Other Operations on Packets

The Packet Tree menu contains operations that can be applied to any packet in Regina. Most of these operations are also offered as toolbar buttons. Here we describe each of these operations in turn.

Floating in Separate Windows

If you wish to view several packets at the same time, you can “undock” them from the main Regina window and float them in separate windows of their own. Just click on the paper clip in the top right corner of the packet viewer (circled in red below).

The packet will them jump out of main window and into its own separate window. Two such windows are illustrated below.

If you click on the paper clip again, the packet will return to the main Regina window. If you have some other packet in the main window with uncommitted changes, it will be pushed out into a separate window as a result (i.e., your changes will not be lost).

If you prefer all packets to open in separate windows by default, you can choose this in Regina's general settings.

Creating New Packets

New packets of any type can be created through the corresponding New ... item in the Packet Tree menu, or by pressing the toolbar button with the corresponding packet icon.

For example, to create a new triangulation, either select Packet TreeNew Triangulation in the menu, or press the toolbar button with the following icon:

Each time you create a new packet, you will be asked for some details (as illustrated below):

Create beneath:

Here you select where in the tree your new packet will appear. Your new packet will be added as a child of whatever you choose in this box.

Label:

This will be the label (i.e., the name) of the new packet. No two packets in the same data file may have the same label.

You might also be asked for additional information according to which type of packet you are creating.

Cloning Packets

To make an identical copy of an existing packet, you can use either the Packet TreeClone Packet or the Packet TreeClone Subtree menu item. Regina will clone whatever packet is currently selected, and the clone will be added adjacent to it in the tree. The top-level packet at the root of the tree cannot be cloned.

If you choose Clone Packet, only the selected packet will be copied (not any of its children). If you choose Clone Subtree, Regina will clone not only the selected packet but also the entire subtree beneath it (i.e., its children, their children and so on).

Tip

If you have selected some packet in the tree but you have a different packet open for viewing or editing, it is the selected packet in the tree that will be cloned, not the packet that you are currently viewing.

Renaming Packets

By selecting Packet TreeRename from the menu (or the corresponding toolbar button), you can give the selected packet a new label. Note that no two packets in the same data file may have the same label.

Tip

If you have selected some packet in the tree but you have a different packet open for viewing or editing, it is the selected packet in the tree that will be renamed, not the packet that you are currently viewing.

Deleting Packets and Subtrees

If you select Packet TreeDelete from the menu (or press the corresponding toolbar button), whatever packet you have selected in the tree will be deleted. Note that all children of the selected packet will also be deleted, and their children and so on.

Caution

If you have selected some packet in the tree but you have a different packet open for viewing or editing, it is the selected packet in the tree that will be deleted, not the packet that you are currently viewing. Be careful, since deleting a packet cannot be undone!

Moving Around the Tree

The Packet TreeMove submenu allows you to reorganise your packet tree by moving packets around. Whenever a packet moves, all of its children (and their children and so on) will move along with it.

Selecting Higher Level or Lower Level will move the selected packet to a different parent (either shallower or deeper in the tree respectively). The remaining options will keep the same parent, but will move the selected packet up or down with respect to its “siblings”. Up or Down will move the packet by one step, and Top or Bottom will make it the first or last child respectively of its parent. Jump Up or Jump Down will move the packet several steps at a time; the precise number of steps can be configured in Regina's general settings.

Tip

All of the actions in the Packet TreeMove menu have keyboard shortcuts, allowing you to reorganise the packet tree quickly using just the keyboard.

Refreshing Subtrees

The Packet TreeRefresh Subtree menu item will reload a section of the packet tree from Regina's mathematical engine. This should never be necessary, but the operation is provided in case the user interface gets out of sync. If this does happen, please let us know so that we can reproduce and hopefully fix the bug.

Only the section of the tree beneath the selected packet will be reloaded (i.e., the selected packet, its children, their children and so on). To refresh the entire tree, you should have the root packet selected.