Grouping/merging notes

One feature of TB annoys me, which is that if you put two notes too close together, they get “merged” into a sort of combined note, inside a single rectangle, and it is necessary to use the Option key to pull them apart again. I am sure this feature has its uses, though for me the fact that such merged notes (sorry but I forgot and cannot locate the correct TB terminology for this) can apparently not be edited, makes me puzzled about how the feature is useful. I find when I move notes around, merging often happens accidentally and needs to be undone.

Is there any way this feature can be disabled, in a TB file, or in a particular container, so that if, when resizing or moving a note, I accidentally make it touch another note, the notes remain separate? This is a minor issue but a cause of frustration.

Hi Roger ,

The property you are referring To is called composites and they can be turned off

https://www.acrobatfaq.com/atbref8/index/MiscUserInterfaceAspects/Composites/Suppressingformationofco.html

You can also Set the default value of $NeverComposite to true .

To add to the ‘how’ of the previous answer:

  • In a file? Yes. Set the app default to $NeverComposite to true via the Inspector.
  • In a container? Yes. Set $NeverComposite to true for that container. This only affects what happens on the map of that container. Remember inheritance isn’t via outline hierarchy. IOW, child notes of this container don’t inherit a $NeverComposite value of their parent (other than by normal prototype inheritance).

As to setting this for all (new) TBXs, that would have to be done by a custom config.xml file but only if the config system supports that. I don’t believe it does - the list of attributes supported by this system isn’t formally documented (it’s a niche/export feature).

Thank you both very much. I shall do this immediately. Setting it in a single file is perfect. I should have known that it would be easy to do.

1 Like