5.5 Selecting and Aligning Multiple Graphic Objects
Now that you have drawn and placed the booster pump, the booster tank, and the compressor, we will use the alignment tools to align the bases of the 3 objects so that they are level.
If the Tag Browser is currently open, close it.
1. Select the pump object. Handles appear around the pump to show it is selected (Figure 59).
Figure 59
2. Press and hold the Control (Ctrl) key on your keyboard.
3. Select the tank object. Handles now appear around the pump and the tank.
4. Continue to hold the Control (Ctrl) key.
5. Select the compressor object. Handles now appear around the pump, tank, and compressor. (Figure 60)
Figure 60
6. Release the Control (Ctrl) key.
7. Click the Align Bottom button in the Configuration Toolbox (as indicated in the image below). The 3 objects align along their bottom edges as shown.
Figure 61
Figure 62
VTS treats the bottom-most object (in this case, the tank) as the anchor and moves the other objects downward accordingly.
Note: VTS makes object selection easy by providing you with a variety of methods for picking multiple objects. The first (as described above) is holding in the Ctrl keyboard key and using the mouse pointer to click the objects you require. The second is to:
1. Click on the screen to the side of the objects you want to select.
2. Press and hold the Shift keyboard key and,
3. Drag the mouse pointer around the objects you wish to select.
A rectangle appears to mark the objects you are selecting.
The third method is to press the Ctrl and A keyboard keys together to select all objects on a page.
Your Booster Station application page should now appear similar to Figure 63.
Figure 63
Skills Achieved in Lesson 5
You achieved the following skills and knowledge in Lesson 5:
• You learned about the properties of digital input tags and how to configure them;
• You learned the difference between the properties of an analog input tag and a digital input tag;
• You saw how to copy properties from one tag to another of the same type;
• You learned about the versatile nature of the Image Change drawing method;
• You saw how certain bitmaps have indicator areas that can display different colors based on the value of the tag they represent;
• You saw how multiple graphic objects can be selected by holding down the Control (Ctrl) key and clicking the objects you wish to select;
• You learned that multiple graphic objects can also be selected by holding down the Shift key and dragging the mouse pointer around the objects you wish to select, or by pressing Ctrl + A to select all graphic objects on a page; and
• Finally, you learned how the Align Bottom tool can be used to align selected objects along their bottom edges, and experienced how VTS aligns objects with the bottom-most object's edge.