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<title>The Packet Tree</title>
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A single Regina data file can store a range of objects, from
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A single Regina data file can store a rich variety of objects, from
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3-manifold triangulations and normal surfaces to &python; scripts,
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&pdf; documents and text notes.
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All of these objects are called <firstterm>packets</firstterm>,
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</inlinemediaobject>
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<sect1 id="packet-view">
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<title>Viewing and Editing Packets</title>
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Each time you open a packet, you will see three buttons at the bottom
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of the window: <guibutton>Commit</guibutton>,
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<guibutton>Refresh</guibutton> and <guibutton>Close</guibutton>
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(all illustrated below).
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Pressing <guibutton>Close</guibutton> will simply close the packet
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again. Pressing <guibutton>Refresh</guibutton> will reload the
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contents of the packet from ®ina;'s mathematical engine (this
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should rarely be necessary, but the button is provided just in case).
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<guibutton>Commit</guibutton> should be disabled until you start
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<imagedata fileref="textview.png"/>
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Once you begin to edit the packet, the buttons will change to
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<guibutton>Commit</guibutton>, <guibutton>Discard</guibutton> and
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<guibutton>Close</guibutton> (again illustrated below).
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Your changes will not <emphasis>not take effect</emphasis>
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until you press <guibutton>Commit</guibutton> (after which you
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will not be able to undo them).
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Alternatively, you can undo your changes and revert to the original
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state of the packet by pressing <guibutton>Discard</guibutton>.
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<imagedata fileref="textedit.png"/>
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<sect2 id="packet-uneditable">
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<title>Uneditable Packets</title>
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Sometimes you will find that you cannot make changes to a packet
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at all. This often happens when a packet is constrained by its
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children. For instance, if a triangulation is parent to a
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normal surface list or an angle structure list
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then ®ina; will insist that the triangulation does not change
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(so that normal coordinates and angle structure coordinates
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cannot be invalidated).
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Uneditable packets like this
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will be marked with a small padlock in the tree: see the
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Figure 8 Knot Complement in the illustration below.
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Sometimes you will find that ®ina; does not let you make changes
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to a packet. This typically means that the packet is constrained by its
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For example, if a triangulation has normal surfaces or angle structures
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beneath it, then ®ina; will not let you change the triangulation
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because this would invalidate the normal coordinates or angle structure
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Uneditable packets such as this will be marked with a small padlock
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in the tree: see the Figure 8 Knot Complement in the
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<inlinemediaobject>
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<sect2 id="packet-snappea">
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<title>&snappea; Triangulations</title>
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A <firstterm>&snappea; triangulation</firstterm> packet stores a
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3-manifold using &snappea;'s internal data structures
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(in contrast, the usual <link linkend="packet-triangulation">triangulation
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packet</link> uses ®ina;'s own structures, which are independent
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You can learn more about using &snappea; triangulations in the
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<link linkend="snappea">chapter on &snappea; triangulations</link>
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later in this handbook.
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The advantages of using a &snappea; triangulation is that it stores
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additional information that ®ina; does not (such as fillings and
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peripheral curves), and it offers more direct access to the &snappea;
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kernel. The main disadvantage is that you do not have the
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fine-grained control over the triangulation that ®ina; offers you
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(in particular, you cannot manipulate the triangulation as freely).
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Of course ®ina; offers you facilities to convert one into the other.
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&snappea; triangulations are marked by the following icon:
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<imagedata fileref="icon-snappea.png"/>
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<imagedata fileref="snappea.png"/>
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<sect2 id="packet-surfacelist">
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<title>Normal Surface Lists</title>
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<sect2 id="packet-refresh">
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<title>Refreshing Subtrees</title>
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<title>Refreshing the Tree</title>
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<guimenu>Packet Tree</guimenu>
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<guimenuitem>Refresh Subtree</guimenuitem>
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<guimenuitem>Refresh Tree</guimenuitem>
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menu item will reload a section of the packet tree from ®ina;'s
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menu item will reload the entire packet tree from ®ina;'s
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mathematical engine. This should never be necessary, but the
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operation is provided in case the user interface gets out of sync.
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If this does happen, please <link linkend="services">let us know</link>
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qtui/doc/regina/packet.docbook
