You may open (retrieve) any chart file (of type Solar Fire version 1-9) which exists on your computer or on a CD. These chart files may have been created by i) Solar Writer, ii) Solar Fire, iii) Solar Maps, iv) Solar Spark, or v) any other program that generates charts in a format which is compatible with Solar Fire chart files.

To use charts which are not already in Solar Fire format, you must re-enter the chart details as a new chart, and then save it.

Note: If you have Solar Fire installed on your computer you may be able to convert chart(s) that are in a format other than the Solar Fire format. See the help in Solar Fire to determine whether you can convert the non Solar Fire format chart(s) you have, and if so instructions on how to do this in Solar Fire. Once you have converted the chart(s) you can then use them in Solar Writer.

>> To display the Open Chart dialog

1.From the Main Window click on the Chart menu, then on Open.

This will display the “Open Chart” dialog box. This box first displays a list of charts which are in the currently selected chart file. The name of the currently selected chart file is displayed in the box to the right of the “File...” button, as well as the number of individual charts which are stored within this file.

>> To alter the order of listed charts

•Click on the Name tab above the list of chart names.

This toggles the listed chart order between alphabetical and chart file order (i.e. the order in which the charts were saved to the file).

OR

•Click on the Date tab above the list of chart dates.

This sorts the listed charts into ascending date order, so that the earliest chart is at the top of the list, and the latest chart is at the bottom.

OR

•Click on the Last Name First check box below the list of charts

This toggles the order of the displayed chart name in the list of charts from “FirstName LastName”, to “LastName, FirstName”. This is helpful if you wish to sort the charts by alphabetical order of last name, for example.

>> To preview a chart in a chart wheel

1.Click on the Wheel Preview option button at the bottom of the window

This will display the chart as a chart wheel in the preview frame. Clicking on any other chart in the list of chart names will cause the preview to be updated to display the newly selected chart.

>> To view or edit chart comments

1.Click on the “Chart Comments” option button at the bottom of the window

This will display the chart’s comments (if there are any) in the preview frame. These comments may be edited as required. Each chart may contain comments of up to about 30,000 characters in length, if desired.

 

Note: If the chart file you are using is of type Solar Fire v2 or earlier, then you cannot save any comments with the chart, and the preview frame is disabled. In order to save comments with the chart, it must first be saved into a Solar Fire v3 or later file chart type.

>> To select a different chart file

1.Click the File button at the top, left of the window

This will display the File Manager dialog box with a list of chart database files, from which it is possible to select an existing chart database file or create a new one. See Using the File Manager for instructions on using the File Manager.

OR

2.Click  the down-arrow button at the right of the “File...” button

The down-arrow on the right of the "File" button causes a drop-down menu to appear, listing up to 10 of your most recently selected charts files. This is a quick way to re-select a chart file that you have used recently.

>> To find a particular chart from amongst all your chart files

1.Click on the Search all Files button.

This will display a chart search dialog, prompting you to enter a name (or series of characters) to match with the names in the charts to be searched (e.g. type in “kennedy” to find all charts with Kennedy in their name).

2.Click OK

After you click OK, all charts files in the current folder (as well as any other folders you have accessed in your 10 most recently opened chart files) will be searched, and any whose stored names match the supplied search string are added to the list of found charts. You can select any one of these by highlighting it with the mouse, and clicking on the Select button. You will then be returned to the Open Chart dialog, with the selected chart’s file opened, and the selected chart highlighted, ready to be opened by the user.

Note: If you enter more than one name, then only those charts that contain those names in the same order with the same spelling will be found (e.g. entering “Ed Kennedy” will not find a chart whose name was stored as “Edward Kennedy”). However, you can safely enter just part of a name to find all names which contain that substring (e.g. “ken” will find “Ed Kennedy”, “Edward Kennedy”, “John Kennedy”, “Kenneth Galbraith”).

>> To edit the chart file’s description

1.Click inside the description edit box and edit the text as required.

This is located immediately above the list of charts, and is normally greyed out. When you click on it, the background becomes white, and you may edit the text. As soon as the cursor leaves the edit box, the new text is saved as the file’s description.

Note: If the chart file you are using is of type Solar Fire v2 or earlier, then you cannot enter a description for the chart file, and this box is disabled.

>> To select a chart

1.Click on the required chart and then click on the Open button, or double-click on the required chart.

You will then be returned to the Main Window of Solar Writer, and the newly selected chart will be drawn.

>> To select two chart at the same time (Synastry reports only)

1.Highlight both the required charts and then click on the Open button.

You will then be returned to the Main Window of Solar Writer, and the newly selected charts will be drawn side by side.

>> To delete a chart

1.Click on the required chart and then use the Del key.

You will be asked for confirmation before the chart is removed from the file.