Working with Panes and Framesets

Layouts and views use framesets to divide the window into panes that can contain different views. These framesets are very similar to framesets in HTML. Framesets can be nested; for example, you can divide a window vertically into left and right panes, and then divide the right pane horizontally into top, middle, and bottom panes.

In addition to framesets and panes, layouts and views can contain trays. Trays allow users to switch between different panes by clicking buttons. See Setting Tray Switchers for more information.

Splitting Panes

You can split an existing frame to divide it into two either vertically or horizontally. Splitting a pane either creates a new frameset, or reuses the pane's parent frameset if the split is in the same direction as existing panes.

To split the pane under the mouse pointer

Right-click on the pane and choose either Split Horizontally or Split Vertically.
Click where you want the split to be.

To split the selected frameset

Splitting the selected frameset is useful if a frameset already has children, such as if you forgot to leave space for a toolbar or timeline that spans the entire view.

Select the frameset as described in Selecting Panes, Trays, and Framesets.
Choose Split Selected Split Horizontally or Split Selected Split Vertically from the command bar.
Click where you want the split.

To adjust the splitter

While you are editing the layout or view, you can adjust the position of the splitter by placing the mouse pointer over it and dragging to a new location. If the splitter is not visible, make sure that Preview is on before dragging it.

Alternatively, you can set the size of panes explicitly as described in Controlling Pane, Tray, and Frameset Size.

To set splitter properties

In relational views, you can set splitter properties to make the splitter bars invisible or unmovable. You cannot set splitter properties in layouts; splitters in layouts are never visible and cannot be moved.

Right-click on the splitter and choose one of the following:
- No Splitter. No splitter is visible and users cannot resize the panes or framesets.
- Fixed Splitter. A splitter is visible but users cannot resize the panes or framesets.
- Movable Splitter. A splitter is visible and users can resize the panes or framesets.

If the splitter is not visible (No Splitter), you cannot access the context menu when Preview is off. Simply turn Preview on to change the properties of an invisible splitter.

Selecting Panes, Trays, and Framesets

Selecting a pane, tray, or frameset activates it for certain kinds of modification, such as setting its size. The name of the selected pane, tray, or frameset is displayed in the editor's command bar. If Preview is off, the selected pane, tray, or frameset is highlighted in blue while the active pane is highlighted in red. The active pane is the one that is under the pointer and will be affected by commands on the context menu.

To select the pane under the mouse pointer

Click in the pane.

To select a tray

Click in a blank area next to a switcher button.

To select the parent frameset

Do one of the following:
- Right-click in a pane and choose Select Parent.
  
  or
- Ctrl+click in a pane or tray. Repeat to go up the chain of parents.
  
  or
- Select a pane or tray and choose Select Parent on the editor's command bar. Repeat to go up the chain of parents.

Controlling Pane, Tray, and Frameset Size

To set the size of a pane, tray, or frameset, select it and enter a value for Size in the editor's command bar. The size is measured vertically if the parent frameset is split by horizontal bars, or horizontally if the parent frameset is split by vertical bars.

To set an absolute size in pixels, enter a number. This is useful for portions of the window that you don't want to be resized, like toolbars.
To set a relative size, enter a percentage, such as 50%. The pane retains its proportion when users change the window size.
To use all available space remaining in the frameset (that is, free size), enter an asterisk (*). This is useful to ensure that the sizes of all panes in a frameset add up correctly no matter how the window is resized.

Remember that users may change the sizes once a view is displayed, depending on whether the splitter bars are movable.

Some additional notes about setting sizes:

If you use all absolute sizes, there may be unused space or hidden areas if the sizes do not add up to the size of the parent frameset.
If you have two or more panes set to free (*) in the same frameset, the leftmost or topmost one takes all the available space.
If you mix absolute with relative and/or free size, the relative values are based on what's left of the parent frameset's size after the absolute sizes are considered.
If relative sizes do not add up to 100% and there is no pane with a free size, then the relative values are normalized.

Naming Panes, Trays, and Framesets

The name of a pane can be used to get a pointer to the pane in scripts. Pane names are also used on buttons in tray switchers when bitmaps have not been defined.

To name a pane, tray, or frameset

Select it and enter a value for Pane/Tray/Frameset Name in the editor's command bar.

It is recommended to avoid using non-alphanumeric characters such as spaces. Names should be unique per layout or view.

Deleting Panes, Trays, and Framesets

If you delete one of two panes in a frameset, the parent frameset is not deleted. However, if you delete the last pane in a tray switcher, the tray switcher is deleted.

To delete the pane under the mouse pointer

Right-click in the pane and choose Delete Pane.

To delete the selected pane, tray, or frameset

Select the pane, tray, or frameset.
Click Delete on the editor's command bar.