Change PowerGREP’s Appearance and Layout

PowerGREP’s interface is completely modular. The application consists of nine panels. You can activate each of the panels through the View menu, whether you closed the panel or not. You can freely arrange all seven panels to best suit the way you like to work with PowerGREP.

The default layout is optimized for a computer with a single mid-sized monitor. If your computer has a large monitor, you can make use of the additional space by docking side-by-side some of the panels that are tabbed by default. If your computer has more than one monitor, take advantage of both monitors by making one or more panels float. Then drag the floating panels off to the second monitor.

How to Rearrange PowerGREP’s panels

To move a panel, use the mouse to drag and drop its caption bar (for a panel docked to the side, or a floating panel) or its tab (for a tabbed panel). While you drag the panel, squares appear at the four edges of PowerGREP’s window. While dragging over another panel, five squares appear in the center of that panel. Drop the panel onto one of the four squares at the edges of PowerGREP’s window to dock the panel to that edge. Drop the panel onto one of the four outer squares in the center of another panel to dock the dragged panel to one of the four sides of the panel you’re dropping it onto. Drop the panel on the center square of another panel to arrange the two panels inside a tabbed container.

To make a panel float freely, drag it away from PowerGREP or simply double-click its caption or tab. Floating a panel is very useful if your computer has more than one monitor. Move the floating panel to your second monitor to take full advantage of your multi-monitor system. If you drag a second panel onto the floating panel, you can dock both panels together in a single floating container. This way you can conveniently display several panels on the second monitor.

Panels that are docked to a side can be pinned to that side by clicking the pin button on the panel's caption bar. Pinned panels appear as a small strip showing only the panel's icon and caption. When you hover the mouse over the panel's icon or caption on that strip, the panel slides into view. It remains visible while the mouse pointer is over the panel. When the mouse pointer leaves the panel it slides out of view again. Click the pin button again to make the panel permanently visible again. You cannot drag a panel to a different location while it is pinned (in auto-hide mode).

View Assistant

Show the PowerGREP Assistant. In the default view, the PowerGREP Assistant is visible along the bottom of the PowerGREP window. The assistant displays helpful hints as well as error messages while you work with PowerGREP.

View File Selector

Show the File Selector. In the default view, the File Selector is visible along the left side of the PowerGREP window. The File Selector displays a tree of folders and files, and enables you to select which files PowerGREP will work on.

View Action

Show the Action panel where you define the action that PowerGREP will execute. In the default view, you can access the Action panel by clicking on the Action tab near the top of the PowerGREP window.

View Sequence

Show the Sequence panel where you define a sequence of actions for PowerGREP to execute. In the default view, you can access the Sequence panel by clicking on the Sequence tab near the top of the PowerGREP window.

View Library

Show the Library panel where you can store PowerGREP actions for later reuse. In the default view, you can access the Library panel by clicking on the Library tab near the top of the PowerGREP window.

View Results

Show the Results panel where PowerGREP displays detailed results after executing an action. In the default view, you can access the Results panel by clicking on the Results tab near the top of the PowerGREP window.

View Editor

Show or hide PowerGREP’s built-in file editor. With the editor you can edit any kind of text or binary file. The editor also highlights matches if the file was searched through during the last action you executed. In the default view, you can access the Editor panel by clicking on the Editor tab near the top of the PowerGREP window.

View Undo History

Show the Undo History. The Undo History keeps track of all actions that overwrote one or more files. With the Undo History you can undo an action by restoring all overwritten files from their backup copies. You can also delete backup files that are no longer needed. In the default view, you can access the Undo History by clicking on the Undo History tab near the top of the PowerGREP window.

View Forum

Show the PowerGREP forum where you can discuss PowerGREP and regular expressions with other PowerGREP users, and obtain technical support from Just Great Software.

Large Toolbar Icons

Turn the Large Toolbar Icons option on or off to switch PowerGREP’s toolbars between using a larger or a smaller set of icons.

Lock Toolbars

By default, PowerGREP’s toolbars are locked into place. If you turn off Lock Toolbars then you can move toolbars and dock them anywhere or let them float by dragging them with the mouse. When the toolbars are unlocked, you can also change which toolbar buttons are visible by clicking the small triangle at the far right hand end of each toolbar. This opens a drop-down menu where you can toggle each button. When you’re done configuring the toolbars, you should lock them again, to avoid accidentally moving them with the mouse.

Office 2003 Display Style

If you find PowerGREP’s looks a bit bland, select Office 2003 Display Style from the View menu to make PowerGREP mimic the looks of Microsoft Office 2003. This will make PowerGREP rather colorful. Select the item again to restore the default looks. On Windows XP through Windows 8.1, the default looks use the Windows theme you selected in your computer’s display settings. On Windows 10, the default look is a flat look that fits well with Windows 10.

Restore Default Layout

Use the Restore Default Layout item in the View menu to quickly reset the PowerGREP window to its default layout, with the File Selector docked to the left, the Assistant docked to the bottom, and the other panels arranged in tabs.

This layout keeps each panel sufficiently large to be workable on a computer with a single medium resolution monitor.

Side by Side Layout

The side by side layout arranges the panels into four columns. The File Selector has its own space at the left, the Action, Sequence, and Editor panels are docked together as the second column, the Results, Library, Undo History, and Forum panels are combined into tabs as the third column, and the Assistant is permanently visible at the right.

If you have a large resolution widescreen monitor, use this layout to work more comfortably by keeping panels that are often used in combination visible at the same time, such as Action/Library and Editor/Results. The columns optimally take advantage of the extra screen width. If you don’t use the Sequence panel, close it after choosing this layout to have more space for the Action panel.

Dual Monitor Tabbed Layout

This option is only available if your computer has more than one monitor. Use this layout if your computer has two average resolution monitors to take advantage of the second monitor. It arranges the Action, Library, Editor, and Undo History panel in tabs, with the File Selector and Assistant docked to the left and the right. The Sequence, Results, and Forum panels are arranged in a floating tabbed window that is automatically placed on the other monitor (versus the one PowerGREP’s main window is on).

Dual Monitor Side by Side Layout

This option is only available if your computer has more than one monitor. Use this layout if your computer has two high resolution monitors to put your computer’s screen size to maximum use. This layout keeps all the frequently used panels visible at all times. It arranges the File Selector, Action, Sequence, and Assistant panels side by side. The Results and Editor panels are arranged side by side in a floating window that is automatically placed on the other monitor (versus the one PowerGREP’s main window is on). The Library, Undo History, and Forum panels are tabbed with the Sequence panel.

Custom Layouts

If you don’t like the predefined layouts, you can freely rearrange the panels as described at the top of this help topic. Then use the Save Layouts item in the Custom Layouts submenu of the View menu to give your layout a name. You can then restore this layout at any time by selecting it from the Custom Layouts menu. You can add as many layouts as you like and switch between them at any time.