The Single Sequence Editor Window is the main window which is displayed whenever a single sequence is opened or created.
1. Clicking the Editor tab shows the default window showing the sequence editor. The sequence must be unlocked in order to make any changes.
2. Clicking the Features table view tab moves to a window that contains the features table for the sequence. The sequence must be unlocked in order to make any changes.
3. Clicking the Map View tab displays the annotated graphic of the sequence. The map can be edited in many ways to give a tailored map for on-screen or printed presentation.
4. Clicking the Annotations tab view shows the Annotations tab of the sequence. The window is editable, but the sequence must be unlocked in order to make any changes.
The toolbar of the Sequence Window contains a row of buttons that are used to perform special functions. These buttons vary depending on which tab is shown. However, the following buttons are present in all tabs. These can also be customised by clicking the top right window button and holding down the Apple and Options keys:
- A Sequence Type indicator. If the sequence is nucleic acid, you can change how the sequence is displayed and treated in analyses by clicking on the molecule button in the upper left corner. When the icon looks like a stylized double helix, the sequence is displayed as DNA (ACGT); when it looks like a stylized tRNA cloverleaf, the sequence is displayed as RNA (ACGU). Amino acid sequences are represented by the triple line icon.
- The lock button is toggled between its closed and open positions by clicking on it. A sequence file, including the annotations and features table, can only be altered when the padlock is in its open position.
- Clicking the text view button opens the Text window, which contains the sequence text with features marked along its length. The format is controlled by the Format Text Display window of the MacVector Preferences menu. The information in the window cannot be changed, but it can be highlighted and copied to the Clipboard.
- Clicking the voice verify button toggles the option on and off. When voice verify is on, each residue you enter is spoken by a computer voice. Voice verify is fairly slow, so if you are typing rapidly, you may want to switch it off. The voice can be set to either male or female by means of a Proofreader control. You can access the Proofreader by choosing Show Proofreader from the Windows menu.
- The range edit control displays the currently selected coordinates of the sequence. You can also click and type in this control to jump to a defined residue or select a specific region.
- The feature popup control allows easy selection of feature regions in the sequence. Click on the control and choose a feature in the menu to select that region in the sequence.
- The Replica button allows you to view multiple windows of the same sequence. Each window can be of a different view of the sequence.
In addition, nucleic acid sequence windows contain a Topology button. When the linear/circular button is shaped like a circle, the sequence is treated as a circular sequence in all analyses; when it looks like parallel lines, the sequence is analyzed as a linear sequence. Click the button to toggle between the two representations. Note to change the appearance of a circular sequence without treating it as a circular one use the Graphics Palette.