This page explains how to use icons in meineZIELE.

Icons

Often it is useful to mark an entry, thus a goal or a task, with symbols.

Use icons for orientation and a lot of functions, tricks and some important "methods of success" and control mechanisms in meineZIELE. Therefore, you may want to make yourself familiar with the handling of icons:

Where to put the icons?

meineZIELE has icon columns to the right of the goals outliner (screenshot), with placeholders (1) depending on Your chosen design. (If these icon columns are not shown, then you can create them in the settings menu of additional columns (4).)

Where do the icons come from?

Icons are often displayed automatically. In the example screenshot, a website was linked to an entry (2) and marked automatically.

The simplest way to manually insert an icon is by fetching them from a small number of icons permanently displayed  in the footer (3): Simply drag icons to the provided spaces with the mouse.

But usually you need a larger supply. For this purpose, click any of the placeholders (1). A new window opens where a number of icons are displayed.

How shall the icons look like?

There are two different design options available (Options-Settings-Basic settings). The colored icons (left) have a transparent background.

The icon store

The icon storage consists of four parts: The free combinable storage (1), custom icons created by the user (2), a large icon stock and icons with a feature (4). You can drag icons from the large stock to your own storage (1) and organize them as desired. If you do not want to use an icon of your free combinable storage anymore, drag the icon in background color (8) on it.

The large icon stock can be opened and closed using a button (5). There are some proposals of use (6) and an icon generator (7).

For each entry a maximum of three icons can be used.

To delete icons again, simply double-click. Only at the "cyclical icons", see below, the entry has to be opened for editing (click on the form icon right behind the task / goal description text line). An editing window opens. Top right, you can find the selected icons displayed then. Double-click the desired icon to delete it.

You can move icons between entries or within an entry by dragging them with the mouse while holding down the shift key. Later, you will get to know functions that may be associated with icons. These functions (periodic events, 1-click-filing) keep allocated to the icon as soon as it is moved to another place.

So, that's already the most important information on icons. The following instructions are for advanced users:

Which icon for what purpose?

A click on the button "i" (6) at the bottom right of the window opens an image with proposals about how these icons can be used.

Of course, it is up to you and your situation whether you use icons and which for what purpose. The indicated applications are only suggestions.

Note: The slightly stepped icons at the bottom of the icon-pool-window are provided for special applications. There is  more information on the icons with allocated functions in place with the corresponding methods and functions.

Cyclic icons

For various purposes, e.g. the marking of the actual progress in the execution of a task, it is useful to be able to quickly replace an icon. Cyclic icons are exchanged just by clicking them. The right mouse button counts forward, the left mouse button backwards.  These icons are otherwise to be used like any other icons.

More icons...

For clarity, the icon stock you usually utilize is very limited. As described above, the stock can be extended. The newly added icons can be used just like the icons originally displayed. Simply drag them with the mouse on one of the placeholders ...

By the way: How to remove an icon from the icon-pool and get empty space (3) ? Just replace it by the same icon.

Individual icons

 In the screenshot to the right there is a columns of icons, which dont show up in Your own icon window (1).

These are individual icons, used for example for  the faces of employees, logos, the classes of a teacher (like 7b), some equipment and so on, whatever You might need.

How does it work?

You are free to create such individual icons by any means as a GIF or PNG image of size 28x28 pixels. It must have a specific name in the range of Icon0101.gif to Icon0998.gif. In options / paths / additional + mail documens You decide for the folder to place them. The program identifies all correctly inserted icons automatically.

Icon Generator

But there is a second, much easier way to create icons. Click on the button at (2) and the icon generator window will open.

 

First get some picture. Load it from a file (1), from a scanner (2) or from the clipboard (4). For symbols or text (like "7b") just make the settings at (3). Then draw a frame (5). At (6) You can see all the sizes, which might be used somewhere in mZ. Save using the programs suggestions. Done.

Your individual icon stock

It would not be very practical if you always had to open the entire icon storage. Therefore you can assembly your own icon stock. To do so, drag icons to the desired location. This works within a certain icon stock as well as between different icon pools, e.g. the small number of icons in the footer of the main window. So you create your custom assembly with just the icons you really need.

Take your time to make some experiences with meineZIELE and only then start setting up an individual icon supply! Please note that icons with a function cannot be overwritten.

Navigation by the icon navigation bar

To use the icon navigation bar choose an icon for each of your main entries and place them on the first of the 3 icon fields behind each entry. The chosen icons appear at the right side in the navigation bar. When you click on one of these icons you get directly to the appropriate entry .

This works with lower entries as well (Condition: Icons are used for the subordinated level):

When you jump to an entry in the described way the navigation bar changes:
Now the icons of the lower entries are shown. You can use this navigation in the same way as for the main entries.

If you leave out an icon there will be a number shown in the navigation that demonstates in which subordinated level you stand at the moment. 

To quit the navigation of the lower entries just click anywhere beside the navigation bar or press "ESC".

 

Texts to icons / Outlook categories

When crossing some icons with the mouse, descriptive text information is displayed. You might want to create such texts Yourself. To do so, click an icon in your custom icon pool or within the large stock while holding down the Ctrl key. When you select texts which you use in Outlook as categories, then you can synchronize these categories with the corresponding icons (with exactly the same text). This must, however, be explicitly specified in the Outlook interface options.

Next: Selection