"Pens" Dialog

How can I access information on this dialog?

The following commands are available by right-clicking into the pen list:

Selected Items >

These functions affect all items selected in the list, independent of where you right-clicked to open the context menu.

Screen Properties

Calls the "Edit Properties" dialog in which the pens' settings for screen display can be changed.

Output Properties

Calls the "Edit Properties" dialog in which the pens' settings for printer or plotter output can be changed.

Display

Sets or clears this option for all selected items.

Output

Sets or clears this option for all selected items.

Lock

Sets or clears this option for all selected items.

Ignore

Sets or clears this option for all selected items.

Shade

Sets or clears this option for all selected items.

Flags 1-4

Sets or clears the respective flag for all selected items.

Default Values

Sets the default values for all selected items.

Assigned Layer

Sets this option for all selected items.

Initialize Comments

Initializes all selected items' comments with the items' names (without folders).

Clear Comments

Clears all selected items' comments.

Show Overview of All Contents

Hides all but the selected items and zooms to overview.

Identify All Contents

Identifies all object assigned to the selected items.

All >

These functions affect all items in the list, independent of where you right-clicked to open the context menu and also which items are selected. The current selection is not changed.

Screen Properties

Calls the "Edit Properties" dialog in which the pens' settings for screen display can be changed.

Output Properties

Calls the "Edit Properties" dialog in which the pens' settings for printer or plotter output can be changed.

Display

Sets or clears this option for all items in the list.

Output

Sets or clears this option for all items in the list.

Lock

Sets or clears this option for all items in the list.

Ignore

Sets or clears this option for all items in the list.

Shade

Sets or clears this option for all items in the list.

Flags 1-4

Sets or clears the respective flag for all items in the list.

Default Values

Sets the default values for all items in the list.

Assigned Layer

Sets this option for all items in the list.

Initialize Comments

Initializes all items' comments with the items' names (without folders).

Clear Comments

Clears all items' comments.

Screen and Output Identical

If this item is checked, pen transmission settings are handled identical for screen display and printer or plotter output.

New

Defines a new pen. A dialog appears in which the name of the new pen is entered.

Duplicate

Duplicates the right-clicked pen or folder. A dialog appears in which the new name is entered.

Resolve, But Keep Contents

Resolves the right-clicked folder and keeps it contents and its previous location.

Delete With Contents

Deletes the right-clicked folder along with its contents.

Move One Step Up

Moves the right-clicked folder one step up in the folder structure.

Prepend New Folder to This One

Places a new folder before the right-clicked folder in the folder structure.

Append New Folder to This One

Places a new folder behind the right-clicked folder in the folder structure and moves the initial folder's contents to the new folder.

Rename

Calls a dialog in which the name of the right-clicked pen or folder can be edited.

Comment

Calls a dialog in which the comment on the right-clicked pen can be edited.

Choose Columns to Display

Calls the "Choose Columns" dialog to select the columns that shall be displayed here.

Activate

Activates the right-clicked pen without closing the dialog.

Move / Copy to Folder

Allows to move (rename) or copy all selected pens into a folder. A dialog appears in which the name of the destination folder is entered. By specifying an empty name the pens are copied to the top-level of the pen structure. Choose whether contained subfolders shall also be copied.

Delete

Deletes the selected pens. This action has to be confirmed.

Clean Up

Allows to delete or mark all currently unused pens.

Update Usage Counts

Updates the usage count for all pens (i.e. the number of top-level objects in the current drawing that use them) and displays it next to the pens' names in the list. The usage count is calculated once and is not updated automatically. If necessary, simply update again it.

Intermediate Storing

These functions allows you to manage and access several pen status settings, e.g. one for screen display and another for output to printer or plotter. This is especially useful when dealing with complex drawings which require frequent changes of the pen status settings.

Pinboard and collections are managed globally by the main application. They can contain a mixture of completely different items. The pinboard in local to the respective computer and contains unnamed items that are sorted by their storage time. A collection, however, contains named items and is, like libraries, stored in a single file (extension *.mkcol) that can be accessed by multiple users concurrently via network.

Pin to Pinboard

Saves selected pens on the pinboard as a set of pens, storing them for later use. A dialog will allow individual pen selection.

Get from Pinboard

Enables you to get a set of pens from the pinboard. A dialog will allow individual pen selection and choice of import mode (replace, merge, add).

Save to Collection

Saves selected pens in a collections as a set of pens, storing them for later use. A dialog will allow individual pen selection.

Get from Collection

Enables you to get a set of pens from a collection. A dialog will allow individual pen selection and choice of import mode (replace, merge, add).

Manage Collections

Allows managing all sets of pens stored in collections (delete, rename, edit comment).

When importing and exporting pens via MKD files, this will only affect the pens, not any possibly connected line types. Make sure to handle those separately and beforehand. When copying elements from one drawing to another, we recommend using the pinboard or a collection by means of the commands stated above. They are able to reference all elements by their names and not only be their internal numbers, avoiding possible mix-ups.

Import from MKD file

Imports pens from a MKD file. The name of the drawing file can be chosen in a File Selection Dialog. A dialog will allow individual pen selection and choice of import mode (replace, merge, add).

Export to MKD file

Exports the selected pens to a MKD file. A dialog will allow individual pen selection. The name of the drawing file can be chosen in a File Selection Dialog.

Write to Text File

Writes a textual description of all currently defined pens to a text file. The name of the text file can be chosen in a File Selection Dialog.

Save as Procedure

Allows to save the current pens' settings as a named procedure in the drawing.

Activate Procedure

Displays a list of all currently defined procedures with pen information. Select one to activate its pen settings in the dialog.