Tile Arrangement

Topics Covered This section will familiarize you with the basics of arranging the tiles of a set to create a Tile Arrangement.

Tile Set

Opening a Tile Set
In the File Menu, select Open and then choose Tile Set. This will bring up an Open Tile Set dialog box, which will provide you with three ways to open a Tile Set.

  1. Select a Tile Set from the included sets list and click ok
  2. Double click on a Tile Set from the included sets list
  3. Find a Tile Set on your local hard drive by clicking the browse button

Tile Set Instructions
These are specific instructions that related to a Tile Set, which appear in a message box after a set has been opened.


Arranging the Tiles
The process of arranging tiles is done by using the application's drag and drop feature to move tiles from the Tile Bin to the Grid. The objective is to arrange or group the tiles of a set using the characteristics identified on each tile. The overall group created from arranging the tiles on the Grid is called a Tile Arrangement.

The Tile Bin
Once a Tile is loaded, all the tiles belonging to the set are placed here. Below are some options available to customize your use of the Tile Bin.

Resizing
Use the arrows at the top left of the Tile Bin to adjust how many tiles you see at once. In addition, the bar that holds the arrow buttons is draggable, allowing you to adjust how many tiles you see, as well. By default, only one column width of tiles is visible after a Tile Set is loaded.

Changing the Position
To change the side the Tile Bin is on, select from the View menu the option Tile Bin Position and then choose either To the Left or To the Right.

The Grid
The tiles that are loaded in the Tile Bin should be dragged to the Grid and arranged into an overall group that represents the final arrangement. Keep in mind that you may expand the Tile Bin using the Resize feature and start grouping tiles there, but the final arrangement of a set has to be done on the Grid in order to count.

Adding Blank Tiles
If the Tile Set allows, you can fill in graps in your Tile Arrangement with blank tiles. To add a blank tile, select in the Tools menu the Add Blank Tile option and this will bring up a Blank Tile information dialog. Keep in mind that there may be restrictions on how many blank tiles you can add and some information may be required before adding the blank tiles. This is denoted by the red coloring of the caption next to the required information.

Context Menu
The context menu is a shortcut method for accessing some main menu options. This menu is accessible by clicking the mouse in the Grid or the Tile Bin. The options available in this shortcut method include:

  1. Adding Blank Tiles
  2. Editing Blank Tiles
  3. Access to help options (Tile Set instructions and in-application user manual)
  4. Changing the position of the Tile Bin
  5. Turning on/off the Minimap
  6. Turning on/off the lines of the Grid
Accessing the context menu:
In Windows or Linux, click the right mouse button.
In Mac, hold down the control key while clicking the mouse.

Minimap
This is a miniature version of the Grid that allows the user to view the placement of all their tiles and move quickly around the Grid.

Fast Scrolling
You can quickly move to any area on the Grid by holding down a mouse button while dragging the mouse across the Grid.


Saving a Tile Arrangement
There are two options for saving a Tile Arrangement, which are located in the File menu under Save.

Incomplete Arrangement
If you wish to pause and return to finish your arrangement later, choose under Save the option Incomplete Tile Arrangement.

Completed Arrangement
If you wish to finalize your arrangement and save it, choose under Save the option Completed Tile Arrangement. After you select this option, you will be presented with a confirmation box. Then, depending on the Tile Set, you may have to provide some additional information such as:

  1. Reasons for each tile that you left in the Tile Bin
  2. Comments on your overall arrangement


Opening an Incomplete Tile Arrangement
If you wish to continue working on an existing Tile Arrangement, you may select in the File Menu the option Open and then choose Continue Tile Arrangement.