Contents
Manual for OGL Studio

by Julian Smart

Contents

Welcome to OGL Studio

Read Me

Working with the diagram window

Menu commands

Toolbar commands

Dialogs

How To


Welcome to OGL Studio

Welcome to OGL Studio, an extended sample for the Object Graphics Library.

For release information, please see the Read Me section.


Read Me

Change log

Bugs


Working with the diagram window

This section describes how you work in the diagram window.

In addition, you may wish to refer to the following sections:

How To

Using Menu Commands

Using Toolbar Commands

When you first run OGL Studio, there is a menubar, a single toolbar with commonly-used functionality such as loading and saving, a project window to the left, and an MDI (Multiple Document Interface) area to the right, which will contain documents.

Creating a diagram

Basic editing

Adding text

Aligning objects

Adding segments to lines and straightening them

Undo/Redo

Loading and saving files

Copy and paste

Keyboard shortcuts


Menu commands

This section describes the menu commands.

File

Edit

Window

Help


Toolbar commands

This section describes the commands associated with the various toolbars and diagram palette.

Main toolbar

Diagram formatting toolbar

Diagram palette


Dialogs

To be written.


How To

Create a new object


Change log

Version 1, February 7th, 1999

First release.


Bugs

There are no known bugs.


Creating a diagram

To create a new diagram, click on "File|New" or the New tool.

A blank document and two new toolbars will appear. The first new toolbar is the diagramming formatting toolbar, and contains icons and controls for:

alignment and size cloning;

arrow toggling;

point size;

zoom level.

The second new toolbar is called the diagram palette and contains:

a pointer tool used for selecting, moving and sizing objects;

a text tool used for editing text or creating new text boxes;

a tool for each of the symbols.


Basic editing

To add a symbol, left-click on the symbol in the diagram palette, and then left-click on the document. The currently selected tool will revert to the pointer tool, so to add another object, click on the symbol again, then on the document.

To draw a line between two objects, right-drag between the two objects, starting at the attachment point area you wish to start the line with, and ending at another appropriate attachment point area. The initial ordering of the lines may not be correct (lines may overlap, for example) so to reorder lines on a particular side of a object, select a line, then left-drag the desired end to a new position (tip: keep within the object perimeter). Left-dragging the line end can also be used to change the attachment point of that end of the line, to a new side or vertex (depending on the object).

To select or deselect a object, left click the object. To select several objects at once, keep the shift key pressed down when left-clicking, or left-drag a 'lassoo' around several objects.

To delete a object or line, select it and press the Delete key, or use "Edit|Clear", or right-click on the object to show a menu and choose the "Cut" item.

If you are deleting a object which has one ore more lines attached, the lines are deleted prior to the object deletion.

Shapes can be rotated by right-clicking and selecting "Rotate clockwise" or "Rotate anticlockwise".

Line arrows can be added (pointing in the direction in which you created the line) by selecting the line and pressing the "Toggle arrow" tool on the formatting toolbar.


Adding text

Select the text tool (on the symbol palette) and left-click on a object. If you click outside a object on the document, you are prompted to add a new free-floating text box.

Alternatively, you can select a object and press Return (or select the "Edit|Edit label" menu item); or right-click and select "Edit label" from the object menu.

Change the point size using the combobox on the formatting toolbar.


Aligning objects

Select several objects and click on an alignment tool on the formatting toolbar. The alignment will be done with respect to the first object you select. You can also copy the size of a object to other objects with the "Copy size" tool.


Adding segments to lines and straightening them

To make a line have more than one segment, select the line, then press the "New line point" tool. Create as many new control points (and therefore segments) as you like. Then arrange the points into a rough approximation of how they should be laid out horizontally and vertically. Click on "Straighten lines" to tidy up the layout.

To delete a line control point, select the line and click on "Cut line point" tool. An arbitrary point will be deleted.


Undo/Redo

Every operation can be undone, and then redone, back until the time at which you last saved your document. Use "Edit|Undo" and "Edit|Redo"; or the shortcuts Ctrl-Z and Ctrl-Y.


Loading and saving files

Load and save files using the main toolbar, or "File|Open...", "File|Save", "File|Save As..." menu items.


Copy and paste

OGL Studio has a diagram clipboard, into which you can copy selections. You can then paste the contents of clipboard into the same or another diagram window.

Use "Edit|Copy" (or the toolbar copy button) to copy the selection. Use "Edit|Cut" (or the toolbar cut button) to copy and then delete the selection. Use "Edit|Paste" (or the toolbar paste button) to copy the selection to the current diagram window.

Under Windows, copy and cutting also copies the selection to the Windows clipboard into metafile (vector) format, and Windows bitmap format. Note that not all Windows applications can accept the vector format. If the application seems to be pasting the wrong format into the document, try using that application's "Edit|Paste Special..." menu item, if one exists.


Keyboard shortcuts

The following keyboard shortcuts are available. Note: The OGL Studio menus indicate which shortcuts are available.

Delete	Clear selected object(s)

Enter	Edit text for selected object

Ctrl-A	Select all

Ctrl-C	Copy the selection to the clipboard

Ctrl-D	Duplicate the selection

Ctrl-O	Open a diagram

Ctrl-N	Create a new diagram

Ctrl-P	Print (not implemented)

Ctrl-S	Save the diagram file without prompting

Ctrl-V	Paste the selection

Ctrl-W	Close the current window

Ctrl-X	Cut the selection

Ctrl-Z	Undo last action

Ctrl-Y	Redo current action on the undo stack

Ctrl-Enter	Confirm the label editing operation (dismisses the dialog)

Esc	Cancel the label editing dialog

F1	Invoke the manual

F12	Save the diagram file, prompting for a filename


File

New...	Creates a new diagram window.

Open...	Opens a diagram file.

Close	Closes the current window.

Save	Saves the current diagram without prompting.

Save As...	Saves the current diagram, prompting for a filename.

Print...	Prints the current diagram (not implemented).

Print Setup...	Invokes the printer setup dialog.

Print Preview	Invokes print preview for this diagram (not implemented).

Exit	Exits the program.

Further menu items appended to the end of the File menu allow you to load previously-saved diagram files quickly.


Edit

Undo	Undoes the previous action.

Redo	Redoes the previously undone action.

Cut	Deletes the current selection and places it on the clipboard.

Copy	Copies the current selection onto the clipboard, both to the internal diagram clipboard and under Windows, to the Windows clipboard, in metafile and bitmap formats.

Paste	Pastes from the internal diagram clipboard to the currently active window.

Duplicate	Duplicates the current selection, placing the objects further down and to the right.

Clear	Clears the current selection without placing it on the clipboard.

Select All	Selects all objects.

Edit Label...	Invokes a dialog to edit the label of the currently selected object.


Window

The Window menu is shown when one or more child window is active.

Cascade	Arranges the child windows in a cascade.

Tile	Arranges the child windows in a tiled formation.

Arrange Icons	Arranges the minimized icons.

Next	Activates the next MDI window.

Further menu items appended to the end of the Window menu allow you to restore and activate any child window.


Help

Help Contents	Invokes the on-line help, showing the contents page.

About	Displays a small dialog giving copyright and version information.


Main toolbar

The main toolbar is active all the time, with buttons greyed out if not appropriate to the current context.

New Creates a new diagram window.

Open Opens a diagram file.

Save Saves the current diagram without prompting.

Print Prints the current diagram (not implemented).

Copy Copies the current selection onto the internal clipboard, and under Windows, into the Windows clipboard in metafile and bitmap formats.

Cut Deletes the current selection and puts it on the clipboard.

Paste Pastes the contents of the internal diagram clipboard onto the current diagram window.

Undo Undoes the last command.

Redo Redoes the last command.

Help button Invokes on-line help.


Diagram formatting toolbar

The diagram toolbar is visible only when a diagram window is active.

Align left Aligns the selected objects to the left side of the last selection.

Align right Aligns the selected objects to the right side of the last selection.

Align top Aligns the selected objects to the top side of the last selection.

Align bottom Aligns the selected objects to the bottom side of the last selection.

Align horizontally Aligns the selected objects to be centered horizontally with respect to the last selection.

Align vertically Aligns the selected objects to be centered vertically with respect to the last selection.

Copy size Makes the selected objects the same size as the last selection.

Line arrow Toggles an arrow on or off for the selected objects.

New point Inserts a control point into the selected line(s).

Cut point Deletes a control point from the selected line(s).

Straighten Straightens line segments that are nearly horizontal or vertical.

Point size Allows selection of the point size for the current selection.

Zoom control Allows selection of the zoom level for the current diagram.


Diagram palette

The diagram palette is visible only when a diagram window is active. It contains the tools for adding objects and text to a diagram.

Pointer tool Click on this to allow dragging and selection of objects.

Text tool Click on this, then click on objects or the diagram background to edit object or free-floating text labels.

The other tools on this palette represent demo objects.

To place an object on a diagram, click on its symbol, then left-click on the diagram. You will need to click on the palette symbol each time you wish to create an object, since the palette selection reverts to the pointer tool after each object is created.


Create a new object

Create a new diagram window if you have not already. Then:

Left-click on the required object on the palette, then left-click on the diagram window.