How You Can Select Fields
The following sections describe how to select individual and composite fields. Also described are the visual selection cues that indicate what commands are allowed for a particular field.
Select an Individual Field
There are several methods for selecting a simple field or a single component of a composite field:
• Point and click
• Field Tree
• Property Inspector
For instructions, see the appropriate procedure, following.
Select an individual field using the point and click method
Position the cursor on the desired field and click the primary mouse button
The field is selected.
Note: If you cannot select a field because it is underneath another field, click Layout, Bring to Front to move the field to the top layer or click the field on top and click Layout, Send to Back to move it to the back. For more information, see
How You Can Work with Overlapping Fields.
Select an individual field using the Field Tree method
Locate the field in the Field Tree window and click it.
The selected field is highlighted in the Frame Editor.
This feature is a handy tool for selecting a field that is obscured by another field. For more information, see Use the Field Tree.
Select an individual field using the Property Inspector method
At the top of every Property Inspector there is a Field List drop-down menu that contains the full name of every named field on the current frame. Use this menu to change the current field selection.
Select a Composite Field
There are several methods for selecting a composite field, depending on whether it has a visible boundary. For instructions, see the appropriate procedure, following.
To select an entire composite field with a visible boundary
1. Position the mouse cursor on the boundary or the background of the composite field.
2. Click the mouse.
You can also select an entire composite field by selecting one of its component simple fields.
To select a composite field by selecting one of its simple fields
1. Position the mouse cursor on the simple field.
2. Click the mouse.
3. Hold down the Ctrl key and then click the mouse to select the parent (composite) field that contains the selected simple field.
Alternatively, click Edit, Select, Parent.
To see the outlines of composite fields that have no boundaries
Click View, Composite Outlines.
OpenROAD highlights the composite field.
Note: These outlines do not appear on the running frame; they only serve as a guide while you are working in the Frame Editor.
If the composite field you selected is included in another composite field, repeat this procedure.
Select a Group of Fields
You can select a group of fields the following ways:
• Create a selection group by selecting one field at a time.
• Lasso a group of adjacent fields with a selection box.
Note: If the fields to be selected are all within a composite field, drag a selection box around them by holding down both the Shift and Ctrl keys, then pressing the mouse button. (If you simply press the mouse button when the cursor is within a composite field, the composite field is selected.)
• Click Edit, Select, All from the shortcut menu that appears to select all the fields on the form.
• Click Edit, Select, Children from the shortcut menu that appears to select all the children of a selected composite field.
The selection group and selection box methods are described in more detail in the following procedures.
To create a selection group
1. Select the first field in the group.
2. Add the second field as follows:
a. Hold down the Shift key.
b. Position the cursor on the next field you want to select, and click the primary mouse button.
Two fields are now selected.
3. Repeat Step 2 for each field to be added to the group.
To use a selection box
1. Position the mouse cursor outside the group of fields you want to select.
2. Press and hold down the mouse button.
3. Drag the mouse to draw a selection box around the desired fields.
The group will include only the fields that are completely enclosed by the selection box. If any part of a field is outside the box, that field will not be selected.
Note: If a composite field is entirely inside the selection box, the composite field is selected but not its children.
Note: You can exclude any of the selected fields by positioning the cursor on it and pressing the Shift key and clicking the primary mouse button.
Visual Selection Cues
After you have selected a particular field, OpenROAD Workbench visually indicates what commands can be performed on it:
• Eight handles indicate that you can move or resize the field.
• Three handles indicate that you can resize the field horizontally only but not move it.
• An outline on the field, but no handles, indicates that you can move it but not resize it.