Selecting and editing markers (2D)

Purpose

Change markers that were placed previously using the comprehensive marker-editing options available in the main window.

Note: There are also editing options available in the 3D Visualization window.

Procedure

  1. Click Select Objects in the Registration ribbon.

  2. Click a marker to select it.

    Shift-click, Ctrl-click, or drag a marquee with the mouse to select multiple markers.

  3. Right-click and select an action from the right-click menu.

Commonly used marker edits

Deleting markers: Delete markers by using Ctrl+z or Delete on the keyboard, or by selecting Delete in the right-click menu.

  • To delete the last marker placed, press Ctrl+z.

  • To delete all markers of the same marker type, right-click over the marker type in the Markers toolbar and select Delete All Markers of This Type.

  • To delete one or more markers, select the marker(s) and press Delete on the keyboard.

    or

  • Right-click and select Delete selected marker(s).

Moving markers: Move one or more markers to different locations.

  1. Click Select Objects in the Registration ribbon.

  2. Click a marker to select it.

    Shift-click, Ctrl-click, or drag a marquee with the mouse to select multiple markers.

  3. Right-click and select Move selected marker(s).

    The cursor changes to a hand ; use it to click and drag the marker(s) to the desired location.

Changing marker type: Assign a new marker type to markers that are already placed.

  1. In the Markers toolbar, right-click over the marker type you want to replace.

  2. Select Change All Markers of this type.

  3. In the Change Marker Type window, select a new type and click OK.

    The new type is assigned to all placed markers. If the color was changed before this operation, the new color is preserved.

Attaching markers to objects: Useful for editing objects and markers simultaneously.

  1. Click Select objects in the Trace ribbon.

  2. Select the markers you want to attach.

  3. Right-click and select Attach Markers to Object.

  4. Click to select the object you want to attach the marker(s) to.

Changing marker type properties: Change the name, color, or visibility of a marker type.

To change marker properties, such as name, color, or visibility, do one of the following:

  • Select one or more markers, right-click in the main window and select the desired action to be applied to the selected marker(s).

  • Go to File > Preferences > Tracing > Markers and click Customize to open the Customize Markers window.

  • Right-click over the marker type in the Markers toolbar and select the desired action to be applied to all markers of that type.

When making a change to an entire marker type, NeuroInfo software applies the change to all markers associated with that type, including the markers already placed.

Selection tools

Select all

Click Select All to select all objects in the file.

Selecting with your mouse

  • Click Select objects, then click an object to select it.

    • Selected markers are highlighted with white squares.

  • To select multiple objects, do one of the following:

    • Drag the mouse to draw a rectangle around the objects.

    • Hold the Shift or Ctrl key on the keyboard and click the objects.

  • To add or remove objects from a group of selected objects, hold the Ctrl key on the keyboard and click an object.

  • To remove a group of objects, drag your mouse from the lower right to the upper left to draw a rectangle around the objects.

Selecting with the Freehand Selection tool

The Freehand selection tool is useful for selecting all markers in oddly shaped regions—you draw the selection area.

The tool is in "Rubber line lasso" mode by default. Right click after selecting the tool, but before using it, to switch to "Continuous lasso" mode.

  • Click Freehand selection.

    • Rubber line lasso mode (default): Click to place the points of the region in which you want to select objects.

    • Continuous lasso mode (available via right-click): Click and drag the mouse to define the selection region.

  • Right-click and select Close lasso or click Close and select from the Registration ribbon.

Right-click menu options

Change to Marker Type: Change the selected marker(s) to a different marker type. A marker type is defined as all markers having the same shape. Changing a marker shape means changing a marker type.

Move Selected Marker(s): Drag the marker(s) to a new location.

Rotate Selected Marker: Move the marker(s) around the center point indicated by a green target icon. If a single marker is selected, this option has no effect unless the center point is moved.

Flip Selected Marker:

  • Flip around origin (reference point) unchecked: Flips two or more markers relative to their collective center point. A single marker will remain in the same place as it is being flipped around its own center point.

  • Flip around origin (reference point) checked: Flips one or more markers relative to the reference point.

Delete Selected Marker: Deletes selected markers.

Hide Selected Marker: See Hidden Objects for information on working with hidden objects.

Copy Selected Marker: Copies the selection to the Clipboard.

Place Markers Into Set: Places the selected markers into a new set. In the Name of Set window, type a unique name for the set and click OK. See Creating object sets.

Select everything this color: Click to select all markers of the same color. This option is only available when a single marker is selected.

Change Marker Color / Change All to Color: Choose a new color. Applies only to the selected marker(s).

Rename Selected Marker: The Rename Marker dialog opens. Type the new name into the Marker Name box to rename the selected marker.

Modify Z Position: Change the Z coordinate of the selected marker(s).

In the Modify Z Position window, choose one of the following:

Set Z Values: Specify the absolute Z value for the marker. If multiple markers are selected, the Z value is applied to all the selected markers.

or

Shift Z Values: Moves the marker(s) up (positive value) or down (negative value) a given number of microns.

Modify Intrinsic Marker Size: Use the slider to change the intrinsic marker size.

Apply Shrinkage: This is equivalent to using Correct Z shrinkage found in the Tools dropdown menu on the Trace ribbon to apply shrinkage to a single marker, or to the entire section.

Place Marker in Section: Places the selected markers into a new section. Only available if using sections. See Serial Section Manager.

  1. Select all the markers to be attached.

  2. Right-click and select Attach Markers to Object.

  3. Click to select the object you want to attach the marker(s) to.

  4. Once attached, markers and object are highlighted with small squares.

Attach Markers to Object: Bind a marker or set of markers to an object. Subsequent edit manipulations such as moving the object will include the attached marker(s) keeping them in the same location relative to the object.

Undo Last Change: Undoes the last change to a marker.

Exit Selection Tool: Returns you to the previous mode.