Altova DatabaseSpy 2024 Professional Edition

Opening, Saving and Printing Diagrams

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The contents of the Design Editor can be saved for later use as a design file, exported as an image, or sent to a printer. DatabaseSpy design files have the .qdes extension.

 

Saving design files

DatabaseSpy provides several options for saving designs in the Design Editor:

 

Design file (*.qdes): These files can only be opened in DatabaseSpy

Image (*.png): Designs that have been saved as image can be opened with any picture viewer.

To save a design as .qdes design file:

1.Make the Design Editor window that you want to save the active window.

2.Do one of the following:

 

Right-click the tab of the Design Editor window and choose Save or Save As... if you want to save a design file under a new name or path.

Press Ctrl+S.

Click the Save ic_save button in the Standard toolbar.

To save a design as image:

1.If you have maximized the Design Editor window, click the Restore ic_restore button in the upper right corner of the Design Editor.

2.Resize the window and arrange the table(s) as desired. The borders of the window define the white space that surrounds the image.

3.To save the image, do one of the following:

 

Click the Save Diagram as Image ic_save-diagram-as-image icon in the toolbar of the Design Editor window.

Choose the menu option Design Editor | Save Diagram as Image.

 

The standard Windows Save As dialog box appears.

 

4.Enter name and path for the image.

5.In the Save as type drop-own list, select "PNG-files". Note: PNG is currently the only supported format.

6.Click Save.

 

Opening design files

To open an existing design file, do one of the following:

 

Select the menu option File | Open | Open File...,  or press Ctrl+O, and browse for the design file.

Double-click the design file in the Project window.

 

Note:If the design file has a data source which is not currently connected in your project, you are prompted to connect to the data source first. Likewise, if you attempt to open a design whose data source does not exist in the current project, you are prompted to add a connection first.

 

Printing Designs

Designs in the Design Editor can also be printed. You can print out an entire design or select a number of objects to print only the selection. A print preview is available for you to check the layout of the printed page before sending it to the printer.

To print a design file:

1.Click in the Design Editor window to make it active.

2.Select the menu option File | Print..., or press Ctrl+P, or click the Print icon in the Standard toolbar. The Print dialog box appears.

3.In the What group box, define whether to print the whole diagram or only the selected objects.

4.Choose the appropriate zoom factor in the Zoom group box. The Use optimal option ensures that the design is printed on one page.

5.Optionally, define the printer setup by clicking the Print Setup button.

6.Optionally, click the Preview button to preview the print-out before actually sending it to the printer.

7.Click Print.

To preview a design file before printing:

1.Click in the Design Editor window to make it active.

2.Select the menu option File | Print Preview, or press Ctrl+P, or click the Print icon in the Standard toolbar. The Print dialog box appears.

3.In the Print dialog box, click Preview.

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