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FAQ: Show One Hidden

How do I show just one hidden object?

Occasionally in a sketch of many hidden objects, you'll want to show just one, or just a few, hidden objects. But Display | Show All Hidden shows all objects! So how do you show just one?

There are two general techniques (detailed in the following two sections) for showing a subset of the hidden objects. The first is easier in sketches with just a few dozen objects, but in very complicated sketches, you may prefer to use the second.

A. Show All Hidden

Keep in mind that Display | Show All Hidden shows and selects all the hidden objects. You can then simply deselect the objects you want to remain visible and re-hide the rest. The result is that only the objects you have explicitly deselected become shown.

Follow these steps:

  1. Choose Display | Show All Hidden. Sketchpad shows and selects all hidden objects in your sketch.
  2. Deselect the objects you want to show permanently.
  3. Choose Display | Hide Objects to re-hide the objects that you have not deselected.

B. Properties

In sketches with dozens or hundreds of hidden objects, it may be difficult to find the objects you want to show permanently when you temporarily show all hidden objects. You can use the Properties dialog box to navigate directly to the object you wish to show without having to show all hidden objects.

Follow these steps:

  1. In Sketchpad version 4, visit Edit | Properties for a showing relative of the hidden object you wish to show. For instance, if you want to show a segment of one of the endpoints that are already showing, visit Properties for one endpoint. (In GSP3, double-click the endpoint with the Object Information tool.)
  2. Use the Parents and Children menus in the Object Properties dialog box to move from the visible object to its hidden relative.
  3. Uncheck the "Hidden" checkbox in the hidden object's Object Properties dialog box to selectively reveal just that one object.
  4. Continue navigating to other relatives to show or hide, or click OK to leave the Object Properties dialog box.