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The Ribbon Interface
The ribbon interface organizes tools at the top of the worksheet, directly above the workspace. This design provides immediate visibility of frequently used tools, enhancing usability and efficiency.
Key components of the ribbon interface include:
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Tabs: These are similar to the previous menus and categorize tools based on primary functionalities, such as Home, Insert, View, etc.
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Groups: Within each tab, tools are further organized into groups. Groups cluster related commands based on specific tasks or features they have in common. For instance, in the Insert tab, there might be groups for Illustrations (drawings, images) and References (equation labels, hyperlinks, bookmarks).
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Using the Ribbons
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Click a tab (such as Home or Insert) to view it. The layout of the contents in the ribbon changes to fit the size of your Maple window. For example, this is the compact form of the Insert tab. Click an arrow (
) to see the buttons in a group.
You can collapse the ribbon using Minimize/Maximize ribbon (
) on the quick access toolbar, or by double-clicking on the active tab. When the ribbon is minimized, clicking Minimize/Maximize ribbon (
) expands the ribbon. Alternatively, when the ribbon is minimized, you can access the contents of a tab by clicking the tab. The tab stays expanded until you click away from it.
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Where to Find Items in the Ribbon
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Features that used to be in the worksheet menus, worksheet toolbar, and context bar are now found in the ribbon. See Details on Where to Find Items in the Ribbon for where menu items are now found.
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Keyboard Shortcuts for Accessing Ribbon Items
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Press the Alt key to see small keyboard tips that open tabs and groups and click items in the ribbon. Press the Alt key again to stop displaying the keyboard tips.
For example, typing Alt shows the keyboard tips. Press I to open the Insert tab and then press C to insert a code edit region.
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Maple Ribbon Interface Tabs
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Tab
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Description
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Home
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Contains commands for performing common tasks
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Insert
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Contains commands to insert text and Maple objects into an active Maple document
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Edit
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Contains commands for making changes to the contents of a Maple worksheet
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View
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Contains commands that manipulate the appearance of worksheet contents and the Maple session control bars
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Evaluation
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Contains commands for executing a worksheet
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Tools
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Provides access to the Maple Assistants, common tools such as Spellcheck, and Complete Command, and tools for working with packages and palettes
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Education
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Provides access to resources for both teachers and students, including Tutors, MathApps, and Tasks
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Workbook
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Contains commands that facilitate navigation, managing, viewing of files, and adding content to a workbook (.maple file)
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Help
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Contains commands for accessing help resources
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Previous Interface: Menus and Toolbars
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In releases before Maple 2025, tools were organized within menus and toolbars:
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Menus: These acted as containers for tools related to specific functionalities, such as Editing, Inserting, or Viewing.
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Submenus: Within menus, submenus grouped tools that performed similar tasks and shared additional characteristics. For example, under Inserting, there might be a submenu for visual elements containing tools for adding drawings or images.
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This structure, while functional, often required navigating through multiple layers to access certain tools.
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Benefits of the Ribbon Interface
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Improved Accessibility: Frequently used tools are readily available, minimizing the number of clicks required to access them.
Logical Organization: Grouping related tools within Tabs and Groups makes it easier to find commands based on their functionality.
Scalability: As Maple continues to expand its features, the ribbon interface can accommodate more tools without overwhelming the user, maintaining a clean and navigable workspace.
Note that Maple still uses menus and where it makes sense, including the File menu, the context-sensitive menus (accessed by right-clicking or Control-clicking on Mac), and the toolbar for animations.
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