The internal structure of a DVD is complex. It is beyond the scope of this document to expose this structure, or to explain the role of each command. See mpucoder’s excellent site and DVD-Replica for an introduction to this structure as well as the Glossary and Appendices. Using PgcEdit should be relatively obvious to anyone accustomed to this structure.
You can’t load a single IFO file in PgcEdit. Instead, PgcEdit is designed to load all the IFO files of a DVD at the same time. This makes it possible to present all the commands of the DVD in a coherent and easily accessible manner. But that means that the structure of the DVD must be correct to be able to correctly load each of the files. So, on loading a DVD, PgcEdit checks on a number of key things like the structural integrity of the IFOs, and where it finds errors that are repairable, it offers to fix them for you.
If you have the Drag-and-drop plugin installed, you can load a DVD by dragging and dropping any DVD file or folder onto the main PgcEdit GUI. Once you have loaded a DVD in PgcEdit, you can select the PGC to be edited with the drop-down menu of the PGC Selector Button, or via the PGC Selector (usually located on the left side of the commands list but its location is configurable by the user).
· Select a command by clicking on it.
· Select several commands at the same time with a Shift + Click, or by dragging the mouse over the group of commands.
· Double-clicking a command calls the Command Editor, where you can edit that command.
· When you click on a Goto command, the line to which this command branches is briefly highlighted (in light blue). If this line does not exist, the line containing the Goto is highlighted in red. The same applies to lines with a Jump, Call or Link (or Set + Link). In these cases, it is the destination PGC which is highlighted.
· Clicking such a command with the middle mouse button (or Ctrl + Left Click) will move you automatically to the target line or PGC. Note also that the Goto target lines are highlighted in yellow, and lines with errors (illegal use of a command in the current domain, illegal parameters) are highlighted in pink. (See also Options → Command Editor → Highlight Errors and GOTO targets)
· When one or more commands are selected, you can use the action buttons located at the bottom of the main GUI. The same actions are available via the Edit menu or by right clicking the command.
There are also several shortcut menus, accessible by right clicking the mouse and other mouse shortcuts to various (and somewhat hidden) functions.
If a function does not appear to be working, you should look for error messages highlighted in pink in the status bar at the bottom. Get help by pressing F1. If you have the Context Help plugin installed, help will be displayed on the function you are trying to use.
Numeric data may be input in 4 different formats:
· Decimal – just enter the number (no leading zero)
· Hex – prefix with an 0x (e.g. 0x23 will result in 35 decimal)
· Octal – prefix with a leading 0 (e.g. 066 will result in 54 decimal). Note – do not inadvertently make the mistake of assuming a decimal result if you enter a leading zero. It will, in almost all cases, be incorrect. If you want to work in decimals, avoid leading zeros!
· ASCII – prefix with an apostrophe (e.g. ‘en will be translated into the hex of 0x656e, which is 25966 decimal)