Mouse bindings
This page gives the mouse bindings in the Tycho/Ptolemy graphical
editors. The goal is to provide a consistent feel to all editing
operations.
General principles
- Direct manipulation
- All operations that alter the appearance of the diagram can be
performed by manipulating those objects with the mouse.
- Context sensitivity
- Any operation that applies to a particular object can be
selected from a context-sensitive menu over the object.
- Uniform availability
- Any operation in a context-sensitive menu is available
from the main menus.
- Cursor navigation
- Any operation that requires mouse movement can be performed
with cursor keys.
- Applicability
- Any operation that cannot meaningfully be performed
at any given time is not disabled, both in the menus
and as a key binding.
Common bindings
The following bindings work for all graphical objects, unless there is
a specific reason for them not to.
- Escape
-
Cancel a modal operation, such as placing an icon.
Deselect all objects.
- Delete
-
Delete all selected objects.
- Enter and leave
-
If an object can have a net connected to it, entering its
bounding box with the mouse cuase it to highlight, and
leaving its bounding box causes it to unhighlight.
- Button 1 on object
-
- Single click
- Select the clicked-on object.
- Drag
- Move selected objects.
- Single click, Shift
- Toggle the object into or out of the selection.
- Drag, Shift
- If the object became selected, move selected objects.
If not, do nothing.
- Double-click
- Open a non-modal editing dialog for the click-on object.
- Button 1 on background
-
- Single click
- Deselect all objects.
- Drag
- Drag-toggle-select covered objects.
- Drag, Shift
- Toggle covered objects into or out of the selection.
- Button 2 on object
-
Button 2 is always identical to Button 1 with Control pressed.
- Single click
- Deselect all other objects, select the
clicked-on object and initiate alternative action (depends on object).
- Drag
- Continue alternative action (depends on object).
- Button 3 on object
-
Open context-sensitive menu for the object immediately below
the cursor.
Specific behaviors
Following are specific behaviours for different objects.
- Icon
-
- Drag
- Drag the icon and all connected nets.
- Alternate action
- None.
- Terminal
-
- Click and Drag
- If the terminal is not already connected, create and drag a new
net.
- Alternate action
- Select the terminal.
- Junction
-
- Click and Drag
- If the junction is not fully connected, create and drag a new
net.
- Alternate action
- Select the junction and move if dragged.
JohnR, 15 Oct 97