Under Unix/Linux, The main window displays a ``notebook'' listing of the symbol files found along the search path. Each directory in the search path has a separate page in the notebook listing. Clicking on the notebook tabs will bring the pages into view.
Under Windows, the pop-up contains a drop-down menu which has an entry for each directory in the search path. The main text area lists the files found in the currently selected directory.
File names are listed in columns. A character specifies the file type: ``X'' for Xic, ``B'' for CGX, ``C'' for CIF, ``G'' for GDSII, ``O'' for OASIS, and ``L'' for library files. Unrecognized file types are not listed. The directories are polled periodically, looking for changes. Changes found are reflected in the listings, so that changes to the directory, perhaps caused by some other program, are shown. This is not possible under Windows 95/98/ME, in that case, resizing the window or popping the listing down then up again will refresh the listing. The text area of the files listing is a drag and drop source and receiver.
A file can be selected by clicking on the name, and while selected it will be highlighted. Selected file names are acted on by the Edit, Master, and Contents command buttons.
The Contents button brings up a panel which displays a listing of the cells found in the currently selected archive file, or a list of references if the selected file is a library. These in turn can be selected for use as input by the Edit and Master functions to be described. The panel will not appear until a file has been selected. When new file selections are made, the content listing is updated.
The Contents button makes it possible to extract individual cells and subcells from an archive file, without having to load the whole file. It also provides access to the references contained within a library file. If a cell name from the contents list is dragged and dropped into a drawing window, that cell and its descendents will be extracted from the archive and displayed in the window.
The Edit and Master buttons allow cells from the selected files to be opened for editing or placement, respectively. If the Contents button is inactive, if a file name has been selected in the listing, pressing the Edit button will make the top cell in the file the current editing cell, just as if the name had been read in with the Edit command in the Edit Menu. If the current cell is modified, the user will be given the opportunity to save it before switching to the new cell. The cell name is deselected. If no file name is selected in the list, pressing Edit enters edit mode. In edit mode, clicking on a file name will cause that file to be opened for editing, i.e., the top level cell becomes the current editing cell. If the selected file is a library, a content window will appear, allowing the user to choose a reference from the library.
With the Contents button active, a selection must be made in the content listing window if the selected file is an archive file, the top-level cell is not automatically edited in this case. Similarly, no action is taken on a library file unless a reference has been selected in the content window. Instead, selecting a cell from the contents list will extract that cell and its descendents from the archive and open it for editing or placement, depending on the states of the Edit and Master buttons. The behavior for other types of files is unchanged.
The Master button uses the same selection logic, however the selected cell will become the current master cell, and the Cell Placement Control panel will appear. Instances of the master can be created by pressing the Place button in this panel, then clicking on locations in a drawing window.