B6. How to measure a distance
Distance measurements are similar in function to labeling an atom. Both involve modifying the behavior of the mouse. As with labeling there are two ways to measure distances. Distance measurements require the selection of the two atoms with the mouse. With one method, the distance between the two atoms appears at the bottom of the Netscape window. The other method will place the distance on the molecule with a line drawn between the selected atoms.
To have the distance appear at the bottom of the browser window select the following menu items:
Select¬Mouse Click Action¬Distance.
To display the distance on the structure select the following menu items
(example shown to the left):
Select¬Mouse Click Action¬Toggle Distance Monitor.
Once you have finished obtaining the distance(s), you probably want to restore the mouse action to just identifying the atom (the default mode) by the following series of commands: Select¬Mouse Click Action¬Identify.
