# Section Markers

### What It Does

Section Markers let you divide your warp and weft into named sections — contiguous ranges of threads or picks that you label for organizational purposes. Marked sections can become the building blocks for Section Assembly, where you can arrange them into a hierarchical structure and generate expanded drafts.

Think of sections as bookmarks on your design: "This group of threads is the border," "These picks are pattern repeat A," "These threads are the center motif." Once marked, you can reference, rearrange, and repeat these sections without manually counting threads.

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### Location

* **Ribbon**: Design tab > Section Assembly group > Section Marker button
* **Keyboard**: Press **M** to toggle Section Marker mode

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### How It Works

Section Marker is a **toggle mode**. When active, your cursor changes to a section-marking tool instead of the normal drawing tool.

#### Marking a Section

1. **Enable the mode** — Click the Section Marker button or press **M**
2. **Click and drag** on the warp header to mark a range of warp threads, or on the weft header to mark a range of weft picks
3. A semi-transparent highlight appears as you drag, showing the range being selected
4. **Release the mouse** — a naming dialog appears
5. **Enter a name** for the section (e.g., "Border," "Pattern A," "Center")
6. Click **Apply** — the section is created

#### Visual Indicators

Marked sections appear as color-coded indicators on the warp and weft headers. Each section gets an indigo-bordered highlight showing its range, making it easy to see at a glance where each section starts and ends.

#### After Marking

Once created, sections appear in the **Available Sections** list in the Section Assembly panel. From there, you can add them to your assembly tree, set repeat counts, and generate expanded drafts.

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### How to Use It

1. Press **M** or click **Section Marker** in the Design tab
2. Click and drag on the **warp header** to mark a range of warp threads
3. Name the section in the dialog that appears
4. Repeat for additional warp sections
5. Click and drag on the **weft header** to mark weft sections
6. Press **M** again to exit Section Marker mode
7. Open **Section Assembly** to organize and use your marked sections

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### Step-by-Step Example: Marking Sections for a Table Runner

You have a draft for a table runner with a header border, main pattern, and footer border:

1. Press **M** to enter Section Marker mode
2. **Warp sections**:
   * Drag across threads 1–8 → name it "Selvedge"
   * Drag across threads 9–60 → name it "Pattern"
   * Drag across threads 61–68 → name it "Selvedge" (or "Selvedge Right")
3. **Weft sections**:
   * Drag across picks 1–20 → name it "Header Border"
   * Drag across picks 21–30 → name it "Pattern Unit"
   * Drag across picks 31–50 → name it "Footer Border"
4. Press **M** to exit
5. Open Section Assembly to arrange these sections with repeat counts

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### Tips

* **Mark before assembling** — You must mark sections before you can use them in Section Assembly. Plan your design's structure, then mark accordingly.
* **Sections can overlap** — You can mark overlapping ranges if needed. Each section is an independent reference to a thread/pick range.
* **Descriptive names help** — Use clear, meaningful names like "Border," "Pattern A," "Transition." You'll reference these names in the assembly tree.
* **Maximum 85 per axis** — You can create up to 85 sections on the warp and 85 on the weft.
* **Sections don't modify data** — Marking a section doesn't change your threading, treadling, or colors. It's purely organizational — a label on a range.
* **Toggle off when done** — Remember to press **M** again or click the button to exit Section Marker mode and return to normal drawing tools.

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### Quick Reference

| Action                    | How                               |
| ------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| Enter Section Marker mode | Press M or click button           |
| Mark a warp section       | Click and drag on warp header     |
| Mark a weft section       | Click and drag on weft header     |
| Name the section          | Enter name in dialog, click Apply |
| Exit mode                 | Press M or click button again     |
| View marked sections      | Open Section Assembly panel       |
| Maximum sections          | 85 per axis (warp / weft)         |