The Secondary item view is a practical way to display and work in two views at the same time. As you navigate from item to item through your structure, both views will update accordingly or you can lock the secondary item view on one item while you navigate with the other. This article describes how to work with a secondary view. 



The two views share the specification view area and you can adjust the width of the views as needed by dragging on the pane divider.

 


Layout and Locking Defaults

By default, the Secondary item view will load to the right of the primary view, as shown above. It will also be unlocked meaning that it will update to reflect the selected item as you move through your structure. 

Activating a Secondary View

There are two ways to activate the view. 


Shift-Click on Menu Option

Select an item in the structure tree. To open a view that is available as a button on the Items ribbon, hold down the Shift key and click on the view option.


The selected view will open to the right of the primary view.


Via the Context View Menu

Right-click on the item in the tree and select Secondary item view.


By default, the Overview view initially displays as the secondary view to the right of the primary view. You can change it to any of the views that are available. 

Changing the View

To change the secondary view, hold down the Shift key and click on view option on the Items ribbon, or, select another view using the View drop-down list:

Undocking the View

You can undock the secondary view and move it to another monitor, for example, by selecting Undock:  


To dock it again, select Dock from the same menu drop-down.

Changing Dock Position

To change the layout position, open the drop-down menu located to the far right above the secondary item view, and select another dock position. The options are right, bottom, and top. 


If you are working with a grid that has many columns, for example, you may want to place it in the top or bottom position. 



Tip: Locking a graph in the primary view combined with the use of the Secondary item view, enables you to make edits to, e.g., attributes, description, etc., in an individual item selected in the graph while keeping the graph in view. Working this way, the structure tree view can basically be minimized altogether since most work tasks can be completed directly in the graph. and secondary view.

Locking the View

You can navigate through your structure with the primary view pane following your movement, while the secondary view can be locked to display another item. 


To lock the secondary view, click the Lock icon displayed to the left of the secondary view's item type display. 

In the below example, the ECU Allocation view will be locked on the Design architecture. When you move away from the Design architecture to another item, only the Overview primary view will update.



To unlock the secondary view, click the Lock icon again. 

Closing the View

To close the secondary view, click the Close icon to the far top-right of the pane, or right-click the item in the tree and select View > Secondary item view. 


Including a Secondary view in a Menu Button

Architects in SystemWeaver can configure a Multibutton on an item tab that, when clicked, will open pre-defined views in the primary and secondary positions. This is ideal for user work processes that benefit from working in/displaying two views simultaneously.