Object Operations

The Edit menu, the Options menu and the project tree context menu act on the selected objects. This page lists each operation, its menu path, its shortcut and its parameters. Most changes to the objects can be undone with Ctrl+Z.

Where to find them

Menu	Operations
Edit	Undo, Redo, Edit Object, Exit Editor, Conversion, Join Objects, Copy, Delete, Num Move, Set Origin, Move to Origin, Custom Origin, Jump to Location, Locate in Object, Select All, Preferences
Options	Rotate Selection, Skew on X axis, Skew on Y axis, Flip on X axis, Flip on Y axis, View source, Tools Database, Experimental > 3D Area
Project tree context menu	Enable Plot, Disable Plot, Set Color, View Source, Edit, Copy, Delete, Save, Export, Join, Properties
Edit toolbar buttons	Editor, Copy, Delete, Distance, Set Origin, Jump to, Locate

Screenshot placeholder: images/Object-Operations-1.png - the Edit menu open, with the Conversion and Join Objects submenus visible.

Quick start

1. Select one or more objects in the Project tree.
2. Open Edit and choose the operation.
3. Read the message in the status bar. Press Ctrl+Z to undo it.

Undo and Redo

Entry	Shortcut	Action
Undo	Ctrl+Z	Undoes the last change to the objects.
Redo	Ctrl+Shift+Z	Repeats the change that was undone.

The undo buttons are also in the title bar. They are disabled when there is nothing to undo.

Edit Object and Exit Editor

Entry	Shortcut	Action
Edit Object	E	Starts the editor of the selected object. The editor is Gerber, Excellon, Geometry or GCode, depending on the object.
Exit Editor	Ctrl+S	Saves the object and leaves the editor. It is enabled only while an editor is open.

See Gerber Editor, Excellon Editor, Geometry Editor and GCode Editor.

Conversion

Use Edit > Conversion.

Entry	Object type	Action
Convert Single to MultiGeo	Geometry	Converts the Geometry object from the single_geometry type to the multi_geometry type.
Convert Multi to SingleGeo	Geometry	Converts the Geometry object from the multi_geometry type to the single_geometry type.
Convert Any to Geo	Gerber, Excellon, Geometry	Makes a new Geometry object from the selected object.
Convert Any to Gerber	Geometry, Excellon	Makes a new Gerber object from the selected object.
Convert Any to Excellon	Geometry, Gerber	Makes a new Excellon object from the selected object. Only the shapes that are drill holes or slots become holes. The other shapes are not converted, and the program reports how many there are.

The converted object is a new object. The original object stays in the project.

Join Objects

Use Edit > Join Objects, or the Join entry of the project context menu.

Entry	Input	Output
Join Geo/Gerber/Exc -> Geo	Any mix of Geometry, Gerber and Excellon objects	A new Geometry object.
Join Excellon(s) -> Excellon	Excellon objects	A new Excellon object with the tools of all of them.
Join Gerber(s) -> Gerber	Gerber objects	A new Gerber object with the apertures of all of them.
Project context menu Join > As Gerber	Any selected objects	A new Gerber object.
Project context menu Join > As Excellon	Any selected objects	A new Excellon object.
Project context menu Join > As Geometry	Any selected objects	A new Geometry object.

Select the objects to join before you start the operation. The source objects are kept.

Copy

Entry	Shortcut	Action
Copy	Ctrl+C	Makes new objects with the same data as the selected objects.
Copy Obj_Name	Shift+C	Copies the name of the selected object to the clipboard.

Delete

Entry	Shortcut	Action
Delete	DEL	Deletes the selected objects. If Delete confirmation is on, the program asks first.

Use Delete confirmation in Preferences General to turn the question on or off.

Num Move

Num Move moves the selected objects to a location that you type. It moves the selected objects that are plotted and visible.

Parameter	Description
Coordinates (text box)	The location, in the form X,Y. An expression is allowed.
Reference (absolute or relative)	Absolute moves the selection to the typed location. Relative moves the selection by the typed offset. The default is absolute (global_move_ref).

Set Origin

Entry	Shortcut	Action
Set Origin	O	Click a point on the canvas. The point becomes the origin (X=0, Y=0) of all objects.

Every object is moved so that the clicked point is at the origin. The move is saved in the undo history.

Move to Origin

Entry	Shortcut	Action
Move to Origin	none	Moves the selected objects so that their lower-left corner is at the origin (0, 0). The Edit menu label shows Shift+O, but no key is bound to it in this version.

Custom Origin

Custom Origin moves the selected objects so that a point of their combined bounds is at the origin.

Parameter	Description	Default
Quadrant 1 (top right)	Uses the top right corner.	-
Quadrant 2 (top left)	Uses the top left corner.	-
Quadrant 3 (bottom left)	Uses the bottom left corner.	-
Quadrant 4 (bottom right)	Uses the bottom right corner.	-
Center	Uses the center of the combined bounds.	Selected

The dialog title is Custom Origin. Click OK to move the objects.

Jump to Location

Entry	Shortcut	Action
Jump to Location	J	Moves the mouse cursor to a location and centers the view on it.

Parameter	Description	Default
Enter the coordinates in format X,Y (text box)	The location. If the clipboard has a valid (X, Y) text, it is filled in.	Mouse position
Reference (absolute or relative)	Absolute uses the coordinates. Relative adds them to the current mouse position.	Absolute (global_jump_ref)

Locate in Object

Entry	Shortcut	Action
Locate in Object	Shift+J	Moves the mouse cursor to a point of the selected object and centers the view on it.

Parameter	Description	Default
T Left	Top left corner of the object bounds.	-
T Right	Top right corner of the object bounds.	-
B Left	Bottom left corner of the object bounds.	Selected (global_locate_pt = bl)
B Right	Bottom right corner of the object bounds.	-
Center	Center of the object bounds.	-

Select All

Entry	Shortcut	Action
Select All	Ctrl+A	Selects all objects.

Preferences

Entry	Shortcut	Action
Preferences	Shift+P	Opens the Preferences in a tab of the plot area. See Preferences Overview.

Transformations

The transform operations act on the selected objects. They use the bounds of the selection.

Rotate Selection

Parameter	Description	Default
Enter the Angle value	The angle of the rotation, in degrees. Range -360 to 360. Four decimals.	Value of tools_transform_rotate (45 in defaults.py)

The Rotate Selection menu item opens this dialog. The key R rotates the selection clockwise, and Shift+R rotates it counter-clockwise. Both use the value of tools_transform_rotate without a dialog.

Skew on X axis and Skew on Y axis

Parameter	Description	Default
Enter the Angle value	The skew angle, in degrees. Range -360 to 360. Four decimals.	Value of tools_transform_skew_x or tools_transform_skew_y (0.0)

Shortcuts: Shift+X (skew on X) and Shift+Y (skew on Y).

Flip on X axis and Flip on Y axis

Entry	Shortcut	Action
Flip on X axis	X	Mirrors the selected objects on the X axis, about the center of the bounds of the selection.
Flip on Y axis	Y	Mirrors the selected objects on the Y axis, about the center of the bounds of the selection.

Scale and Offset

The Scale and Offset controls of each object are in the Transformations frame of the Properties tab. See Objects Overview and the per-type pages.

Parameter	Description	Default
Scale factor	Multiplies the geometry of the object by the factor. Expressions are allowed. A factor of 1.0 does nothing.	1.0
Offset (x, y)	Moves the object by the vector. Expressions are allowed.	(0, 0)

The Transformations button opens the Transform tool with more options: reference point, scale X and Y, offset, buffer. See Transform.

Options menu

Entry	Shortcut	Action
View source	Alt+S	Opens the source text of the selected object (for example the Gerber text).
Tools Database	Ctrl+D	Opens the Tools Database in a tab of the plot area. See Tools Database.
Experimental > 3D Area	-	Opens the 3D area. It is an experimental view.

Project tree context menu

Right-click an object row in the Project tree.

Entry	Action
Enable Plot	Shows the selected objects on the canvas.
Disable Plot	Hides the selected objects.
Set Color	Color submenu: Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple, Brown, Indigo, White, Black, Custom, Opacity, Default. See Objects Overview.
View Source	Opens the source text of the object.
Edit	Starts the editor of the object.
Copy	Makes new objects. See Copy.
Delete	Deletes the selected objects. See Delete.
Save	Saves the project.
Export	Exports the selected objects as DXF, SVG, PNG or PDF. See Exporting Files.
Join	As Gerber, As Excellon, As Geometry. See Join Objects.
Properties	Opens the Properties tab of the selected object.

Units conversion

• The app works in mm. A project saved in inches opens in inches, and the status bar shows [in]. See Getting Started.
• The shortcut Q (Change Units) is listed in the keyboard shortcut list, but it does nothing in this version. There is no control to change the units.

Saved options

• The colors that you choose with Set Color are saved with the object in the project. The next load of the project uses the saved color.
• The other options of an object (for example the Plot check box and the tool values) are saved in the object. See Objects Overview.

Advanced

• A multi-object operation works on all selected objects. Select the objects in the Project tree with Ctrl+click first.
• The operations that run in the background show a progress text in the status bar. Wait for it to end before you start another operation.
• For a G-code object (CNCJob), a flip, rotate, skew or move changes the G-code text. See CNCJob Object.
• The Move plugin does the same moves with more options: Move.
• The Transform tool does the same transforms with reference points and more options: Transform.

See also

• Objects Overview - Gerber Object - Excellon Object - Geometry Object - CNCJob Object - Script Object - Document Object
• Transform - Move - Align Objects - Keyboard Shortcuts
• Exporting Files - Preferences General - Glossary