Table Of Contents
Overview
The main purpose of Graph IDE is to aid in the construction of new graphic-based documents. In order to do that it implements a few standard editing facilities. In addition, each graphic type may have editing facilities unique only to itself.
What follows is a description of each editing type.
Definitions
- Non-Modal Mouse Editing: A non-modal mouse editing control starts editing upon a mouse action, such as pushing down on the mouse button and then stops editing immediately after another action, such as when you release the mouse button.
- Modal Mouse Editing: A modal mouse editing control starts on a special mouse or keyboard event and only stops editing only upon a special sequence of actions, usually a mouse double-click.
Creation
- Creation is always non-modal. To create a new graphic bring forward the Graphic Selector, click the appropriate factory cell and then mouse down on a Graphic View and drag the cursor to another point and then release the mouse button. The initial and final cursor locations define a reference rectangle of the resulting graphic. Copies of existing graphics can also be made using the Palette menu by dragging a graphic from a palette to the Graphic View of your document and releasing the mouse button at the desired location.
- After making a new graphic it is rarely set to values that you want, so you next have to edit the graphic to the attribute values that you require.
Selecting Graphics
- To select a graphic first make sure the Graphic Selector is in selection mode and then move the cursor over the graphic and click once to select. To select a different graphic do the same thing over that graphic. To deselect click once over no graphics. To select multiple graphics depress the shift key and click once over each. To deselect one graphic from many selected graphics move the cursor over the selected graphic and with the shift key down click once.
- To select a rectangular region of graphics mouse down while not over any graphic and drag the mouse to the desire end point of the rectangular region and release. To add more graphics from another rectangular region repeat the drag, but this time keep the shift key depressed.
Moving And Resizing A Graphic
- To resize a graphic first select it and then mouse down on one of the corner or edge knobs, drag the mouse to the desired location and then release the mouse button. To constrain the resizing to constant aspect ratio move a corner knob while depressing the Alternate Key.
- To move a graphic or group of graphics first select the graphics, then press the mouse button while over any of the selected graphics, move the mouse and finally release the mouse button while at the desired location.
Point Editing
- Graphics that have points as a constitutive parameter can be mouse edited one point at a time. Those graphics include the Polygon, Cubic Bezier, Function, Trajectory and Scatter graphics.
- To point-wise edit a graphic using the mouse first depress the 'e' key ('e' for Edit), then move the cursor over the graphic to edit as if to select it and finally click the mouse button. You are now in the point-wise edit mode and can only exit it by double clicking the mouse button. While in point-wise edit mode the point vertex and spline knots, if any, are displayed by knobs, such as that shown below.
- To move a vertex or spline knot move the cursor over it and drag it. To remove it depress the shift key and click once. To add a vertex (and spline knot pair if appropriate) move the cursor to the curve (boundary of the graphic and while not over an existing knob depress the shift key and click once.
- The cursor information panel displays the vertex or spline knot sequence number as well as the coordinate values of the cursor. If you need finer resolution while editing then first magnify the graphic view and then enter the point editing mouse mode.
Inspector Editor Editing
- Most main-inspector-editors have standard input fields, such as origin and size values. For additional information consult Inspector Editors or the particular graphic in question for controls specific to that graphic.
At this point, you should have a decent understanding of Graph IDE. I would look at one of the Basic Graphics and make one, such as a Circle or skip ahead and read how to add data to a graph in the section Getting Data On A Graph.