Panels hold the apps you use to study a site. Put the map, its layers, and the numbers that matter for a deal side by side, so you can see a change to a building's massing show up in its yield without switching screens.
What a panel holds
A panel is a container for one or more apps. Each app in a panel gets its own tab in the panel's tab bar. Click a tab to show that app.
Each app opens once per layout. There is one Map, one Layers, one Properties, and so on. You can split the window into as many panels as you need, side by side or stacked, and resize each one.
Your panel arrangement is saved as part of a layout.
Parts of a panel
Grip: the dotted handle at the start of the tab bar. Drag it to move the whole panel.
Tabs: one per app. Hover over a tab to see the app's name.
Add tab: the + button at the end of the tab bar. Click it to add an app to this panel.
App area: the rest of the panel, where the active app appears.
Every other panel action lives in the right-click menu. Right-click a tab, or right-click an empty part of the tab bar.
Add an app to a panel
Click the + button, Add tab, on the panel's tab bar.
Type in the Search apps… box, or scroll the list. Each app is listed by category and name, for example Analysis ▸ Solar.
Click an app. It opens as a new tab in that panel.
Apps are grouped into four categories: Map, Design, Analysis, and Data. Apps you install from the Marketplace appear under Other. To search inside one category, type the category and then the app name, for example "analysis solar."
An empty panel shows an add an app button in the middle. Click it to open the same list.
To add an app that isn't in your project yet, click Add App at the bottom of the list.
Add an app that is already open
An app that is already open in your layout appears faded in the list, with open next to its name. Each app opens once per layout, so picking it again does one of two things:
If the app is open in the same panel, Giraffe switches to its tab.
If the app is open in a different panel, Giraffe asks what to do. Click Move here to move the app into this panel. Click Focus to switch to it where it is.
Close a tab
Right-click a tab and choose Close tab. To close every tab in the panel except that one, choose Close others.
Closing the last tab in a panel closes the panel too.
Color a tab
Right-click a tab and choose Color, then pick a color. The color tints the tab's icon, or shows as a dot when the panel shows text only. Choose None to remove it.
The colors are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Pink, Light Pink, Bisque, Blanched Almond, Tea Green, Powder Blue, and Thistle.
Change tab position
Right-click a panel's tab bar and choose Tab position, then pick Top, Right, Bottom, or Left. The panel's tab bar moves to that side. A check mark shows the current position.
Change tab style
Right-click a panel's tab bar and choose Tab style, then pick Icon, Text, or Icon + Text. Tabs show icons only by default.
Split a panel
Right-click a panel's tab bar and choose a split:
Split vertical: adds an empty panel to the right.
Split horizontal: adds an empty panel below.
OR
Drag a tab to the edge of any panel. When Split appears, drop the tab to put it in a new panel on that side. You can only split a tab off its own panel when that panel has more than one tab.
Move tabs and panels
Drag a tab to move one app. Drag a panel's grip to move the whole panel and every tab in it. Where you drop decides what happens:
On another panel's tab bar: the tab or panel joins that tab bar where you drop it.
On the middle of another panel, a dragged tab shows Merge. Drop it to move the tab into that panel.
On the middle of another panel, a dragged panel shows Swap. Drop it to swap the two panels' places.
On the edge of another panel, either one shows Split. Drop it to put it in a new panel on that side.
Panels stay inside the Giraffe browser window. You can't drag a panel, tab, or app out of the window, open it in its own window, or dock it on a second monitor.
Resize a panel
Drag the divider between two panels. The divider highlights when you hover over it. Drag a panel small enough and it collapses to its tab bar.
Collapse and expand a panel
Right-click a panel's tab bar and choose Collapse. The panel shrinks down to its tab bar. Click any tab in the collapsed panel, or choose Expand from the same menu, to open it again.
Collapse is only available when the panel's tab bar runs the same way the panel is stacked:
A panel with its tabs on the Top or Bottom collapses when it sits above or below another panel.
A panel with its tabs on the Left or Right collapses when it sits beside another panel.
Fullscreen a panel
Right-click a panel's tab bar and choose Fullscreen. That panel fills the whole window. Choose Restore from the same menu to bring back the other panels.
Press Ctrl+\ to fullscreen the panel showing the Map, or restore it. This shortcut uses Ctrl on both Mac and PC.
Fullscreen isn't saved with your layout. Switching layouts restores every panel.
Close a panel
Right-click a panel's tab bar and choose Close panel. The panel closes with every tab in it.
Closing a panel removes the apps from your layout. Your project data stays exactly as it was. Add the apps back any time.
Where panel changes are saved
Changes to panels save to the active layout: tabs, splits, sizes, tab position, tab style, tab colors, and collapsed panels. Fullscreen is the one exception, and isn't saved. A project's layouts are shared with everyone who can edit the project.
In a read-only project, you can still rearrange panels. Your changes last until you leave the project.
In a published view, panels are locked. You can switch tabs. Adding, moving, and closing tabs is turned off.
Panels in a space
Panels work the same way in a space. A space offers a smaller set of apps: Map, Layers, Properties, Project Settings, Content Library, and any apps you've installed from the Marketplace. A space's layouts are separate from a project's layouts.
Panel messages
Giraffe shows these toasts at the bottom of the screen when you change panels or layouts.
Message | What triggers it | What to do |
"Cannot add a layout — this project already has 10 layouts. Remove one first." | You tried to add or duplicate a panel layout in a project that already has 10 layouts. | Remove a layout first. |
"Could not [switch to / remove] "[layout name]" — an open panel refused to close. (or: Could not create "[layout name]" ...)" | You switched, created, duplicated or removed a panel layout. An open panel would not close. | Close the open panel first, then try again. |
"Could not save panel layouts." | Saving your panel layouts to the server failed. | Try again. |
"Couldn't close this panel — see the console for details." | You closed a panel and the panel's own close check failed with an error. | Try again or refresh the page. |