Main Window
The main window is divided into four functional areas that stay visible at all times.
Menu Bar
File Menu
| Item | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| New Capture | — | Clears all current capture data; preserves all settings, channel names, and decoder configuration |
| Open Capture | Ctrl+O | Opens a .active capture file |
| Save Capture | — | Saves the entire current capture to a .active file |
| Save Between Cursors | — | Saves only the data between X1 and X2 cursors to a new .active file |
| Open Configuration | — | Loads settings from a .ini configuration file. Not available on Active Debugger. |
| Save Configuration | — | Saves all current settings to a .ini configuration file. Not available on Active Debugger. |
| Export Data Between Cursors | — | Exports all decoded data between X1 and X2 to a CSV file |
| Export AI Snapshot Between Cursors | — | Saves the AI Snapshot for the X1–X2 range to an .aft file |
| Recent Files | — | Submenu listing the last 5 opened or saved .active files — click any entry to open it immediately |
| Exit | — | Closes the application (prompts to save if unsaved data exists) |
View Menu
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Show Inputs | Shows or hides the Inputs tab |
| Show Outputs | Shows or hides the Outputs tab (ACTIVE-PRO and ACTIVE-PRO Ultra only) |
| Show Decode List | Shows or hides the List tab |
| Show Settings | Shows or hides the Settings tab |
| Show Notes | Shows or hides the Notes tab |
| Show Source Code | Shows or hides the Source Code tab |
| Show Live UI | Shows or hides the Live UI tab |
| Show Devices | Shows or hides the Devices tab |
| Dark Mode | Switches the entire application to dark theme |
| Light Mode | Switches the entire application to light theme |
| Always On Top | Keeps the application window above all other windows |
| Not Always On Top | Returns the window to normal stacking order |
Setup Menu
Available on: ACTIVE-PRO · ACTIVE-PRO Ultra (hidden on Active Debugger)
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Quick Setup — Active Debug Port | Configures Device A for Active Debug Port 2-wire mode |
| Quick Setup — All Digital Channels | Enables all 8 logic input channels |
| Quick Setup — All Analog Channels | Enables all analog input channels |
| Quick Setup — All Digital and Analog Channels | Enables all logic and analog inputs simultaneously |
| Quick Setup — I2C Bus | Configures Device A for I2C decoding |
| Quick Setup — UART Bus with Autobaud | Configures Device A for UART with automatic baud-rate detection |
| Quick Setup — SPI Bus | Configures Device A for SPI decoding |
| Calibrate Analog Channels | Runs the analog channel calibration procedure |
| Show Calibration Values | Displays the stored calibration offset and gain values |
| Resize Screen | Resizes the application window to a standard configuration |
| Update Device Firmware | Downloads and programs updated firmware to the connected device |
Help Menu
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| User's Manual | Opens the online user documentation |
| Contact Support | Opens a support contact dialog |
| About | Shows the application version number and build information |
Waveform Area
The waveform area takes up the center of the window. It has two sub-components:
Timeline Ruler
A horizontal ruler at the very top of the waveform area shows absolute time. The scale adjusts automatically as you zoom: it might show seconds when zoomed out and nanoseconds when zoomed in. The ruler is always aligned with the channel rows below it.
The X1 and X2 cursor markers appear as vertical lines running the full height of the waveform area. The Current Cursor (labeled C) follows the mouse as you hover over the waveform.
Channel Rows
Below the timeline ruler, each captured channel appears as a horizontal row. Each row has two parts:
- Name column (left): the channel name, and for analog channels, the voltage at the Current Cursor position
- Waveform panel (right): the actual waveform, decoded text, or packet data for that channel
Which channel groups appear depends on the hardware model:
| Channel Group | Active Debugger | ACTIVE-PRO | ACTIVE-PRO Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logic (D0–D7) | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Analog (CH1–CH3) | — | ✓ | — |
| Analog (CH1–CH8) | — | — | ✓ |
| Active Debug Port — Device A | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Active Debug Port — Devices B, C, D | — | ✓ | ✓ |
Channels are organized into collapsible groups. Click a group header row to expand or collapse all channels in that group. The group header shows a right-arrow icon when collapsed and a down-arrow icon when expanded.
Name Column
The left column on each channel row shows the channel name. Several interactions are available here:
Rename a channel: Double-click the channel name to enter edit mode. Type the new name and press Enter to confirm.
Reorder channels: Click and hold on the name column of any channel row (the tab on the left), then drag it up or down to a new position. Release to drop it in place. The order is saved in the capture file.
Delete a waveline: Press the small X near the signal name. This removes the waveline from the screen. Once deleted, a small + icon appears in that section's header.
Restore deleted wavelines: Click the + icon in the section header to restore all deleted wavelines for that group.
Collapse or expand a group: Click the group header row (the darker row that labels a channel group, such as "Device A") to collapse or expand all channels in that group.
For analog channels, the name column also shows the current signal voltage at the Current Cursor's position, updating continuously as the cursor moves.
Right-Side Panel
The right-side panel is a tabbed area docked to the right edge of the window. Tabs run vertically along its right edge; click any tab to bring that view to the front.
Which tabs appear depends on the hardware model:
| Tab | Active Debugger | ACTIVE-PRO | ACTIVE-PRO Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devices | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inputs | ✓ (threshold only) | ✓ (full) | ✓ (full) |
| Outputs | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| List | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Source Code | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Notes | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Live UI | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Settings | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Each tab is described in detail in its own chapter. Use the View menu to show or hide individual tabs if your screen space is limited.
Status Bar
The status bar runs across the bottom of the window. It contains:
Left side: Application version label.
Center: Status messages. These change based on current activity — cursor positions, delta time between X1 and X2, confirmation of saved files, warnings, and operation status. Read this area when you are wondering what the application just did.
Right side — three action buttons:
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| CAPTURE / STOP CAPTURE | Starts or stops the current capture. Label changes based on capture state. Equivalent to pressing Space. |
| DISPLAY LIVE DATA / SHOWING LIVE DATA / READY TO CAPTURE | Jumps to the end of the capture and re-enables auto-scroll to follow incoming data. The label reflects current scroll state. |
| ZOOM ALL | Instantly fits the entire capture on screen, regardless of current zoom level. |
Themes
The application supports dark and light themes, selectable from View > Dark Mode and View > Light Mode. The entire application UI — waveform backgrounds, panel backgrounds, text, buttons — switches with the theme.
Always on Top
View > Always On Top keeps the application window above all other windows, including your IDE. This is useful when you want to monitor live capture data while writing firmware in a separate editor on the same screen.
View > Not Always On Top returns it to normal window stacking behavior.