Brass User Guide: Using Brass
The Main Window
The main Brass window is very simple, consisting
of 2 windows and a menu.
The left hand window lists your available plugins.
These are plugins that are installed on your computer and verified
by Brass, but are not currently in use. The right hand window lists
your active plugins. These are the plugins that are currently running
on your system.
To load a plugin, select it from the "Available
Plugins" list and click the arrow pointing to the right. The
plugin name will move into the "Active Plugins" list and
the plugin will start running.
To unload a plugin, select it from the "Active
Plugins" list and click the arrow pointing to the left. The
plugin name moves back to the "Available Plugins" list
and the plugin will be shut down.
Click OK to hide the main Brass window. You can
restore it by double clicking the Brass icon in the system tray.
The Plugin Lists
Double-clicking a plugin in the "Available
Plugins" list brings up a window with a short description and
version information of the plugin.
This screen is designed to be a quick reminder
about what the plugin does and what version it is, without requiring
you to activate it. Clicking OK dismisses the reminder screen. Clicking
Plugin Config displays the configuration dialog for this plugin,
allowing you to configure it without activating it.
Double-clicking a plugin in the "Active Plugins"
list takes you directly to the plugin configuration dialog.
The Brass Menus
The menus provide easy access to the Brass options.
The File menu:
"Get More Plugins": You will be taken
to the Plugins download page so you can browse for some new plugins.
"Refresh Plugins List": If you have installed
a new plugin whilst Brass is running, select this option. Brass
will rescan the Plugins directory for the new plugin, and add it
to the "Available Plugins" list.
"Install New SSP": SSP's are plugin distribution
packs. When you download a new plugin
you use this option to install it into Brass automatically.
"Exit": Shuts down all the running plugins
and exits Brass completely. If you want to keep Brass plugins running
but hide the main interface, click OK or the minimize buttons in
the main window.
The Options menu
"Minimize to Tray": When checked, Brass
minimizes to an icon in the system tray. When unchecked, Brass minimizes
like a normal Windows application, with a button on the task bar.
"Cleap up Plugin Profiles": If you need
to reset the configuration of a plugin or delete the profile of
an old plugin, use this option to display all the available plugin
profiles. Deleting a profile removes it permanently.
"View Installed Extensions": SSE plugins
use Shiny extensions for some of their functionality. If a plugin
needs an extension you can check whether you have it installed here.
"Configuration...": Opens the Brass configuration
screen. This option is covered in detail in the Configuring Brass
section.
"Check for updates online...":Brass will
connect to the main Brass server and see if there are any new updates
for your version of Brass. If there are, a window will appear with
the update information.
The Help menu
"About": Displays a window with some information
about Brass and a link to the website. Most importantly in this
window is the Brass version information. If you have a support request
or technical issue with Brass you will need to supply this information.
The information in the box at the bottom of the dialog
is essential for us to help you with any questions.
"Brass Website": Takes you straight to this
website, a handy shortcut if you need to check something in the
documentation.
"Brass support forum": Takes you straight
to the Brass forums where you can give us your feedback and suggestions,
or get some assistance!
The Tray Menu
Right-clicking the Brass icon in the Windows system
tray brings up the tray menu.
The options available are the same as those in the
main Brass window. "About" displays the Brass information
window. "Configuration" displays the Brass configuration
screen. "Exit" shuts down all the running plugins and
exits Brass completely.
Every active plugin also has a sub-menu in the tray
menu to give you quick access to its options. In the plugin sub-menu
there is always a "Configure..." option which loads the
configuration dialog for that plugin, as well as any other relevant
items the plugin developer has included. For example, this is the
tray menu for Mime:
That's it! Everything you need to know about using
Brass is right here. Now all you need to do is start using your
plugins...
|
