Centering tools on a component

There are three kind of tools directly available in a default development tool : Browsing tools on the right, the EiffelStudio Editor on the upper left and context tools on the lower left. No browsing tool, except the feature tool, displays information about a particular component. On the contrary, the editor and context tools display information about a given cluster, class or feature : they are centered on this component. There are several ways to center the editor on an element:

  • use the address bar on the top of the editor. It allows you to set which class (and even which feature in the class) you want the editor to display. You may use wildcards ("?" or "*") as you type the names of these components.
  • use pick and drop. Pick a cluster, class or feature stone anywhere in EiffelStudio and drop it in the editor. It will center it on the component automatically.
  • find it in the groups, features, or favorites tool and click it.

The context tool can be independent from the editor. If it is not, both the editor and the context tool will be centered on the same component. If it is, there is a second address bar , in the context tool title bar. You may then center the context tool on a component by using the three methods described for the editor. You can also center the context tool on the same component as the editor ( the context tool remaining independent): Just click or select Synchronize Context Tool tool in the View menu.
To make the context tool independent if it is not, click or select Unlink/Link context tool in the View menu. To do the opposite, click the same icon or select Merge context tool in the View menu.