Network Notepad Client Help
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Keyboard and Mouse Controls
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Action |
Description |
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Right-click item |
Display context menu for item. |
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Left-click item |
Select item. |
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CTRL+ Left-click item |
Select additional items. |
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Left button down on background |
Clear current selection and begin rubber-band select. |
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CTRL-A |
Toggle between selecting all items and selecting no items. |
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Right button down on background |
Begin moving page with mouse. |
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Arrow keys |
Move page. |
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Left-click item and hold for 1.5s |
Begin drag and drop selected items. |
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SHIFT + Left button down on item |
Drag and drop selected items. |
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SHIFT + Mouse over corner of selected item |
Cursor indicates rotate. Left button down initiates rotate using
mouse. |
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Mouse over edge of selected item |
Cursor indicates resize. Left button down initiates resize using
mouse. |
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SHIFT + Arrow keys |
Nudge selected items up,down,left or right. |
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CTRL + +/- keys |
Rotate item. |
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SHIFT + +/- keys |
Resize item. |
The Toolbar
Navigating
To pan around either use the scrollbar or position the
mouse pointer over the background of the diagram, hold down the right
mouse button and move the mouse.
To follow a link to another diagram - Right click the object and select "Goto
next diagram". Objects which link to another diagram have a blue
caption by default. The toolbar back and forward
buttons may also be used to jump to the previous or next diagram. The
Home button loads the default diagram if one has been specified in the
Setup form.
Network Notepad Professional and Enterprise Editions support multi-page diagrams. The
Tab bar along the bottom of the window shows a tab for each page in the
diagram.
Using The Zoom Buttons
-+ Zoom buttons and Zoom Dropdown list lets you
quickly zoom in and out the view of the current page. CTRL+Mousewheel
also operates the Zoom. You can work on diagrams at any zoom level as normal, though it usually helps when
rotating objects and text to return the view to the default 100% scale.
Tip: Right click the Zoom
dropdown list to quickly default the view back to 100%.
Adding Objects To A Diagram
Click the Object Libraries Button
to display the current Object Library.
Drag and drop Objects from the Library to the diagram. You may also paste Library objects by selecting the object
from the library and then closing or minimising it.
Point the cross hair where you want to place the objects.
To automatically hide the Object Library whenever you select a new object,
enable "Auto Hide" in the setup dialogue or from the Object Library
ring menu.
The Paste button performs a single paste operation and exits paste mode. The Paste Multiple button
performs multiple paste operations without exiting paste mode.
The Online Libraries Button
opens a list of objects available online.
Tip: Double right click the
background to toggle the last used mode (Paste, Text, or Link) off and on.
Cutting And Deleting Objects From A Diagram
Highlight the objects you wish to cut or delete by
left clicking them and then hit the Cut Button
to place them on the clipboard. Click the Delete Button
on the toolbar to remove selected items. Pressing SHIFT+Delete on the
keyboard is another way to delete selected items.
Selecting/ Deselecting Single/ Multiple objects
Objects need to be selected (Red highlight) and
deselected for cutting and pasting. To select an object, left
click it.
To select multiple objects at once, drag a "rubber band" around them with
the left mouse button.
You must start selection with the mouse pointer positioned over a blank
piece of background.
To select or unselect additional objects, hold the CTRL key down while
selecting.
To select no objects, left click the background or choose Edit and then
Select None from the ring menu. CTRL-A also toggles between
selecting all and selecting none.
Tip: CTRL-A toggles between
selecting all and selecting none.
Aligning Objects
To align objects, first select the item to align to
and then select items to be aligned with the first item. Choose Format and
Align Horizontal or Align Vertical from the Ring Menu or click the
horizontal and vertical align buttons
, and then select whether to align centres
or edges of the objects from the sub menu. When pasting objects and drawing links,
objects and lines are automatically aligned if the Auto Align button
is selected.
Resizing Objects
Use Shift + and Shift - to adjust the size of
the current object retaining its current proportions.
You can also resize an object by dragging the edge or corners.
Objects can also be resized by changing the x and y scale in the
Object Properties
form or on the Object Properties Toolbar.
Tip: Double right click the
background to toggle the last used mode (Paste, Text, or Link) off and on.
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Linking To Part of An Object
The Connection Points button
selects whether links are automatically centred when a connection is made or
whether the link connects to the point on the object which was clicked. The
option can also be set using the Format Connection Points option on the main
ring menu. Connection points can be centred by right clicking a link and
selecting "Centre Connection Point". Connection points can also be positioned
using drag-and-drop, nudge and align.
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Link Align
The link align feature converts any sloping link segments on a
link to horizontal and
vertical link segments. Right-click a link and select Align On or Align Off to
switch this feature on and off. Link align can also be set to be on or off by
default for each link style in the Format Link Styles form.
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Moving A Link From One Object To Another
To move a link from one object to another, click on the link
near the end to be moved so that it shows the red circular link termination.
Drag the link termination and drop it on to the other object.
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Layers (Drawing Order)
You can control the drawing order for objects, text and links by setting the
layer. Layer 5 is drawn first through to layer 0 which is topmost. Set the layer
using one of these methods:
- Right-click and choose the layer (Objects, Text and Links).
- Set the layer in the properties form (Objects only).
- Use the Bring-to-Front or Send-to-Back buttons on the toolbar
(Objects, Text and Links).
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Background Objects
Setting an object to be a background object in the Object Properties form
enables you to draw multi-segment links over the top of an object without
connecting to it.
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Unlinking Objects
To remove links between objects, right-click the link
and choose delete or select the objects which are linked and then click
the Unlink Button .
Using the Link Break Feature
The Link Break Feature enables you to break a link and
create a join anywhere on an existing link. When you right-click the
link and select Break a new "link-node" is highlighted which you
can then drag and drop or nudge to the desired position. To remove a
join select the link-node which forms the join and delete it.
Moving and Copying Objects
To move selected objects, hold the left mouse
button down on an object for 1.5s and then drag and drop. Alternatively
holding the Shift Key down enables drag and drop immediately.
To copy objects, select them and then click then Copy Button
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Click the Paste Button
to enter Paste Mode and the position the cross hair and left click to
paste copies of the objects. To finish pasting, click the Paste Button
again, or double right click the background to exit the current mode, or
hit the escape key.
Nudging Objects
To nudge selected objects, hold down the Shift key
while pressing one of the cursor keys.
Setting An Object's IP
Address
To set an Object's IP Address, right-click the
Object and choose "Properties". Enter the IP address in the Address
field. For more information see Object Properties.
Changing The Name (Or IP Address) Of An Object
To change the name of an object or change its
IP address, Double Left Click on current name or IP address and type in
the new details. Press Enter to complete.
You may also change these details by right clicking the object and selecting
"Properties". To insert a Carriage Return in an Object or IP Label
use
Shift + Enter.
Adding Text To A Diagram
Click the Text Mode Button
and observe that the mouse pointer changes to a cross hair 1.
Click the diagram to position the text entry box and then enter your text.
To finish entering text, click the Text Mode button again or press the
Escape key.
Tip: Double right click the background to toggle the last used
mode (Paste, Text, or Link) off and on.
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Editing Text
Double click text to start editing it. The Text Mode
button will indicate you are in text mode. Press ESC to finish editing the text, or click the text mode
button on the toolbar.
To delete a Text Box, double click it and then hit backspace. Press
ESC or click the text mode button to exit text mode.
Formatting Text
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To Format Text, right click text in your
diagram and select Format Text. The Format Text window is now
displayed. From here you can set the Font, Font Size, Colours,
Transparency, Effects and also set the angle of rotation in degrees.
You can also select Format > Text Styles from the main ring menu to
make adjustments to Text Styles.
Text Style:
Commonly used text formats can be created and named using these
settings. Right click text in your diagram and choose Set Text Style
to select from defined text styles. Text Styles can be saved to and
loaded from file.
Make This The Default Text Format:
Sets the default text format to the settings shown. The default text
format is used when adding text to a new diagram.
Moving Text
To move text, hold the left mouse button down on
the text for 1.5s, then drag the text to the new position.
Alternatively hold the SHIFT key
down and drag the
text. To Rotate Text, hold the SHIFT key down and drag one of the
corners of the text.
Text Types
Text can be set to one of four possible types by
right-clicking and choosing "Set Type":
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"Default" |
- For standalone text.
Enter key adds a new line. Use escape key (or button on
toolbar) to submit. |
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"Caption" |
- For normal object captions. The enter key or escape key submits (or
button on toolbar). Shift-Enter adds a new line. |
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"Address" |
- As caption label, but is displayed according to the
Show/Hide IP Addresses button on the toolbar. |
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"Flow" |
- Caption for flowchart symbols. Enter key adds a new line. Use escape key (or button on
toolbar) to submit. |
Adding Float Text To Objects
Information can be displayed when the pointer is held over an
object for a few seconds.
To Add or Edit Float Text, right click the object and select Edit Float
Text.
Enter text into the Float Text entry box and hit escape when complete.
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Text Properties Toolbar
The Text Properties Toolbar is optionally displayed
by selecting Options > Text Properties Toolbar. It provides access
to the properties for the most recently clicked text or if no text is selected
it provides access to properties for the current font which is used when
adding new text.
The controls displayed on the toolbar
are covered in the Format Text section above.
Adding Backbones
Add horizontal and vertical backbones to your diagram by selecting them from
the Backbones object library. Position the cross hair roughly where you want
the centre of the backbone to be and click the left mouse button.
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Resizing And Moving Backbones
To resize a backbone, position the mouse pointer over either
end then hold the left mouse button down to drag the backbone larger or
smaller.
To move a backbone, hold the shift key down whilst dragging the backbone to
a new position.
Customizing Backbone Styles
Backbones are Shapes and
they can be customised by right clicking and select Format Shape.
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Linking An Object To A Backbone
To link an object to a backbone, click on the link
mode button
and then join the backbone to the object.
Grouping and Locking
Objects may be grouped together and then locked in position relative to
each other to form composite objects.
The first object you select will become the "parent" object and further
objects selected will be "child" objects.
Select the parent object, followed by the child objects and then select
Format > Group from the ring menu to group the objects together. At this
point, you may still move the objects relative to each other. Copying and
pasting the parent object will copy and paste all of the child objects as
well.
To lock the child objects position relative to the parent object, right
click the child object and select "Lock" from the menu. Now when you move
the child object, the parent and all of its child objects are moved
together. If you resize the parent object all locked child objects are
also proportionally resized and moved. Right-clicking a parent object and selecting Lock > Group Lock or Group
Unlock locks or unlocks all child objects and labels associated with the
object. To ungroup objects, select each of the members of the group and
then click Format > Ungroup on the ring menu.
Example using the two shapes created in the
Custom Shapes section to form a composite Title
Box object:
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Position the two shapes to form a title box.
Select the parent box and then the title bar box (CTRL-left click),
then Format and Group from the ring menu.
Right click the title bar box and select "Lock" to lock its position
relative to the main box.
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Locking objects which are not a member of a group is used to lock the
position of the object on the page. This is useful for things like
template borders and title blocks which don't normally need to be moved.
Objects locked to the page have the following properties:
- They cannot be moved with drag and drop.
- They cannot be selected with CTRL-A or by dragging a band around
them.
Anchoring and Locking
Anchoring fixes the position of objects and text relative to one of
the four corners of the page. This is useful when resizing the
page to ensure a title block and border remain fixed to the edge.
Select objects and text to be anchored and then Format > Anchor from the
menu. Locking objects and text prevents them from being dragged to a
new position (relative to their parent) and also prevents them from
being selected and unselected using CTRL-A. It is useful if the title
block and border are locked. You can then select your diagram using
CTRL-A and reposition it using drag and drop or nudge, without adjusting
the position of the title block and border. Select objects (link
nodes) and text to be locked and then Format > Lock or right click
objects or text and select Lock.
Rotating Objects and Text
Rotate objects and text using any of the following methods:
- Specify a rotate angle in the Object Properties Form and in
the Format Text Form.
- Drag any of the four corners of the text or object with the
mouse. Hold down the SHIFT key when dragging. The mouse pointer indicates
when you are correctly positioned for this as shown in the example
here.
- CTRL +/- rotates the currently selected text or object in 1
degree steps.
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Hiding IP Addresses
To Reveal or Hide IP addresses, toggle the IP Address
Button .
Working With Shared Documents
Network Notepad Enterprise Edition includes
features which enables multiple users to edit shared
documents/ diagrams safely. It solves the problem where a document which is edited
simultaneously by more than one user results in changes made by one user
being overwritten by another user.
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In the Setup form,
first make sure all users have a unique User Name assigned. (Do
not tick/check the "All Documents Shared" checkbox for now.
See the Setup Form section for more
information about this.) |
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To make the
current document shared, tick the shared document box in the
Diagram Properties Form. |
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A shared document is initially
opened in read-only mode. All edit functions are disabled
until the user clicks the Lock File Button. |
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A "lock file" is created along side
the document file. It stores the name of the user who has
locked the file and the time and date the lock was created. |
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Other users who have
the document open will see the status displayed in the title
bar. They are blocked from editing the document until the
lock file is released. |
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To release the lock
click the Lock File button again. The document is
automatically saved. |
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The status is reflected in the
title bar for other users and the refresh button changes
colour to red to indicate an update is available. |
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Clicking the refresh button reloads
the document. Locking the document
automatically refreshes the document first if the diagram has
been updated by another user. |
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User-Defined Apps
A list of user-defined Apps is presented for execution
when you right click an object. The first 6 of the Apps are also
available using the function buttons on the main toolbar:
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Variables such as IP address or hostname of the object can be included
in the App definition. A set of user-defined Apps is called a
toolset. Multiple toolsets can be configured for use with
different types of equipment and then assigned to the objects in your
diagram from the Object Properties form.
Configuring User-Defined Apps
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Select the User-Defined Apps tab in the Setup form.
Command Line: This is the command which is executed when the app is
selected.
Display Title: This is the text displayed in the menu. If left blank the Command Line is displayed instead.
Hide: If set to true will minimise the Network Notepad window when the app is run.
Multiple: If true then the tool is run against all selected objects. If false then the tool just runs for the most recently clicked object.
The following Network Notepad variables may be included in the Command Line and Display Title definitions:
$IPADDRESS - is substituted for the most recently clicked object's IP address. $IPADDRESS is truncated at a "/"
character.
$ADDRESS - is substituted for the most recently clicked object's IP address (and is not truncated like $IPADDRESS is).
$HOSTNAME - is substituted with the most recently clicked object's hostname.
$BROWSE - invokes the default browser/application.
E.g.1. $browse http://$ipaddress..... will open the object's ip address in a web browser window. E.g.2. $browse c:\docs\$hostname.doc..... will try and
open for example "router1.doc" in whatever application is configured to handle .doc files.
$EXPLORE - invokes an instance of Internet Explorer.
E.g. $explore $ipaddress...... to browse the object by ipaddress.
CopyToClipboard - Copies the resolved definition to the windows clipboard.
$FILENAME- is substituted for the current diagram's filename (.ndg).
$VAR1,$VAR2 - User variables. These are set in the Object Properties Form on the Misc Tab and can contain any user-defined data.
Ellipsis buttons are provided to browse for filenames.
E.g. $browse $VAR1..... Could be used to open a specific file associated with the object.
$FieldN - Passes field number N from the object table. e.g. the CDP user-defined app
tool definition includes $field2 to pass the object number which it then uses to construct the data put on to the clipboard.
$HWND - Passes the Network Notepad Windows Handle.
$ADDRLIST - Functionally the same as $ADDRESS, but intended to pass a list of IP
addresses separated by ";" characters. $APPDIR
- is substituted with the Network Notepad installation folder.
For the Professional Edition it usually returns: C:/Program Files(x86)/Network Notepad
Professional/
For the Enterprise Edition it usually returns:
C:/Program Files(x86)/Network Notepad Enterprise/
For Network Notepad Client it usually returns:
C:/Program Files(x86)/Network Notepad Client/
$DOCVAR1 - is a per-document user variable which is configurable in the
Diagram Properties form.
&& - Enables multiple apps to be called in one definition. See the Wake-On-Lan plugin example below.
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Examples:
- Use SSH to connect to a device using Putty:
"C:\Program Files\putty\putty.exe" -ssh $IPADDRESS
- Use Putty in telnet mode to connect to a device:
"C:\Program Files\putty\putty.exe" -telnet $IPADDRESS
- Open a web browser session to a device's IP address:
$BROWSE http://$IPADDRESS
- Remote control a device using VNC:
"C:\Program Files\UltraVNC\vncviewer.exe" $IPADDRESS
- Remote Desktop:
C:\windows\system32\mstsc.exe /v:$IPADDRESS
- Open a spreadsheet to access for example asset information for
each device in your diagram:
$BROWSE "F:\Asset Files\$hostname.xlsx"
- NNPing Plugin:
NNPing $IPADDRESS 1000 3 up.wav 3 down.wav
- Wake-On-Lan Plugin:
NNPing $IPADDRESS 1000 3 up.wav 3 down.wav on&&nnwol.exe $VAR1
Where && is used to separate and execute multiple apps.
User variable $VAR1 is configured in the Object Properties form on the
Misc Tab and is set to provide
<broadcast IP address> <port> <mac-address>
e.g.
192.168.1.255 9 21-3a-55-37-6e-76
The nnping "on" parameter overrides the usual toggle-on, toggle-off
state when calling nnping.
Tip: Enclose file pathnames containing spaces with quotation marks as shown in the first three
examples above. If you don't do this then Windows cannot distinguish the difference between
c:\program files and c:\program.exe for example.
Copy Tools From Other Toolsets:
When creating a new toolset you can use this option
to list all tools in all toolset and tick those you wish to copy to the
new toolset.
Up/ Down Buttons: Change the
order the tools are presented by moving the selected tool up or down in
the list of tools.
Toolset: Network Notepad Professional and Enterprise Editions allow you to define multiple toolsets. You can choose a toolset to use
with an object in the Object Properties form.
Naming
Toolsets:
Toolsets can be named by entering text in the Toolset dropdown list in
place of the default numbers.
Add Toolset Button
:
If you need more than the default 10 toolsets, you can add more with this
button.
Edit Button
: Toolset definitions are stored
in a local tooldefs.txt file. This button enables you to edit the file
directly, making it easy to copy, paste and share
toolsets. Here is an excerpt from a tooldefs.txt file:
Toolset(0)=1. Routers
Command(0,1)=$APPDIRputty.exe -telnet $ipaddress Display(0,1)=telnet
$IPADDRESS AutoMin(0,1)=False Multiple(0,1)=False
Command(0,2)=Copy2Clipboard
$IPADDRESS Display(0,2)= AutoMin(0,2)=False Multiple(0,2)=False
Command(0,3)=$explore http://$IPADDRESS Display(0,3)= AutoMin(0,3)=False
Multiple(0,2)=False
Command(0,4)=ping -t $IPADDRESS Display(0,4)= AutoMin(0,4)=False
Multiple(0,4)=True
Toolset(1)=2. Synology
Command(1,1)=$browse
http://$ipaddress:5000 Display(1,1)= AutoMin(1,1)=False
Multiple(1,1)=False
Command(1,2)=$browse//$IPADDRESS Display(1,2)= AutoMin(1,2)=False
Multiple(1,2)=False
When editing the tooldefs.txt file keep the numbers in
brackets in order. That is the is (toolset number) in the case of the
Toolset statement and (toolset number, tool number) in the case of the
Command, Display,Automin and Multiple statements. When editing the tooldefs.txt
file, be sure to click the Refresh button before clicking OK in the setup
form.
Refresh Button
: The refresh button is used to
re-read the tooldefs.txt file after editing it outside of Network Notepad.
The tooldefs.txt file is written to when you click the OK button.
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Page Setup
Use the Page Setup form to select the paper size
and orientation used when printing the current page. These are set
individually for each page in the document.
Printing
To print a diagram use the print button on the toolbar.
Diagrams are sized to fit the printed page, so if you
have large canvas dimensions then objects will appear small when printed. Drag the
canvas smaller or reduce the Canvas width and height in the Diagram Properties
form to make the objects to appear larger when printed.
Tip: To ensure a diagram fills the paper when printed:
1. Set a page size in the Diagram Properties form which matches the
proportions of
your paper. E.g. for letter size paper (11" x 8.5"), you might use a page width
of 1100 and height 850 or 2200 x 1700 or any other size with the same
proportions. For A4 size paper (297mm x 210mm) you might set a page
size of 2970 x 2100 or 5940 x 4200 or any other size with same proportions.
2. Set the Orientation (Portrait or
Landscape) to match your page dimensions. E.g for page width 2200
and height 1700 you should set it to Landscape, or
for page width 1700 and height 2200 set it to Portrait.
Print Preview
The print preview menu option gives you an idea how your
document will look when it is printed.
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Searching Diagrams
To search a diagram, press CTRL-F to display the find dialog.
Enter the text to find in the text box. Use F3 to Find Next.
Tick the Search All Pages box to search for the text in all pages of your
document. Tick the Search All Open Documents box to search for the text in
all open documents.
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Tip: Network Notepad Files are stored
as plain text. Use Windows "Search for Files" to scan through all your diagrams and find
what you are looking for.
Customizing Link Styles
Select Format > Link Styles on the ring menu or right-click a
link and select Format Link style.
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Link Style: Select an existing link style to modify.
New: Create a new link style starting from scratch. You will be
prompted to enter a name. Clone: Create a new link style
starting with cloning the current link style. You will be prompted
to enter a name.
Rename: Rename the current selected link style. Delete: Delete the
selected link style. The Up and Down Arrow buttons enable you to
change the order in which Link Styles are presented.
Style Settings
Format: Choose between Line, Lightning, Lightning2,
Curve and Curve2 Styles. For the Lightning style to be effective set the width to 14 or more.
You can override the link style setting for individual links to switch between
Line, Curve and Curve2 from the link context menu (right-click link).
Width: Width of Link.
Colour: Select Colour of the link. The slider sets the transparency.
Line Style: Select from Opaque and various dashed line styles.
Dash Cap: Select from Flat, Round and Triangle to set how
dash and dot line styles are drawn. Join Style: This setting
controls how the join is drawn between segments of a multi-segment link.
Join Radius: This enables radiused curves to be drawn between
the segments of a link. Align: Adjacent points in a link are
automatically aligned horizontally and vertically. This option can also be
switched on or off for individual links from the link context menu (right-click
link).
Secondary Style: Enables the link to be drawn using
more than one link style. Click the Format button to work on the secondary
style.
Line Caps
Startcap, Endcap: Selects from a range of built-in startcap/ endcap and
custom startcap/ endcap styles. The appearance of the former is dependent on the
width of the link and hence is fairly limited. Selecting Custom
startcap/ endcap gives much more control over the appearance. The graphic in the
centre shows how the X,Y,W and
H custom cap parameters control
the dimensions and position of the cap. Intersect: Adjusts
the Y value of the custom cap so it intersects with the edge of the connected
object. Currently this only works if the link connects to the centre of the
object (Right-click link and choose centre connection point).
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Some example Link Styles available |
Arrow heads drawn using the intersect option |
Load Defaults: Wipes all of the link styles and loads a new
set from the linkdefs.nls file. If you delete a link style which is used in
the diagram the link is draw using a dashed red line. Open Link
Styles: Wipes all of the link styles and load a new set from the
selected file. Save Link Styles: Save the link styles
table to a file. |
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