PMGlobe - Using PMGlobe

PMGlobe, version 3.31	3 Aug 2009
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Using PMGlobe

Starting to use PMGlobe

When you first start PMGlobe, you will be shown a view of the globe which will normally include your current time zone. Depending on the time of day, you should see a daylight image of the globe (on the side facing the sun), a night-time image (‘city lights’, on the dark side of the globe), or both.

As with most Windows applications, the primary means of controlling the PMGlobe program is by using the mouse pointer to select menu items, manipulate the globe image, and so on.

PMGlobe also has a command interface which allows it to be controlled by typing in text commands (which can also be invoked from programs). This command interface is described in a later section.

Using the mouse with PMGlobe

Use the mouse with PMGlobe to select menu items and so on, just as with other Windows applications.

When PMGlobe is visible and the mouse pointer is over the image of the globe a hover window showing the longitude and latitude of the pointer is shown (you can turn this off from the Options menu). At this point, the left mouse button can be used to select a geographical location on the globe, and the right mouse button can be used to pop up a menu of choices, one of which lets you set the centre point (focus) of the view to the position indicated by the pointer. In more detail:

Right mouse button: setting new viewpoint

To change the view of the globe, move the mouse pointer over a point on the globe (so that a cross-hair cursor appears) and click the right mouse button. The top item of the pop-up menu will be ‘Focus’; left-click on this and the globe will then be redrawn with the selected point at the centre of the view.

Unless using the circular view of the globe (no fram or background), you can optionally set the right mouse button from the Views menu so that it will re-centre (focus) the globe without using the pop-up menu.

Right mouse button: off-globe pop-up menu

If the mouse pointer is over the window background (off the globe), it will be shown as a standard arrow pointer instead of as a cross-hair cursor. In this case, clicking the right mouse button will show a pop-up menu of options in the usual manner. This pop-up menu exactly duplicates the menu bar choices; you can remove (or restore) the menu bar using the Options menu.

Left mouse button: the position/distance calculator

Move the mouse pointer to any visible point on the globe, so that a cross-hair cursor appears, and click the left mouse button. This will cause the PMGlobe Position/Distance Calculator window to appear (if not already visible). You can move the calculator anywhere on the screen, just like any other window. Then:

The current position (Latitude and Longitude) of the mouse is displayed if the mouse is over the globe.
A single click of the left mouse button records the current point on the distance calculator. Up to two points can be recorded: if two are shown then the distance between them is also displayed, in kilometres and miles. (The distance shown is the ‘Great Circle Distance’, that is, the shortest distance between the points when moving over the surface of the globe.)
Once a point has been selected, it can be fixed (made into a base point) by checking the box marked ‘Fix’ next to the point. This keeps that point visible on the calculator while you select a number of other points to measure a series of distances. Uncheck the box to reurn to normal operation.
If there is no fixed point, you can check the Track box. This clears any current points and starts tracking new ones: after the first new point the path (Great Circle route) to each new selection is shown on the globe, and the total length of the track is accumulated and displayed. Uncheck the box to return to normal operation.

You can clear all selected points, including any fixed point, by pressing the Reset button on the calculator. This also resets the total track distance to zero, erases any tracks displayed on the globe, and turns off tracking.

Clicking the Cancel button or pressing the Esc (Escape) key hides the calculator.

Menu bar choices

The PMGlobe menu choices can be selected from the menu bar (or the pop-up menu) in the usual way. They fall into four groups:

Options: lets you change the window shape and appearance, run macros and commands, and select other options
Views: is used to select a fixed viewpoint from which the globe is seen, change movement settings, or choose the latitude and longitude grid shown on the globe
Imagery: is used to choose the image used for the daylight or night side of the globe, select sunlight or flat lighting and 3-D shading, alter the twilight setting, and select the background colour.
Help: provides an ‘About PMGlobe’ choice, and also brief summaries of the other menu selections.

Each of the first three groups (and each submenu in each group) has a summary Help panel as its first selection. The other selections are described in more detail in the following sections.