primarily let's the user set the desired number of displayed datasets (5, 10, 15 etc. or all). If the list shows 25 entries then 25 entries are bundled as a page. The buttons to the right side of the number chooser allow for a fast move to the desired page or one page forward/back or to the first/last page.

The above mentioned search and filter functions always process all datasets in the database and not only the first 25 entries. The lists with matches may show only the first 25 entries per page if this is configured by the navigation.

The deposited number of datasets per page in the navigation is saved by the program persistently and will be restored the next time the application is started.

Dataset Tabs

The Battery Manager software manages the sections of a database as follows: 

By choosing a tab the underlying list for the section is being displayed. All tabs belong to the associated session representing a certain database connection. Each connection tab shows the entire set of dataset tabs as listed above.

Connection Tabs

You can create as many database connections in the session window as desired. Depending on the deployed edition multiple connections to different database types may be allowed (i.e. Oracle, MySQL). New connections may be easily created with the application tool bar or the database menu. If this has been successful a new tab is displayed by the session window. New tabs become automatically active so that the managed lists become visible immediately.

In the preferences you can configure if the previous database session shall be restored the next time the application is started or none which means that the session window does not display any tabs here.

Please remember that multiple sessions with different database types (i.e. Oracle, MySQL) are supported only by the Enterprise Edition. The Personal Edition allows the use of the embedded database only while the Professional Edition is limited to connections for one single database type.

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