Skip to main content

Move Elements

Being able to move content quickly is one of the benefits of structured authoring in Paligo. When you move a block element, you move the selected element and all of its "child" elements too. A good example is a procedure, where if you move the procedure element, you move the procedure element and all of its "child" step and para elements in one action.

Tables are slightly different from other Block Elements, see Move Row or Column.

To learn about the parent-child relationship and how it affects moving, copying and deleting, see Understanding Content Structures.

Note

When you are moving block elements, it's important to note that you can only move an element up or down at the same level in the overall topic structure.

This is by design, as it ensures that you do not move elements into positions where they are not allowed. For example, you can move a step in a procedure up or down in the procedure order, but you cannot move the step outside of the procedure.

Tip

It's worth taking the time to learn the Keyboard Shortcuts. When you master those, you will be able to move your block elements around very quickly.

Move Block Elements with XML Tree View

One of the easiest ways to move most types of block elements is to use the XML Tree View. You can access this by opening a topic in the main Paligo editor—it is shown in a section in the panel on the right. Select the XML Tree View header to expand the structure.

XML Structure view shows your content in a tree structure. On the left, there are blue tags for each element in your topic and these are nested to show the different levels of content.

The XML Tree View shows the structure of the topic you are viewing, with the block elements shown as blue tags. To move content, select a block and drag it to the required position (the tag has to be on the dark line to complete the move).

Note

When you move an element, you also move the elements that are inside it (its "child" elements). To learn about the parent-child relationship between elements in a topic, see Understanding Content Structures.

You can move a block up and down at the same level in the structure, or you can move it left and right to place it at a lower level in the structure. For example, you could drag a paragraph into a step in a procedure.

XML Structure view shows your content in a tree structure. In this image, a procedure tag is expanded to reveal all of the steps and paragraphs inside it. A para element has been moved so that it is now inside a step.

When you position the cursor over a blue tag in the XML Tree View, that element is also highlighted in the main Editor. For example, in the following image, the cursor is over the procedure tag, so the procedure is highlighted in the main editor.

The main editor is shown on the left. There is a topic with content and a procedure and all of its steps are highlighted. On the right, the XML structure view shows the cursor is positioned over the procedure tag.

Paligo checks that the elements are in a valid position while you are editing, so you cannot place an element where it is not allowed. If you try to do this, a red line is shown in the main editor and a red tag is shown in the XML Tree View.

On the left, the main editor shows a topic is open. There is content in the topic and a horizontal red line is shown in a paragraph. In the XML structure view, the cursor is on a red title tag. It is red because the user is trying to move it into an invalid position. The red line in the main editor also indicates this.

Tip

You can move entire tables in the same way as other block elements. But for table rows, you can only use the XML Tree View or keyboard shortcuts, see Move Row or Column.

Move Block Elements with the Element Structure Menu

When you are moving block elements, it's important to note that you can only move an element up or down at the same level in the overall topic structure. This is by design, as it ensures that you do not move elements into positions where they are not allowed. For example, you can move a step in a procedure up or down in the procedure order, but you cannot move the step outside of the procedure.

To use the Element Structure Menu to move a block element up or down:

  1. Position the cursor in the element you want to move.

    You can see which element is currently selected by looking at the Element Structure Menu. The element furthest to the right is the currently selected element. If you want to select one of its "parent" elements, select it in the Element Structure Menu and then select Go to Element.

    The top section of the main editor, with the menu, toolbar, and Element Structure Menu shown. The Element Structure Menu shows section, procedure, and step elements and the cursor is on the procedure element. There is a dropdown menu with Go to element as an option.

  2. Select the element in the Element Structure Menu and choose Move up or Move down, depending on the direction you want to move the element.

    The dropdown menu for the mediaobject element. There is a Go to element option, a Move up option, and a Move down option. The cursor is over the Move down option.

Move Block Elements with Keyboard Shortcuts

When you are moving block elements, it's important to note that you can only move an element up or down at the same level in the overall topic structure. This is by design, as it ensures that you do not move elements into positions where they are not allowed. For example, you can move a step in a procedure up or down in the procedure order, but you cannot move the step outside of the procedure.

To use keyboard shortcuts to move block elements:

  1. Select the element you want to move in the topic.

  2. Use the keyboard shortcuts to move the element.

    Move up is Alt + Shift + ↑ (Windows) or Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ + ↑ (Mac).

    Move down is Alt + Shift + ↓ (Windows) or Option ⌥ + Shift ⇧ + ↓ (Mac).