The Drawing Method Editor

The Drawing Method Editor works like a windowed page, containing the individual objects that make up the DM.  It can be opened by locating the DM's node in the Configure dialog and right-clicking to open the context menu or by right clicking on any instance of the DM on an application page, and selecting Edit from the context menu that appears there: (both methods illustrated in the following images.)

 

The difference between the two methods of opening the editor is that, if you open the editor from a drawn instance of a DM, any parameters will take their values from that instance`s tags.  When editing from the Configure menu, you will need to provide values for the parameters to use in the editor.

 

Configure dialog – context menu

DM – context menu

 

There is a difference between the two methods shown.  If the DM contains parameters, then when editing from the configure menu, you will be prompted to supply tags for the parameters before continuing.  The DM editor will not display any object that depends on a parameter for which a tag has not been selected.

If editing by right-clicking on a DM instance to open its context menu, the tags for that instance will automatically be selected to provide values for the parameters in the DM editor.  This feature can be a significant time saver.

 

The preceding image illustrates the point of the drawing method editor:  To the left, you can see the DM, "Basic Pump", drawn on an application page as a single object.  The inset window is the Drawing Method Editor, where the component parts of the DM are available for editing (note the selection highlights around two parts of the drawing method).

All of the standard DMs, discussed elsewhere in this chapter, are available for use in the Drawing Method Editor.   As you make changes within this window, every drawn instance of the DM, in all application pages, will immediately update to reflect the edits you have made.