PANEL

Configures frames with multiple panels.

Format

PANEL nrow ncol bframe eframe

Parameters

Remarks

When you run PANEL, all images and graphics in the frame are erased and the frame is configured with the panel setup specified with the nrow and ncol parameters. The frame's panel configuration remains until another PANEL command is run or a virtual frame with a different panel configuration is restored with command RVF.

PANEL 1 1 configures a frame so that a single panel occupies the entire frame. Specify numbers greater than 1 for nrow or ncol to create multiple panels. You cannot make panels of different sizes on the same frame; all panels on the frame are the same size. If the frame has multiple panels, they are numbered from left to right and from top to bottom. For example, PANEL 2 2 configures a frame with panel 1 in the upper-left quadrant, panel 2 in the upper-right quadrant, panel 3 in the lower-left quadrant, and panel 4 in the lower-right quadrant.

By default, output from image and graphic commands is written to the panel where the cursor is located. Use the global keyword PANEL with commands to override the default and display the output in a different panel.

On multipanel frames, commands that use the cursor interactively may produce unexpected results if you move the cursor to a different panel while the command is running. Leave the cursor in the same panel until the command is finished.

The maximum number of panels for a frame depends on the frame's size. The panel size must be at least 32 lines by 32 elements.

The commands listed below deal with multipanel frames in ways that you may not expect.

• CM, EB, EU and GU change the image or graphics colors in all panels because the frame uses a single color table.
• FRMSAVE, SVF and RVF save or restore entire frames, even if you specify the global keyword PAN.
• RGBDISP works only with single-panel frames, so should not be used with multipanel frames.

The commands listed below have features added specifically for dealing with multipanel frames.

• EG lets you erase a range of panels by specifying beginning and ending panel numbers with the global keyword PAN.
• FRMLIST has a FORM=PANEL keyword that lists the frame directory information and size of each panel. The other FRMLIST options list only information for a single panel.
• ZA has a FULLFRAME=YES keyword that lets you write text to the entire frame instead of being restricted to one panel. This keyword is useful for labeling multipanel displays.

Examples

PANEL

This entry configures the current frame with a single panel that consists of the entire frame. All images or graphics in the frame are erased.

PANEL 2 2

This entry configures the current frame with two rows of panels, and two panels in each row. Panels 1 and 2 are in the top row; panels 3 and 4 are in the bottom row. All images and graphics in the frame are erased.

PANEL 2 3 1 10

This entry configures frames 1 through 10 with two rows of panels, and three panels in each row. Panels 1, 2, and 3 are in the top row; panels 4, 5, and 6 are in the bottom row. All images and graphics in the frames are erased.