Tutorial: Learn Screen Painter Techniques

This tutorial presents basic skills you need to move and resize fields in the Screen Painter. Use this tutorial as a reference for performing the tasks in Tutorial: Paint a Screen. The tools cited in this tutorial are available from the Screen Painter toolbar. Hover over the toolbar icons to see tooltips that describe each.

Selection Tool

The Selection tool is the default Screen Painter tool. When active, the mouse pointer appears as one of three symbols:

• Cross hairs
• Hand
• Double-sided arrow

Each symbol is used to perform a different function relating to moving or resizing a field.

By default, the selection tool is immediately active when you start the Screen Painter. Also as a default, it becomes active immediately after you finish using a different tool.

If you need to activate the selection tool, click its toolbar icon , or click Tools > Selection.

Select a Field

1. Place the selection tool over a field.
2. Click once. Anchor blocks appear around the field, indicating that it is selected.

Select multiple fields

The Screen Painter provides two methods for selecting more than one field.

Method 1

This method is ideal for grouping fields that you want to move in one block, or that you want to align relative to each other.

1. Place the selection tool higher on the screen than, and to the left of, the group of fields you want to select.
2. Click and drag the selection tool down the screen and to the right until all fields you want to select are contained within the box. This is called the group box. When you release the mouse button, all fields are enclosed by anchor blocks.

   The primary field is indicated by solid anchor blocks, all others by hollow anchor blocks. You use the primary field as a constant when performing one task on the whole group.

Method 2

This method is best for selecting fields that are not in close proximity to each other on the screen.

1. To select the first field, position the pointer over the field and click once.
2. To select another field, position the pointer over the field, hold down the Shift key, and click once.
3. Repeat step 2 for all subsequent fields.

Move a field

Use this procedure to move a field from one area of your painted screen to another.

1. Using the selection tool, place the pointer over the field you want to move. The pointer changes to a hand.
2. Click and drag the field to the desired position, then release the mouse button to drop the field.

To move more than one field at a time, select multiple fields using one of the methods outlined in Select multiple fields and then perform the above procedure.

Resize a field

1. Using the selection tool, place the pointer over a field. The pointer changes to a hand.
2. Click once on the field. This activates the anchor blocks.
3. Move the pointer to any field border. The pointer changes to a double-sided arrow.
4. Click and drag the border in either direction to resize; then release the mouse button.

This completes the tutorial. Next, please complete Tutorial: Paint a Screen.