RevMan works on multiple operating systems (MS Windows, Mac OS and Linux) because it has been developed using the Java Swing platform. This also means that RevMan will not always look the same as programs developed specifically for your operating system.
You can choose between various sets of 'look and feel' for RevMan. These are different for each operating system (see Interface preferences). In this help file, we will use the Metal look and feel for all examples.
At the top of RevMan's main window is the menu bar and the main toolbar. Each open review document is displayed in its own window, which consists of an outline pane on the left and the content pane on the right.
The bottom of the window is used for a progress bar that show when RevMan is busy, e.g. when opening a review, and the Document status indicator.
Panes are used in several places in RevMan, e.g. on the tabs for data and analyses.
There is a panel divider between any two panes. You can click and drag the divider to adjust the relative size of the two panes. At one end of the divider there are two small arrow buttons, which can be used to collapse one of the panes, or restore a collapsed pane.
You can split the Text of Review pane into two sections by using View > Split Text of Review. This will enable you compare or reuse information from separate review sections with out having to jump back and forth.
The main menu bar contains menus that include all functions that apply to reviews in general. The most frequently used functions are also available from the main toolbar.
The outline pane has its own toolbar for functions related to the outline elements, that is, functions that only apply for a specific review section or element, and not the whole review. These functions can also be found in the element's right-click menu.
Some functions have keyboard shortcuts, which are shown in the menu next to the function. See Keyboard shortcuts for a full list of all shortcuts.
Many functions are also available in right-click menus. The right-click menu for a particular type of element contains those functions that are unique to that element type, or commonly used for it.
Examples:
Saving a review - This is a button on the toolbar, is available from the File menu: File > Save, and has the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-S.
Importing text - This is used less frequently and is only available from the File menu: File > Import > Text of Review.
Merging cells - This function can only be used for table cells, so it is available from the Table menu and the right-click menu for tables.
The outline serves three functions:
You can use it to navigate around the review, either by moving to a particular section in the Text of Review, or by opening the properties of an element in a new tab (see below). A single click on an outline element moves the view in the content pane to that section, while a double-click opens the element's tab (if that element opens in a separate tab).
You can use it to modify or reorder elements of the review. For an example, see Organising studies.
For each section of a review, it can display the validation status (see Validating reviews); whether it has a note; and, for Protocols, whether the section is published.
When you open a review, the content pane only contains the Text of Review tab, where most of a review is edited. But some sections, such as references, have a special structure. When you open such a section, a new tab is added to the content pane.
You can have an unlimited number of tabs open. To close a tab, click the 'X' in front of the tab name. If you wish to close all open tabs, except for the Text of Review tab, use Window > Close All Tabs.
Tip: You can turn a tab into a separate window by double-clicking the tab. You can turn such a window back into a tab by minimising it.
Blue is used for text that you cannot directly modify, such as fixed Headings.
Any change you make is immediately applied in the version you have open. You can use the save button in the menu bar at any time, or you can wait until you have finished editing your review. See Saving a review.
Tip: You do not have to save your work manually all the time, because RevMan automatically saves a backup every 10 minutes. This is the default setting which you can change under General Preferences.
You can close a review by checking it back in to Archie, or by simply closing the main review window.
When you close a review by closing the main window, RevMan can offer a number of options:
For a review checked out from Archie, and not saved locally after the checkout:
If changes have been made, RevMan offers an option to check the review back in.
If no changes have been made, RevMan offers an option for undoing the check-out.
For a review that has been saved locally (which may have been checked out before it was saved):
If changes have been made since saving, RevMan offers an option to save the review.
If no changes have been made, the review is closed.
In all the options listed above, you can always click Cancel to return to the review without closing it.