Getting started
What it is for
This chapter shows how to create a project, how the screen is laid out and how your work is saved.
Create a project
Projects live in your account, in the project list on the website. There you can create a new project, start from an example, organize projects in folders and send a copy to another user.
The list is a folder tree on the left that opens and closes like the file panel of a code editor. Click a folder to open or close it, and a project to see a preview of the drawing on the right, with the folder, the date of the last change and the Open, Rename, Duplicate, Move to…, Send copy… and Delete buttons. Double-click the project (or press Enter) to open it in the editor. The same actions are on the ⋯ button of each row and on the right mouse button; folders also offer New project and New folder inside them. Drag an item to another folder, or to the empty area of the tree to move it to the main folder, at the top with your name (Claudio's projects, for example); you can rename it like any other folder, and Back to "…'s projects" in its ⋯ restores the default name. The search filters the tree. On the keyboard: arrows to move and open/close folders, F2 renames, Delete deletes.
When you open a new project, the editor shows the New project wizard, in three steps:
- Project — project name, client and phase (for example, "Conceptual study"). These go into the title block of the drawing. Under How to start, choose Blank or one of the example projects.
- What the balance tracks — mass and water are always included. Tick Particle size (and choose the sieve set) and/or Grades (and choose the ore package).
- Sheet and title block — PDF sheet size (A0 to A4), orientation (landscape or portrait), drawing title, drawn by and date.
The Create and go to the drawing button is always visible: it creates the project with whatever has been filled in so far. Esc does the same. Everything you choose can be changed later in Project ▾ → Project settings… (Ctrl+,).
If you choose an example, steps 2 and 3 are skipped (Create from the example); the client, project and phase you typed go into the example's title block.
The editor screen
- Site header (at the very top): Projects, Help (opens in another tab), the plan badge (Trainee only, with the project count) and your avatar, with language, theme, My account and Sign out.
- Editor bar: button with the name of the project's folder (goes back to it), project name, Undo and Redo, zoom (−, level in %, +, Fit), the Project ▾ and View ▾ menus, the Export PDF button and the save status.
- Palette (left): the equipment, in groups that open and close, with search by name (search ignores accents).
- Drawing (center): the flowsheet, with scroll bars at the bottom and on the right.
- Tab bar (below the drawing): the project sheets. See Tabs.
- Side panel (right): properties of the selection. With nothing selected, it shows a project summary (title block, particle size, grades, tags), each row with Change, and the PDF Notes. The usage tips are in Shortcuts and tips (F1).
- Balance (bottom): closure summary and two tabs, Stream table and Balance closure. The legend shows the slurry and water colors and the sample of a value specified by the client.
Resize the panes
Drag the dividers between palette, drawing, panel and balance; each one has dots in the middle (⋮ between the columns, ⋯ above the balance). Double-click a divider to restore the default size. With focus on the divider, the arrow keys also resize it (Shift: larger step), and Home or Esc restores the default.
The size holds while the project is open. On narrow screens (a tablet held upright, a window under 960 px), the drawing takes the screen: the panel becomes a drawer that slides up when you tap a unit or stream (or the Panel ▴ button) and closes with Close ✕ or a tap on the empty drawing; the balance starts collapsed, with the summary on one line.
Help inside the editor
- Welcome tour: the first time you open a project, a six-step tour shows the palette, the drawing, how to connect units, the side panel, the stream table and Export PDF. To see it again, use Help ▾ → Welcome tour.
- "?" on sections: next to the title of each section of the side panel, Project settings and Preferences. It opens a short explanation and a link to the chapter of this manual.
- Help ▾ menu: tour, keyboard shortcuts (also with F1), video tutorials, this manual and About.
Saving
The editor saves on its own a few seconds after each change. Ctrl+S saves immediately. The status appears in the top bar:
| Text | Meaning |
|---|---|
| All changes saved / Saved at hh:mm | Nothing pending. |
| Unsaved changes | There are changes still to be saved. |
| Saving… | Save in progress. |
| Offline; retrying | The network dropped; the editor retries on its own. |
| Saving stopped | The same project was saved in another tab or window. See the warning. |
| Read-only | You can view and export, but not edit. |
Warning — two tabs on the same project. If the same project is open in two browser tabs, the second save is refused so that neither one silently overwrites the other. Close one of the tabs and reopen the project.
Undo and redo
Ctrl+Z undoes; Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y redoes. The history keeps the last 100 changes and is cleared when you close or switch projects.
Read-only
In read-only mode the palette, the ports and undo disappear and the fields are disabled. You can still view the results, switch tabs, copy and export the PDF.
Tips
- To learn quickly, open one of the example projects and click on the units and streams.
- The first balance appears as soon as a Feed is connected to a Product, with or without units in between.
