State Mask

The State Mask is used to hide some States in the Diagram View. The user selects which States to be hidden using the Mask State context menu item in the Model Tree View or the Diagram View. The word "mask" is used in a similar manner as is in either costumes or painting - that is to hide or cover up. One might think of it like a masquerade ball where part of the face is covered, but not the whole face. Or in painting a room, one may cover windows with "masking tape". In a similar manner ProcessDB covers or hides some states from view in the diagram. The purpose of this hiding is strictly for the user's convenience.

The user may wish to hide some states simply to focus on other parts of the diagram. Perhaps the hidden states have many connections in the diagram and are not the more biologically significant states of the model. Something like ATP or Hydrogen ions may fall into this category for many types of models.

The State Mask may be turned on or off. When on, the States that are in the mask will be hidden. When off, all states will be visible. The State Mask is subdiagram specific. Each subdiagram has its own State Mask. When adding a State to the State Mask of the subdiagram that State will be hidden when the State Mask is on for that subdiagram, but not for other subdiagrams or the main diagram. Unless of course, the State is _also_ a part of the State Mask for other subdiagrams or the main diagram.