Panels

This topic describes how panels work and how you can use them to view and edit a multitude of information.

How Panels Work

IMatch structures the database into four main views: Media & Folders, Categories, Collections and Time-line. Each of these views uses a file window to show the actual files.

Additional information is displayed using separate panels. A panel is an independent window that can be freely movable (floating) or docked to one of the sides of the IMatch application window. Panels are used to show and edit metadata, keywords or categories. There are panels to contain your favorites, file history and many more.

Activating a Panel

To activate a panel (make it the active window) just click somewhere inside the panel or on the panel caption.

Switching between Panels

You can switch between panels using Ctrl+Tab (forward) and Shift+Ctrl+Tab (backward). Alternatively, use the View > Panels menu.

This command switched between panels in the order in which they were created. This is not necessarily the same order in which the panels appear in tabbed groups.

Showing and Hiding Panels

To show a panel, go to the View > Panels menu and select the panel you want to show. Alternatively, press the corresponding keyboard shortcut.

The keyboard shortcuts to show/hide panels are listed in the View > Panels menu.

Maximizing a Panel

If you have docked multiple panels side-by-side, you can use the Maximize button in the caption bar to temporarily maximize the space used by the panel, shrinking all other panels to their minimal size. By de-pressing this button, the panels return to their original size.

This button is only visible when panels are docked above each other or side-by-side.

Maximizing a panel.

Auto-Hide Panels

If you click the little Pin icon in the panel caption, IMatch toggles the auto-hide state of the panel.

Enabling or disabling auto-hide

If auto-hide is on, the panel automatically hides itself when the panel loses the input focus (you click into another panel or window). The panel hides itself and shows itself as an icon/tab in the sidebar:

A hidden panel is visible by it's corresponding tab in the side bar.

When you point the mouse cursor at the icon/tab, the panel expands. If you move the mouse outside the area covered by the panel, the panel automatically hides again. If you activate the panel by clicking inside the panel or on it's caption bar, you temporarily disable the auto-hide. The panel then stays visible until you move the input focus to another panel or window by clicking on it or you switch to another application.

Moving, Docking and Floating Panels

By default, panels appear at a predefined size and position within the file window. This is the case when you show a panel for the first time, or when you reset the workspace settings. You can freely move and dock panels to other sides or even let them flow freely above the IMatch application window or on a second monitor.

To move a panel, left-click and hold the caption bar. Then start dragging the panel until the position indicators appear. By dragging the mouse cursor into one of these position indicators you control where the panel will dock. Some examples:

	Docking at the bottom edge.
	Docking at the right edge.
	Adding the panel to the selected group. If the panel on which you drop is not a group, a new group will be formed from the panel you drag and the panel on which you drop. The two panels then form a group and IMatch displays them as tabs inside the screen space occupied by the group.
	Docking the panel at the right edge, using the entire height.
	Docking the panel at the top.

Panel Groups

Panels can be docked individually or combined into a panel group.  A panel group combines multiple panels, and each panel is represented with a tab in the group.

The Quick View panel docked in a panel group with six other panels.

To...

A floating panel, freely movable on the screen and even to a second monitor.

IMatch automatically stores the panel size, position and docking state in the workspace.

Available Panels