The Read only command protects entries from alteration, deletion or accidental movement. It also provides a way to create BrainStorm model 'templates' which you may wish to re-use or share with others.
You might, for example, create a structure in order for friends or colleagues to add their own thoughts. You could create a model of the areas in which you'd like suggestions and they can tap in their ideas as 'descendants' of the headings you provide.
Using the Merge file capabilities of BrainStorm, you could combine everyone's suggestions and then protect all the entries in this model and invite further contributions. We would suggest that each person contributes in a different colour if you need to know who made what suggestions.
Read only entries may be copied, but they may not be edited or deleted. Normally, they cannot be moved except by the addition or removal of normal entries above them in their list, or by the deliberate use of one of the Sort entries commands.
If a block of entries is selected, Read only on/off uses the currently active entry (the one with a triangle on its icon) to determine the target status for all the entries in the block.
If a namesaked entry is selected, the status change will apply to all of its namesakes.
This dialogue appears:
You may wish to protect or unprotect, not only the current selection, but all its descendants or 'ascendants'. This dialogue box lets you choose.
Ascendants are the heading entries of the selected entries, all the way back to the top of the model.
You may choose whether or not to include the model Title.
More typically, you will want to ensure that all the Descendants of the selected entry(ies) share the same Read only status.
And, if you want, you can elect for this to only extend to a certain number of levels.
Use: