Layout

 Port Spacing

Port Spacing is a feature that enables manual selection and movement of individual or multiple ports on blocks. 

  

  

Selecting Port Spacing Mode

When Port Spacing active, the button will be highlighted, and ports may be selected and moved. Port Spacing is persistent and it applies to the entire session and will remain active, or inactive, even when you switch between tabs or perform other actions.

Port Spacing may activated from the Layout Tab, Status Bar, or the Port Context Menu: 

• Select the Port Spacing button on the Layout ribbon menu. (See Layout Overview)
• Click the Port Spacing icon in the Status Bar at the bottom of the Tesira software window. 
• Right-click on a port to open the Port Context Menu and select Port Spacing. 

Click any of the buttons again, or press the escape (Esc) key, to deactivate the feature and lock the ports into their relative positions

  

Note: Deactivating the Port Spacing feature will not revert ports to their original positions or resize blocks. It will simply lock them in their current custom-spaced locations and sizes. To restore ports to their original locations, or block to it's previous size, select the Undo option from the Quick Access Toolbar until restored to the desired state.

  

Selecting and Moving Ports

With Port Spacing active, select ports using the following methods. 

Single Port: left-click on a single port to select it. 

Multiple Specific Ports: Hold the control (Ctrl) key and left-click on each port you wish to include in the selection. 

Range of Ports: left-click on the first port in the range, then hold the Shift key and click the last port in the range. All ports between the two will be selected. 

Drag Selection: left-click and drag a selection box over a group of ports to select all ports within the box. 

Once selected, left-click and drag any of the selected ports to a new position. All other selected ports will move with it, maintaining their relative spacing. 

  

Movement and Resizing Rules

The movement of ports and the resizing of the parent block follow specific rules. 

• Port Spacing movement is limited to a single block edge at a time. When you click and drag a selected port, only other selected ports on that same edge will move with it. Any ports selected on other edges or on different blocks will be deselected.
• Selected ports, along the same edge of a block, will move with one another, retaining the spacing they had at the time of selection.
• Ports are constrained to their original edge and cannot be moved to a different edge of the block.
• If you move a selected port into an unselected port, the unselected port (and any others in its path) will be pushed along the edge of the block to make room for the selected port. Ports cannot move through or past other ports. 
• Port movement upward and to the left is constrained by block size. A port cannot be moved past the top and left boundaries of a block. 
• Ports can be moved freely downward and to the right. The processing block will automatically resize to accommodate moved ports. The block will only expand downward and to the right. The top and left edges of the block are fixed in Port Spacing mode and will not move. 

  

Note: Ports may also be spaced using the Auto Port Alignment feature. See the Adjusting Port Spacing section of the Screen Elements, Lines, and Labeling page for additional details.