Layer: Shows the layer name - to modify, type in a new name in it's place.

Visibility: Make this layer visible, or invisible. The same thing can be accomplished with the eye icon on the Layer Manager.

Editable: Click 'yes' to allow this layer to be edited, and 'no' to prevent the layer from being modified by the shape editing tools.

RightClick on the Tabs to change the styles with which shapes are drawn on the viewarea. These changes affect all shapes, so if you want to change the style of an individual shape(s), select them first and use the Drawing Toolbar.

Anti-alias: Click to improve vector display, especially when the view area is rotated.

Points: Set the symbol, color, and size for point shapes in this layer (if any). The point size is measured in screen pixels.

Lines: Set the line color and thickness for line shapes in this layer.

Polygons: Set the edge, and fill colors for areas.

Labels: Only works for point features that have associated attribute information: use the drop-down box to select a field from the attribute table to display as labels in the view.

Colors can be selected from a predefined set provided in the color option menu, or can be customized by clicking the Custom or Mixer options.