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22 KiB
ReStructuredText
487 lines
22 KiB
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***********
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Preferences
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***********
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This page describes how you can customize OpenRocket using the Preferences dialog.
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.. contents:: Table of Contents
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:depth: 2
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:local:
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:backlinks: none
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----
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Accessing the Preferences Dialog
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================================
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The **Preferences dialog** can be opened by selecting :guilabel:`Preferences` from the :menuselection:`Edit` menu, or by
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pressing :kbd:`Ctrl` + :kbd:`,` (comma) on your keyboard for Windows and Linux, or :kbd:`Cmd` + :kbd:`,` (comma) on your keyboard for macOS.
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/Access-Preferences.png
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:alt: Accessing the Preferences dialog from the Edit menu
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 45 %
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:align: center
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Accessing the **Preferences dialog** from the :menuselection:`Edit` menu
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Explanation of the Available Preferences
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========================================
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.. _general_tab:
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General
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-------
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The **General** tab contains general settings for the OpenRocket application.
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/Prefs-General.png
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:alt: General tab in the Preferences dialog
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 65 %
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:align: center
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:guilabel:`General` tab in the Preferences dialog
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- :guilabel:`Interface language`: Select the language you want the OpenRocket GUI to be displayed in.
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Currently supported languages:
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- ``System default`` - OpenRocket will use the language set in your operating system.
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- ``English/English`` - This is the main language of OpenRocket. All other languages are translations of the English version.
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- ``čeština/Czech``
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- ``Deutsch/German``
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- ``español/Spanish``
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- ``français/French``
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- ``italiano/Italian``
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- ``Nederlands/Dutch``
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- ``polski/Polish``
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- ``português/Portuguese``
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- ``Türkçe/Turkish``
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- ``русский/Russian``
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- ``українська/Ukrainian``
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- ``Arabic/العربية``
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- ``中文/Chinese``
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- ``日本語/Japanese``
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.. note::
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You must restart OpenRocket for the language change to take effect.
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.. warning::
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Many translations are not complete or up-to-date. Missing translations texts are displayed in English.
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If you find any errors or missing translations, please let us know by creating an issue on the
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`OpenRocket GitHub page <https://github.com/openrocket/openrocket/issues>`__
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or by :doc:`Contributing to the OpenRocket translations </dev_guide/contributing_to_translations>`.
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- :guilabel:`UI Theme`: Select the theme you want the OpenRocket GUI to be displayed in.
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Currently supported themes:
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- ``Auto (detect)`` - OpenRocket will use the theme set in your operating system.
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- ``Light (default)`` - A light theme (the "original" OpenRocket theme).
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/Theme-Light.png
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:alt: Light OpenRocket UI theme.
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 55 %
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:align: center
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Light OpenRocket UI theme.
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- ``Dark`` - A dark theme.
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/Theme-Dark.png
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:alt: Dark OpenRocket UI theme.
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 55 %
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:align: center
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Dark OpenRocket UI theme.
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- ``Dark, high-contrast`` - A dark theme, but with more contrast than the standard dark theme.
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/Theme-DarkContrast.png
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:alt: Dark Contrast OpenRocket UI theme.
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 55 %
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:align: center
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Dark Contrast OpenRocket UI theme.
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.. note::
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You must restart OpenRocket for the UI theme change to take effect.
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- :guilabel:`UI Font Size`: Select the font size you want the OpenRocket GUI to be displayed in. The default is 13.
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The smaller the number, the smaller the font size.
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/FontSize13.png
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:alt: Font size 13 (default).
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 55 %
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:align: center
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Font size 13 (default).
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/FontSize9.png
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:alt: Font size 9 (default).
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 55 %
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:align: center
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Font size 9.
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/FontSize17.png
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:alt: Font size 17 (default).
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 55 %
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:align: center
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Font size 17.
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.. note::
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You must restart OpenRocket for the font size change to take effect.
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- :guilabel:`User-defined thrust curves`: You can specify a directory where you have stored your own thrust curves.
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OpenRocket will scan this directory for thrust curves when you open the program. OpenRocket comes pre-installed with
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thrust curves from the `ThrustCurve.org <https://www.thrustcurve.org/>`__ database, but you can add your own using the
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user-defined thrust curves. For more information, see the :doc:`Thrust Curves </user_guide/thrust_curves>` section.
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You can add multiple directories if you separate the paths with a semicolon (;).
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- :guilabel:`Add`: Add a directory where you have stored your own thrust curves.
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- :guilabel:`Reset`: Reset the directories to the default directories.
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- :guilabel:`Always check for software updates at startup`: If this option is enabled, OpenRocket will check for software updates
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every time you start the program. If an update is available, you will be notified.
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- :guilabel:`Check now`: Check for software updates now.
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- :guilabel:`Also check for pre-releases`: If this option is enabled, OpenRocket will also check for pre-releases (so you
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can test new features before they are officially released and help us fix last-minute mistakes).
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- :guilabel:`Open last design file on startup`: If this option is enabled, OpenRocket will open the last design file you were working on
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when you start the program.
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- :guilabel:`Show warning when saving in RASAero format`: If this option is enabled, OpenRocket will show a warning when you export a design
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in RASAero format. This is because RASAero does not support all the features of OpenRocket, so some information may be lost when you save
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in RASAero format.
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- :guilabel:`Show warning when saving in RockSim format`: If this option is enabled, OpenRocket will show a warning when you export a design
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in RockSim format. This is because RockSim does not support all the features of OpenRocket, so some information may be lost when you save
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in RockSim format.
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- :guilabel:`Show confirmation dialog when discarding preferences`: If this option is enabled, OpenRocket will show a confirmation dialog
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when you discard changes to the preferences.
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:guilabel:`Import preferences`, :guilabel:`Export preferences`, and :guilabel:`Reset all preferences` are explained in
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:ref:`Importing and Exporting Preferences <importing_exporting_prefs>` and :ref:`Resetting Preferences <resetting_prefs>`.
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Design
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------
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The **Design** tab contains settings for the design of the rocket.
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/Prefs-Design.png
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:alt: Design tab in the Preferences dialog
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 65 %
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:align: center
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:guilabel:`Design` tab in the Preferences dialog
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- :guilabel:`Position to insert new body components`: Where to insert new body components in the rocket design view.
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- :guilabel:`Always ask`: OpenRocket will ask you where you want to insert new body components every time you add a new component.
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- :guilabel:`Insert in middle`: Insert new body components after the currently selected component.
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- :guilabel:`Add to end`: Insert new body components at the end of the parent component.
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- :guilabel:`Position to insert new stages`: Where to insert new stages in the rocket design view.
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- :guilabel:`Always ask`: OpenRocket will ask you where you want to insert new stages every time you add a new stage.
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- :guilabel:`Insert in middle`: Insert new stages after the currently selected stage.
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- :guilabel:`Add to end`: Insert new stages at the end of the rocket.
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- :guilabel:`Size of text in rocket design panel`: The size of the text in the rocket design view.
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- :guilabel:`Default Mach Number for C.P. Estimate`: Mach value that is used for the Center of Pressure (CP) calculations
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in the rocket design view.
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- :guilabel:`Always open leftmost tab when opening a component edit dialog`: If enabled, if you edit a rocket component and
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open the component configuration, it will always open in the leftmost tab. If disabled, the last tab you used will be opened.
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- :guilabel:`Show confirmation dialog for discarding component changes`: If enabled, OpenRocket will show a confirmation
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dialog when you discard changes to a component (if you click the :guilabel:`Cancel` button in the component configuration window).
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- :guilabel:`Show confirmation dialog for discarding simulation changes`: If enabled, OpenRocket will show a confirmation
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dialog when you discard changes to a simulation (if you click the :guilabel:`Cancel` button in the simulation configuration window).
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- :guilabel:`Update estimated flight parameters in design window`: If enabled, OpenRocket will calculate and update the estimated
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flight parameters in the rocket design view (in the top-left) when you make changes to the rocket design.
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- :guilabel:`Only show pod set/booster markers when the pod set/booster is selected`: If enabled, OpenRocket will only show the
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pod set/booster instance markers in the rocket design view when the pod set/booster is selected. The instance markers show
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where pod/booster instances are located in the rocket design.
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/PodAndBoosterMarker.png
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:alt: Booster and Pod instance markers on a body tube in the rocket design view.
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 55 %
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:align: center
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Booster and Pod instance markers on a body tube in the rocket design view.
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Simulation
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----------
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/Prefs-Simulation.png
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:alt: Simulation tab in the Preferences dialog
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 65 %
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:align: center
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:guilabel:`Simulation` tab in the Preferences dialog
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- :guilabel:`Confirm deletion of simulations`: If enabled, OpenRocket will show a confirmation dialog when you delete a simulation.
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- :guilabel:`Run out-dated simulations when you open the simulation tab`: If enabled, OpenRocket will run simulations that are out-dated
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when you switch the simulation tab (in the task tabs).
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- :guilabel:`Geodetic calculations`: Which calculation method to use for coordinates on the Earth.
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- :guilabel:`Time step`: The smallest time step to use in the simulations. A smaller time step will give more accurate results but
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will take longer to compute.
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.. note::
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OpenRocket uses optimized time steps. It will use a larger value than the set time step for parts in the simulation
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that do not require a smaller time step.
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In other words, the simulation time step is not fixed, but will vary throughout the simulation.
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- :guilabel:`Reset to default`: Reset the simulator options to the default values.
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.. attention::
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The settings in the Launch tab have **no effect on existing simulations in your design**.
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Only simulations that you create after changing these settings will be affected.
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Launch
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------
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/Prefs-Launch.png
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:alt: Launch tab in the Preferences dialog
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 65 %
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:align: center
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:guilabel:`Launch` tab in the Preferences dialog
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.. hlist::
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:columns: 2
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- Wind
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- :guilabel:`Average windspeed`: The average wind speed relative to the ground.
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- :guilabel:`Standard deviation`: Standard deviation of the wind speed (= a measure of the dispersion of the wind speed values).
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The actual wind speed is within twice the standard deviation 95% of the time.
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- :guilabel:`Turbulence intensity`: The standard deviation of the wind speed divided by the average wind speed. Typical
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values range from 5% to 20%.
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- :guilabel:`Wind direction`: The direction the wind is coming from. 0° is north, 90° is east, 180° is south, and 270° is west.
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- Atmospheric conditions
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- :guilabel:`Use International Standard Atmosphere`: If enabled, the atmospheric conditions will be set to the
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International Standard Atmosphere (ISA). This model has a temperature of 15 °C and a pressure of 1013.25 mbar at
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sea level.
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If disabled, you can set the temperature and pressure manually.
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- :guilabel:`Temperature`: The temperature at the launch site.
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- :guilabel:`Pressure`: The pressure at the launch site.
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- Launch site
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- :guilabel:`Latitude`: The latitude coordinate of the launch site.
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- :guilabel:`Longitude`: The longitude coordinate of the launch site.
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- :guilabel:`Altitude`: The altitude of the launch site.
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- Launch rod
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- :guilabel:`Length`: The length of the launch rod.
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- :guilabel:`Always launch directly up-wind or down-wind`: If enabled, the launch rod will always point into the wind.
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- :guilabel:`Angle`: The angle of the launch rod relative to the ground. At 0°, the launch rod points straight up (vertical).
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If the checkbox to "Always launch directly up-wind or down-wind" is enabled, positive angles point up-wind, and negative angles
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point down-wind. If the checkbox is disabled, positive angles towards the direction axis. E.g. if direction is set
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to 90° (East of the wind), positive angles will point the launch rod East. Negative angles will point the rod West.
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- :guilabel:`Direction`: Direction of the launch rod relative to the wind. 0° is pointing in the wind direction.
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90° is pointing East of the wind.
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.. attention::
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The settings in the Launch tab have **no effect on existing simulations in your design**.
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Only simulations that you create after changing these settings will be affected.
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Units
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-----
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The **Units** tab allows you to set the units that OpenRocket uses throughout the program.
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/Prefs-Units.png
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:alt: Units tab in the Preferences dialog
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 65 %
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:align: center
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:guilabel:`Units` tab in the Preferences dialog
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.. hlist::
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:columns: 2
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- :guilabel:`Rocket dimensions`: Unit for dimensions of rocket components (e.g. diameter, length).
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- :guilabel:`Motor dimensions`: Unit for dimensions of rocket motors (diameter, length).
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- :guilabel:`Distance`: Unit for distances (e.g. altitude).
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- :guilabel:`Velocity`: Unit for velocities.
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- :guilabel:`Acceleration`: Unit for accelerations.
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- :guilabel:`Mass`: Unit for masses.
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- :guilabel:`Force`: Unit for forces.
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- :guilabel:`Total impulse`: Unit for total impulse.
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- :guilabel:`Moment of inertia`: Unit for moments of inertia.
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- :guilabel:`Stability`: Primary unit for stability margin/static margin.
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Possible values:
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- ``mm``, ``cm``, ``m``, ``in``: Distance between the center of gravity (CG) and the center of pressure (CP).
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- ``cal``: Caliber. 1 caliber = 1 diameter of the rocket.
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- ``%``: Percentage of the rocket length.
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- :guilabel:`Secondary stability`: Secondary unit for stability margin/static margin.
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Same values as the primary stability unit.
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- :guilabel:`Display secondary stability unit`: If enabled, display both the primary and secondary stability units in the rocket design view.
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- :guilabel:`Line density`: Unit for line density (= one-dimensional density).
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- :guilabel:`Surface density`: Unit for surface density (= two-dimensional density).
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- :guilabel:`Bulk density`: Unit for bulk density (= three-dimensional density).
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- :guilabel:`Surface roughness`: Unit for surface roughness.
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- :guilabel:`Area`: Unit for areas.
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- :guilabel:`Angle`: Unit for angles.
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- :guilabel:`Roll rate`: Unit for roll rates.
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- :guilabel:`Temperature`: Unit for temperatures.
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- :guilabel:`Pressure`: Unit for pressures.
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- :guilabel:`Wind speed`: Unit for wind speeds.
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- :guilabel:`Latitude`: Unit for latitudes.
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- :guilabel:`Longitude`: Unit for longitudes.
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- :guilabel:`Default metric`: Set the default unit system to metric units.
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- :guilabel:`Default imperial`: Set the default unit system to imperial units.
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Materials
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---------
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The **Materials** tab shows a list of materials that are pre-installed in OpenRocket, plus custom user-defined materials that
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you have added.
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/Prefs-Materials.png
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:alt: Materials tab in the Preferences dialog
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 65 %
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:align: center
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:guilabel:`Materials` tab in the Preferences dialog
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On the left are a list of all the materials in OpenRocket. Pre-installed OpenRocket materials are displayed in greyed-out text.
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User-defined materials are displayed in normal text.
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- :guilabel:`New`: Add a new custom material.
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- :guilabel:`Edit`: Edit the selected material. You can edit both custom materials and pre-installed OpenRocket materials.
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However, editing a pre-installed material will create a new custom material with the same name, instead of modifying the
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original material.
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- :guilabel:`Delete`: Delete the selected material. You can only delete custom materials.
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- :guilabel:`Revert all`: Delete all user-defined materials.
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.. note::
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Editing materials will not affect existing rocket designs.
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Graphics
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--------
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The **Graphics** tab allows you to set the graphics settings for OpenRocket.
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/Prefs-Graphics.png
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:alt: Graphics tab in the Preferences dialog
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 65 %
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:align: center
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:guilabel:`Graphics` tab in the Preferences dialog
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- **Graphics Editor**: Select which graphics editor you want to use to edit textures in OpenRocket (if you click the
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:guilabel:`Edit` button next to the Texture dropdown in the :guilabel:`Appearance` tab of the component configuration window).
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- :guilabel:`Show Prompt`: OpenRocket will ask you which graphics editor you want to use every time you edit a texture.
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- :guilabel:`Use Default Editor`: OpenRocket will use the default graphics editor you have set in your operating system.
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- :guilabel:`Command Line`: You can set the command line for the graphics editor you want to use. This is useful if you have
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multiple graphics editors installed and want to use a specific one. Enter the file path of the graphics editor executable
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and any command line arguments you want to use in the text input field, or click the :guilabel:`Select Graphics Editor Program`
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button to select the executable file.
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- **3D Graphics**
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- :guilabel:`Enable 3D Graphics`: If enabled, 3D rendering is supported in OpenRocket. If disabled, you can not use any
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3D features inside OpenRocket.
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- :guilabel:`Enable Anti-aliasing`: If enabled, OpenRocket will use anti-aliasing to smooth the edges of 3D graphics.
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- :guilabel:`Use Off-screen Rendering`: If enabled, OpenRocket will render 3D graphics off-screen. This can improve performance
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on some systems, but may cause issues on others.
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.. tip::
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If you experience issues with 3D graphics, try toggling this option (enable it if is was disabled, or vice versa).
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.. note::
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The effects will take place the next time you open a window.
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.. _resetting_prefs:
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Resetting Preferences
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=====================
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To reset all preferences to their default values, click the :guilabel:`Reset all preferences` button at the bottom of the
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:ref:`General tab <general_tab>`.
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.. _importing_exporting_prefs:
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Importing and Exporting Preferences
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===================================
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You can export the current preferences to an XML file, or import preferences from an XML file. This can be useful for
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instance if you need to teach other people how to use OpenRocket and want them to have the same settings as you.
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Export Preferences
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------------------
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To export preferences, click the :guilabel:`Export preferences` button at the bottom of the :ref:`General tab <general_tab>`.
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This will open a file dialog where you can select where to save the preferences file:
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.. figure:: /img/setup/preferences/ExportPreferences.png
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:alt: Exporting preferences to an XML file
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 55 %
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:align: center
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Exporting preferences to an XML file
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There are two options in the file dialog:
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- :guilabel:`Export user directories` If enabled, any user directories that are set in the preferences will be exported as well.
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If you import the preferences on another computer, the user directories will be set to the same directories as on the original computer.
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You can disable this option if the target computer has different directories, or if you don't want to share the information
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about your directories.
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- :guilabel:`Export window information (position, size...)`: If enabled, cached window information (position, size, etc.) will be exported.
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If you import the preferences on another computer, the windows will be opened in the same position and size as on the original computer.
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You can disable this option if you want the windows to be opened in the default position and size.
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Here is an example of the exported preferences XML file:
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.. code-block:: xml
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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?><!DOCTYPE preferences SYSTEM "http://java.sun.com/dtd/preferences.dtd">
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<preferences EXTERNAL_XML_VERSION="1.0">
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<root type="user">
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<map/>
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<node name="OpenRocket">
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<map>
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<entry key="Tube Fin SetAlwaysOpenPreset" value="false"/>
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<entry key="LaunchRodDirection" value="1.5707963267948966"/>
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<entry key="ExportDecimalPlaces" value="3"/>
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<entry key="LaunchRodAngle" value="0.0"/>
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<entry key="WindTurbulence" value="0.06366197723675814"/>
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<entry key="UIFontSize" value="13"/>
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...
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Import Preferences
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------------------
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To import preferences, click the :guilabel:`Import preferences` button at the bottom of the :ref:`General tab <general_tab>`
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and select the preferences XML file you want to import.
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