Selecting Form Objects

Before you can modify an object (change its size, color, pattern, etc.) you must select the object. Selecting an object (or objects) tells Panorama that you want to work with that object.

#### Selecting a Single Object

To select a single object, click on it. To unselect the object, click outside of it.

When an object is selected, handles appear on the corners and edges of the object, as shown above. The handles let you know the object is selected and waiting for you to do something with it.

If an object is hollow, you must click on the border of the object to select it. Objects with thin borders may be difficult to click on. If you find it too difficult, remember that you can also select an object by dragging a selection marquee around it (see the next section).

It’s possible for one object to be hidden behind another object, making it impossible to click on. See Selecting a Completely Hidden Object below to learn how to select hidden objects.

#### Selecting Multiple Objects at Once

Sometimes you may want to modify several objects at a time. To do that, you need to select the objects first. One way to select multiple objects is to hold down the Shift key and click on each object.

Don’t forget to hold down the Shift key, or you’ll only wind up with one selected object.

Another way to select multiple objects is by dragging a selection marquee around the objects. Start by clicking on an empty spot on the form, then drag across the form until all of the objects you want are selected, then release the mouse.

To drag a marquee, you normally need to start on an empty spot on the form. If an empty spot isn’t available, just hold down the Space Bar and drag the marquee. When the Space Bar is held down, you can’t select objects by clicking them. Instead, clicking starts a selection marquee, even if you click on an object.

In this example there is a large light green rectangle behind the objects I want to select. By holding down the Space Bar, I can select the smaller objects while leaving the background rectangle unselected. (In the movie below you can see that the cursor arrow turns into a cross when the Space Bar is pressed.)

#### Selecting a Completely Hidden Object

If an object is completely hidden you can’t click on it. However, there are several ways to select hidden objects.

To find a hidden object, use the Select All Objects command in the Objects menu (or just press Command-A). This command makes handles appear for every object, including hidden objects. For example, at first glance the form shown below would appear to have only one object — an orange box. The Select All Objects command reveals that there are two hidden objects behind the orange box.

One way to see and work with hidden objects is by moving the object or objects in front out of the way, like this.

Once the obscuring object is out of the way, you can easily work on the underlying objects. Another way to temporarily get the obscuring object out of the way is to use the Arrange▸Send to Back command. Right click on the obscuring object to access the pop-up context menu.

When you are finished, use the Arrange▸Bring to Front command to bring the obscuring object forward again.

However, you may want to work on the underlying objects without moving the obscuring object out of position. One way to do this is using a selection marquee. Simply drag around the hidden objects but not the obscuring object. If necessary, hold down the Space Bar to make sure the obscuring object is not accidentally selected.

Once the hidden object (or objects) is selected, you can bring it to the front, change the object properties, or nudge the object with the arrow keys.

Another technique for selecting a hidden object is to hold down the Command key while you click. The first time you click, the topmost object will be selected. The next click will select the next object behind the top object (remember, you must hold down the Command key). Each time you Command click again the next object behind the current object will be selected.

When you reach the bottom of the pile Panorama will cycle back to the top and select the topmost object again. You can keep clicking around and around forever.

See Also

- Adjusting Object Spacing -- adjust the spacing between multiple selected objects so that the same amount of space is in between each pair of objects.
- adjustobjectspacing -- adjusts the spacing of selected objects in a form.
- adjustobjectspacingdialog -- opens a dialog sheet to adjust the spacing of the currently selected objects.
- Aligning Objects -- so that two or more object edges are made even with each other.
- Automatic Form Construction -- creates a column of form elements for editing data fields (or variables).
- Automatic Mailing Label Construction -- creates a mailing label.
- Automatic Report Construction -- creates a tabular report with columns of data.
- Cocoa Objects -- discussion of how objects are implemented in Panorama X compared to earlier versions
- Creating a New Form Object -- with the Object Library.
- Data Button Object -- is used to create checkboxes and radio buttons.
- Diagnosing a Formula embedded in a Form Object -- diagnosing problems with formulas embedded in form objects.
- Displaying Data in a Grid -- fundamentals of displaying data in a grid (Text List/Matrix).
- Duplicating Objects -- to make copies of one or more objects.
- Fixed Image Object -- is used for fixed images (images that never change).
- Fonts -- setting the font and text size of form text objects.
- Form Object Appearance -- changing the color, fill, stroke, opacity and drop shadow attributes of selected objects.
- Form Object Blueprint -- display and edit raw object specifications
- Form Object Code -- associating programming code with an object
- Grouping Objects -- allows you to manipulate multiple objects as if they were a single object.
- Image Display Animations -- animated images.
- Image Display Colors and Gradients -- displaying pure colors and gradients
- Image Display Data Buttons -- checkboxes and radio buttons created from custom images.
- Image Display Object -- is used for dynamic images (images that change depending on the data).
- Image Display Push Buttons -- push buttons created from custom images.
- info("clickedobjectname") -- returns the name of the button that was just clicked.
- Line Item Grid Constructor -- creates a grid of form elements for displaying and editing line item fields.
- Line Object -- draws a line within a form.
- Matrix Clicking -- handling clicks in a Matrix Object.
- Matrix Constructor -- quickly creating a Matrix Object from a template.
- Matrix Database Integration -- synchronizing a Matrix Object with a database.
- Matrix Geometry -- customizing the size and geometry of Matrix Object elements.
- Matrix Header and Horizontal Scrolling -- setting up a custom header for a Matrix Object grid.
- Matrix Object -- displaying a grid of items with a custom arrangement.
- Matrix Object Frame -- setting up the arrangement of items within a Matrix Object.
- Matrix Programming -- programming a Matrix object.
- Object Inspector Panel -- is used to view and modify the attributes of selected objects in a form.
- Object Library -- is used to create new objects in a form.
- Object Names -- can be used to identify an object in a program.
- Oval Object -- draws an oval or circle within a form.
- Polygon Object -- draws a polygon within a form.
- Popup Menu Button Object -- is used to create popup menus anywhere on a form.
- Progress Indicator Object -- is used to create progress indicators
- Push Button Object -- triggers a procedure when it is pushed.
- Rectangle Object -- draws a rectangle or square within a form.
- Report Tile Object -- component for assembling a custom report.
- Rounded Rectangle Object -- draws a rectangle with round corners within a form.
- Scroll Bar Object -- is used to create scroll bars.
- Segmented Button Object -- is used to created segmented buttons.
- Slider Object -- is used to create sliders and knobs.
- Smart Resize -- adjusts the sizes and locations of the other selected objects to match the change of one object.
- Star Object -- draws a star within a form.
- Stepper Object -- is used to create numeric steppers for use with Text Editor objects.
- Tab Panel Appearance -- appearance options for a Tab Panel Object.
- Tab Panel Buttons and Selection -- button options for a Tab Panel Object.
- Tab Panel Constructor -- quickly creating a Tab Panel Object from a template.
- Tab Panel Content -- setting up the content for a Tab Panel Object.
- Tab Panel Forms -- setting up the forms for a Tab Panel Object.
- Tab Panel Object -- switchable tab panels.
- Text Display Object -- is used to display text using a formula.
- Text Editor Object -- is used to edit text in a field or variable.
- Text Label Object -- displays a short, fixed, text item within a form.
- Text List Appearance -- customizing the appearance of a Text List Object.
- Text List Constructor -- quickly creating a Text List Object from a template.
- Text List Database Integration -- synchronizing a Text List Object with a database.
- Text List Multiple Columns -- displaying multiple columns in a Text List Object
- Text List Object -- displaying a grid of text.
- Text List Programming -- programming a Text List Object.
- Text List Searching -- searching within a Text List Object.
- Text List Selection -- selecting items in a Text List Object.
- Text Object Background Color/Gradient -- text object background colors and gradients.
- Web Browser Object -- is used to display web pages from within a Panorama form.

History

Version | Status | Notes
10.0 | Updated | Carried over from Panorama 6.0, but objects now have eight handles instead of just four.