2.8.2. Open

When the user selects the `Open' command in the `File menu, the system displays the dialog shown in Figure 101.


Figure 101: Figure File open dialog


The dialog shown in the figure displays schedules in the current directory. The default directory path for the file-open dialog is the scheduler user directory for the current user.

The user may type the name of the file to open or select it from the scrollable list of file names. When the user selects the pulldown arrow in the `Directory' field, the system displays the directory path, as shown in Figure 102.


Figure 102


The user may select from the directory list to navigate to another directory, whereupon the system displays its files and subdirectories in the scrollable list. The names of readable scheduler files and readable subdirectories are shown in regular type in the file list. The names of all other files are shown in grey type, indicating they are disabled for selection. This means the user cannot open an unreadable scheduler file, an unreadable directory, or any type of non-scheduler file.

The user may navigate into a subdirectory by selecting its name in the list and pressing `OK'. The `OK' button is enabled when there are one or more subdirectories in the scrollable list. When the user presses `OK' for a selected directory, the system displays its contents in the scrollable list.

When the user selects a specific file in the list, the system enters its name in the `File' field and enables the `OK' button, if it was not already. When the user presses `OK', the system opens the selected file if it is not already open. Once opened, the system displays the file's initial view, per its most recently saved settings, including in particular the option setting for its initial view window(s) Double clicking on a scheduler file name or directory name is a shortcut for selecting that name and pressing `OK'.

The user may type the name of a schedule file or directory in the `File' field. As the user types, the scrollable list is scrolled to the alphabetic position in the list nearest but not after the place where the thus-far typed name appears or would appear in the list. If the user types the complete name of an existing scheduler file or readable directory, the effect is the same as when the user selects the name by clicking in the list. If the user types the name of a non-existent file, the user may press `OK', whereupon the system creates a new file of the entered name. This is effectively a short cut for executing `File->New' followed immediately by `File-Save'.

Since unreadable files, unreadable directories, and non-scheduler files are disabled in the file-open dialog list, the user cannot select one of these. However, the user may type the name of an unreadable file, unreadable directory, or non-scheduler file in the `File' field. If the user does so, the system disables the `OK' button, since these files or directories cannot be opened. If the user continues typing so that the name is not an unreadable scheduler file, unreadable directory, or an existing non- scheduler file, the system re-enables the `OK' button.

The `New' and `Open' commands are always enabled in the file menu. The following is a summary of the when the `OK' button is enabled in the file-open dialog:

  1. when the user has selected the name of a readable scheduler file in the scrollable list
  2. when the user has selected the name of a readable directory in the scrollable list
  3. when the user has typed anything in the `File' field, except for the complete name of an unreadable scheduler file or existing non-scheduler file

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