User Library Menu

User Library Menu

EazyDraw User Library derived shortcut menu items.

Related Information

Libraries Menu

User Libraries

Element Mode

Name Mode

Button Mode

Library Menu

Transfer Palette

Menu Keys

Properties Button

The Libraries menu is a dynamic menu, semi permanent elements may be added to this menu. There is a dynamic portion that shows current open user library palettes.

Your menu will likely look different than the menu shown on the left of this help page. Your menu will reflect the tool palettes and user libraries that you have installed as well as any open user libraries.

This menu is accessed from the main menu, it is near the right, it is titled Libraries.

The top user portion of this menu will hold EazyDraw tool palettes that are installed for menu access. The Manage Menu submenu is used to add or remove these from the main Libraries menu.

The second user portion of this menu holds installed user libraries that are available for menu access. The manage Menu submenu is used to add or remove these from the main Libraries menu.

The third user portion of this menu displays open user libraries. The names shown are the corresponding file names for the library. Selecting one of these menu elements will bring that library palette to the front of all other windows and floating palettes.

When a user library or tool palette item is selected, the corresponding graphic is added to the frontmost drawing window. This is an automatic addition, the graphic is placed in the center of the drawing window and scaled to a nominal size. This means that the actual size of the element will depend on the degree of zoom of the drawing window. This is an automatic mode and is used unless the Transfer properties of the library element have been enabled on the Transfer palette. If the menu item is represents a standard EazyDraw graphic creation tool, the automatic mode is always used.

The Transfer Palette is used if it is desired that menu creation of a graphic produce a graphic of a specific size or in a different location. This control is not possible for the "Tools" elements, they are always automatic. The Transfer properties for a library element are managed by opening the user library, opening the Transfer palette (Format main menu), and selecting the desired library element. This is not done via the actual user menu, the menu is only for executing the creation of a graphic from a user library element.

Both tool palettes and libraries may be added to this user menu. This provides a means to provide menu command access to normal EazyDraw drawing tools. This in turn provides a means to apply a keyboard shortcut to a drawing tool. The Menu Keys preferences panel is used to assign key combinations to user menus. First the tool palette needs to be added to this menu, then the desired keys assigned using the Menu Keys panel.

Notice that a library does not need to be open or visible on the desktop to be used as a menu component. Adding libraries to the menu is one way to free up valuable screen real estate and keep needed tools conveniently at hand.

Notice that installing a library on this menu is completely different from opening a library palette. A library palette does not need to be open in order for it to be used on the menu. Conversely, an open library will not have an active library menu. The library must be overtly added to the menu in order for the library elements to be available as menu commands. Open libraries are shown in the lower portion of the Libraries menu, after both Tools and Libraries installed menus.

Specialized menus comprising a specific mix of standard EazyDraw drawing tools are easily implemented. Create a user library. Drag the desired tools from their primary tool palette to the user library. Arrange them as desired in the user library. Then install the library in this menu. The example top left of this help page shows a user menu for rectangles, with tools from the main tool palette and the charting tool palette. The main rectangle tool has an assigned keyboard short cut of cmd R.