Support

Hi, I don't know if this has been mentioned, but it SURE would help if we could lock objects to the page and not have them try to be selected when something else is on top of it...better yet, how about a layering system like illustrator or corel? Then we can lock/turn off the layers we are not wanting to change.

Sorry if this has already been suggested; if not it would really help. Thx.

Hello Mike,

Thank you for contacting us regarding Front Panel Designer.

We have indeed received several suggestions about layers, especially for a layer that can be used for notes or references.

We are working hard to come up with a solution that does not alter the "what you see is what you get" principle behind our software, as "hiding" a layer of milled objects on a panel can lead to the designer forgetting they are there.

For now, if you complete a layer of objects and you want them out of the way, consider grouping them and using the "move" command to send them well off the panel vertically. Once you have finished each layer, you can bring them each back onto the panel before ordering.

Let us know if you have any other questions or suggestions.

Sincerely,
Paul Birkeland
Customer Service

HI Paul, it's a good point. A simple solution would be to implement the layers idea, and then if a layer is hidden present an alert to the user prior to ordering.

Additionally, you could keep a hidden layer very slightly visible, like 20% transparent. I'm sure there's a clever way to implement this.

Thanks for all you guys do.

Mike

I'll second the lock feature for position and especially sizing. One slight accidental resize of my macro objects can ruin the whole panel.

Hello Curt,

I definitely agree that a lock/layer feature would be very useful. But I don't understand what you mean by 'accidental resize'. How can Front Panel Designer support better in such a case?

Thank you,
Diane

Accidental resizing would be if you select and resize the object by mistake. Shouldn't happen if you're careful but it can happen without locks/layers. More likely to occur is accidentally moving an object. Say an object is selected but out of view, if the arrow keys are pressed the object will move and you would not know it. I also don't like that you can save into a read-only file.

Got my vote!

Thank you ckoopman. Yes, accidental moving is a problem. And I like the read-only file idea.

Both goes on the IT wish list.

Thank you for your input.
Diane