Using grids

Here we introduce grids and show you how to use them:

About grids

A grid is one of the components which can make up the background layer of a flipchart. When you apply a grid to a page, you can still change the colour of the background and apply a background image to the page. Any objects, such as annotations and images, are placed on top of the grid because they exist on a different layer. However, you can move the grid so that it displays on top of all other objects.

When to use grids

You can use grids in a wide range of activities, here are some ideas:

Position objects accurately when designing a presentation and ensure objects are lined up in the correct place during drag and drop activities.

Create your own graph paper, which you can use to represent numerical data in a visual form.

Create guidelines to assist with drawing three-dimensional objects.

Create specialised paper to represent complex mathematical functions.

 

Add scale to your demonstrations, such as object transformations.

 

 

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Insert a grid from the Resource Library

The Resource Library contains a number of sample grids, which are ready for you to use.

Here we show you how to insert one of these grids into a flipchart:

  1. Navigate to the page where you want to insert a grid.

  2. Click on the Resource Browser

  3. In the Shared Resources folder, click on Grids.

  4. Select the category of your choice, for example, Graph Paper > Green. The thumbnails in the Browser show the available grids.

  5. Here are three quick ways to add the grid to the page. Click on the thumbnail of your chosen grid, then:

Snap to Grid

Use Snap to Grid so that items on the flipchart automatically line up with a grid on the page when you move them.

Make items line up with a grid

  1. Drag a grid onto the page from the Resource Library.

  2. Right-click on the page and select Snap to Grid.

  3. Move or create an object, note how it lines up with the grid.

Switch off Snap to Grid

Snap to Grid remains active until you deselect Snap to Grid, or until you delete the grid.

 

When Snap to Grid is enabled, you may find that objects continue not to snap to the grid. This may be because the Grid has not been designed to allow snapping to take place.

For details, see Reference > Tools > Grid Designer.

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Show or hide grids

Grids are useful when you are constructing a flipchart, or when you want to align or measure objects precisely. You may want to show or hide a grid when you are presenting at the board. You can still use the snap to grid feature without showing the grid itself.

We assume that you have already added a grid to the page.

Here we show you two ways to show and hide grids.

Property Browser

  1. Click on the page to select it.

  2. Open the Property Browser

  3. Scroll down to Grid. Set Visible to True to show the grid, or to False to hide it.

Right-click

  1. Right-click on the page.

  2. Select Hide Grid. This is a toggle switch, you can use it to show or hide the grid.

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For details of how to create your own grids with the Grid Designer , see Creating and editing grids.