Panels

Panels are interactive UI elements that can remain open while you use other commands. They can be docked or floating and they can be stacked. You can control the amount of data displayed on the panel. The location and size of the panel depends on the current workspace or its previous appearance.

You can dock panels at the top, bottom, left or right within the BricsCAD® application window. You can dock panels next to other panels or toolbars but they are always constrained by the size of the application window. The drawing area in the BricsCAD® application window is automatically reduced to accommodate the docked panels. You can move a docked panel using the grip bar, resize it with the stretch icon, and close it with the close icon.

You can place floating panels anywhere on any available monitor. You can move and resize beyond the boundaries of the BricsCAD® application window. If a floating panel overlaps the drawing area, it floats above it, allowing the drawing area to maintain its size. You can move a floating panel by using the title bar, resize it with the stretch icons, and close it with the close icon. Regardless of where a floating panel is located, the stretch icon appears when you pass the cursor over any edge of the panel. The title bar and close icons are always on the top edge of a floating panel.

You can combine multiple panels into a panel stack to conserve screen space. Each panel stack can be docked or floating, offering the same functionality as individually docked or floating panels. You can display panel stacks with tabs or icons.

By default, panels are docked at the left or right side of the screen as defined in the Panels node of a workspace in the Workspaces tab of the Customize dialog box:

  • Panels | Stack (LDOCK) selects the panels stacked a the left side of the screen.
  • Panels | Stack (RDOCK) selects the panels stacked a the right side of the screen.

The stack type is defined in the Workspaces tab of the Customize dialog box through the Stack Type property of a workspace.

The possible stack types are:

  • Fixed resizable panel set.
  • Collapsible panel set.
  • Flyout panel set.

Opening or closing a panel

  1. Hover the cursor over a toolbar or ribbon panel, then right click.

    A context menu displays.

  2. Hover the cursor over Panels.

    A list of available panels displays.

    Panels that are currently open are ticked.

  3. Click a panel in the menu to display it.

  • Some panels can be opened using a command as indicated in the table below.
  • The -TOOLPANEL command allows you to show, hide or toggle the display of panels at the Command line.

Available panels

Setting the stack type

  1. Hover the cursor over a toolbar or panel, then right click.

    A context menu displays.

  2. Choose Panel stacking.
  3. Select the desired stack type.

Dockable stack with tabs

Panels are docked in a tabbed panel.

  • Click a tab to display the panel.
  • Press and hold the left mouse button to drag a tab to re-arrange the tab order.
  • Double click a tab to make the panel floating.
  • Double click the title bar of a floating panel to dock it at its previous position.

Collapsible stack with icons

Panels are docked in an icon strip at the left and/or right side of the screen.

  • Expands over drawing area: flyout panels overlap the drawing area, so a part of the drawing is hidden.
  • Resizes drawing area: flyout panels narrow the drawing area.
  • Click an icon to expand a panel.
  • Click the icon again to collapse an expanded panel.
  • Press and hold the left mouse button to drag an icon to re-arrange the icon order.
  • Double click the icon to make the panel floating.
  • Double click the title bar of a floating panel to dock it at its previous position.

Moving a panel to the other icon tab strip

  1. Drag the icon to the other icon strip.

    The docking location selector displays. The blue zone indicates the selected docking position.
  2. Move the cursor over the center docking location and then release the left mouse button.

Note: The LOCKUI system variable controls whether the current position of the panels is locked or not. Press and hold the Ctrl key to override. Click the LOCKUI field in the Status Bar to toggle the locking of the user interface.