Each page design consists of a collection of objects (wheel/dial components), and all objects have properties (characteristics) that you can change. The page itself is an object, as are any items that appear on the page, such as a chart wheel, aspect grid, tabulation of aspects etc.

 

>> To select an object for editing

Any object can be selected by clicking on it. If the object cannot be selected by clicking on it (for example if it is behind another object), then it can be selected from the drop-down list of objects. When an object is selected, red editing bullets will appear around its perimeter, and its properties will be listed in the property display list, ready to be selected and edited. The page object can be selected by clicking on any vacant area of the page, and in this case editing bullets do not appear.

 

>> To bring an object to the front or back of the display order

If two objects overlap one another, then you can move one of them to the front or back by selecting it, and then choosing the Move to Front or Move to Back menu item from the Object / Order submenu. This will also alter the order in which the objects are drawn when they are displayed in Solar Fire. Items at the back are drawn first, and items at the front are drawn last. This feature can be useful if you want to display a graphic that overlaps another page object, for example a graphic in the center of a chart wheel. If you move the graphic to the front of the display order, then it will always be drawn on top of the chart wheel, thus obscuring any aspect lines that may appear in the middle of the chart. Reversing the order will cause the aspects lines to be drawn over the graphic, so they will remain visible.

You can find the current display order of all the objects by browsing through the list of objects in the drop-down list of objects. The items at the top of the list are drawn first (at the back), and items at the bottom of the list are drawn last (at the front).

 

>> To insert a new object

•Choose the Add New Object menu item from the Object menu.

This will display the New Object dialog that allows you to select and preview the shape of any of the available object types. A description of each object appears in the text box beneath the list when any object name is selected. When you have found the required object, highlight it and click on the Insert button, or simply double-click its entry in the list. The new object will be placed onto the page as the currently selected object, with its properties displayed ready for editing.

 

>> To make a copy of an existing object

1.First select the object that you wish to copy.

2.Choose the Create Copy of Object menu item under the Object menu.

The new object will be placed onto the page as the currently selected object, with its properties displayed ready for editing.

 

>> To move an object with the mouse

1.First select the object by clicking on it

2.Drag the object with the mouse button held down. Releasing the mouse button will cause the object to become fixed at its new location.

Note: It is also possible to move an object by typing in new AnchorX and AnchorY property values.

 

>> To position an object relative to the page

•Highlight the required object and select one of the options from the Object / Position submenu.

The available positioning options are...

•At Left

•Centre Horizontally

•At Right

•At Top

•Centre Vertically

•At Bottom

Each of these options positions the object relative to the page margins e.g. "At Left" will move the object so that its left edge lines up with the pages' left margin.

 

>> To align an object with another object

1.Highlight the object that you want to move and select one of the options from the Object / Align sub-menu

2.Then click on the object with which you wish to align it.

The available alignment options are...

•Lefts

•Centres Horizontally

•Rights

•Tops

•Centres Vertically

•Bottoms

Each of these options positions the object relative to the next object you click on e.g. "Lefts" will move the object so that its left edge lines up with the left edge of next object you click on.

Note: After you have selected the alignment option, the object to be aligned is shown with green editing bullets instead of the normal red ones. This is a visual reminder of which object will be moved.

 

>> To resize an object

1.First select the object by clicking on it.

2.Then position the mouse over one of the red editing bullets, and drag the bullet with the mouse button held down. Releasing the mouse button will cause the object to become resized.

Note: If the object that you are resizing is text based (i.e. if it has a "Font Size" property), then the object will be resized to use the largest font size available which will fit inside the new size that you have specified. This means that the object will often end up slightly smaller than you specified. It is also possible to resize these objects precisely by selecting a new Font Size property value.

 

>> To edit the properties of a selected object

1.First select the required object by clicking on it. Its properties will then be listed in the property display list, ready to be selected and edited.

2.Any property may be selected by clicking on it, and this property entry will become highlighted, and the value of this property will appear in the editing box. Some properties have numerical values, some have text values, and some can be selected from drop-down lists or file selection dialogs.

•Numerical Values - eg "AnchorX"; This can be typed directly into the editing box

•Text Values - eg "ListAbbrev"; This can be typed directly into the editing box

•Font Sizes, True/False, Justification values, Rulerships - These can be selected from the drop down list by clicking on the button to the right of the editing box

•File Names - e.g. "Points File"; This can be selected by clicking on the > button to the left of the editing box

Whenever a property is selected, some descriptive text appears in the text box underneath the properties list. This gives a description of what type of value is expected for this property, and may give additional hints.