There are a number of
ways to manipulate nodes in the Schematic view.
To clean up all or a portion of the dependently
graph, do one of the following:
- To clean up the complete tree, right-click
and select Layout All, or press (for Windows and Linux) or (for Mac OS).
- To clean up a portion of the tree, select
the nodes to clean up, then right-click, and select Layout Selected
or press .
To reset the zoom and pan to fit the
dependency graph:
- Right-click and select Reset Zoom/Pan
or press .
To change the name of a node:
- Select the node to display its tabs in
the tool UI.
- In the Tool Options at the right,
click in the Name field and edit the name.
- Press to
accept your edits.
The node in the Schematic
view updates to reflect the new name.
To display the details of a node without
opening a node:
- Press the key
and pass the cursor over a node. will turn on all the node details without having
to pass over the node. Press again to turn off the node details.
- A tooltip displays the details of the
selected node. If the node was renamed, the node's original name
appears in the tooltip.
To display the thumbnail of a node, select
one or more nodes and do one of the following:
- Right-click the node and select Thumbnail.
- Click .
- Click the tab on the node.
To connect two nodes, do one of the following:
- Click the output of a node and drag to
the input of another node (or click and drag from the input area
of one node to the output area of another). A gray connection line
appears as you drag. Release to create the connection.
- Press and
drag one of the nodes to the other, so that the output area of one
node brushes, or "kisses", the input area of the other. A connection
line appears when the two nodes kiss. Release to establish the connection.
If you want to cancel the operation, release as you continue to drag.
NoteThere are hotspots
located along each edge of the viewer to be used to auto-pan the
viewer when holding the cursor down over these areas for a predetermined
time. This will be used when dragging or connecting nodes. The speed
at which the panning is done can be controlled by using the hotkey to speed up panning
or the hotkey
to slow down panning.
To insert a node between two other nodes:
- Press and
drag the node you want to insert onto the connection line between
the two nodes, then release. If you want to cancel the operation,
release as you
continue to drag.
To disconnect nodes, do one of the following:
- Press and
drag the cursor (scissors icon) through the connection.
- Right-click the connection line between
the nodes and select Disconnect.
To quickly disconnect and reconnect nodes:
- Hold down the key, click one end of a connection
link to break the link. Drop the link on a different node.
To reposition a node within a dependency
graph, do one of the following:
- Disconnect the node and then connect
it in a new position.
- Press and
drag the node to a new position in the tree, then release. The connection
lines adjust to disconnect the node from its previous neighbors
and connect it in the new position.
To replace a node’s tool with another
tool:
- Display the Tools, Views & Pick List
tab by middle-clicking or pressing the tilde (~) key. Drag and drop
a tool onto the selected node. A drop gate appears.
- Swipe through the Replace option. The
selected node is replaced with a new tool.
To create a group consisting
of multiple nodes:
Select the nodes you
want to group, right-click one of the nodes and select Group or
Group (Visual). You can also press for
Group or for
Group (Visual).
NoteIf more than one
node is selected, they will be grouped. If there is only one node
selected and it is not a group node, it is grouped, otherwise if it
is a group node, it is ungrouped.
When you create a visual
group node, all the nodes in this group display semi-transparent
backgrounds that allow the nodes to adopt the color of the visual
group itself. Nodes which are not part of the visual group that are
dragged over the group will stand out because they will be a different color
from the nodes in the visual group.
Visual group nodes are
created with a default color. However, by right-clicking on the
title bar of the visual group, you can select the Color option,
which will display a color picker that allows you to choose a new color.
A new node-independent
tab is created in the Tool UI for the group node. By default, it
will be named "Group (#)," for example, "Group(1)." You can rename
the group tab by entering a new name in the Name field in the Tool
Options.
To edit a group or enter a super tool:
- Right-click the group node (to edit a
group) or the super tool (to enter the super tool) and select Edit
Group, or double-click the node.
- The Schematic view updates to display
the nodes in the group or the nodes of the super tool.
To exit a group or a super tool:
- Right-click in the Group Schematic view
and select Exit Group, or double-click the background.
To resize or move a visual group node:
- The size of the visual group node
is determined by the location of the contained nodes. The size of
the visual group node will expand or contract as the contained nodes
are moved around. To move a visual group node, drag the title bar
of the group node.
To lock a visual group or lock the nodes
in a visual group:
- Right-click on the title bar of a
visual group node and select Lock, which locks the group node, as
well as all the nodes inside the group. This means that all the
nodes inside the group, as well as the group itself, are locked
in place.
- To lock just the nodes inside a group,
while still allowing the group itself to be moved, right-click on
the title bar of the visual group node and select Lock Tools.
To open or close a visual group node:
- To open a group node, right-click on
the node and select Open or press. Opening a group node displays the contents of the
group node while applying the visual group attribute.
- To close a group node, right-click on
the title bar of the group node and select Close or press . Closing a group node
removes the visual attributes of the node and collapses it back
to its regular appearance.
To ungroup a group:
- Right-click the group node or the title
bar of the visual group node and select Ungroup, or press .
To add input or output connections to
a group node:
- Enter the group node by double-clicking
the node, then drag the link from an input or output beyond the
top border of the schematic. Control will be transferred to the
group level one up in the hierarchy. At this point, releasing beyond
the border will create a connection node. Moving within the border
will allow connection to another node. If this group level is not
the top most, moving within the border and back up again will transfer
control to the next group up in the hierarchy. Moving down in the
group hierarchy is accomplished by dragging beyond the bottom border
of the Schematic view. All dragging must be done in conjunction
with the Shift hotkey.
- Enter the group node by double-clicking
the node, then right-click and select New Output Connection. Note
that the cursor must be over an input or output.
To collapse a branch of the dependency graph:
- Locate the node at which you want
to collapse the branch.
- Right-click the node and select Expand
or Collapse or press .
- The branch leading into that node collapses.
The arrow on the left of the node indicates a collapsed branch.
To expand a collapsed node:
- Right-click the node containing the collapsed
branch and select Expand or Collapse, or press .
To mute or unmute a node:
- Select the node.
- Right-click a node and select Mute or
Unmute, or press.
NoteYou can also mute/unmute
a node by selecting it and clicking the Mute button in the Tool
Options area. This button is located to the left of the Reset button.
To select an entire branch of the dependency
graph, do one of the following:
- Press X and click a node.
- Right-click and choose Select Upstream.
All nodes upstream are
selected.
Hint: You can select
multiple branches without clearing the selection.
To turn intermediate results on or off
for a node:
- Click the orange tab in the lower-right
of the node. The orange tab brightens or darkens to indicate results
are, respectively, on or off for the node. See
Caching.
NoteYou can also turn
intermediate results on/off for anode by selecting the node and
clicking the IR button in the Tool Options area.
To set a context point on a node:
- Press the number of the context point
you want to set and click the node on which you want the context
point, or right-click the node and select Context # (Set). For example,
to set context point 3, press 3 and click the node.
- The number of the context point, preceded
by the letter C (for example C3 for context point 3), appears to
the left of the node name and a broken green line appears around
the center of the node.
NoteIf you set more than
one context point on a node, the numbers of all context points set
on the node appear after the C. For example, C134 indicates you
set context points 1, 3 and 4 on the node.
To clear a context point on a node:
- Press the number of the context point
you want to clear and click the Schematic background or right-click
the node and select Context # (Remove).
- The context point label (for example
C4 for context point 4) is deleted along with the broken green line
around the center of the node.
To reset a tool node:
- Right-click the tool node you want to
reset and select Reset, or press (for Windows and Linux) or (for Mac OS).
NoteYou can also reset
a node by selecting it and clicking the Reset button in the Tool
options area.
To cut, copy or paste one or more nodes:
- Select the node(s) you want to cut or
copy.
- Then, do one of two things. To cut the
node(s), right-click one of the selected nodes and select Cut, or
press (for
Windows and Linux) or (for Mac OS). To copy the node(s), right-click one
of the selected nodes and select Copy, or press (for Windows and Linux)
or (for
Mac OS).
- To paste the cut or copied node(s), right-click
outside all nodes and select Paste, or press (for Windows and Linux)
or (for
Mac OS).
To delete one or more nodes:
- Select the node or nodes you want to
delete.
- Then, do one of the following. Either
right-click one of the nodes and select Delete, or press . Or drag a reasonable distance
outside the bottom edge of the Schematic view and release. A garbage
icon will appear to indicate the point at which it is possible to
release the node.
NoteYou can also delete
nodes by selecting then and clicking the Delete button in the Tool
Options area of the tool.
To select all nodes, do one of the following:
- Right-click the Schematic view and
choose Select All.
- Press (for Windows and Linux) or (for Mac OS).
All nodes and connection
lines are selected in the Schematic view.