Difference between revisions of "Dashboard Panel"

Latest revision as of 08:41, 2 July 2019

The Dashboard Panel provides a framework on which to load Flowcode components that compliments the System Panel. It is designed to show the representation of abstract components such as dials and meters during simulation.

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The Dashboard Panel

Overview

The Dashboard Panel is opened by selecting it in the View menu. Unlike the System Panel, the Dashboard panel gives only a top-down view of the components. Components are typically designed in the System Panel and then used during programming in the dashboard.

When the dashboard opens, you see a colored workspace. The color is set in the 'General Options'.

Dashboard or System Panel?

To find out more about the differences between the Dashboard and System panel and also recommendations on how to use the two panels for different types of projects please see the article Choosing your Simulation Panel

Differences to the System panel

The Dashboard panel has a Controls toolbar running horizontally across the top. However, these have more limited functionality on the System Panel as the Dashboard is not designed for modelling objects or creating components.

Components can be added to the Dashboard panel from the Components Toolbar as they can to the System Panel. The intent is that this is used for more abstract and non-physical components such as dials and meters, though there is no restriction on what you can add.

These components can then easily remain visible while the camera and any moving objects simulate on the System panel.

The camera on the Dashboard is fixed, unlike the System panel which has full 3D movement.

Users can bring either 2D or 3D shapes onto the Dashboard Panel to create items such as control panels etc. This is done by adding a shape from the top components menu, just as you would a regular component.

Camera control

The Dashboard camera can only pan, it will not rotate. This means the Dashboard always displays a top-down 2D appearance, though in reality it is capable of displaying any 3D object.

See the section Camera Control for more details on manipulating the camera and selecting objects.

Selecting items

Multiple items can be selected:

By holding down the Shift key and then clicking on a number of items, one after the other;
By left-clicking the mouse button and dragging over the items.

They can then be grouped:

By clicking on the 'Group' icon.
By selecting the 'Group' option from the ‘Selection’ menu which appears when you click the right-hand mouse button.

In this way, complex nested structures can be assembled from a number of parts. To ungroup, select the object and then click on the same icon.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[File:dash_panel.jpg|thumb|centre|300px|The Dashboard Panel]]
+The Dashboard Panel provides a framework on which to load Flowcode components that compliments the [[System Panel]]. It is designed to show the representation of abstract components such as dials and meters during simulation.
-The Dashboard Panel provides another framework on which to load Flowcode components.
+[[File:DashboardPanel.png|thumb|right|The Dashboard Panel]]
 __TOC__
 == Overview ==
+[[File:AddShapes.png|right]]
+The Dashboard Panel is opened by selecting it in the View menu. Unlike the [[System Panel]], the Dashboard panel gives only a top-down view of the components. Components are typically designed in the [[System Panel]] and then used during programming in the dashboard.
-[[File:gen_opt_icon.jpg|thumb|50px|right]]
+When the dashboard opens, you see a colored workspace. The color is set in the 'General Options'. [[File:GeneralOptionsIcon.png|border]]
-The Dashboard Panel is opened by selecting it in the View menu. When it opens, you see a colored workspace. <br / >
-The color is set in the [[Panel general options|General Options]]
+===Dashboard or System Panel?===
+To find out more about the differences between the Dashboard and System panel and also recommendations on how to use the two panels for different types of projects please see the article [[Choosing your Simulation Panel|Choosing your Simulation Panel]]
+===Differences to the System panel===
-[[File:three_d_icon.jpg|thumb|50px|right]]
+The Dashboard panel has a '''Controls''' toolbar running horizontally across the top. However, these have more limited functionality on the [[System Panel]] as the Dashboard is not designed for modelling objects or creating components.
+[[Component|Components]] can be added to the Dashboard panel from the [[Tools and Views#3) Components Toolbar|Components Toolbar]] as they can to the System Panel. The intent is that this is used for more abstract and ''non-physical'' components such as dials and meters, though there is no restriction on what you can add.
+These components can then easily remain visible while the [[Camera Control|camera]] and any moving objects simulate on the System panel.
+The camera on the Dashboard is fixed, unlike the System panel which has full 3D movement.
-Unlike the System Panel, the Dashboard Panel gives only a top-down view of the components, though they can be made more lifelike by clicking on the ‘3D view’ icon.
+Users can bring either 2D or 3D shapes onto the Dashboard Panel to create items such as control panels etc. This is done by adding a shape from the top components menu, just as you would a regular component.
-Electronic devices, located in the Components toolbox, can be added to the Dashboard Panel.
-You usually place buttons and other controls on it to ensure that they are always available, even when they are out of sight on the System Panel component because of object or camera rotation.
-When the Dashboard Panel opens, you see a background work area, with a Shapes toolbar running vertically down the left-hand side, and a Controls toolbar running horizontally across the top.
-Multiple items can be selected:
-*by holding down the Shift key and then clicking on a number of items, one after the other;
-*by left-clicking the mouse button and dragging over the items.
-[[File:group_icon.jpg|thumb|50px|right]]
-They can then be grouped:
-*by clicking on the ‘group’ icon.
-*by selecting the ‘Group’ option from the ‘Selection’ option which appears when you click the right-hand mouse button.
-In this way, complex structures can be assembled from a number of parts.
-To ungroup, select the object and then click on the same icon.
+== Camera control ==
+The Dashboard camera can only '''pan''', it will not '''rotate'''. This means the Dashboard always displays a top-down 2D appearance, though in reality it is capable of displaying any 3D object.
-=== The controls ===
+See the section [[Camera Control|Camera Control]] for more details on manipulating the camera and selecting objects.
+==Selecting items==
+Multiple items can be selected:
+* By holding down the '''Shift''' key and then clicking on a number of items, one after the other;
+* By left-clicking the mouse button and dragging over the items.
+They can then be grouped:
+* By clicking on the 'Group' icon. [[File:Gen Panel Object Group 01.png|border]]
+* By selecting the 'Group' option from the ‘Selection’ menu which appears when you click the right-hand mouse button.
-[[File:d_shapes_toolbar.jpg|thumb|30px|right]]
+In this way, complex [[Component Tree|nested structures]] can be assembled from a number of parts.
-==== Shapes toolbar ====
+To ungroup, select the object and then click on the same icon.
-: At the top is a color selector, which configures the color of any shape added to the work area. By clicking on the down-arrow, one of a wide range of colors can be selected.
-: Below it is the text icon. This can be used to 'drag and drop' a single row of alphanumeric characters onto the work area. Afterwards, you can select it, by clicking on it, and configure it using the Properties Panel. In particular, it is initially displayed as “Please change caption.” You can edit the text displayed using the bottom ‘Text’ control on the Properties Panel.
-: The next icon on this toolbar allows you to add a textbox. This adds a two-dimensional array of alphanumeric characters. As before, these can be edited using the ‘Text’ control on the Properties Panel. The ‘Color’ and the ‘Background’ properties allow you to change the color of the text in the textbox, and the background to that text. Other controls allow you to select the character font and size, and the horizontal and vertical alignment of the text within the textbox.
-: The next four icons allow you to add various shapes -  a circle, a rectangle, a rounded rectangle and a line, to the work area. Each takes the colour chosen in the color selector at the top. Each can be configured using the Properties Panel, to determine the position, size and rotation of the shape, for example.
-==== Controls toolbar ====
-The first four controls operate on the size, position and rotation of the component.
-[[File:comp_con.jpg|thumb|200px|centre|Component controls]]
-[[File:pan_icon.jpg|50px|thumb|right]]
-:The left-hand end control allows you to move the selected object around the work area.
-[[File:stretch_icon.jpg|50px|thumb|right]]
-:Moving to the right, the next control allows you to re-position a single point on an item. When you select an object and click on this control, pink ‘handles’ appear on the object. Selecting one of these allows it to be moved to a new position on the work area. The effect is to change the appearance, size or rotation of the object.
-[[File:resize_icon.jpg|50px|thumb|right]]
-:The next control allows you to change the size of the object. After selecting an object and clicking on this control, a number of blue ‘handles’ appear on the object. Any of these can be ‘grabbed’ and moved to re-size that particular dimension of the object. (Handles at the corners affect size in two dimensions.)
-[[File:comp_rotate_icon.jpg|50px|thumb|right]]
-:The fourth control allows you to rotate an object. After selecting it and clicking on this control, a number of yellow ‘handles’ appear on the object. These allow the object to be rotated around different axes.
-[[File:collis_icon.jpg|50px|thumb|right]]
-The next control (show icon) determines what happens when two objects ‘collide‘. The options are that they move through, move around or move over each other.
-[[File:three_d_icon.jpg|50px|thumb|right]]
-The next one allows a pseudo three-dimensional effect to make the objects look more life-like.
-The next two controls are used to set properties for the whole panel.
-[[File:spann_opt_icon.jpg|50px|thumb|right]]
-The first (show icon) allows you to lock movement of objects:
-*to the grid,
-*to other objects,
-*to the table-top.
-:The grid can be re-sized and made visible in a range of colors via this control.
-[[File:gen_opt_icon.jpg|50px|thumb|right]]
-The second  is used to:
-*set the number of views, allowing, for example, plan and elevation views of a component;
-*set the resolution, ‘level of detail’, of the display.
-[[File:zoom_icon.jpg|thumb|50px|right]]
-There is also a zoom facility, operated by pressing the Ctrl key and moving the cursor over the viewpoint icon. Clicking the mouse button and dragging downwards causes the view to zoom out. Dragging upwards causes the view to zoom in.
-[[File:coords.jpg|thumb|150px|right]]
-The coordinates of the cursor are shown in the status bar at the bottom of the screen. Using this information can help you to position objects.<br />
-First of all, move the cursor to the desired position, to find its coordinates. Then enter these into the 'Position' properties of the object in the Properties Panel.
-=== Exercises ===
-* [[Exercise 5.1 - Setting up the Dashboard Panel]]
-* [[Exercise 5.2 - Adding electronic devices]]
-* [[Exercise 5.3 - Adding shapes ]]
-* [[Exercise 5.4 - Grouping components ]]
-* [[Exercise 5.5 - Moving a component]]
-*# Lateral movement
-*# Rotation
-* [[Exercise 5.6 - Adding labels]]
-* [[Exercise 5.7 - Controlling collisions]]
-* [[Exercise 5.8 - 2D or 3D?]]
-* [[Exercise 5.9 - Configuring the System Panel]]

Difference between revisions of "Dashboard Panel"

Latest revision as of 08:41, 2 July 2019

Contents

Overview

Dashboard or System Panel?

Differences to the System panel

Camera control

Selecting items

Navigation menu

Page actions

Page actions

Personal tools

Navigation

Search

Tools