The main part of the BridgeBase screen (where the bridge table appears) is separated from the chat area below it and the area to the right of it by 2 "sliders". If you click on these sliders and, while holding your mouse down, drag your mouse to a new location, you can resize the various elements of the BridgeBase screen.
Some of the dialog boxes that are used in BridgeBase (Convention Cards and BridgeBase Now for example) can be resized and repositioned.
The types of settings are saved according to your User ID when you log off. They will be remember when you next log in to BridgeBase with the same User ID on the same computer.
The Options button (on the BridgeBase Navbar at the top of the screen) can be used to customize how BridgeBase looks and behaves. Clicking this button will reveal a menu with these items:
Sound
Turns sound effects on or off. A check mark will appear to the left of
this menu item only if sound is turned on.
Pictures of cards
Bridge deals in BridgeBase can be displayed either with pictures of playing
cards or hand diagrams (like those that appear in newspaper bridge
columns). This menu item allows you to switch between these two modes. A
check mark will appear to the left of this menu item only if pictures of
cards mode is selected.
This menu item impacts only the display of bridge deals that appear when
you are at a table. To change settings like Pictures of cards for
bridge deals that appear in other areas of BridgeBase (such as in My Results),
used the Options buttons that appear on those respective areas.
- Bigger Chat Font
- Smaller Chat Font
These two menu items allow you to change the size of the font that is
used to display chat messages in the area at the bottom of your screen.
More Options...
Clicking this menu item will result in the Options dialog box being
displayed.
The Options dialog box allows you to set the most important options that are available in the BridgeBase software. It consists of two tabs: Basic Options and Advanced Options
If you change any of these options the change will take effect immediately and the new setting you select will be saved according to your User ID. These settings will be remembered when you next log in to BridgeBase with the same User ID on the same computer.
The following options can be set through the Basic Options tab:
- Pictures of cards or Hand diagrams
Bridge deals at a table will be displayed using either pictures of cards
or hand diagrams according to which of these options is selected.
- Card animation
Controls whether or not animation effects will be used when cards are
played. In Pictures of cards mode, animations consist of the cards
appearing to "drift" to the center of the screen when they are played.
In Hand diagram mode animations consist of cards "fading in" at the
center of the screen when they are played.
- Big cards
This option (which only has an impact in Pictures of cards mode)
controls which of two sizes of "decks" will be used to display the cards.
BridgeBase members with poor eyesight are likely better off using the bigger
size deck. The smaller deck provides enough space to place the auction
in the middle of the table and, in general, provides a less-cluttered look.
- Sound effects
Turns sound effects on or off.
- Notify me when a friend logs in
When this option is selected an automated chat message will be generated
every time one of your friends logs in.
These notifications make it easy to greet your friends by private chat:
click on your friend's name to the left of the automated message, type
your greeting at the very bottom of the chat area, and then click the
"Chat" button.
- Notify me through chat when a vugraph match starts
When this option is selected an automated chat message will be generated
every time a vugraph operator begins a match.
These notifications make it easy to avoid missing the great live bridge games broadcast from around the world.
- Chat font size
Changes the size of the font that is used to display chat messages at
the bottom of the screen.
Use the small arrows to alter the chat font size (up arrow for bigger,
down arrow for smaller).
The following options can be set through the Advanced Options tab:
- Show profile upon mouse over
If this option is selected, holding your mouse over the name of a member
will result in a User Profile pop-up for that member being displayed.
If this option is not selected it is necessary to click on a member's
name in order to display a User Profile pop-up for that member.
- Autoplay Singletons
If this option is selected, a singleton in the suit led will be played automatically.
- Private chat font size
Changes the size of the font that is used to display private chat
messages in the Private chat tab of User Profile popups.
Use the small arrows to alter the private chat font size (up arrow for
bigger, down arrow for smaller).
- Kibitzing
The Kibitzing default is show all hands, but you can customize this option
to show just one hand by clicking the down arrow. This extremely useful
option allows you to focus on just one hand when attending online lessons
with your favorite mentor, or if you want to study the bidding techniques
of just one player.