Palettes and Toolbars


vTask Studio has multiple "palettes" or "toolboxes" (interchangeable descriptions) that can be docked and resized. Toolboxes are an efficient interface to maximize a program's efficiency and screen size.

*Tip:  The fastest way to use vTask toolboxes is to toggle them on and off with the Alt button, using only the keyboard. This allows you to maximize screen space, and immediately change your configuration depending on what you are doing at the moment. For example, while creating a new script, you will probably be using Actions (alt+1) and Properties (alt+2), but while testing, you will use Output (alt+3) and Variables (alt+4).

With any toolbox, you can do the following:

• Dock it (connect it) to any of the four sides of the main vTask window
  
  
• Double-click the title bar of a floating toolbox to re-dock it
  
  
• Resize the toolbox whether it is floating or docked
  
  
• Hold down the Control key while moving to prevent it from docking
  
  
• Close it by pressing the [X] button in the upper-right corner
  
  
• Show and hide it with commands in the View menu (and also reset the entire vTask interface)
  
  
• Right-mouse click in the title bar to see a list of commands to toggle any toolbox:
  
  

There are five toolboxes included with vTask:

Toolbox	Description
Main Script List	The main script list is where the currently active file is edited. It behaves like a normal list view control (however sorting is not permitted, as the steps must remain in order). Here are some tricks to make you more productive when using the script listing: Control + Up/Down Arrows:   allows you to scroll the list with the keyboard, without changing the selected row Control + Page Down/Up:   Changes the currently selected file tab Control + Tab:   Same as Ctrl+Page Up, it changes the currently selected tab Alt + Up/Down Arrows:   Moves steps up and down Enter:   Instantly starts editing a step (activates Properties) See the "Step Menu" items for keyboard shortcuts for indenting, skipping, etc. You can drag and drop steps in the list to change their order. After selecting a step or multiple steps (with Ctrl+Shift), wait a moment, and then drag them to a new location. You can Undo if you wish to revert back to the previous order. You can rearrange the order of the columns in the main list. The order you select will be retained each time you start vTask. To do this, hold down the Alt key and drag with your mouse:
Toolbar	The standard toolbar. As with all palettes, it can be docked to any side of the main vTask window. Hold the mouse over a button see its function and shortcut key: When floating, it can be resized and the buttons will "wrap" to take up all available space:
Actions	The main list of available vTask commands. Right-mouse click anywhere in the Action list to see additional options:
Properties	The Properties toolbox is the main interface that you will use to configure actions. It dynamically changes based on the type of action you are modifying. Various controls (such as Comment) also dynamically stretch themselves to take up available space. The Properties toolbox is probably the most effective when floating rather than docked. Selected actions have a scrollbar available, which allows you to vertically scroll the toolbox. This is especially helpful when the toolbox is docked. Changes you make in the Properties box are instantly saved. You don't have to close it with the [X] button - it can stay open all the time (also known as "modeless"). When you move to a different step in the main list, the data will be updated there for the step you just modified. This means that there is no need for an "OK" or "Apply" button in this toolbox. Numerous small icons appear when a field is activated:     Provides quick access to all System Variables       Choose a file or folder     Previews an image     Captures area, window, and screen images     Selects window information     Chooses mouse coordinates     Picks up colors from screen pixels     Option to select a default value As with the Main List, you can rearrange the columns in the Properties list. To do so, hold down the Alt key, and drag the column to the new location:
Output	Displays information concerning the internal workings of vTask as it runs a script. This is the first place to look if you run into any problems. For performance reasons, information is only written to the Output palette if it is visible. The text in this window is wrapped when it reaches a certain size (32k). When the text is wrapped, the most recent text displayed will always be visible (the oldest entries will drop off). The font of this palette can be changed in the Tools - Options screen. When you right-mouse click inside of the Output window, the following menu will be displayed: The "Copy" option will copy all selected Output text entries into the clipboard. The "Cut" option allows you to copy entries into the clipboard, and then remove them. There is no undo, since it is dynamic output data. The "Select All" option highlights all entries. The "Clear" selection will immediately empty all data from the Output window. There is no undo, since it is dynamic output data. "Clear Before Each Run" will empty the Output window each time you run a script. This does not affect the "Run from Here" and "Run Single Step" commands. Leaving a large quantity of previous Output entries (more than 50,000) in the window may slow vTask somewhat, so it may help to clear it out before each run unless you want to keep a history of commands. However, on a fast PC the difference will not be noticeable. You can double-click any line in the Output window to view the entire text of the line. This is helpful for when there isn't enough horizontal space to view the entire Output entry. The text will be read-only, but you can still copy it:
Variables	Displays the real-time value of user variables. Assists in determining what happens during script runs. Text variables (strings) are shown with a blue icon, and numeric variables are shown with a green icon. The state of the icon changes dynamically, depending on changes to the variable's data. The font of this palette can be changed in the Tools - Options screen. On any entry in the Variables palette, you can double-click or right-mouse click and access the following menu: This menu allows you to edit the variable's data: Press OK to update the new value, or press Cancel to leave the variable with its previous value. when you choose the "Add New Variable" menu item, you are presented with an input box to type the name of the new variable. The variable is created with an empty value. If the variable already exists, it is not added, and a warning is shown.