Navigating BeerSmith

Description

The goal of BeerSmith design was to make the absolutely finest user interface of any beer program in the world.

This topic will walk you through the basic navigation features of BeerSmith. BeerSmith uses a multi-paned window structure to make all of the most commonly used features only one click away.

Basic Elements

	Menu - A standard windows menu (File, Edit, View, etc...).
	Toolbar - A steady toolbar shown just below the menu with familiar icons such as print, cut, copy, paste, undo, previous and next.
	Context Bar - A second toolbar with labeled buttons shown below the main toolbar, the context bar displays different commands depending upon the current view.
	Title Pane - Displays the title of the current view.
	Shortcut Pane - Shows a list of shortcuts to available views and folders. Clicking on any of the views or folders opens that view in the current view pane.
	Current View Pane - Displays the current tool or view. This is the primary work area.
	Preview Pane - When active, displays a print preview of the currently selected item. In this example, the recipe for a Wit beer is previewed in this pane. You can turn off the preview pane using the Preview Pane command on the View menu.
	Tips Pane - Shows hints and tips for using BeerSmith. You can turn off the Tips pane using the Tips Pane command on the View menu.

Getting Help

Click on the Help Mode icon () to place BeerSmith in help mode. A question mark will be displayed next to the mouse cursor. Now click on any menu item, shortcut or toolbar button to get specific help on that item. Amazing isn't it?

Navigation

Navigating the views in BeerSmith is as simple as clicking on the items shown in the Shortcut Pane. For example clicking on the Hops item will display a list of the hops ingredient table. Using tools is equally as easy - click the Water Profile shortcut under the Tools item to open the water profile tool.

Moving Back or Next

You can navigate previous views as if they were a web page. Click on the Back or Next button (, ) on the toolbar to move back to the last view visited or forward to the next one.

Hover Hints

Click on the Hops view again to display the table of hops items. Hold the cursor in one place over one of the hops items, and a small yellow window will appear showing a description of the item. This neat little trick lets you browse items without clicking on them.

Previewing Items

Click on any of the hops items to select it and a complete detailed view of the hops item will be displayed in the preview pane. This instant preview mode lets you browse items in detail without having to open them.

Editing Items

Double click on any item to open it for editing. Press OK to save your edited changes or Cancel to cancel them. Note you can undo any edit or sequence of edits using the Undo Command ().