Philosophy
Like every program, DB-WEAVE has a usage philosophy of its own. The better you understand it, the more effectively you can use the program. This chapter introduces that philosophy so your start with DB-WEAVE is as smooth as possible.
Learning a program — like any kind of learning — takes some effort. DB-WEAVE is designed to keep that effort small while giving you real power.
Always in sync
In DB-WEAVE the pattern on one side and threading, treadling and tie-up on the other are always kept in sync. Change something in the pattern and immediately afterwards something in the treadling or the tie-up — DB-WEAVE will continuously rework the other parts to keep them consistent.
This can lead to behaviour that initially feels surprising. For example, you may have entered a careful threading; if you then change the pattern, your threading is likely to be partly disturbed. That has to happen, because your modified pattern is no longer compatible with the original threading, so the program is forced to adjust it.
The simplest workflow is to work either bottom up or top down: design starting from the pattern, or starting from the threading, treadling and tie-up — but try not to alternate between the two halfway through.
Mouse and keyboard
When you start out with a program you typically reach for the mouse. It is easy: you can browse the menus at your own pace and click whatever you find. As you grow more comfortable, you switch to the keyboard for the commands you use most often — keyboard work is significantly faster.
DB-WEAVE is designed to be fully usable either way. Every command lists its keyboard shortcut next to its menu entry. Pay a little attention to those and you will quickly learn that I inverts the selection, or that Ctrl+O opens a pattern.
The basic shortcuts mirror the conventions of the operating system and common office software, so very little of what you already know is wasted.
The chapter Keyboard reference lists every shortcut and explains a few special cases.
Simple yet powerful
We have all met programs that "can do everything" — and where, as a result, no one can remember how to actually accomplish the task at hand. DB-WEAVE deliberately stays small. You will be productive very quickly, and within a relatively short time you will know most of the available commands.
That simplicity does not cost you power. Many operations that are not built in directly can be achieved quickly and naturally by combining the standard commands.
Learning safely
The most effective way to get to know DB-WEAVE is to play with it. The undo command makes that safe: any mistake can be reversed, with the last 100 steps available at any time. Use it freely — you will quickly find it indispensable.
Designing the printout
DB-WEAVE always prints a design exactly as it appears on screen. If you do not want to print the threading, simply hide it via View → Threading and it will be omitted from the printout as well. The same principle applies to every other view setting.