User Interface – Desktop

Panes

The Progeny main window has three panes.

1. The left vertical pane displays the folder organization for a particular functional area in classic Windows Explorer-style structures. Click on a folder in the pane to open the folder.
2. As folders and sub-folders are opened, detailed information about the folder’s content is displayed in the upper right horizontal pane.
3. Information is displayed in the bottom pane when an item is selected in the pane above.

Right-click menus are available for all folders and list items which are context specific to not only the pane but also the item type. You can right-click the database in order to access its context menu and extended configuration options.

You can also right-click on each folder to gain access to their respective context menus.

 

Each individual record level entry whether it be a pedigree, individual, sample, etc. also has a context menu when you right-click on it.

Resizing Panes

Progeny allows you to resize all three of these window panes. You can do this by hovering over the edge of each pane until the cursor changes into a double pointed arrow. Then you can click and drag until the size meets your requirements.

Creating Smart Lists

When you collect data for an individual, pedigree, marker, and so on, you typically have multiple fields in which to enter the data. For example, if you are collecting data for an individual, the fields in which you must enter data can include First Name, Last Name, Maiden Name, Address 1, Address 2, Address 3, City, State, Zip, Race, DOB, Current Age, Height, Weight, etc. When you are trying to quickly locate a specific individual, pedigree, etc. in a data folder, it is simply not feasible to display all the fields. Instead, you can customize the fields that are displayed in a smart list. A smart list displays only selected fields from all the available data fields and system fields for individuals, pedigrees, samples, markers, and inventories. Smart lists are displayed in the right panes of the Progeny main window. Multiple smart lists are available for individuals, pedigrees, samples, and inventories. Only a single smart list is available for markers. A smart list can be saved on a per-user basis so that each user can have his/her own preferred view, or the Progeny administrator can set a single default view for all users. After you or the Progeny Administrator creates the smart lists of individuals, pedigrees, etc., you can carry out a contextual search. A contextual search searches only the data that is displayed in the columns in a smart list. This provides a convenient method for quickly retrieving needed data.

To create a smart list

1. Click on the module you would like to add a Smart List.
2. Right-click in any of the column headers for a smart list. The smart list context menu opens.
3. Select the appropriate option on the context menu.

To carry out a database global search

1. On the Progeny main window toolbar, click the Search icon.
2. A blank Search tab opens. By default, all database items for which you can search (from left to right, the icons are for pedigrees, individuals, markers, samples, containers, fields, spreadsheets, tasks, and orders) are selected.
3. Optionally, clear the selections for the database items for which you do not want to search.
4. In the Search field, enter the search string. Use asterisks as needed to extend the search.
5. Click Search. All database items that meet the search criteria are returned by the search. The items are returned in a hyperlink format, which you can click to go to the referenced item.

Contextual Search

When you carry out a contextual search, only the data that is displayed in the columns in a smart list is searched. Your search is limited to the exact order of the characters in the string and you can use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard to extend the search. For example, when searching an individual smart list where the First Name is one of the columns that is displayed:

• If you enter Bob as the search string, then only those individuals that contain the exact value of “Bob” in the First Name field are returned by the search (for example, the individual Bob Smith).
• If you enter Bob* as the search string, then those individuals that contain the value “Bob” followed by any other characters in the First Name field returned by the search, (for example, the individual Bobbi Smith).
• If you enter *Bob as the search string, then those individuals that contain the value “Bob” preceded by any other characters in the First Name field are returned by the search, (for example, the individual Jim-Bob Walton).

A contextual search does not distinguish between identical values in different columns. For example, if an individual smart list also displays the Last Name Column, and you enter Bob* as the search string, then not only is the individual Bobbi Smith returned, but also, the individual James Bobby, where Bobby is contained in the Last Name field. A contextual search is available on every module (Individuals, Pedigrees, Samples, Fields, Containers, and so on) that is opened from the navigation bar on the Progeny main window.

The application “remembers” the last search string entered for a contextual search. To view and/or select this string, click the drop-down arrow next to the Search icon.

To carry out a contextual search

1. In the appropriate contextual search field, do one of the following:
   1. Enter new search criteria, or select the drop-down arrow next to the Search icon to select the last search string entered.
   2. Click on the drop-down arrow next to the Search icon and select the last search string.
2. Click the Search icon.
3. The smart list is updated with only those items that meet the search criteria.