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Creation Tools Graphics are drawn by clicking a tool from one of the creation tool palettes that are accessed from the top of the View main menu. After selecting a tool the cursor will change when it is moved to a drawing window. This provides a visual clue indicating the click and drag method that will be used to create the graphic. These techniques may be learned by experimentation since UNDO ALWAYS WORKS. Follow a link on the left to learn the technique for particular graphic shape. Detailed documentation of the creation tool palette is available by following the Creation Tools link. Clicks and Double Clicks If you need to make several of the same shape, double click the selection. This "sticks" the selection. The tool will not return to the default arrow function after completion of the creation task. The next graphic can be created without returning to tool pallet. To "unstick" the selection just click the arrow tool and everything reverts to normal. The Escape key may will also clear the selection and revert to the default arrow tool. Zoom with "i" and "o" or "number"; You can use the keyboard to zoom in or out, just type "i" to zoom in and "o" to zoom out. The zoom action is centered on the mouse cursor location, if it is over the frontmost drawing window. It is centered on the center of the window if the mouse is off the screen. This works whenever possible, obviously not when entering text. This very useful short cut doesn't use "command" keys, it is just the "i" and "o". Then number keys also provide short cuts for zoom. The numbers from 1 through 6 will set the zoom to 100%, 200%, ... 600%. These are performed with no command key or other altering key. Shift 2 sets the zoom to 50%, shift 3 - 25% and shift 4 - 12.5%. the zoom action is centered on the mouse cursor if it is over the window, otherwise the center of the drawing is the center of the zoom. You may interactively edit the shape and position of any graphic with the on-screen handles. The "Handles" are the small colored boxes that appear when the graphic is selected. In most cases these are colored an orange shade of brown, but other colors are used to indicate different uses and actions for the handles. You may interactively move any graphic with a simple click and drag when the default arrow tool is active. Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to nudge selected graphics. The Shift, Command, and Option, keys are used to specify larger or smaller amounts for the nudge move. The Control key is used with Shift, Command, or Option to alternate grid snapping behavior for the nudge. These keys are active anytime one or more graphics are selected. When no graphics are selected the arrow keys is used to scroll the view of the drawing. |