Navigating the Rendering Editor

The rendering editor has three main areas, each of which is used for different editing actions.

The three areas are:

  • The Display Area (the right pane)
  • The Rendering Tree (in the upper left pane)
  • The Properties List (the lower left pane)

The Display Area

The display pane shows the rendering that is being edited. Surrounding the display pane are the following controls:
  • Hide/show connections button. This button allows you to view the rendering with or without the connections that determine the relative position of the components of the rendering.
  • The display scale. Controls the display scale for the display pane. Renderings are typically shown with significant magnification to make them easier to work with.
  • Add Symbol button. See Working with Symbols
  • Add Line button. See Working with Lines
  • Add Parameter button. See Working with Parameters

The Rendering Tree

The rendering tree in the upper left corner of the rendering editor shows all the components of the rendering as a tree. The rendering tree is used for ordering the elements and for creating groups of elements. For more information on creating groups, see Working with Groups. The Rendering Tree is also if you need to move the centerline to a different component of the object and is used when defining how symbols and lines scale relative to other components of the rendering.

Right click the object name provides to access the following options:

  • Add symbol
  • Add line
  • Add group
  • Paste

The rendering tree helps you to know how elements of the rendering are grouped and can be used to move elements of a rendering between and within groups. When you move an element using the rendering tree, the element will be reconnected in the display. The new connections are assigned to the elements listed above and below the moved element in the tree.

  • Ordering the parts
  • Moving parts in and out of groups
  • Defining the centerline
  • Moving elements of a rendering using the tree

The Properties List

The properties list displays properties of the selected element. When nothing is selected in the edit object area, the overall properties of the object are displayed, including the object height, location, name, type, and overall object width. Editable properties are only displayed when the highlighted component of the rendering has properties that can be customized.

Basic properties:

  • Height: Overall height of the highlighted element.
  • Location: Location of the highlighted element in relation to the top left corner of the anchor element, irrespective of the offset location.
  • Name: Name of the element.
  • ObjectType: Displays the object type: parameter, symbol, or line.
  • ScaleDirection: When scaling has been added to a parameter, this section displays the direction of the scaling. Values include vertical and horizontal.
  • ScalesToParameter: Displayed only for symbols and lines, this lists the parameters that scale to this element.
  • Width: Lists the overall width of the element.

Editable properties include:

  • X-offset: The distance, in pixels, along the x-axis (horizontal) that My offset will set from the Reference offset.
  • Y-offset: The distance, in pixels, along the y-axis (vertical) that My offset will set from the Reference offset.
  • My offset: The location of the connection on the highlighted element. See Connecting and Positioning the Parts of a Rendering for more details.
  • Reference offset: The location of the connection on the element from which the offset on highlighted element will be determined. See Connecting and Positioning the Parts of a Rendering for more details.
  • Scale: Used on parameters only. When scaling is implemented, this entry lists the parameters to which the symbol or line scales.
  • Background color: For parameters only, this option can be set to customize the background color of the highlighted element.
  • Is text: Present on parameters only, this property indicates whether the parameter is a location where the caret can be placed when highlighting in Text mode. For example, the second parameter of the FormattedRegion object has Is text checked. The FormattedRegion object is used to put bullets and numbering in front of text, but the caret is only positioned in the second parameter when editing in Text mode.