Element selection Element selectionThe element list used for program file management. List displays all files loaded to the window and it allows modification of file settings and appearance.
New file is always added to the end of the element list and it becomes active file. When the file is removed from the list, file that was active before it is activated.
The file drawing order is mainly based on file order in the list. Exceptions are raster files, which are always drawn first, and terrain model and square net files, which are drawn right after rasters. Element list is available in all windows and each window stores list size and position separately.
The list can be opened and closed with the function key F4. If the total point amount in visible element list files is less than the value given in the file settings, the screen is updated automatically after changes.
The list window has eight standard columns in constant order. Column widths can be changed with mouse and they are remembered, when the window is opened next time. Single column can be removed temporarily by dragging its width to zero, but it becomes visible again, when opened next time.
Each column has popup menu opened with secondary mouse button. Clicking the column header executes automatically first sorting function from the popup menu.
The status bar at the bottom of the window displays column information. The name column displays amount of selected files and total amount of files. Columns Edited, Used, Hidden, Settings and Color display amount of files with the setting on. The Points column displays the amount of visible points and total amount of points.
The name column displays file names. This column is also used for file selection by standard Windows methods: Click alone selects single file, click with Shift-key selects file range and click with Ctrl-key adds singe file to the selection. Up and down arrow keys can also be used with same rules.
The checkbox on the left side of the name indicates active file. There is always only one active file and most program functions target it. The file name is also displayed in the window title bar and all new points are stored to it. The active file and selected files are not necessarily same, which makes it possible to join selected files to the active file. Adding new file, removing files or changing the active file clears other selections and leaves only active file selected.
In addition to normal alphanumeric sorting order, the name column popup menu contains some other sorting options. Selected sorts selected files to the beginning or end of the list. Extension sort is based on alphanumeric order of file extensions and Original sorting restores the original file creation or loading order. Other sort options can also be selected by clicking the column header with the Shift- or Ctrl-key.
Find function in the popup menu selects all files whose name contains given text string. With the Shift-key it selects all files within screen area and with the Ctrl-key creates text file from the element list file names. Activation function activates file containing the active point.
Pressing the F2 function key starts file name editing. File name double click opens file specific settings and leaving the mouse cursor on the top of the file name displays tooltip containing full file path.
The column displays small star for all modified files. Modified files can be sorted to the beginning or end of the list.
Indicates which files are actually used. Files not used are drawn normally, but their points cannot be accessed or edited. Clicking the checkbox changes the file state and used files can be sorted to the beginning or end of the list.
Clicking the checkbox with the Ctrl-key disables all other files and activates the selected one. Use of the Shift-key additionally zooms the activated file to the screen.
Hidden files are not drawn and they are usually not used. Exceptions are terrain model files, which can be be used even if they are hidden. Clicking the checkbox changes the file state and hidden files can be sorted to the beginning or end of the list.
Clicking the checkbox with the Ctrl-key hides all other files and activates the selected one. Same again and all files are shown. Use of the Shift-key additionally zooms the activated file to the screen.
The setting column indicates which files have file specific point view settings. Last used settings are loaded to the file, when the setting is turned on first time. After that the file remembers its settings as long as it remains in the element list. Settings are not stored with the file, but they can be stored to the file group.
Files can be sorted based on the checkbox state and the file specific point view settings can be opened either by double click or from popup menu.
The color column shows possible file specific color settings. Clicking the box turns the color on or off and color can be selected through popup menu or by double click. The sorting is based on the simple on/off value. The color itself does not affect the sorting order. Clicking the checkbox with the Ctrl-key sets gray color to all other elements, activates selected line and sets default color. With the Shift-key default color is restored.
The column popup menu contains also functions for setting color for selected files, automatic coloring, surface coloring and changing the default color. Color for selected asks color and sets it to all selected files. Automatic coloring sets first ten colors of the code file color table to each file in turn. The surface colors function sets terrain model colors according their surface id. Default color changes the default color and with the Ctrl-key restores default color for all elements.
This column displays the amount of points in each file. For raster files either RGB (full color images), PAL (palette images) or BW (two color images) is displayed. Files can be sorted to either ascending or descending order by point amount, area (width x height) or raster image pixel resolution.
Displays the file type as text. Sorting files based on this type can be different than the extension sort available in the name column. For example, vector files with different format extensions are equal in this column.
There are four types of popup menus available with the secondary mouse button: common, column specific, file specific and checkbox specific. The column specific popup menus are opened from the column headers and contain column specific functions like file sorting. File specific popup menu opens for one or more selected files and contains funtions affecting these files. Checkbox specific popup menus open from setting checkboxes. Elsewhere in the element list window the common popup menu is opened.
Each column specific popup menu has sorting options at the beginning. The first bold text option is the default, which is also available by simply clicking the column header title. This default sorting alternates between ascending and descending order. The second click always reverses the order. The name column contains also some other sorting options.
Used, Hidden, Settings and Color columns contain options Mark all, Mark selected, Switch marked and Clear marked. Mark all setting on for all files and Mark selected turns setting on for files selected in the name column. Switch marked switches the setting for all files and Clear marked clears the setting for all files. Some columns may also have other options documented in column explanations.
The file specific popup menu makes it possible to edit file specific settings and save or clear seleted files. Available menu functions are different for single selected file and multiple files. Functions are mostly same which are also available in normal application menu or toolbar.
Checkbox specific popup menus contain functions for setting checkboxes and common popup menu contains some common file functions available also in normal application menu.
There are some shortcut keys available in the element list. Function key F1 opens this help page, F2 starts the file name editing and F8 makes the element list window partially transparent.
The Enter key opens selected file settings and Delete key clears selected files after asking confirmation. Confirmation is also asked separately for each modified file. Delete with the Shift-key asks confirmation once, but not for each modified file. Ctrl-A selects all files. Up and down arrow keys with Alt-modifier can be used to move selected file up and down in the list. Additionally, Alt-Home and Alt-End move selected files to the beginning or end of the list.
Toolbar contains buttons for some frequently used functions. All functions are also available in the application menus. Window special settings can be accessed by pressing the toolbar Help button with the Shift-key. Toolbar buttons can be set in the main window menu function settings.
Arrow buttons at the right end of the toolbar can be used to move selected files up and diwn in list. With Ctrl-key they move selected files to the beginning or end of the list.
There are some special settings related to this function.
Element list window settings.
1 Draw grid to window.
2 Full row painting for selected files.
See also: Using special settings