Plotting window
The Plot Preview function allows you to preview plot files which have been processed by the Process Map function. It is useful to be able to preview the plot files before committing the plot to hardcopy in case errors have been made in preparing the data for the plot or in defining the entities used in the plot.
To run this function: Choose File > Open > Plotting window, or View > Other windows > Plotting window, or Plotting > Plotting window, or...
If necessary the plot may be edited in the Plot Preview module as it provides a number of simple edit functions which permit the insertion, deletion and modification of the various parts of the plot. To assist in the editing of the plot a list of all edit operations is maintained so that in the event of accidental changes the edits may be easily undone.
Another editing aid provided in the Plot Preview module is to be able to make various plot elements visible or invisible to temporarily remove unnecessary clutter from the screen.
The Plot Preview module also permits plot files and clash files to be appended together to make a composite map.
Finally, any changes made to the plot may be saved to a plot file for subsequent processing through the Plot Driver function prior to sending the resultant file to a plotter.
Note: :Plot Preview is not exact with the sizing and placement of text on the screen.
There may be small discrepancies between the images displayed by Plot Preview and hardcopy plots due to these minor errors.
This is particularly noticeable when doing a "symbol in field" plot.
There are also some minor known issues with fonts and the plot previewer.
Display/Hide
The Plot Preview module has certain controls which can be used to enhance the process of editing and viewing the plot. These controls permit you to temporarily make certain aspects of the plot visible or invisible at will.
The following different types of data may be present on a plot. These are:
- colour fill - strings and segments plotted as colour filled polygons
- images - images loaded from raster image files or generated by Autoplot
- lines - including grid lines, title block construction lines, normal plotting lines and lines comprising a polygon fill pattern
- Page Borders - this shows the size of the page, and the plot positioning in relation to the page. The page border cannot be moved, changed, or selected, but can be toggled on and off. It is there for reference only, and is invaluable when appending plots together.
- special symbols - any special symbols either plotted to denote some special feature or plotted as part of a title block
- text - any text whether it be in a title block, grid annotations, note files or text plotted from a string file
- tables - cells pasted from a spreadsheet
Note: Making any of these data types invisible has no effect on the Save Plot function. All data will be saved whether it is visible or not. Page borders are not saved to the plot file regardless of state. If a new plot file is recalled into Plot Preview, the present state of the various visibility options will determine what you can see.
This state information is different for every viewport in Plot Preview. Two viewports viewing the same plot may have different states. For example, one viewport might have lines only drawn, another may be displaying colour fill only. Use the buttons on the viewport title bar to clone viewports of the same plot.
The default state for each of these visibility controls is that all data will be visible. The first time you invoke a visibility control function the appropriate data will become invisible. The second time you invoke the same visibility control function the data will become visible again thus reverting the visibility of the appropriate data to its original state. This change of state effect will occur each time you invoke a visibility control function.
Controls are also provided for the undo function which is available in Plot Preview. The Undo function has an unlimited number of operations which it can remember. You may on occasions wish to flush all of this undo information so that the undo list is empty. The Clear Undo function provides this capability. It flushes the undo information for the currently active viewport only.
Colour Fill
This function changes the state of the visibility of the colour fill polygons included in the plot.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window is open, and it contains a colour fill polygon.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Display / Hide > Colour fill, or...
If colour fill visibility is turned 'on' it is turned 'off', and all colour fill polygons are temporarily erased.
If colour fill visibility is turned 'off' it is turned 'on', and all colour fill polygons are redrawn.
Images
This function changes the state of the visibility of the images included in the plot.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window is open, and it contains an image.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Display / Hide > Images, or...
If image visibility is turned 'on' it is turned 'off' and all images are temporarily erased.
If image visibility is turned 'off' it is turned 'on' and all images are redrawn.
Lines
This function changes the state of the visibility of the lines included in the plot.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window is open, and it contains at least one line — that is, an object of type 'line'.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Display / Hide > Lines, or...
If line visibility is turned 'on' it is turned 'off' and all lines are temporarily erased.
If line visibility is turned 'off' it is turned 'on' and all lines are redrawn.
Page border
This function switches between displaying a full-sized white background in the Plotting window and showing the page border (by cropping the white background to the page border).
Prerequisites: The Plotting window is open.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Display / Hide > Page border, or...
The Plotting window is cropped to the page border, or shown with a full-sized white background.
Symbols
This function changes the state of the visibility of the special symbols included in the plot.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window is open, and it contains at least one symbol.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Display / Hide > Symbols, or...
If special symbol visibility is turned 'on' it is turned 'off', and all special symbols are temporarily erased.
If special symbol visibility is turned 'off' it is turned 'on', and all special symbols are redrawn.
Text
This function changes the state of the visibility of the text included in the plot.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window is open, and it contains some text.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Display / Hide > Text, or...
If text visibility is turned 'on', it is turned 'off', and all text is temporarily erased.
If text visibility is turned 'off', it is turned 'on', and all text is redrawn.
Tables
This command shows or hides tables.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window is open, and it contains at least one table.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Display / Hide > Tables, or...
Tip: To insert a table into a plot, copy some cells from a spreadsheet, and click Create > Table from clipboard to paste the cells into the plot.
Editing Plot Files
Plot Preview contains a number of tools which allow you to change, delete, move and copy selected plot elements. These functions generally require the Select tool to be used to select an element (such as a line or symbol) on screen prior to modifying.
Each of the edit functions are added to the top of the undo stack so that it can be undone in the event of an accidental edit.
Plot Edit Toolbar
The Plot Edit Toolbar provides tools enabling users to modify existing plot elements. By default, the toolbar is presented as shown:
General interaction is achieved via the Orbit view tool, Select Tool, or the Move Tool.
Orbit view tool
This is the default tool used by the Plot Preview module. Using this tool, users may pan around the plot by dragging the mouse whilst holding the left mouse button down.
Select tool
The Select Tool is the main means of editing existing plot elements. Using this tool, users may use the left mouse button to select an existing plot element. Multiple plot elements may be selected by dragging the mouse whilst holding the left mouse button down; doing so will display a etched box, indicating the area where the select tool will apply.
Additionally, users may select additional plot elements to the currently selected objects by holding the CTRL key down and selecting additional plot elements. Note: Users may un-select plot elements by holding Ctrl and using the left mouse button to click on a selected plot element.
Move tool
The Move Tool behaves the same way as the Select Tool, and may be used to select or de-select objects as previously mentioned. The primary function of ths tool however, is to move a selection of plot element(s). Two methods are available to move a plot element(s):
Using the move tool axis:
To move plot elements using the move tool axis, firstly select a plot element using either the Select Tool or Move Tool. An axis will appear in the center of the selection made. Using this axis, users may drag the selection by dragging the axis using the left mouse button. Users can drag either the X or Y axis to ensure that the selection is moved in one direction only. To freely move the selection, drag the center of the axis using the left mouse button.
Left mouse click and dragging:
To move a plot element via dragging whilst holding the left mouse button, firstly activate the Move Tool. With the Move Tool activated,drag an item by holding the left mouse button down and moving the mouse. Note: this method works on single elements only, regardless of the current selection.
Additional Notes
Additionally, users may zoom in and out by dragging the mouse whilst holding the right mouse button down or by using the mouse wheel. This functionality is common to the Orbit view, Select and Movetools.
Create commands
The commands on the Create menu, which are also buttons on the Plot Markup Toolbar, permit you to insert new elements into the plot. Any of the following types of data may be inserted into the plot.
Each of these insert operations will be added to the undo stack to permit later undoing in the event of an accidental insert.
Colour fill
With this function you can insert a new colour fill polygon into the plot. This is done by defining the colour to use, the sequence value, and then using the mouse to digitise each of the points on the polygon.
Prerequisites: A plot is displayed in the Plotting window.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Create > Colour fill, or...
Fields on the Colour Fill Attributes form.
Colour
The colour to be used for the polygon must be entered here. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Complete the Colour Fill Attributes form and choose Apply to display the prompt:
Digitise a point for the new colour fill polygon. Press ESC to close and finish.
While this prompt is displayed use the mouse to digitise successive points to define the new colour fill polygon. The polygon is drawn as the points are digitised.
When all the required points have been digitised press Escape or digitise a point outside the viewport region to finish digitising points and close the polygon.
The new colour fill polygon is inserted into the plot.
Image
With this function you can insert a new image into the plot. This is done by defining the location and file name of the image to use.
Prerequisites: A plot is displayed in the Plotting window.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Create > Image, or...
The following message is displayed.
Point and drag to define the window box
While this prompt is displayed, use the mouse to define the new image location. Two different methods of defining the region of interest are available. The method employed is determined by the window_in_method option in the defaults file. The methods available are:
centre to corner
This permits you to define the centre of the region of interest and then size the box by moving away from the centre of the region.
corner to corner
This permits you to define a corner (lower left or upper right) and then position the box by defining the opposing corner.
In either case, you must position the pointer depending on the method in use and then drag the pointer to define the box to contain the image.
After you have defined the position and size of the image, the Select Image form is displayed.
Fields on the Select image form
Image file name
Specify the name of the image file you wish to add to the plot. Choose Apply to add the image to the plot, or Cancel to cancel the image insertion.
Note: You can insert a .gif image using either a full path or a logical. The other image formats (.png, .bmp, .tif, or .jpg) use an external component to process the image., and you must use an explicit path to insert an image of these formats.
Line
With this function you can insert a new line into the plot. This is done by defining the colour to use and then using the mouse to digitise each of the points on the line.
Prerequisites: A plot is displayed in the Plotting window.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Create > Line, or...
Fields on the Define the Colour of a Line/polygon form.
Colour
The colour to be used for the line must be entered here. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Complete the Define the Colour of a Line/polygon form and choose Apply to display the prompt:
Digitise a point for the new line. Press Escape to finish
While this prompt is displayed use the mouse to digitise successive points to define the new line polygon. The line is drawn as the points are digitised.
When all the required points have been digitised press Escape or digitise a point outside the viewport region to finish digitising points.
The new line is inserted into the plot.
Symbol
With this function you can insert a new special symbol into the plot. This is done by defining the symbol name, colour to use, and symbol size, and then using the mouse to digitise the location for each of the copies of the symbol which are to be inserted into the plot.
Prerequisites: A plot is displayed in the Plotting window.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Create > Symbol, or...
Fields on the Insert Special Symbol form.
Symbol
Choose the special symbol which is to be inserted by selecting from the browser list attached to this field. All symbols (.str files) from the SSI_PLOTTING: directory are contained in the browser list.
Colour
The colour to be used for the symbol must be entered here. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Size (cm)
Enter the size for the symbol. This size is expressed in units of centimetres.
Angle (degrees)
Enter the angle of orientation for the text. An angle of zero means the line along which the text is drawn will be horizontal. The angles increase in an anti-clockwise direction from this position. The anchor point for rotating the text is the first character in the text string.
Complete the Insert Special Symbol form, and choose Apply to display the prompt:
Digitise the location for the new symbol. Press ESC to finish.
While this prompt is displayed, use the mouse to digitise successive points to define the location for the new symbol. At each digitised location, a copy of the symbol is inserted into the plot.
When all the required symbols have been inserted into the plot, press ESC, or digitise a point outside the viewport region to finish.
The special symbols are inserted into the plot.
Text
With this function you can insert a new text item into the plot. This is done by digitising the location for the start position of the text and then defining the text string, colour to use, height of text and text angle.
Prerequisites: A plot is displayed in the Plotting window.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Create > Text, or...
Position the mouse and digitise the starting position for the text which is to be inserted into the plot.
After digitising the location for the text, the Insert Text Symbol form is displayed.
Fields on the Insert Text Symbol form
Text
Enter the text which is to be inserted into the plot. You have the ability to insert multi-line text by entering a carriage return where you require a line break to occur. Note that due to limitations with the plot drivers, the maximum length of a single line is 250 characters. You can also use the cut and paste facility to paste text into this field.
Colour
The colour to be used for the text must be entered here. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Font options
Name
Select the font name.
Bold
Check this box for bold text.
Italic
Check this box for text in italics.
Underline
Check this box for underlined text.
Height (cm)
Enter the height for the text. This height is expressed in units of centimetres.
Note: There are some minor known issues with fonts and the plot previewer.
Angle (degrees)
Enter the orientation angle for the baseline along which the text will be drawn. An angle of zero means the line along which the text is drawn will be horizontal. The angles increase in an anti-clockwise direction from this position. The anchor point for rotating the text is the point which was digitised using the mouse.
Complete the Insert Text Symbol form and choose Apply to insert the text into the plot.
The new text is inserted into the plot.
Capped Line
With this function, you can insert a new capped line into the plot. This is done by defining the colour to use, a start symbol, an end symbol, and then using the mouse to digitise each of the points on the capped line.
Prerequisites: A plot is displayed in the Plotting window.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Create > Capped line, or...
Fields on the Define the Colour and caps of a Line form.
Line Colour
The colour to be used for the capped line must be entered here. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Start of Line Symbol
This symbol will appear at the first point of the digitised line, this symbol is optional.
Symbol
Choose the special symbol which is to be inserted by selecting from the browser list attached to this field. All symbols (.str files) from the SSI_PLOTTING: directory are contained in the browser list.
Size(cm)
Enter the size for the symbol. This size is expressed in units of centimetres.
Fill Symbol?
If the selected symbol is 'closed', it is filled with the selected line colour.
End of Line Symbol
This symbol will appear at the end point of the digitised line, this symbol is optional.
Symbol
Choose the special symbol which is to be inserted by selecting from the browser list attached to this field. All symbols (.str files) from the SSI_PLOTTING: directory are contained in the browser list.
Size(cm)
Enter the size for the symbol. This size is expressed in units of centimetres.
Fill Symbol?
If the selected symbol is 'closed', it is filled with the selected line colour.
Complete the Define the Colour and Caps of a Line form and choose Apply to display the prompt:
Digitise a point for the new line. Press ESC to finish.
While this prompt is displayed use the mouse to digitise successive points to define the new capped line. The line is drawn as the points are digitised.
When all the required points have been digitised press Escape or digitise a point outside the viewport region to finish digitising points.
The new capped line is inserted into the plot.
Labelled Capped Line
With this function you can insert a new labelled capped line into the plot. This is done by defining the colour to use, a start symbol, an end symbol, and then using the mouse to digitise each of the points on the labelled capped line.
Prerequisites: A plot is displayed in the Plotting window.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Create > Labelled capped line, or...
After the line has been created, you are prompted to define a text string. This text string is positioned at the last point of the line.
Fields on the Define Label Parameters form
Line Colour
The colour to be used for the labelled capped line must be entered here. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Start of Line Symbol
This symbol will appear at the first point of the digitised line, this symbol is optional.
Symbol
Choose the special symbol which is to be inserted by selecting from the browser list attached to this field. All symbols (.str files) from the SSI_PLOTTING: directory are contained in the browser list.
Size(cm)
Enter the size for the symbol. This size is expressed in units of centimetres.
Fill Symbol?
If the selected symbol is 'closed', it is filled with the selected line colour.
End of Line Symbol
This symbol will appear at the end point of the digitised line, this symbol is optional.
Symbol
Choose the special symbol which is to be inserted by selecting from the browser list attached to this field. All symbols (.str files) from the SSI_PLOTTING: directory are contained in the browser list.
Size(cm)
Enter the size for the symbol. This size is expressed in units of centimetres.
Fill Symbol?
If the selected symbol is 'closed', it is filled with the selected line colour.
Complete the Define the Colour and Caps of a Line form and choose Apply to display the prompt:
Digitise a point for the new line. Press Escape to finish
While this prompt is displayed use the mouse to digitise successive points to define the new capped line. The line is drawn as the points are digitised.
When all the required points have been digitised press ESC, or digitise a point outside the viewport region to finish digitising points.
After digitising the line, the Insert Text Symbol form is displayed.
Fields on the Insert Text Symbol form
Text
Enter the text which is to be inserted into the plot. You have the ability to insert multi line text by entering a carriage return where you require a line break to occur. Note that due to limitations with the plot drivers, the maximum length of a single line is 250 characters. You can also use the cut and paste facility to paste text into this field.
Colour
The colour to be used for the text must be entered here. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Font options
Name
Select the font name.
Bold
Check this box for bold text.
Italic
Check this box for text in italics.
Underline
Check this box for underlined text.
Height (cm)
Enter the height for the text. This height is expressed in units of centimetres.
Note:There are some minor known issues with fonts and the plot previewer.
Angle (degrees)
Enter the orientation angle for the baseline along which the text will be drawn. An angle of zero means the line along which the text is drawn will be horizontal. The angles increase in an anti-clockwise direction from this position. The anchor point for rotating the text is the point which was digitised using the mouse.
Complete the Insert Text Symbol form and choose Apply to insert the text into the plot.
The new capped line is inserted into the plot.
Ruler
With this function you can insert a new ruler into the plot. This is done by defining the colour, text, decimal places, units, font options, start and end symbols, and then digitising two points using the mouse.
Prerequisites: A plot is displayed in the Plotting window.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Create > Ruler, or...
Fields on the Define Ruler Parameters form
Text
The text label for the ruler must be entered here. This text will appear above the measurement, in the center of the ruler. This field is optional.
Units
The units for this ruler must be selected here. The units available are dependant on the Data Units option used to generate the plot (either Metric or Imperial).
Decimal Places
The decimal places for this ruler must be entered here. This value determines the number of decimal places the ruler will present, this field will return '0' if left blank.
Line Colour
The colour to be used for the ruler must be entered here. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Font options
Name
Select the font name, this font will be applied to the text, units and measurement text.
Bold
Check this box for bold text, this font will be applied to the text, units and measurement text.
Italic
Check this box for text in italics, this font will be applied to the text, units and measurement text.
Underline
Check this box for underlined text, this font will be applied to the text, units and measurement text.
Height (cm)
Enter the height for the text, this height is expressed in units of centimetres. This font will be applied to the text, units and measurement text.
Note:There are some minor known issues with fonts and the plot previewer.
Start of Line Symbol
This symbol will appear at the first point of the digitised ruler line, this symbol is optional.
Symbol
Choose the special symbol which is to be inserted by selecting from the browser list attached to this field. All symbols (.str files) from the SSI_PLOTTING: directory are contained in the browser list.
Size(cm)
Enter the size for the symbol. This size is expressed in units of centimetres.
Fill Symbol?
If the selected symbol is 'closed', it is filled with the selected ruler colour.
End of Line Symbol
This symbol will appear at the end point of the digitised ruler line, this symbol is optional.
Symbol
Choose the special symbol which is to be inserted by selecting from the browser list attached to this field. All symbols (.str files) from the SSI_PLOTTING: directory are contained in the browser list.
Size(cm)
Enter the size for the symbol. This size is expressed in units of centimetres.
Fill Symbol?
If the selected symbol is 'closed', it is filled with the selected ruler colour.
Scale Options
Note: These options should only be modified when modifying a plot from an earlier version of Surpac. Such plots do not contain scale information required by the Ruler Tool and will require the user to define the needed data.
Modify plot scale options
Enable this check box to access the Scale Options.
X Scale
Define the X scale of this plot. This value is automatically set by Surpac. Earlier versions of Surpac (before v6.0) will not set this value in plot files, users must set this value manually should this be the case. Note: It is highly recommended that this value is not modified when used with plot files generated by this version of Surpac.
Y Scale
Define the Y scale of this plot. This value is automatically set by Surpac. Earlier versions of Surpac (before v6.0) will not set this value in plot files, users must set this value manually should this be the case. Note: It is highly recommended that this value is not modified when used with plot files generated by this version of Surpac.
Data Units
Define the data units, or unit type, for this plot. This value is automatically set by Surpac. Earlier versions of Surpac (before v6.0) will not set this value in plot files, users must set this value manually should this be the case. Note: It is highly recommended that this value is not modified when used with plot files generated by this version of Surpac.
Complete the Define Ruler Parameters form and choose Applyto display the prompt:
Digitise a point for the new line. Press Escape to finish
While this prompt is displayed use the mouse to digitise 2 points to define the new ruler. The ruler is drawn as the points are digitised.
If only one point is digitised and the escape key is pressed, the ruler function is cancelled.
Table from clipboard
You can use this command to paste cells that you have copied from a Microsoft Excel™ file, into your plot. You can also copy most types of text from Word files, HTML files, and many other file formats. You are prompted to digitise the lower left corner of the table in the plot. You can insert the same table multiple times. Press ESC to finish inserting tables.
Prerequisites: A plot is displayed in the Plotting window.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose Create > Table from clipboard, or...
Notes:
- The table is a single object that you can move, delete, display, hide, group or ungroup.
- If you output the table to another DWF viewer, such as DraftSight or an Autodesk viewer, the table is presented as lines and text.
Fields on the form
Colour. The colour and thickness of the text - that is the pen number.
Portrait mode. Rotates the table cells 90 degrees.
Use font styles from spreadsheet. This option allows you to manually specify the font and formatting of the text in the table, or to use the font and formatting already applied to the cells in the spreadsheet.
Name. The name of the system font to use for the text in the table.
Bold, Italic, and Underline. The character formatting to apply to the text in the table.
Text height (cm). The height of the text in the table.
Properties Panel
The properties panel is used to modify the attributes of the selected plot element(s). Should different types of elements be selected, shared attributes can be set to those that they apply to. For example, should the user select a lineand text, the pen colour can be set for both elements simultaneously, because both elements share that attribute.
To use the properties panel, make sure it is visible. By default it can be accessed by clicking on the "Selection Properties" tab which is attached to the file navigator tab.
Lines
Pen
The colour of the selected line or colour fill polygon is displayed as the default value. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Text
Pen
The colour of the selected line or colour fill polygon is displayed as the default value. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Text
The selected text is displayed as the default value. This may be changed as required to suit your needs. You have the ability to insert multi line text by entering a carriage return where you require a line break to occur. You can also use the cut and paste facility to paste text into this field.
Note that due to limitations with the plot drivers the maximum length of a single line is 250 characters and the maximum length of an entire multiline text area is 9999 characters. If you require more than 9999 characters insert another multiline text symbol after the first one.
Font
Select the font name.
Bold
Check this box for bold text.
Italic
Check this box for text in italics.
Underline
Check this box for underlined text.
Height
The height of the selected text element is displayed as the default value. This height is expressed in units of centimetres. Change the height of the text to suit your requirements.
Note:There are some minor known issues with fonts and the plot previewer.
Angle
Enter the angle of orientation for the text. An angle of zero means the line along which the text is drawn will be horizontal. The angles increase in an anti-clockwise direction from this position. The anchor point for rotating the text is the first character in the text string.
Symbols
Pen
The colour of the selected special symbol is displayed as the default value. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Size
The size of the selected special symbol is displayed as the default value. This size is expressed in units of centimetres. Change the size of the special symbol to suit your requirements.
Angle
Enter the angle of orientation for the text. An angle of zero means the line along which the text is drawn will be horizontal. The angles increase in an anti-clockwise direction from this position. The anchor point for rotating the text is the first character in the text string.
Filled
Presents "True" if the selected symbol is filled, this field is non-editable.
Capped Lines
Pen
The colour of the selected special symbol is displayed as the default value. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Start Symbol
Size
The size of the selected special symbol is displayed as the default value. This size is expressed in units of centimetres. Change the size of the special symbol to suit your requirements.
Filled
Presents "True" if the this capped line's start symbol is filled, this field is non-editable.
End Symbol
Size
The size of the selected special symbol is displayed as the default value. This size is expressed in units of centimetres. Change the size of the special symbol to suit your requirements.
Filled
Presents "True" if the this capped line's end symbol is filled, this field is non-editable.
Labels
Pen
The colour of the selected label is displayed as the default value. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Label Text
Text
The selected text is displayed as the default value. This may be changed as required to suit your needs. You have the ability to insert multi line text by entering a carriage return where you require a line break to occur. You can also use the cut and paste facility to paste text into this field.
Note that due to limitations with the plot drivers the maximum length of a single line is 250 characters and the maximum length of an entire multiline text area is 9999 characters. If you require more than 9999 characters insert another multiline text symbol after the first one.
Font
Select the font name.
Bold
Check this box for bold text.
Italic
Check this box for text in italics.
Underline
Check this box for underlined text.
Height
The height of the selected text element is displayed as the default value. This height is expressed in units of centimetres. Change the height of the text to suit your requirements.
Note:There are some minor known issues with fonts and the plot previewer.
Angle
Enter the angle of orientation for the text. An angle of zero means the line along which the text is drawn will be horizontal. The angles increase in an anti-clockwise direction from this position. The anchor point for rotating the text is the first character in the text string.
Start Symbol
Size
The size of the selected special symbol is displayed as the default value. This size is expressed in units of centimetres. Change the size of the special symbol to suit your requirements.
Filled
Presents "True" if the this capped line's start symbol is filled, this field is non-editable.
End Symbol
Size
The size of the selected special symbol is displayed as the default value. This size is expressed in units of centimetres. Change the size of the special symbol to suit your requirements.
Filled
Presents "True" if the this capped line's start symbol is filled, this field is non-editable.
Rulers
Pen
The colour of the selected ruler is displayed as the default value. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Ruler Text
Text
The selected text is displayed as the default value. This may be changed as required to suit your needs. You have the ability to insert multi line text by entering a carriage return where you require a line break to occur. You can also use the cut and paste facility to paste text into this field.
Note that due to limitations with the plot drivers the maximum length of a single line is 250 characters and the maximum length of an entire multiline text area is 9999 characters. If you require more than 9999 characters insert another multiline text symbol after the first one.
Unit Text
Units
The units for this ruler must be selected here. The units available are dependant on the Data Units option used to generate the plot (either Metric or Imperial).
Decimal Places
The number of decimal places that this ruler's measurement will display
Font Options
Font
Select the font name, this font will be applied to the text, units and measurement text.
Height
The height of the selected text element is displayed as the default value. This height is expressed in units of centimetres. Change the height of the text to suit your requirements.
Note:There are some minor known issues with fonts and the plot previewer.
Bold
Set to "True" for bold text.
Italic
Set to "True" for text in italics.
Underline
Set to "True" for underlined text.
Angle
Enter the angle of orientation for the text. An angle of zero means the line along which the text is drawn will be horizontal. The angles increase in an anti-clockwise direction from this position. The anchor point for rotating the text is the first character in the text string.
Start Symbol
Size
The size of the selected special symbol is displayed as the default value. This size is expressed in units of centimetres. Change the size of the special symbol to suit your requirements.
Filled
Presents "True" if the this capped line's start symbol is filled, this field is non-editable.
End Symbol
Size
The size of the selected special symbol is displayed as the default value. This size is expressed in units of centimetres. Change the size of the special symbol to suit your requirements.
Filled
Presents "True" if the this capped line's start symbol is filled, this field is non-editable.
Colour Fills
Pen
The colour of the selected colour fill is displayed as the default value. The only colours which may be used are those available by choosing the browser icon attached to this field. This is because there is a direct relationship between the colours and the pen numbers on the plotter.
Images
X Postition
X offset from lower left corner (mm).
Y Position
Y offset from lower left corner (mm).
Width
The width of the image on the plot in mm.
Height
The height of the image on the plot in mm.
Maintain aspect ratio:
Set to "True" if you want the size of the image on the plot to have the same ratio of width to height (aspect ratio) as the image itself. The first time the this is set to true, the height of the image will on the plot be adjusted to give the correct ratio. Once set to true, as you edit the width or height of the image, the other dimension will be altered to maintain the aspect ratio.
Groups
Group Name
The name of this group. Group names must be unique, a non unique group name is not valid.
Details
Item Count
The number of plot elements in this group, this number includes all subgroups. This field is non-editable.
Editable
If set to False, the group cannot be modified in any way or deleted. Groups created by the user are editable by default.
This property is also modifiable via the right-click menu when 1 or more groups are selected.
VIEW
Pan Plot
This function provides a pan capability in the Plotting window. The pan capability allows you to define a lateral displacement graphically by using the mouse. The screen view of the data is displaced by the amount defined.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window.is open.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose View > Pan view, or...
Select the start point and drag.
Position the pointer in the viewing region, press a mouse button and drag the pointer with the mouse button still depressed until the desired amount of displacement has been achieved. At this point release the mouse button. A line which shows the amount of displacement is displayed continuously until the mouse button is released.
Note: This function remains active until you press ESC.
When the mouse button is released the screen image is refreshed with the requested displacement.
Window In
This function provides a dynamic window-magnify capability for the plot preview function. This is to allow selective enlargement of portions of the displayed map area.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window.is open.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose View > Window in, or...
Point and drag to define the window box.
Two different methods of defining the region of interest are available. The method employed is determined by the window_in_method option in the defaults file. The methods available are:
centre to corner
This permits you to define the centre of the region of interest and then size the box by moving away from the centre of the region.
corner to corner
This permits you to define a corner (lower left or upper right) and then position the box by defining the opposing corner.
In either case, you must position the pointer depending on the method in use and then drag the pointer to define the area to be enlarged.
If the window box which you define does not have the same ratio of width to height as the plot preview viewport the data will be displayed in the window box in such a manner that the scale remains un-distorted.
Note: This function remains active until you press the Escape key.
The selected area of the plot is re-displayed at a larger size.
Window Out
This function allows you to alter the view to the way it was before the last Window In was executed.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window.is open.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose View > Window out, or...
When Window Out is chosen the plot is re-displayed exactly as it was before the last Window In. The next Window Out will redisplay the screen as it was prior to the previous Window In. If Window In has not been previously chosen, then nothing will happen.
Zoom In
This function magnifies the view which is displayed by a factor of 2. The data which is displayed in the centre of the viewing area is increased in size.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window.is open.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose View > Zoom in, or...
The view is magnified by a factor of 2.
Zoom Out
This function reduces the view which is displayed by a factor of 2. This is useful if you want to decrease the size of the data which is displayed in the centre of the screen.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window.is open.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose View > Zoom out, or...
The view is reduced by a factor of 2.
Zoom All
This function allows you to reset the view to its size when the plot file was recalled.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window.is open.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose View > Zoom all, or...
The view is restored to its initial state when the plot file was recalled.
Prev Page
This function will take you to the previous page in a multiple page plot file. You can create a multiple page plot file using the GRAPHICAL DRILLHOLE LOGS function. Multiple page plots can be viewed one page at a time, with the current page number displayed in the viewport header.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window.is open.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose View > Previous page of plot, or...
The page number is determined by the viewport, and as such, two viewports can be viewing two different pages of the same plot.
Next Page
This function will take you to the next page in a multiple page plot file. You can create a multiple page plot file using the GRAPHICAL DRILLHOLE LOGS function. Multiple page plots can be viewed one page at a time, with the current page number displayed in the viewport header.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window.is open.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose View > Next page of plot, or...
The page number is determined by the viewport, and as such, two viewports can be viewing two different pages of the same plot.
Exit
This function will cause you to exit from Plot Preview.
Prerequisites: The Plotting window.is open.
To run this function: In the Plotting window, choose File > Close, or...
If modifications have been made to the plot and it has not yet been saved, the Plot Modified form is displayed.
This form is displayed to advise you that if you continue and exit from Plot Preview, the modifications which you have made to the plot will be lost.
Choose Yes to save the plot and exit from Plot Preview. Choose No to exit without saving (and lose all modifications to the plot, or choose Cancel if you wish to stay in Plot Preview so that you can save the changes before exiting.
If you choose Cancel, the Plot Preview module remains active to permit you to continue editing or to save the changes which have been made.