Canvas Basics

Canvas Basics

What is the Canvas?

The canvas is the main workspace in GearMaster Visual where you create your workflows by placing and connecting nodes. It's a 2D area where you can organize your workflow visually.

Canvas Navigation

Pan (Move Around)

• Middle Mouse Button: Click and drag with the middle mouse button to move around the canvas

Zoom In/Out

• Mouse Wheel: Scroll up to zoom in, scroll down to zoom out
• Keyboard Shortcuts:
  • Ctrl++ - Zoom in (by 20%)
  • Ctrl+- - Zoom out (by 20%)

Fit View to Screen

• Keyboard: Press Ctrl+0 to fit all nodes on screen
• Menu: View → Zoom Fit All

Reset Zoom to 100%

• Keyboard: Press Ctrl+1 to reset zoom to normal size
• Menu: View → Zoom Reset

Canvas Controls

Selection

• Select Node: Left-click on a node to select it (highlighted in blue)
• Deselect: Left-click on empty canvas area

File Operations via Menu

File Menu

• New: Create a new project
• Open: Open an existing project file (.gmvproj)
• Save: Save the current project
• Save As: Save with a new filename
• Recent Files: Quick access to your recently opened projects
• Close GM_Visual: Exit the application

View Menu

Panels

• Right Pane: Toggle the node library and properties panel
• Terminal: Toggle the execution output panel

Zoom Commands

• Zoom Fit All (Ctrl+0): View all nodes on screen at once
• Zoom In (Ctrl++): Increase magnification
• Zoom Out (Ctrl+-): Decrease magnification
• Zoom Reset (Ctrl+1): Return to 100% zoom

Canvas Menu

• Clear All: Remove all nodes and connections from the canvas (requires confirmation)

Run Menu

• Run All: Execute the complete workflow from start to finish

Settings Menu

• Preferences (Ctrl+,): Open application settings and preferences

Right-Click on a Node

Right-clicking on any node in the canvas brings up a context menu with these options:

• Delete: Remove the node from the canvas
• Properties: View and modify node configuration
• Execute Cascade: Execute this node and all downstream connected nodes

Executing Nodes

Node Execution Button

Each node has a button (usually at the top-right) that allows you to execute the node:

• Left-click: Execute just this single node
• Right-click: Execute this node and all downstream nodes that depend on its output

Right Panel (Node Library & Properties)

The right panel contains two sections:

Node Library (Top)

Shows available nodes that you can add to the canvas. Drag a node from the library onto the canvas to create it.

Properties Panel (Bottom)

When you select a node, this panel shows its configuration options and allows you to modify its settings.

Terminal Panel

Located at the bottom of the window, the terminal shows:

• Execution output from nodes
• Debug messages and information
• Error messages if execution fails