Swinging panels

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3D Topicscape's innovative "swinging panels" provide a new way of controlling software with the minimum obstruction to the view that is so important in quickly absorbing your information landscape. There are two swinging panels, one on each side. If you use the 2D Map, you'll see them both. With the 3D 'Scape view, by default you will see only the one on the right until you trigger the 2D Lists with Ctrl+h.

Most of the time, the panels swing away from you and are just visible down the edges of the Topicscape windows, but move your cursor over them and they swing forward to allow you to see them fully and use their controls or lists.

2D Lists

The swinging panel on the left shows the 2D Hit and History Lists. If you have chosen to use the 3D view and 3D lists, you won't see this, and that is how Topicscape looks when first installed. Pressing Ctrl+H toggles between the use of the 3D Lists and the 2D ones.

Quick Options

The swinging panel on the right is called "Quick Options" and gives you fine control over many aspects of the appearance of the Topicscape scene, either through direct controls or by immediately bringing up the correct tab in the Options panel.

Swing or pin open?

If you want to have either or both of the swinging panels permanently swung into full view, there is a small thumb-tack icon at the top of each panel that you can click to hold the panels in the open position.

Neighborhood views

Want to find the tag pool quickly? Or Topicscape Orphans, Topicscape Islands, the Lists, or the Home position? There are shortcuts and menus for all of these, of course, but on the swinging panel in the 3D view there are five icons, shown on the

left that will give a quick jump to the neighborhood you want, with just a click. This is omitted from the 2D view, because the visual cue would be weaker.

Customize the Home view position

There is a control near the foot of the Quick Options swinging panel. You can slide the Home position view point in and out, and left and right to your taste. The same proportional adjustment will from then on be applied to the Home position for any Current Topic.

You can only make this adjustment when you are at the Home position and as you move somewhere else, the control will be disabled and the Lock checkbox will be checked. To adjust it again, press the Home key or uncheck the box, and your viewpoint will be taken back to the home position.

Transparency

The transparency of the Quick Options swinging panel is controlled by the same spinner as controls the transparency the 3D/2D hit list (on the Skins tab of the Tools | Options panel).

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