1-800-459-6847

This is Reason 12

Drag and drop worksheet cell

A new, convenient feature in PL 9 allows you to explore custom layout options in worksheets much faster and easier. Rather than having to delete a chart and create another one in a new place when you want to move a chart and being constrained to having charts only in specific slots, PL 9 allows you to easily select a chart and move it exactly where you want it.

Recommendations:
With the added toolbar on the top and change time tool on the bottom of some worksheets, a 5X3 worksheet grid will often look better than the 3X3 worksheet grid. For bigger and wider screens we suggest setting the worksheet grid to 5X3. To choose this, click on the worksheet title in the upper right corner and choose 5X3 in the dimension box.

If you are creating a fancy custom worksheet layout, have only one tab open while you do this so you don’t risk accidentally loosing your work when switching between tabs.

How to use this feature:
1. Right click on any chart or table in a worksheet. In this example, the large birthchart in the left upper corner was right clicked.

2. Choose Select from the pop up menu.

Right Click Menu

3.The chart you’ve selected is now outlined in red.

Chart Selected

4. Move the cursor around until it becomes a hand icon, then left click and move the chart around.

Moving a Chart

5. When you choose ‘Select’ for one chart, you are then in Select mode.
You can now click on any chart and it will be selected, rather than having to right click and choose ‘Select’ to move every chart. Note: if you temporarily drop one chart on top of another while moving them around, it is unpredictable which one the program will consider as ‘in front’. Whichever chart is outlined in red is the one that is selected.
If the chart you are trying to move gets stuck behind another chart, temporarily move the chart in front out of the way.

6. Charts can stay in floating mode, which means that they not attached to the grid. Here is an example of a screen designed with only charts in floating mode, and various tweaks applied to make the screen look less busy in spite of the many charts displayed.

Off Grid Worksheet Design

7. If you want the chart to be fixed to the grid once you’ve placed it where you want it, right click on the chart again and select Snap to grid.

8. Save the changes you’ve made to the worksheet by navigating to a different worksheet. Do this by pressing the up and down arrow keys or choosing one from the top toolbar.

Related Useful Features:
New option of a 5X3 worksheet grid – to choose this click on the worksheet title in the upper right corner and choose 5X3 in the dimension box.
Set any worksheet to default
Drag and drop worksheet cell

Resize charts and tables to any size

Rather than having charts and tables limited to the size of grid cells, PL 9 gives you the freedom to create charts in any size. This allows you great creative freedom in graphically designing worksheets and also to have more information on the screen without sacrificing readability .

How to use this feature:
1.Right click on the chart you want to resize. Choose “Select” from the menu.

Select Mode

2. A red outline should appear around the chart, this means it’s selected. You are now in Select Mode. From this mode you can click any chart and it will be selected.

Selected Chart

3. Hover around the edge or corner of the chart until you see the double arrow icon. Click and drag the chart to the size you want it.

Sizing Arrows

4. Do this for any other charts you want to resize. When you are finished, right click and choose “Unselect” and you will exit Select mode. The grid lines only show in Select mode, so these will disappear when you exit.

Unselect

Important notes: 1. While the charts are no longer limited to the size of grid cells, they must still reside within the grid. If you place a chart or expand a chart into the margins (outside of the grid outline) it will get pushed back into the grid when you leave the worksheet. When you are in Select Mode (see, ‘How to use this feature’ below) grid lines will automatically appear.
2. Strange behavior can occur if you keep a chart off grid / not snapped to the grid but spatially occupying a worksheet cell, then you add a new chart to that same worksheet cell.

Tips: – Worksheets may look different on different monitors. Worksheets will also look different if you put a tool from the Tools menu on the left side. If you plan to use those tools, add these first and then do the design.
– If you aren’t interested in graphic design, snapping charts and tables to the grid is a faster way to make a nice layout.

Related Useful Features:
Set any worksheet to default
Drag and drop worksheet cell