Sometimes it is useful to be able to
compare two different records in the same datafile side-by-side. iData
provides the ability to do this by using what we call a "clone window".
To open a clone window for the frontmost
open datafile (the "original datafile"), choose Clone Current Datafile Window from
the Window menu (or type command-option-control-C). A duplicate copy will open on
top of the original datafile, slightly offset to the lower left, with
"-CLONE" appended to the datafile name, and with the background of the
Find Box set to a light blue to make it easier to distinguish from the
original datafile window, which will have a white background in the
Find Box.
You can drag the clone window off to one
side and adjust the sizes of both windows as needed.
The clone window works just like the
original datafile window, except that no changes can be made to the
content of the clone window, and no changes of any kind can be saved.
You can perform searches and select text for copying or for dragging
from the clone window to the original datafile window (or to anywhere
else, for that matter), but you cannot type in or drag into fields or
the Freeform Text Area of the clone window.
Changes made to the original datafile
will show up in the clone window, but this will not normally happen
right away. If changes were made while the original datafile was
active, clicking on the clone window will causes the changes to show up
there. If the changes were made with the clone window active, as when
dragging text from the clone window into the original datafile window
in the background, the changes can be made to show up by going to a
different record in the clone window, or by clicking first on the
original datafile window and then back on the clone window.
You can close the clone window by
clicking the red close button in the upper left corner (or by typing command-W). If you close the
original datafile while the clone window is open, the clone window will
close along with it.
