TLT Features at a Glance and in Details

TLT features at a glance:

  1. TLT allows you to construct WorkSheets that can be large, tiled workspaces. For example, if you need more room, simply add additional pages in the vertical or horizontal direction. I can go from a single page to a worksheet 10 pages high and 5 pages wide and then later back to a small format like 3 by 2. This flexible WorkSheet size facilitates the (1) generation, (2) presentation, and (3) printout of large “posters”. Large worksheets can be printed out on standard paper, then tiled (or use a large-format plotter).
  2. TLT is driven by a database, so you can have the same entity appearing on several worksheets, each linked via the database. While the format can vary, all instances of a linked entity have the same content. This ensures consistency when the same entity appears in multiple diagrams. Edits throughout your project are a breeze.
  3. TLT minimizes the number of “clicks” and the knowledge of software details required to create effective diagrams very quickly. While standard drawing programs are slow and cumbersome and lack key features, TLT offers the functionality you need for the Thinking Processes in a tailored, friendly, and efficient package.
  4. TLT provides every distinct entity with a unique label that can be generated automatically or modified to suit your style. Auto-numbering makes it easier for you and prevents mistakes.
  5. TLT has the ability to automatically create a glossary containing the label and content of every entity in a WorkBook. There is even a field for you to put a “story” behind each entity.
  6. TLT is inexpensive and easy-to-learn, so instructors can use it as a vehicle for teaching classes and achieving a standard format.
  7. After creating and editing your work in TLT, present it or print directly from TLT or copy and paste it into another standard application if desired.
  8. TLT works in a natural way that you expect, so there are few operations that will be a surprise to the user. It’s easy.
  9. After creating and editing your work in TLT, copy and paste it into another standard application if needed.

Additional details on TLT features:

Offers a palette or toolbox of standard entities/icons. Click to select, point to location, and click again to open dialog box to enter text and set properties.

Every entity/icon receives an auto-generated label (entity type, number) that the user can edit or manage if desired. When you finish with the Edit Icon Dialog Box, TLT executes a check to ensure that the number assigned to a shape is unique. When trying to renumber 'by hand' in a dialog box, one sometimes ends up using an existing number, which is disallowed. Instead, TLT prompts the user to either change the label or insist on the entered number, in which case TLT renumbers the conflicting entity with the next available number for that entity type.

New entities/icons are automatically sized for efficient use of space when they are created, and multiple commands allow the user to easily resize them. .

Simply double click on an entity/icon to edit it (either in the main window or the document explorer..

"Bubble selection" feature. Left click and drag on a blank part of the diagram. A selection window is drawn and all items completely within the selection window will be selected when a user lets go of the left mouse button. The cursor arrow keys will now move all selected objects a small amount, while dragging with the mouse, delete, cut, and copy are available as well.

Insert, remove, rename, and rearrange WorkSheets (diagrams) using the Manage Diagrams box.

There is a Story field for every entity/icon to allow the user to write a related paragraph, possibly including a more extensive description (under "more" in the Edit Icon Dialog Box).

Automatically generate a Glossary in .html format. The Glossary organizes by type and prints out the contents of every entity, including the "story field" (The Glossary feature is under the "Diagrams" menu and the Glossary view has a context menu..

Has a novel "Document Explorer" tree which provides the entities of the WorkBook organized by WorkSheet. Simply drag a shape from the tree onto a worksheet to create a linked object.

Offers a powerful find feature to search for keywords or strings. Find is accessed via a menu or a button and provides a text input field in Document Explorer.

A "Jump to Linked Entity" feature is invoked from "Edit Entity" dialog box - simply double click on a diagram name or hit the "Jump..." button to jump to linked instances of an entity in other locations of the WorkBook.

[L] and <...> indicators are placed following the entity label to indicate Linked entities ([L]) and those with a story behind them (<...>).

To assist in layering the graphical entities, there are "Send to Back" and "Bring to Front" commands.

General Preferences option automatically selects the 'Pointer' tool after any item is dropped from the toolbox, but this can be changed to allow one to, for example, create many arrows in rapid succession with a minimum of clicks. In addition, when dropping an entity from the toolbox, hold down the Control key to suppress the edit entity dialog box and thereby allows a user to quickly drop multiple entities of the same type and edit them later.

A line style toolbar to select a default for line (1) boldness, (2) solid/dashed, (3) number of arrowheads. The selected values will be applied to all newly created connectors. Double-clicking existing lines allows their style to be changed. Supported Lines: One Segment Line, Two Segment Line, Three Segment Line, Bezier Curve.

Hold down SHIFT key while clicking to select multiple shapes or lines.

TLT offers Cut, Copy, and Paste clipboard support as well as multi-level Undo and Redo support. Note: After selecting the entities/icons you want to paste, select Copy in TLT and then PASTE the graphic into the other program as an enhanced metafile for best picture quality. In PowerPoint, use "Edit | Paste Special | Picture (Enhanced Metafile)..

Printing and Print Preview.

Cool “shades” – TLT has an upper toolbar button called “Shade Toggle”. By clicking shade toggle, every entity touched/clicked will have the shading property toggled (and it sticks if saved). Once the shade toggle button is activated, I can click one or 21 entities in order (without going back to the shade toggle button) and each one changes shade in real time. This adds value to TLT as a presentation tool. One effective device for verbally/visually presenting trees is to talk through flows of linked entities from bottom to topic. In complex trees, one must somehow break the entire diagram into multiple portions so that the complexity can be managed. If doing this, it’s really valuable to be able to SHADE entities that you have already discussed, clarifying what parts of the diagram remain. For this to be feasible in a presentation setting, one really needs the simplicity of point and click to be able to effortlessly make these shading changes on the fly. Mouse wheel scroll controls (horizontally, vertically, and for Zoom) further enhance the presentation features. Shade All, Clear All, and Restore Defaults are included as additional features.