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Overview -> User Interface -> Using the Mouse

Using the Mouse

In daVinci V2.x, the three buttons of the mouse are used as follows: (The B-names are the OSF/Motif notation for mouse buttons.)

BSelect (Left Mouse Button)

In Motif applications, this mouse button is used for selection, activation, and setting the location cursor. In a daVinci graph area, this button can also be used to select nodes and edges. Many nodes may be selected at the same time, but only one edge. After making a new selection, the old one is lost. Many nodes can be selected in one step by using rubber-banding. To do so, click on empty space in the graph area with BSelect and hold down this mouse button. Then move the mouse by still pressing BSelect. You can see a moving rectangular area on the screen (rubber-band). After releasing the mouse button, all nodes are selected that lie completely inside this rectangle.

A user can extend or reduce the current selection by using the Shift-Key and BSelect simultaneously. By holding down Shift and selecting a node with BSelect, you add or remove this node from the set of currently selected nodes, depending on whether or not the node was selected before. To say it in another word: With Shift, the old selection will not be lost after a new selection. Shift-selection also works in combination with rubber banding.

Note for users familar with daVinci V1.x: Extension and reduction of a current node selection was implemented in daVinci V1.x to be used with the middle mouse button instead of the Shift key. This has been changed for daVinci V2.x due to transition from OPEN LOOK to OSF/Motif.

Fine-tuning of a graph layout also works with BSelect. Dragging a node (i.e. holding down BSelect while moving the mouse) can be used to move it to a new position to improve the overall layout.

BTransfer (Middle Mouse Button)

In Motif applications, this mouse button is used for moving and copying elements. Due to its fundamental concepts, daVinci does not offer any built-in capability for editing, so copy operations does not make sense. This way, BTransfer is used to move (i.e. scroll) the visible part of a graph area in a base window. By pressing BTransfer anywhere in daVinci's graph area, the window will scroll in both dimensions at the same time (2D-scrolling). When the mouse is moved while pressing BTransfer, the visible area of the window will directly follow these movements. 2D-scrolling is also available in the directory and file views of the file browser window.

An application can switch on Drag and Drop mode. In this case, the 2D-scrolling is switched off and the button BTransfer is used for Drag and Drop of nodes and edges. This can only happen, if an application is connected. It is recommended, that the application indicates the mode change in an appropriate manner.

BMenu (Right Mouse Button)

In Motif applications, this mouse button is used for poping up menus. With BMenu, the user is able to select from the pull down menus of daVinci's base window by dragging through menus and submenus and releasing the mouse button above the desired menu entry.

If the mouse pointer is over a node or an edge and BMenu is pressed, the value of the node pop-up menu or the edge pop-up menu attribute is considered and if there is a menu defined, the corresponding popup-menu is displayed. If none is defined, the regular pop-up menu is displayed.

BMenu, pressed in the graph area, shows the pop-up menu for direct access to frequently used menu functions.

daVinci V2.1 Online Documentation - Page update: June 15, 1998