| Prev | Next | Start of Chapter | End of Chapter | Contents | Index | (6 out of 14)

Creating Diagrams

 To create a diagram, you clone blocks from one of the palettes or search for it using the Find Block feature, and place the block on one of the workspaces of the application. When you place blocks on a workspace, you can use a snap grid.

You then connect the blocks together so that data can flow through the diagram, as described in "Connecting Blocks", and configure the attributes of the blocks, as described in "Configuring the Attributes of Blocks".

Understanding the Organization of the Palettes

The NOL palettes are divided into these four categories:

Here are all the NOL palettes of blocks that are available:





Each palette is described in detail in its own chapter in the NeurOn-Line User's Guide. The common features of all the blocks on a palette are described at the beginning of the chapter, and the blocks themselves are described within each chapter.

Cloning Blocks From the Palettes

If you know the location of the block you want to clone, you can clone the block directly from the palette.

To clone a block from the palette:

  1. Choose one of the palettes from the Palettes menu.

  2. Click on a block on the palette to attach it to the mouse.

  3. Move the block to the desired location on the workspace and click the mouse again to place the block on the workspace.


Searching for a Particular Block

If you do not know the location of the block on a palette, use the Find Block feature to locate blocks by name. You can enter the complete name to access the block directly, or you can enter a partial name to see a list of all blocks that contain the partial name.

To find a particular block to clone:

  1. Enter the F2 command or select the Help > Find Block... menu choice to display the Find Block panel:


  2. Enter the name of the block, or part of the name, and press Return.

    For example, suppose you knew you wanted a vector block, but you did not know what kind. You could enter vector in the Search For field.

    NOL displays the names of all the blocks whose name contains the text you entered.

  3. Scroll through the list of blocks until you find the one you want, and select it.

    NOL displays the block in the area to the right of the panel:


  4. Click on the block to attach it to your mouse.

  5. Position the block on your workspace and click the mouse again to place it.

Cloning an Existing Block

 Another way of creating a block for use in a schematic diagram is to clone an existing block on a workspace.

To clone an existing block:

The cloned block has the same input and output paths, but the state of the block is reset.

Deleting Blocks

Sometimes you need to delete a block from a diagram.

To delete a block:

  1. Select delete from a block's menu.

    You will see a confirmation message.

  2. Click OK to delete the block.

Using a Snap Grid

 You can choose whether or not to use a snap grid when you place blocks on a workspace. You can set the grid on a per workspace basis. By default, NOL does not use a snap grid.

To use a snap grid for a workspace:

This menu choice only appears when the workspace contains NOL blocks.

You can customize the resolution of the snap grid as described in "Configuring the NOL Environment".

| Prev | Next | Start of Chapter | End of Chapter | Contents | Index | (6 out of 14)

Copyright © 1996, Gensym Corporation, Inc.