## What you can do

Use a gadget to focus Object Inspector on one kind of information about the
object you selected. Gadgets are individual views within Object Inspector. A
gadget decides whether it can inspect the current object, so a view that does
not apply to the selection does not provide inspection results.

## Choose a gadget

![Empty Object Inspector host with Manual mode, refresh, Follow selection, focus, and last-refresh controls](https://inspector.4111778.xyz/assets/captures/overview-gadget-system-empty-inspector.png)

The empty Object Inspector still shows the controls shared by all gadgets:

* Use the mode selector to choose a gadget
* Select refresh to request current data from the active gadget, or choose an
  automatic refresh interval
* Keep **Follow selection** selected to inspect later layout selections
* Use the select control to make the inspected object the current VC selection
* Check the last-refresh indicator when comparing changing values

1. [Open Object Inspector](https://inspector.4111778.xyz/docs/overview/inspector/) and select an object in the active
   layout.
2. In the gadget selector, choose the information type you need. The selector
   shows each gadget name and its description as a tooltip.
3. Review the active gadget display. Choose another gadget to examine a
   different aspect of the same object.

## Manage gadget cards

Each gadget card has its own selector and card actions:

* Select a different gadget type from the card selector. A gadget displays
  data only when it supports the inspected object.
* Select **Add gadget** to add a new pinned card, then choose its gadget type.
  A new card remains available when later selections do not support that
  gadget.
* Select the pin control to keep or release a card when the inspected object
  changes. Pinned cards remain visible and receive no compatible object when
  they cannot inspect the current target.
* Select **Remove gadget** to remove that card from the panel.
* Select **Copy gadget to new panel** to open a separate Inspector window
  containing only that gadget. The copied panel starts with the current
  inspected object and does not follow later selections automatically.

Use separate panels when you need to compare two gadget views without
rebuilding the main gadget stack.

## Available gadget types

The registered gadget types are:

* **Object bounds** for visual-object bounding information.
* **Object hierarchy** for simulation-object tree context.
* **Property container** for property-container contents.
* **Dynamic component** for simulation components.
* **Geometry statistics** for geometry rankings and complexity information.
* **PM product** and **PM product matcher** for Process Modeling product
  information and matching.
* **.NET API object** and **.NET collection** for inspectable .NET objects
  and collections.

Use the gadget whose question matches your investigation. For example, select
**Object bounds** when checking the modeled size or world-space footprint of a
component, then use **Object hierarchy** when the result suggests that a parent
or child object may be contributing to the issue.

## Result

The Object Inspector displays information when the selected gadget can inspect
the current object. Select a different object or gadget to continue the
investigation.