Docking Panes

Docking panes are windows that contain tools or data like other windows but attach to a parent "view" window (e.g., Image , Plot, etc.). The view window owns the docking pane, and similar pane windows may exist for different view windows. Docking panes can be docked, undocked, hidden, or reduced to a tab on the window border. How to adjust docking panes is described further down in this topic. Docking Panes are used for listing measurements, viewing the FITS image header, adjusting the image transfer function and palette and other purposes. You can save or change the pane layout for a window using the Pane Layout button on the main toolbar. Shown below are the docking panes for the Image Bar, the Image Palette and for listing photometry results. The Image Window docking panes may be quickly opened and closed using buttons on the Docking Panes Toolbar.

Docking panes can be docked along a window border, closed, pinned open, floated free of their parent window, or shrunk to a tab along the window border. You can save or change the pane layout for a window using the Pane Layout button .

Docking Panes are opened and closed by toggling their button on a toolbar. Pane buttons are indicated by a rectangular outline on the icon. Buttons on the docking panes allow them to be closed, aligned to a different window border, or shrunk to a tab. You also can drag them away from the window to float on the desktop.

NOTE	When each docking pane is opened the first time, its layout is not initialized and it opens to use available space inside its parent window. To adjust, the layout, use one of the methods in the section Adjusting Docking Panes, below. Also see Initializing Toolbars and Docking Panes.

Docking Panes of Mira View Windows

Image Windows

Image Keys Pane: This is a help window that lists all keystrokes and keyboard shortcuts specific to Image Windows. You can execute these commands from the help pane or by typing them into the Image Window. This pane helps to learn all the key commands.

Palette Pane: This pane provides palette adjustments using the mouse and shows the pixel values assigned to the palette entries. It is available in both horizontal and vertical orientations. The vertical version adds a button for resetting the palette and another button for opening the Palette Properties dialog. To modify the palette, mouse-down on the color ramp and move the mouse while keeping the left button pressed. Sideways and back-forth movements change brightness and contrast simultaneously. To view the pixel values assigned to the grayscale/color palette entry, right mouse-down on the palette and move the mouse along the palette while keeping the right button pressed.

Transfer Function Pane: This pane provides adjustments to the image transfer function. This pane can be opened in horizontal and vertical orientations.

FITS Header Pane: This pane shows the FITS format image header. The pane updates when an operation modifies the image header.

Pixel Table Pane: This pane shows pixel values near the location of the image cursor. With the Pixel Table open, the pixel values track the image cursor as it moves using the mouse or the arrow keys. Note that the window must have the keyboard focus to move the cursor using the arrow keys. To see a menu of Pixel Table commands, right click on the table.

Horizontal Slice Plot: This docking pane displays a dynamic graph showing a horizontal slice through the center of the Image Cursor.

Vertical Slice Plot: This docking pane displays a dynamic graph showing a vertical slice through the center of the Image Cursor.

Image Bar: This docking pane controls zooming, panning, coordinate readout, the Image Cursor, and other functions.

Animation Bar: This pane in Image Windows controls blinking and animation of image sets.

Message Pane: This pane is used both for Image Windows and the main application window. It shows text messages such as detailed results of calculations, calibration details, and errors. It is usually docked at the bottom of its parent window and shrunk to tab form. The pane is opened and closed using a command in the Window menu for the parent window.

Main Window

Plot Windows

Plot Bar: This docking pane controls panning, coordinate readout, and other functions for viewing plots.

Plot Points Pane: This pane in Plot Windows lists results of the Plot Point Query tool. The pane tabulates the point series, index, and (X, Y) coordinates.

Plot Notes Pane: This Plot Window pane is a simple text editor that opens for plot window into which you can enter notes about the plot.

Plot Animation Bar: This pane controls blinking and animation of plot series.

Various Measurement Commands

Measurement Panes for Centroids , FWHM , Points, Aperture Photometry, and Statistics.

Adjusting all Panes

In addition to working with each pane individually, Mira provides commands to work with all panes of a window at once. You can also save the window's docking pane layout for future use. These operations are controlled the Window > Docking Panes menu commands or using a button on the main toolbar and the commands in its drop menu (the "Pane Menu").

Saving the Docking Pane Layout

The docking panes layout for a window is not persistent and will be lost when you close the window unless you intentionally save the layout. To save the layout, use command in the Window > Docking Panes > Save Pane Layout menu command or use the commands in the drop menu for the button on the main toolbar, as shown below:

The top 3 Pane Menu commands (Save, Hide, and Tabify) work with the pane layout for windows of the type that is the top-most view window. For example, if an Image Window is top-most, the Save Docking Panes command saves the pane layout for the current Image Window and all future Image Windows. For example, suppose an Image Window opens with no panes visible. Then you open the Pixel Table Pane and the vertical Palette Pane for the window. If you close this image window, the pane layout will not be saved. Since this layout has not been saved, new image windows will open without these panes visible. To make new windows open with the current pane configuration of the top-most view window, use the Save Docking Panes command.

If the Pane Menu has a separator line as shown below, commands below the line re-open panes that are hidden in the top-most view window. The example below shows that the Points pane was closed. Clicking Open Points thus re-opens the Points pane.

Other Pane Commands

To remove all docking panes from the current top-most window, use the Hide All Panes command. This is an efficient way to close everything when many panes are open.
To reduce all panes to a tab along the window border, use theTabify All Panes command. Tabified panes can be opened by hovering over the tab or clicking the tab. A tabbed pane that is open will automatically hide to a tab when you click inside its host window. To keep a tabified pane open, use its "stick pin" on its title bar.
To keep a pane open after being opened from a tab, use the stick-pin on its title bar to "pin" it open. To allow it to shrink back to a tab, unpin it in the same way.
Most panes have a command menu that is opened either from the triangle button on its title bar or by right-clicking on its measurement grid. If a pane's title bar has no triangle button, then it has no command menu.