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Navigation - Menus, Toolbars and Tabs

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This section presumes you:

There are three navigational tools you will be using throughout Theatre Manager. They are:

You will also be using three other tools as well:

  • Buttons
  • Checkboxes, and
  • 'Radio' Buttons

The Menus consist of system navigation options. Standard functions such as File and Edit help manipulate files and the data, while other menus such as Patron Sales, Accounting and Form Letters direct you to specific functions within the software. The Setup menu is special, in that it is in effect a 'control board' for how Theatre Manager operates. You will use this menu to make many of the system configurations to tailor Theatre Manager to your specific needs.

Note: Menus remain static regardless of the module you are working with in the main window.

The Tool Bar is a series of icons located below the Menu bar and above the active window. Each icon has a specialized but generic function so that it is useable for the same function in many different areas. The Tool Bar allows quick access to commands and other modules of Theatre Manager.

Note: The Tool Bar is used in conjunction with the top window. If the Patron window is the top, (or only) window open, then the Tool Bar is used with the Patron window. If the Plays and Dates (or "Events") window is the top, (or only) window open, then the Tool Bar will be used in conjunction with it. The icons on the Tool Bar may be used when they are highlighted. If an icon is dimmed out, it has no use at the current time.

The Tabs change depending on the window you are working with, and determine the data that is shown within the window. For example, the TICKETS tab in the patron record shows detail of the patron's ticket purchase history, while the DONATIONS tab shows the detail of their donations. Later, in Reports, Tabs specify the particular data set you are searching for, or how that data is displayed in the printed report.

Note: Tabs reveal detailed information when working within windows.

Buttons activate a command - whether that is to open a new window, save the window you are working with, or start a report process. Buttons are 'clickables' that allow you to move forward in a process.


Checkboxes aid in selection criteria. In a series of checkboxes (like those seen above), you can have one or several of the options selected as they perform different functions.


Radio Buttons also aid in selection criteria, but you may only choose one of the radio buttons as an option as each option performs mutually exclusive functions.


Now you are ready to navigate like a pro!

From here you can: