The Multi-Document Interface


Quanta Plus editing the document you are now reading.


Quanta Plus' MDI is broken down to three main parts: the editor window, the Quick Info Tabs, and the toolbars. Please see the section called “The Editor Window”, the section called “The Quick Info Trees”, and the section called “The Toolbars” for more information on these parts.

The Editor Window


Quanta Plus' editor window.


Quanta Plus' editor window allows for multiple files to be opened at the same time. When just one file is open, the document fills the entire editor window. As soon as a second document is opened, a small amount of space is taken from the bottom of the editor window to allow for tabs to be displayed with the filenames and a status icon. (The above picture shows a floppy icon beside the filename, indicating that the file has been modified and should be saved.)

At the top of the editor window is the editor toolbar set. Currently, Quanta Plus defaults to HTML 4.01 Transitional, which has a default set of toolbars that are loaded. As Quanta Plus progresses, the toolbars will be updated to meet the needs of users and to make use of newer features.

Toolbar usage is pretty straight forward. If you want to insert a basic tag, like <u>, into your document, then you can click on the icon that represents the tag. Now you can insert your data for the tag you have just inserted. If you wish to insert a tag that requires certain attributes (like an anchor), then you will get a dialog box with the various fields for you to fill in.


The anchor (<a>) dialog.


The Quick Info Trees


The Quick Info Trees.


The Quick Info Trees (QIT) allow you to navigate, open, and gather information in Quanta Plus. Its tabbed format presents you with the Files, Project, Templates, Document Structure, Scripts, Attribute, and Documentation Trees.

QIT Explained

Files Tree

This is where you can browse your entire file system. You are presented with two top-level roots of the file system. The first is your home folder and the second is /. Use these to find existing files on your machine that you would like to edit or add to an active project. right mouse button clicking on a file in this view gives you several options for managing the selected file and, also, allows you to insert the file into an active project, if any, or toggle the view between tree and list.

Project Tree

Project management is one of the many powerful tools that Quanta Plus offers. This tab displays all files within your project and allows you to manage the files within the project through the use of right mouse button clicking. Actions, such as add, remove, upload, or delete files entirely from the disk, can be performed through this menu.

Templates Tree

Another feature of Quanta Plus is templates. Templates can be anything you would like. Images, code snippets, an entire web page, et cetera. It is entirely up to you.

Templates are sorted into three categories, which are based on their scope and the context they are being used. These scopes are carried over from Quanta Plus' workspace. Global templates are usable all times, local templates are usable to the current user, and project templates are usable only within their specified project. More on templates can be found in the section called “Templates”.

Scripts Tree

Here you will find information about the various scripts available for use by you. The Global, Local, and Project concept allows here as well. By left mouse button clicking the entries, you gain access to all the available information about the script. And right mouse button clicking allows you to perform a few actions, such as running the script, editing the script, and emailing the script, for example.

Document Structure Tree

This tab displays the parser's internal representation of your document. By left mouse button clicking on a element, your cursor will taken to the element's position in the document. By right mouse button clicking on an element, you are presented with a number of actions that deal with navigating and updating the tree.

Attribute Tree

This tree appears below all the other QITs. Within it you can quickly edit attributes and namespaces. The content-focused entry system allows you to modify all the available attributes with little more than a few clicks of the mouse.


Attribute Tree


Documentation Tree

Here you can find complete documentation on web technologies to aid your development. You can download pre-packaged documentation for Quanta Plus at Quanta Plus' documentation site, you can create your own documentation, and, by adding a folder named "doc" to a project, you can add, edit, and view project-specific documentation.

The Toolbars


Quanta Plus' HTML toolbars.


Quanta Plus' toolbars have been extended greatly and are easy to understand. You click on the button and you get an associated action from that button. The beautiful part about toolbars is that you can define your own actions graphically within Quanta Plus.

Managing toolbars in Quanta Plus is easy. By selecting the Toolbars menu, you have the options to load, save, add, and email toolbars. When you choose to load a toolbar, you may choose from one of the three workspaces in Quanta Plus. When saving a newly created toolbar, you can save it in the local scope or within a project's scope. If you would like to make a new toolbar available in the global scope, ask your admin to place it in Quanta Plus' global toolbar folder.

Another feature of Quanta Plus is the ability to email your toolbars. Quanta Plus sends the toolbar as a gzipped tar archive through KMail. If you receive a toolbar in email, then you can save (and load) it into Quanta Plus like any other toolbar!