Plots window context menus

For more general information on the Plots window, see Window Overview: Plots.

The Plots window features a context-menu system to allow you to perform specific operations on window items using the right-click mouse operation. In general, there are two different versions of context menu in this area:

In Page Layout Mode : if Page Layout Mode is active (you can toggle the status of this mode by activating theManageribbon and enabling theLayout Modetoggle whilst in the Plots window), the context menu that is presented will allow you to configure individual plot items, including projections of data. More...
In Static Mode: if page layout mode is inactive, the sheet in view is referred to as 'static'. Whilst in static mode, you will have access to general sheet-level settings that will affect the presentation as a whole. More...

Page Layout Mode Context Menus

If Page Layout Mode is active, you can right-click any area of interest within the current sheet to display a context-sensitive menu. The contents of this menu will vary depending on the type of object that is currently selected (e.g. if a Clip Art plot item is selected, you will be able to rotate and flip it, whereas if a Projection is selected, you will be able to scale and pan the underlying data and view.

The following list represents all possible right-click menu items when page layout mode is active:

Dynamic Projection Field Details

3D Projection... (3D projection types only): expand to show the following options:

Copy From: copy the current view definition from any 3D view (using the Copy From dialog) or a loaded 3D section definition. This will update the current projection.
Copy To: copy the projection's view definition to the primary 3D view. This will update the primary 3D view, and where a plot sheet contains a 3D Overlay Group, introduce a section (and make it active) that mimics the "Section line" plot item definition. This "Section line" 3D window section can be used to further update the view in 3D and, if required, transfer edited information back to a new plot sheet projection.

Static Projection Field Details

Projection... (section and plan projection types only): this is valid only if a data projection window is selected. It cascades the following commands that allow you to modify the contents of the selected item:

Update from 3D: select this option to update the current view with information current for the 3D window. You have two choices:

Update from 3D View: update the current view projection to include the current data displayed in the 3D window, and to mimic the view direction shown there.
Update from 3D Section: similar to the above option, but this time display the loaded/displayed 3D window data using a projection plane that is orthogonal to the currently active 3D section.

Any Project Type Field Details

The following options are available to both static and dynamic plot projections:

View Settings: opens the View Settings dialog, allowing you to edit the view direction for the selected projection window. More...
Scale: scale the view of the data held within the selected projection using the Automatic (Fit all Data), Increase, Decrease, Custom, Area and Lock options. These are the same options as found in the Plot Viewribbon's drop-downScalemenu. More...
Pan: pan the data shown inside the projection window along an orthogonal plane, either using the Up, Down, Left and Right options, or by setting the view position with cursor movement. These commands are also found in the Pangroup of thePlot Viewribbon. More...
Exaggeration: exaggerate the data view (stretch the view without affecting underlying data object values). These commands are also found in the Plot Viewribbon'sView | Exaggeratemenu.
Direction: change the view direction to a preset direction (e.g. North-South) or select a view direction interactively using this series of commands. These are identical to the options found in the Plot Viewribbon'sViewcommand group. More...
Section: perform section-related commands. This is a context-sensitive copy of the Section drop-down menu. More...

#ITEM# Properties...: the result of clicking this option will depend on the type of item that is active. For example, in the case of a projection view, a Properties window is displayed that will permit you to modify various aspects of the view (see Projection Properties Dialog for more information). If a plot item is in focus, the dialog that is displayed will depend on the type of plot item in question (a North Arrow will display the North Arrow Properties dialog, for example). Find out more about Plot items...

The Properties window is the only example of a context-sensitive menu that is available in both Page Layout and Static modes.

Select...: this context menu will contain a list of all selectable items that are immediately 'below' the cursor at the point the parent menu was opened. Note that only visible items will be selectable (if they have been disabled in the Sheets control bar or other mechanism, they will not be listed). Items are arranged in the correct drawing order, with the topmost item representing the data that is 'on top' of every other, e.g.:

Insert...: to insert a new Plot Item "into" the currently selected object, this is the option to use. Note that once an item is added in this hierarchical manner, it will always be associated with the parent item. This means that if the parent item is deleted, all child objects will also be removed.

Copy...: copies the currently selected item to the clipboard (the name of the item being copied is also shown). Note that plot objects can only be pasted into compatible areas. For example, if a Clip Art item is copied, you will not be able to paste it 'into' a projection item as the projection in a plots window is a view of underlying 3D data in memory (and clip art is a standalone 2D presentation component).

Paste...: If the selected object is capable of 'receiving' a copied item. If a plot item has been copied, you will only be able to paste this at 'sheet level', as plot items are standalone components of a presentation sheet. This is achieved by clicking somewhere near the margin of the sheet in question, so that the entire page is selected - and then pasting the copied item

Paste Format: this option allows you to substitute all of the properties of the copied plot item with the one selected for pasting.

Paste Special...: selectively assign aspects for copying to the selected plot object. All distinct aspects of a copied item are available, and each can be enabled or disabled at will. For example, if you wish to force a particular projection item to mimic the height and width values of the copied projection item, you can use Paste Special command. The resulting dialog allows you to decide which of the original data properties you wish to duplicate - continuing the height and width example, you can expand the [Position] item to reveal the following options:

Selecting both [Width] and [Height] check boxes will transform the selected item to match the same dimensions as the original.

Please note that the contents of the Paste Special dialog will mimic the fields shown in the Properties control bar entries for the copied item.

Move: the selected plot object will become 'attached' to the cursor with this command; move the cursor (and highlighted border) of the selected item to the required position and click to set the final position.

Resize: once selected, you can drag the size of the resulting rectangle until it is of the correct dimensions. A subsequent click will resize the selected plot object to fit the new boundaries.

Opaque: selecting this option will make the selected projection obscure any projections that fall 'behind' it. If disabled, the background for the selected projection will be transparent, enabling the view of data that is behind it.

Bring to Front: sets the 'visibility' of the item in question; for any plot objects that overlap, this feature allows you to promote the visibility of an item so that it is always drawn last during screen renders. Using an analogy, this would make the selected item the 'top card' in a deck of plot objects.

Send to Back: the opposite of Bring to Front, selecting this option will ensure the selected object is drawn before any other when the sheet is displayed, ensuring any objects that may overlap it will be drawn 'on top' of it.

Wizard: if the selected item supports a wizard-based configuration utility, this option will display the relevant screen(s).

Reset: resets the properties of the selected plot item, undoing all changes made during the current session.

Delete #Object#: remove the selected overlay from the screen - note that this will not affect any data objects in memory; it will simply remove the selected view of a projection or plot item.

Redraw Dynamically: if selected, any changes to the View Settings will force the view of the current sheet to be updated automatically.

Zoom: select a zoom factor for the view of the active sheet - this will not affect the view direction or scale of individual plot items (including projections), and should be seen more as a window magnification function. These options are available in both Page Layout and Static modes.

Layout Mode: you can toggle Page Layout Mode on or off with this option. Note that the menu that is subsequently displayed will be different for each mode (see below for the Static Mode equivalent of the fields listed above).

Static Mode Context Menus

If Page Layout Mode is inactive, the right-click menu that is displayed in the Plots window will be relevant to the active sheet as a whole; settings will be global in this context. The following commands are available:

Insert: allows you to insert a plot object using the same commands as are found in the Insert drop-down menu. More...

Measure: activates Measure mode. This is a useful function that allows you to digitize a 2d line using as many points as are required. Once a point is digitized (and before the cursor is moved again) the distance between it and the initial point is shown in the status bar at the bottom of the screen. More...

Redraw Dynamically: if selected, any changes to the View Settings will force the view of the current sheet to be updated automatically.

Format Display: opens the Format Display dialog, allowing you to edit the appearance of overlays that are currently drawn in the active Sheet. More...

Properties...: the result of clicking this option will depend on the type of item that is active. For example, in the case of a projection view, a Properties window is displayed that will permit you to modify various aspects of the view (see Projection Properties Dialog for more information). If a plot item is in focus, the dialog that is displayed will depend on the type of plot item in question (a North Arrow will display the North Arrow Properties dialog, for example). Find out more about Plot items...

The Properties window is the only example of a context-sensitive menu that is available in both Page Layout and Static modes.