Tidy the layout with Arrange
Use Arrange to straighten the rows, even out the spacing and seat siblings in order of birth. The dialog states how many people will move before anything changes.
The Arrange command repositions people according to one of four arrangements, which are described below. Each arrangement is applied as a single step, so one undo reverses it completely. A message after the change offers Undo, and CtrlZ has the same effect.
Procedure
- 1
Click Arrange in the top bar. The Auto-arrange dialog opens with Tidy selected.
- 2
Select Tidy, Compact or Compress. The summary under the choices states how many people would move.
- 3
To change the spacing or to tidy only the selected people, click More options.
- 4
If Tidy should seat each set of siblings from the oldest, switch on Siblings in birth order.
- 5
Click the button at the foot of the dialog, which states how many people will move.
If you have placed someone by hand, open More in that person’s side panel and select Keep in place on Arrange. Tidy and Compress then leave that person where they are, but Compact does not.
The four arrangements
| Choice | What it does |
|---|---|
| As is | The current layout is kept. If a different spacing is chosen, the rows are respaced and keep their order. |
| Tidy | Each row keeps its order, each generation is placed on one line, children are centred under their parents and the spacing is evened out. |
| Compact | The layout is rebuilt generation by generation, with siblings ordered from the oldest, and any positions kept in place by hand are released. |
| Compress | The gaps between people are closed while the lines are kept straight. |
More options
Space between people sets the spacing to Less, Normal or More, and the editor also uses the chosen spacing for people added afterwards. Apply to limits Tidy to the selected people, and it is already set that way when two or more people are selected before the dialog opens. Compact and Compress always arrange everyone. Move notes with the people is switched on by default and keeps each loose note beside the person it was nearest to.
Keyboard shortcuts
- ⇧CtrlA
- Tidy the layout at once, without opening the dialog.
- ↵ Enter
- Apply the chosen arrangement while the dialog is open.
- CtrlZ
- Undo the arrangement.
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