Each row in MCREW is guaranteed to have four colums: Date, Operation, Crop and Row/Ridge Direction. Date specifies the day at which WEPS will enact the operation specified. An operation specifies a task by a series of data parameters that WEPS interprets as the task, i.e. tillage, planting or an irrigation. If a crop or residue is applied to the field in the operation, an entry in the crop column will be inserted to allow the user to specify the crop or residue. The Row/Ridge Direction allows the user to input the angle, in degrees, the operation occurs at due to the fact that the direction can greatly affect the wind erosion on the field.
Using the Edit Menu or the Edit Buttons, the user can cut, copy, paste, and delete rows. The Cut, Copy and Paste functions apply to the selected (both single and multiple) rows. These functions are accessible via the Edit menu, button bar and the dropdown operation and crop column menus. The Paste function should only be active if there has been a previous Cut or Copy function conducted previously. The Delete function applies to all selected rows. Only if a previous Delete function has been conducted will the Undelete function be accessible.
One can also insert a new blank row (Insert Row) immediately above the currently selected row. The contents of another (previously created) management file can also be inserted via the Insert Management File option immediately above the currently selected row. The "File Chooser" dialog will pop up, allowing the user to select the desired management file from which to include all the operations and their associated dates into the current management file being edited.
Lastly, there are several date adjustment functions available in MCREW. The Sort by Date function sorts the management operations by ascending date order. Thus, the user can adjust/set the dates of management operations without having to worry about whether they are in the correct sequential order at that time. When the user wants to see the list of operations in the correct date-ordered format, they can simply select the Sort by Date function from the button bar icon or the Edit menu. The Cycle Forward and Cycle Backward functions will rotate the "rotation year" of the management operation dates forward or backward in increments of one year. For example, a three-year management file rotation "cycled forward" would change the operation dates in the first year to the 2nd year, those in the 2nd year to the 3rd year and those in the 3rd year to the 1st year. Thus, the crops grown and harvested in the first year would now occur in the second year, etc. Likewise, a rotation "cycled backward" would shift the rotation the opposite direction, making the 2nd year operations occur in the first year, etc.
In addition, the user can press the right mouse menu button to display a popup menu that contains row editing functions. This popup menu changes depending on the column that the right mouse button was pressed in, with unique operations for the Date; Operation or crop and Row/Ridge Direction and a General Menu.
¤ Note that MCREW will not allow the saving of a file unless the operations are sorted in date order. When saving a management file, if the dates are not sorted, MCREW will offer to automatically sort them.