Customize your workspace
IdeaMason’s panel configuration technology means that the interface you see in front of you is completely flexible. This lets you customize your work space to fit your specific needs and optimize your workflow.
What does this mean?
This means that you can move, dock, pin, hide and close any tab or side panel within a window. The Portfolio window, the Dashboard windows and the Composition window all have this built in panel configuration technology.
For instance, each tab (footnote, links, comments…) and side panels (categories, sources…) in the Dashboard windows can be:
- Moved - to a different location within the window
- Hidden - so that all you see is the tab giving you more room in your work space
- Pinned - which lets you see a footnote or comment with the Main text area still in view
- Closed - if you aren’t using that feature. or
- Reopened - when needed
Non fiction writers or students probably find they use most of the features in the material window. But if you are a fiction writer you might not care about the footnote tab or the source side panel. With the movable panel technology you can instantly reduce the clutter in the window and simply close the tabs or panels you don’t need. You can always reopen them if you find yourself on a project where these features come into focus again. Each time you change the window panel configuration just “Save the Window Layout” by clicking on the Window menu on the dashboard.
Moving panels or tabs around the window may feel a little weird at first. But if you mess up just click on the Window menu to RESET the WINDOW LAYOUT. This resets the window to the default configuration. It won’t take you long to get the hang of it and the benefits will surely make you smile. Finally, you can completely customize your window exactely the way you want, anytime you want. Just remember to “Save the Layout” [click on the Window menu to save].
The Portfolio and Composition windows work in the same way as the Dashboard window, letting you close, pin, hide or move and dock side panels and tabs.
The Composition comes with an added bonus that is pretty nice if you find yourself doing a lot of work in a single Composition. You can actually move a panel outside the original window space. For example, if you want to see both the source list and the preview panels at the same time, just drag the source tab and dock it just outside the Composition window. To reset the look of the window and condense the tabs back into place just click the Window menu to Reset the Layout. It is that simple.
Video Tutorials:
There are three videos in Customizing Your Workspace section (towards the bottom of the page) on the Tutorials page on our website to help get you started. This will show you exactly how to move, dock, pin, hide, close and reopen panels and tabs in the Portfolio window, Dashboard windows, and the Composition window.
Help
For additional help click on the Help menu in IdeaMason, click on Search and type in the keywords: window layout options. You can also find a detailed how to section under the Portfolio Management, Material Dashboards and Composition sections. Just click on the Help menu and Contents for more.
The Page Estimator
Occassionally we get emails from users telling us how much they like the page estimator. I have to agree. I find myself using both the word count in the Material window (bottom right) and the page estimator in the Composition (bottom right) to keep track of my own daily writing goals.
The word counter in the Material window makes me feel a little better when I get immersed in a single idea. A quick glance to check the count and I know I have made my goal. I also keep an eye on the page estimator in a composition to track my weekly and monthly writing goals. I typically create one composition per chapter and then pull in relevant ideas from the portfolio. I am pretty verbose at times and the page estimator helps me to quickly know when I have gone a little overboard and have some serious weeding to do. It is a good starting point when I am trying to bring together a chapter. Sometimes I just like to write within a composition itself, creating materials as I go. A quick update on the preview pane and a glance at the page estimator lets me know when I can quit for the day.
The page estimator works by counting the words and thereby estimating the page count. The nice thing is that you have the option to change the word count to fit your individual page specifications. The default word count per page is 600. This matches directly with a 1.5 spaced document in MSWord. In the Compose Draft Options window in the composition you have the option to change the spacing of the transcribed document in MSWord. To change the default number of words and customize the page estimator to your liking go to Tools (main portfolio homepage), click on Options and then select the Editor tab.