Interface Reference¶

This page describes the main window, the menu commands, the Device Controller controls, and the application settings. For the configuration workflow itself, see Get started.

The main workspace¶

The main workspace opens once a configuration is loaded.

1. Menu bar (1): File, Devices, Settings, and Help.
2. Device Controller controls (2): Connect, Disconnect, and the drop-down menu described below.
3. Imported Hardware (3): the tree of the devices in the active configuration. Expand a device to reach its function groups.
4. Hardware importation handle (4): opens the hardware importation panel. The handle blinks while the configuration is empty.
5. Hardware Configuration (5): the panel for the item selected in the tree. The gear icon in its header opens the Advanced Parameters window, with the Calibration and External Parameters tabs.
6. Configuration tab (6): one tab per open configuration. A leading asterisk marks unsaved changes.
7. Next (7): advances to the Imaging Software layout stage. Previous returns from it.

Menus¶

File¶

Command	Shortcut	Action
New Config	Ctrl+N	Opens an empty configuration in a new tab.
Open Config	Ctrl+O	Opens a file browser to load an existing configuration folder.
Save	Ctrl+S	Writes the active configuration. If no folder is assigned yet, a file browser opens.
Save As	—	Writes the active configuration to a different folder.
Exit	Ctrl+Q	Closes the Configurator after confirmation.

Devices¶

• Reload Devices: Reloads the hardware library from the Device Controller and from the external driver directories declared in the settings, then displays the number of drivers found per source.
• Load Devices From File: Reads a stored hardware library. Use this to work without a Device Controller.
• Save Devices To File: Writes the current hardware library to a local file.
• Display Devices: Displays the hardware library summary again.
• Import Device: Opens the hardware importation panel, as does the handle on the left edge of the window.

Settings¶

• Edit Settings: Opens the settings window described below.
• Filter Manager: Opens the optics library, where optical filters and dichroics are defined with their transmittance and reflectance ranges. The elements defined here are offered when a filter cube or filter wheel slot is filled in.

Help¶

• Update Firmware: Opens a file browser to upload a firmware file (.bin) to the Device Controller.
• Online Help: Opens the Inscoper user guides.
• Visit Website: Opens the Inscoper website.
• About: Displays version information for the Configurator, the Inscoper API, and the firmware.

Device Controller controls¶

Control	Action
Connect	Establishes the connection with the Device Controller and loads its hardware library.
Disconnect	Terminates the connection.
Restart Firmware	Reboots the Device Controller firmware.
Reset Device Controller USB View	Rescans the USB devices attached to the Device Controller.

Application settings¶

Open the settings window with Settings > Edit Settings. Settings apply to the application, not to an individual configuration. Click Confirm to apply and save them.

API Settings¶

Setting	Description
API Log Level	Verbosity of the Inscoper API log.
Add External Resources	Adds a directory that holds external driver libraries, such as Micro-Manager or vendor DLLs. Click … to browse for the directory, and the red cross to remove it.
Add Diag File	Loads a stored diagnostic file. Visible in Expert Mode only.

Configurator Settings¶

Setting	Description
Configurator Log Level	Verbosity of the Configurator log.
Expert Mode	Switches between User Mode and Expert Mode. See Expert Mode.
Load Descriptions At Startup	Loads the hardware library automatically when the application starts.
Seconds To Wait After USB Reset	Delay, in seconds, between a USB rescan and the reading of the port list. Default: 5.
Language	Interface language.
Distance Unit	Unit used for distances, such as stage and focus positions.
Time Unit	Unit used for durations, such as exposure times.