The screen appears as shown in Figure 2.1a when the user initially launches the EClass application.

Figure 2.1a: Initial screen.

The Presentation Window contains the lecture that the instructor presents, utilizing slide navigation controls. The default view when EClass is initially loaded is an empty lecture.

The Drawing Tools window allows the user to manipulate the current view on the Presentation Window by adding shapes to the Snapshot window.

The Roster window shows the members who are participating in the current session. Their names are listed by rows and there are fields that show the rights and activities of the user such as permissions, instructor attention, location, etc. Details concerning each field are discussed in section 2.5.1 Roster Overview.

The Chat window allows the user to chat amongst their peers or the instructor. There are tabs along the top of the window that allows the user to choose who they are chatting to. The cut, copy, and paste buttons are laid out on top of the input box.

Figure 2.1b shows an expansion of the command menus.

Figure 2.1b: Expanded command menus.

The File menu contains typical commands for manipulating data files and performing other system-level functions.

• 'File Open' opens an existing EClass session from a previously saved file, displaying the lecure in the Presentation window.
• 'File Close' closes the currently active connection and all windows relating to the session, offering to save if it has been modified since opening.
• 'File Save' saves the currently active session on the file from which it was opened, or on a new file if it was created from a new display.
• 'File Save As' allows the current session to be saved on a different file from which it was opened or most recently saved upon.
• 'File Print' prints the contents of the currently active display window in a form suitable for output to a printing device capable of displaying text and graphics.
• 'File Exit' exits the EClass tool.

The Edit menu contains commands for manipulating EClass data during editing.

• 'Edit Undo' undoes the most recently completed editing commands. Repeated successive invocations of 'Undo' will undo successively earlier commands.
• 'Edit Repeat' displays a dialog that allows the most recently invoked command to be repeated one or more times.
• 'Edit Cut' removes and copies the currently selected datum in the current display.
• 'Edit Copy' copies the currently selected datum without removing it.
• 'Edit Paste' inserts the most recently cut or copied datum at the currently selected edit point in the current display.
• 'Edit Delete' removes the currently selected data without copying it.
• 'Edit Select All' selects all editable data in the current display.
• 'Edit Find' performs a search for a given text string. The search is performed in the Presentation Window; successive invocations of search with an unchanged search string searches for further occurrences of the string until all occurrences are found.
• 'Edit Command' allows the user to enter any EClass tool command in textual form, including sequences of commands to form scripts.

The Create menu contains commands relating to the creation of a new lecture.

• 'Create New' allows the user to create a new lecture.
• 'Create Macros ' allows the user to insert user defined text or commands into the lecture.
  • 'Macros Insert Ordered Topic' inserts tags for an ordered list topic.
  • 'Macros Insert Unordered Topic' inserts tags for an unordered list topic.
  • 'Macros Insert Image' inserts tags to generate an image.
  • 'Macros Insert Note' inserts tags for placing notes about the lecture material.
  • 'Macros Insert Slide Break' inserts tags for a slidebreak.
  • 'Macros Generate Slides' inserts slidebreak tags throughout the entire lecture.
• 'Create Go To' brings up a dialog box that allows the user to jump to a specific line number.
• 'Create Folding' allows the user to create a folding point at the cursor.
• 'Create Preferences' brings up a dialog box that allows the user to customize syntax highlighting colors, line numbering, and turning folding on/off.

The Present menu contains commands relating to the presentation of a lecture.

• 'Present New Overlay' creates a new overlay in the Presentation Window.
• 'Present Delete Overlay' deletes the current overlay displayed in the Presentation Window.
• 'Present Next Slide' advances to the next slide in the Presentaion Window.
• 'Present Previous Slide' goes back one slide in the Presentation Window.
• 'Present First Slide' goes to the first slide in the Presentaion Window.
• 'Present Last Slide' goes to the last slide in the Presentation Window
• 'Present Expand Level' Expands the topic points one level in the Presentation Window.
• 'Present Collapse Level' Collapses the topic points one level in the Presentation Window.
• 'Present Step In' Steps in one topic in the Presentation Window.
• 'Present Step Out' Steps out one topic in the Presentation Window
• 'Present Create Note' Generates a sticky note to the current overlay in the Presentation Window.

The Roster menu contains commands for manipulating members permission and adding/deleting members of the session.

• 'Roster Add Student' allows the instructor to add a student to the roster.
• 'Roster Delete Student' allows the instructor to delete a student from the roster.
• 'Roster Student Properties' allows the instructor to change the properties of the student such as the ability to write on the public Whiteboard. Details on 'Student Propterties' are discussed later.
• 'Roster Save Attendance' allows the user to save the attendance.
• 'Roster View Attendance History' allows the user to view the attendance hisotry in a seperate window.
• 'Permissions' allows the instructor to change student permissions (disabled in student view).
  • 'Permissions Free All Students' allows all students to access all the applications in the system.
  • 'Permissions Restrict All Students' allows all students to access a set of applications approved by the instructor.
  • 'Permissions Set Restriction Level' allows the instructor to set a list of approved applications.
  • 'Permissions Lock all students' locks all students from accessing EClass such as roster, whiteboard, chatrooms, etc.
• 'Roster Request Whiteboard' allows the student to send a request to the instructor for access to the public whiteboard (student view only).
• 'Roster Send Question' allows the student to send a question signal to the instructor (student view only). The instructor will see question as a blinking icon in the roster next to the students name.

The Chat menu contains commands for using the chat window.

• 'Chat Create Chat' alllows the user to create a chat session.
• 'Chat Open New Chatroom' allows the user to join a chat session. A new chat tab will be created corresponding the new chat session.
• 'Chat Close Chatroom' allows the user to leave a chat session. The chat tab corresponding to the selected chatroom will be removed.
• 'Chat Close All Group Chatrooms' allows the user to leave all chat sessions not associated with the classroom. All group chat tabs will be removed.
• 'Chat Lock All Chats' allows the instructor to lock all students from chatting in all chatrooms (instructor view only).
• 'Chat Send Message' Allows the user to send a message to another user of a session or to a chat room.

The View menu contains commands to view or hide various windows within the application.

• 'View Drawing Tools' allows the user to view or hide the Drawing ToolsWindow.
• 'View Presentation Window' allows the user to view or hide the Presentation Window.
• 'View Chat Window' allows the user to view or hide the Chat Window.
• 'View Roster Window' allows the user to view or hide the Roster Window.
• 'View Editor' allows the user to view or hide the Editor.