Diagram Designer
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Selecting Objects |
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Before objects can be moved or edited, they must be selected (except for Template objects). Several methods of selection exist:
The Object Tree
A single left click on a named object in the Object Tree will select it. Double-clicking an object opens its property dialog, while right-clicking on an object opens its context menu. In the context menu, properties can be accessed, as well as other features available on other menus. Only a single object can be selected from the Object Tree. Objects which are not visible (ie. empty text boxes) can be easily selected from the Object Tree.
The Diagram Pane
Objects in the Diagram Pane may be selected by
- a single left-click
- holding the left mouse button down, while not over an object, then dragging the mouse to create a selection box. Any objects partially enclosed by the selection box will be selected (ie. multiple objects).
Either of the above methods may be further augmented by holding the Shift key down while selecting, allowing multiple objects or multiple selection boxes to be used, regardless of whether the objects are neighbours or not.
The Template Pane (Palette)
Objects in the current template cannot be selected, but can be edited (individually) by using the double-clicking the object from the Template pane; the object's properties dialog will open. In addition, each object has a right-click context menu.
Using Multiple Objects
Multiple objects may be
- moved in unison
- copied
- cut
- deleted
- edited. Only certain properties which are common to all selected
objects may be edited en masse (ie. all at once), such as
- text - providing the small edit box in object properties is used, not the text editing dialog
- line width
- line color
- fill color
- text color
- text alignments - providing all objects selected have the alignment to be edited
Other properties can be determined by experiment; some other properties can be edited on multiple objects, depending on which objects are selected.
Deselecting Objects
A single left-click on an empty portion of the diagram (ie. no objects) will deselect all objects. Objects may be re-selected by any method following deselection. Deselection is only necessary when
- multiple objects are selected
- it is desired to select a single object of the ones already selected.
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