Normally with a Mac, in order to have two or more files open, the two files are selected in the directory and hit Command-O or double-click to open both files. With MOI, only one file opens. Also, with Mac apps, if a file is open, hit Cmd-O and select the file and it opens along with the previously opened file. With MOI the original file closes when the second file is opening.

To have two files open, I have found that after one file opens, hide the app (Cmd-H) and double-click on the second file. Both files are listed on the Window menu.

Is this the way multiple open files is suppose to work? Or, is it me...again.

Leonard
(MOI v.3 Beta, 7/20/12)

Hi Leonard, one thing you may be running into is that when MoI opens multiple files, the windows are stacked exactly on top of each other instead of slightly offset from one another.

So you may need to move whichever one is on top over a bit before you will be able to see the second one.


Failing that, the main way that I actually tested opening up a second file is by using the "New Window" menu item on the "MoI" dropdown menu at the top of the screen. So if you're having some issue opening stuff directly from Finder instead try using that menu item inside of MoI, once the new window is open when it has focus you can then do Cmd+O to control what file will be loaded into that particular instance.


> Also, with Mac apps, if a file is open, hit Cmd-O and select the file and it opens along with the
> previously opened file. With MOI the original file closes when the second file is opening.

Yeah MoI behaves differently from other Mac apps in this respect - it's due to its origin on Windows where the standard file open behavior is a bit different.

In MoI doing an "Open" will open the file replacing the contents of the current window. If you want it to open in a separate window, first do a "New Window" from the top-level menu item and then you will have a second window open. Put focus on the second window and use Open there to open your second file at the same time.

- Michael

Hi Michael,

Will try your suggestions.

Thanks.

Leonard

"by using the "New Window" menu item on the "MoI" dropdown menu "

yep, this method works, I always 2-4 files open at once on OSX :)

Yep, it works fine. L.

Hi Michael,

Can you open multiple files in Moi using a Windows based computer. I have tried this multiple times. I must be missing something. Perhaps there another link that might assist me in understanding this?

Thanks,
Wm

I just start a new instance of Moi... :-)


Peace,
Rich_Art. ;-)

Hi Bill,

Under Windows 7 if the icon is on the desktop double clicking it again should launch another session of MoI, if the icon is pinned in the task bar you have to RIGHT click it and select MoI in the pop up window to launch another session of MoI.

Cheers
~Danny~

Thanks. That is what I've been doing. I just thought there might be a way to work on two drawings simultaneously and have the ability to save each when finished and then finally closing MoI.

Perhaps this is something that will become part of an update down the road.

Regards,
Wm C

Hi Bill,

> I just thought there might be a way to work on two drawings simultaneously and
> have the ability to save each when finished and then finally closing MoI.

Yes, that's exactly what will happen if you open up 2 instances of MoI - you can open up 2 different drawings simultaneously in 2 different instances of MoI, and edit them each separately, and each instance will ask you if you want to save it when you close it down.



> Perhaps this is something that will become part of an update down the road.

I'm sorry but I don't quite understand what you are requesting here, can you please describe how opening up 2 instances currently is not letting you edit 2 different documents right now?

- Michael

Hi Bill, are you maybe requesting that MoI should become a "multiple document interface" application where multiple documents are opened inside of a single parent frame window?

That's a kind of older application model that is not really all that common in newer programs. MoI is built around the "Single document interface" where you open up multiple instances of the program to edit multiple files. This tends to streamline the UI since you use the operating system's built in mechanisms for managing the windows rather than trying to replicate a mini version of window management into the application itself.

See here for more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_document_interface
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_document_interface

Also MoI already manages another type of sub-windows for the viewports, and has a view tab to control which view is active (Split/3D/Top/Front/Right). It would be kind of awkward to try and also embed an "active document" control into the same parent frame window at the same time. So because of that and since Multiple Document Interface is generally considered to be an outmoded interface style I do not plan on switching MoI to a Multiple Document Interface in the future.

This does not mean that MoI cannot edit multiple documents simultaneously - you just do it by opening up multiple instances of MoI. That provides full ability to edit 2 different files simultaneously already.

- Michael

Michael,

Yes, I think that is correct. I understand what you are saying and I will do it that way.

Thanks,
Wm

p.s. You're software is great.