Library Popup Menu

Related Information

Libraries Menu

User Libraries

Element Presentation

Name Mode

Button Mode

Manage Menu

Transfer Palette

User Libraries: Library Popup Menu

Libraries are special drawing files that contain graphics elements for use on other drawings. These graphics are ones that might be used many times in different drawings. A library is represented in the user interface as a floating palette, similar in use to an EazyDraw tool palette. Since the main EazyDraw application menu focuses actions on a drawing window, the library palette needs to have a private menu for actions such as copy, paste. This menu is found at the bottom of the library palette.

The button presentation mode does not have this popup menu.

This popup menu is accessed by first opening a library using the Libraries main menu. If the library is in the Button presentation format, use the bottom right tool button to return to one of the library management modes.

A library palette has 3 forms of display presentation, Name , Element , and Button . The top three items on the library popup menu are used to switch between the different presentation modes.

To Save a library, you need to click on the library window and make it the focus window, normally a drawing window will be the focus and main window. Use the Save menu command on the File main menu to save a library, this is the same command used to save a drawing. Duplicate and Save As both work with libraries as well as normal drawing windows.

The Copy and Paste items are used to overtly copy to the library or paste from the library. Note that the Copy and Paste items on the main Edit menu associate their action to the frontmost EazyDraw drawing window. Since libraries are represented in the user interface as floating palettes and not main windows, these specific menu commands are used in association with the user library file.

Paste Special is a submenu that behaves in a manner similar to the main menu’s Paste Special commands. In this case the source attributes are those on the system pasteboard that have resulted from a Copy or Copy Special from an EazyDraw graphic on a normal drawing window. The Paste Special command will create a new container library element that represents just the specified attribute, for example a Fill Color only. The Transfer mechanism is used to create one of these container elements. Use the Transfer Palette to inspect the Library elements created with these Paste Special menu commands.

Sort will sort all elements of the library alphabetically according to names of the library elements. Sorting will re-position elements in the library. The new positions will re-order elements on both the button presentation mode and the other presentation modes. Do not use this function if a particular order has been established for the buttons in the tool mode of the library.

Make Default will set the current size, position, and library presentation mode the setup used for new libraries.

Two native file formats are provided when saving libraries to a disk file. One is a XML like format called a Property List described as Text format, the other is a more compact and quicker to load and save binary format. Both formats are loss-less, all drawing information is faithfully recorded. The save panel has a popup menu near the bottom, use this to make your selection. These formats are closely analogous to the corresponding main EazyDraw file formats , follow the link to learn more.

EazyDraw version 5 introduced a revision of the native EazyDraw drawing formats. The revised format produces smaller size disk files, and provide quicker save and open performance. This revision was important for iCloud support and the robust protection against data loss introduced with Lion and Mountain Lion versions of macOS. This revision in file format applies to user libraries. The Reverse Compatible paramter found on the EazyDraw preferences panel determines the drawing format version for your user library files.