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Desktop (main window)

Desktop

Splash Window

When you start the program, you see a splash window that identifies the product, then you see the main window of the program, or the desktop. If you have started Deep-Sky Planner but the desktop is not visible, see Options | Restore Desktop Size.

There are a few other things to notice about the desktop...

Deep-Sky Planner 9
Startup Splash window

Toolbar

The tool bar appears beneath the menu (File, Observing Log, Equipment/Observer, Telescope Control, Options, Community, Help) by default. It contains speed buttons that act as shortcuts to program functions. If you place your mouse cursor over a speed button, a help hint appears in the status bar and optionally in a popup hint window to help you remember its function. Single clicking a button "speeds" you to the program function. You may select which buttons appear on your tool bar and change button sizes by right clicking on the tool bar and choosing Edit from the context menu, or by visiting Tool Bar Manager on the Options menu.

small speedbuttons
Toolbar with small buttons

large speedbuttons
Toolbar with large buttons

Equipment/Conditions Bar

The Equipment/Conditions Bar may appear beneath the Toolbar if you enable it. Use Show Equipment/ Conditions Bar on the Equipment/ Observers menu to toggle on and off its display.

equipment-conditions
Equipment/ Conditions Bar

Telescope Panel

If you use telescope control in Deep-Sky Planner, it appears beneath the Toolbar. Use the telescope control functions on it to enable and disable telescope control.

Telescope Panel

Status Bar

A lunar phase icon appears in the bottom left corner of the status bar. These icons show the approximate phase of the moon at the current Windows system time. The icons are:


New	Waxing Crescent	First Quarter	Waxing Gibbous	Full	Waning Gibbous	Third Quarter	Waning Crescent

Favorite project name appears next in the status bar. If there is no favorite project, <no favorite project> appears. You can change this by visiting Observing Project Manager on the Observing Log menu.

Favorite location appears next in the status bar. It is used in most astronomical calculations, so it is important that you set it correctly. After installation, this shows <no favorite location>. You may change this by visiting Location Manager on the Options menu.

Windows system date and time appear next in the status bar. The date format property is evident here, as is the time format, and whether universal (UT) or local times (LT) are in use. You may change these by visiting the Date/Time tab in Preferences on the Options menu.

The Julian ephemeris day appears next on the status bar.

The software version number appears on the right side of the status bar. This number should be included in any support question.

Main Menu

The File Menu

Click File, or press Alt F. The File menu shows New, Open, Save Report To, Export Plan to App, Export Plan to Device, Export Plan Custom, Import Plan Custom, Backup, Restore, Compact Databse, Exit and several grayed out menu items. The grayed out items are inactive because they can be applied only to open documents (you can't Print when no document is open.) Click on New or press N and choose a document type from the submenu. Calculations or Searches are performed from open documents. After you do a calculation or search, you may print the results by clicking Print on the File menu (File | Print). Your calculation or search settings may be saved by selecting File | Save, and reopened later by selecting File | Open.

The Observing Log Menu

Click Observing Log, or press Alt L. The Observing Log menu gives you access to the product's observing log components such as the Observing Project Manager, the Observation Browser and the Session Browser.

The Equipment/Observer Menu

Click Equipment/Observer, or press Alt E. The Equipment/Observer menu gives you access to the various equipment browsers and the observer browser. These browsers allow you to enter, edit and delete items in the database that are referenced elsewhere in the observing log. You can also use these browsers to view, import and export lists of equipment and observers between files and the Deep-Sky Planner database. You can also configure Digital Setting Circles, Sky Quality Meters and Weather Devices for use by Deep-Sky Planner. You can also toggle on and off the display of the Equipment/Conditions Bar.

The Telescope Control Menu

Click Telescope Control, or press Alt T. The Telescope Control menu gives you access to all of the product's telescope setup and connection functions. You can also view the status of your telescope.

The Options Menu

Click Options, or press Alt O. The Options menu gives you access to the program's user settings, like fonts, colors, data formats, etc. A separate copy of these settings is maintained for each installation of Deep-Sky Planner on your computer.

The Community Menu

Click Community, or press Alt C. The Community menu provides access to the Deep-Sky Planner Community online. It contains various resources for licensed users like pre-built equipment lists and observing plans, and software updates.

The Help Menu

Click Help, or press Alt H. Normal help functions that you have in any standard MS-Windows product are available in the Help pull down menu. You can also open help by pressing F1 anywhere in the product.