Workspace windows are the main windows within Family Historian (see Workspace Windows). They are designed to serve a variety of different roles and to facilitate a variety of different tasks. The Property Box is not itself a workspace window; but is designed to be used in conjunction with workspace windows.
You can have any number of Workspace Windows open at the same time, although usually one is in front of the others so that you can only see one at a time. You can switch between them using the Navigation Bar.
| Re-use of Open Windows Permitted |
If you click on a button to open a diagram, what should happen if you already have one or more Diagram Windows open? Would you like one of these windows to be re-used, or would you prefer to keep the existing Diagram Windows and open a new one? You can have as many diagrams open at any given time as you want. But if you are using working diagrams (new diagrams that you create as-needed, and which have never been saved) to browse and explore your family tree data, it may be inconvenient if Family Historian always opens a new Diagram Window for each new working diagram. You may end up with a great many Diagram Windows open. You can choose whether or not to allow re-use, with respect to all types of workspace window, except the Focus Window and the Records Window which are always re-used, as you can never have more than one of them. Even if you permit re-use of a given workspace window, it does not mean that it necessarily will be re-used. Existing windows will never be re-used if they have been 'locked' to prevent re-use (you can't lock the Focus Window or Records Window). Also, special rules apply to the Diagram Window. If you have opted to allow re-use of Diagram Windows, Family Historian will re-use the most recently-used Diagram Window when you open a new working diagram if it contains an unlocked working diagram. Depending on the Close Warning options you selected (see Diagrams tab in Preferences), you may get warned if significant changes have been made to the diagram that is to be replaced (e.g. if boxes have been moved or resized, or if diagram elements have been added). The Re-use option has no effect on Diagram Windows if you are opening a chart (a saved diagram), or if the last-used diagram window contains a chart. In either case, a new Diagram Window will always be opened. Note: Locking a given workspace window has no effect if re-use is not permitted for the workspace window in question. Tip: A quick way to lock a window is to right-click on the windows icon in the Navigation Pane and select the command from there. |
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| Preferred Position for Property Box |
The Property Box can be used in conjunction with all workspace windows. Depending on the window, and the size of your monitor, you may prefer the Property Box to be docked or floating. When the Property Box is docked it is fixed to the right side of the workspace window and is the same height as the workspace window. When docked, there is a gripper bar on the left edge of the Property Box and you can click-and-drag here to increase or decrease its share of the available space. When the Property Box is floating, it can be moved or resized quite independently of the workspace window, and if it overlaps the workspace window, it will always be in front of it. If you have no preference, choose 'None'. |
| Default Property Box Action When Workspace is Opened |
As well as choosing, for different workspace windows, whether you prefer the Property Box to be docked or floating (or have no preference), you can also specify what you wish to happen when a new instance of a workspace window is opened. The options have the following meaning:
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| Open Workspace Windows Remember Property Box State |
If enabled (the default), when you switch to a workspace window (e.g. by clicking on its icon in the Navigation Bar) the Property Box will be returned to the state it was in when that particular workspace was last activated - i.e. opened or closed, and docked or floating. If this option is not enabled, the Default Property Box Action When Workspace is Opened settings (see previous) will be used to determine what should be done with the Property Box. |
| Disable Property Box Management State | Click on this button to change all of the above settings, so
that the Property Box is always left where it is, and is not
automatically opened or closed, docked or made to float.
Disabling Property Box management does not affect the question of
whether workspace windows are re-used or not. |