Chapter Thirteen: Exchanging Images
with Other Applications

You can transfer objects to and from EXPRESS using the Windows Clipboard.

First you cut or copy the objects from a document to the Clipboard, a temporary holding area. Then you paste a copy of the objects from the Clipboard to the destination.

Use this process to move objects to:

• A different place in the same document

• Another EXPRESS document

• Another Windows application.

Cut, Copy, and Paste

The Cut command transfers the object to the Clipboard and, at the same time, deletes it from the EXPRESS document.

The Copy command transfers a copy of the object to the Clipboard while leaving the original intact. Copying is preferred over cutting when using an EXPRESS object in another application because it allows the possibility of linking. Cutting an object allows only embedding.

The Paste command transfers a copy of the Clipboard contents to the EXPRESS document.

Using Cut, Copy, and Paste

Each time you transfer objects to the Clipboard, the Clipboard’s previous contents disappear.

To cut objects to the Clipboard:

1. Select the objects you want to cut.

2. Choose Cut from the Edit menu, or press Ctrl+X.

The selected objects are moved to the Clipboard and deleted from the document.

To copy objects to the Clipboard:

1. Select the objects you want to copy.

2. Choose Copy from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+C.

A copy of the selected objects is moved to the Clipboard. The original objects remain in the document.

To paste objects from the Clipboard:

1. Display the area where the objects from the Clipboard are to be pasted.

The area can be in another Windows application, another document, or another area of the same document.

2. In the destination program, choose Paste from the Edit menu, or press Ctrl+V.

Note: The Paste command is available only when the Clipboard contains data. If the Clipboard is empty, the Paste command is unavailable and appears in gray on the menu.

3. Place the cursor where you want the objects to appear and click the mouse.

A copy of the objects is retrieved from the Clipboard and added to the document.

4. If you want to place another copy of the objects anywhere else, repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 as often as necessary.

These objects remain in the Clipboard until you cut or copy something else to the Clipboard. They are then replaced with the new objects.

Note: If you are pasting into an EXPRESS document, you can use the Paste Options command in the Edit menu to select whether to paste the image in front or behind a selected object in the document. Before Pasting, choose Paste Options/Front of Object or Paste Options/Behind Object.

Note: Objects copied or pasted to the Clipboard do not support all EXPRESS features. For example, clipping masks and gradients are lost. To place objects with these features into another document or application, export them from the File menu, as an EPS file, for example.

Clipboard Options

EXPRESS lets you choose a variety of cut and paste formats when using the Clipboard.

To choose cut and paste formats:

1. Choose Clipboard from the Edit menu. The Clipboard dialog box appears.

2. Choose one or more cut/copy formats. EXPRESS will write information to the Clipboard in all selected formats.

If you cut or copy a complex illustration, there may not be room in the Clipboard for multiple formats. If so, a message will be displayed.

3. If you choose Window Metafile format (WMF), click on the desired resolution.

4. Choose one of the paste formats. EXPRESS will paste the contents of the Clipboard in the selected format.

Note: Clipboard data must be pasted using the same format used for the Cut or Copy command. You cannot Cut or Copy in one format and Paste in another.

If you want to view the contents of the Clipboard, choose View. To empty the Clipboard, choose Clear. To save the contents of the Clipboard as a CLP file, choose Save As from the Clipboard’s File menu.

Note: Objects copied or pasted to the Clipboard do not support all EXPRESS features. For example, clipping masks are lost. To place objects with clipping masks into another document or application, export them, for example, as an EPS file.

Merging Documents Via the Clipboard

You can use the Clipboard to combine two or more EXPRESS documents. Compare this method to Merging Documents, which requires opening only one of the two documents.

To merge EXPRESS documents via the Clipboard:

1. Open one of the documents to be merged.

2. Choose Clipboard from the Edit menu. The Clipboard dialog box appears.

3. Ensure A&L EXPRESS is the Cut option chosen and that A&L EXPRESS is the Paste option chosen.

4. Click on OK.

5. Choose Select All from the Edit menu.%!PI("useguide.mvb","help_editmenupic")

6. Choose Cut or Copy from the Edit menu.

7. Open a second document.

8. Choose Paste from the Edit menu. The Add Object cursor appears.

9. Place the Add Object cursor where you want the upper left of the pasted document to appear.

Click the mouse to paste the document at its default size.

or

Hold the mouse button and drag to size a bounding box. When the bounding box is the size desired, release the mouse button to paste the document.

Importing and Exporting Files

EXPRESS can import and export a variety of popular graphic and data file formats.

Importing and exporting between applications is an excellent way to use the features of different packages to create the best possible finished product.

For example, Lotus graphs can be imported, enhanced with EXPRESS graphics and type, and then exported to a desktop publishing package such as Ventura Publisher or Aldus PageMaker, or to a word processing program such as Word or WordPerfect.

Supported File Types

EXPRESS directly imports EPS, GIF, JPG, DXF, CGM, CTM, WMF, DRW, CDR, WPG, TIF, PIC, SCD, CSP, DIA, SLK, DIF, BMP, DIB, ANSI and ASCII text (in TXT or DOC format), and PS (Adobe PostScript) files, and directly exports EPS, GIF, JPG, CGM, WPG, TIF, SCD, WMF, CSP, BMP, TXT and DOC files.

BMP (Direct Import and Export)

BMP files are created by paint programs and various other graphics applications. A BMP file is a “bitmap” (a field of individual dots).

CDR (Direct or Decipher Import Only)

CDR is the graphic format of Corel files. EXPRESS imports from version 3.0.

Computer Graphics Metafile and CTM (Decipher and Direct Import and Export)

Several graphics programs support the CGM format. A CGM file is a “vector” file, made up of straight-line vectors, as is CTM. Some programs support CGM files with a 16-color index. This keeps the size of the file relatively small by limiting the number of colors in the file to 16. Other programs support direct RGB values, allowing for over 16 million colors in the image. You should determine the type of CGM file needed before exporting from EXPRESS.

DIB (Direct Import Only)

DIB files are created by paint programs and various other graphics applications.

DIF (Direct Import and Export)

DIF files are created by Lotus 1-2-3 and other programs. EXPRESS can import DIF files into the Chart window.

DRW (Direct or Decipher Import Only)

DRW is the graphic format of Micrografx files.

DXF (Direct or Decipher Import Only)

DXF is an AutoCAD file format.

GIF (Decipher Import and Export)

GIF files are CompuServe’s graphics display files. A wide variety of GIF images can be downloaded from CompuServe and other bulletin boards.

PCX (Decipher Import and Export)

PCX files are created by PC Paintbrush and other paint programs.

PIC (Direct Import Only)

PIC files are created by Lotus 1-2-3. A PIC file is a “vector” file, made up of straight-line vectors.

When a PIC file is imported into EXPRESS, it becomes a collection of clip art, text, and freeform objects which can be edited as desired.

If the original PIC file contains any shaded or cross-hatched graphics, each line of cross-hatching is imported as a separate object. Therefore, it is preferable to turn off shading and cross-hatching in the PIC file and use color instead. After importing the file into EXPRESS you can change fill colors and patterns as desired.

Note: The colors specified in a PIC file may not remain the same during import. In EXPRESS, change the colors as desired.

PostScript (Direct Export, Decipher Import)

PostScript files are created by graphics programs on both IBM and Macintosh computers. Many companies sell collections of clip art in PostScript format.

The Decipher utility will convert most PostScript files to EXPRESS’ GED format, allowing you to open and edit the file just as you would any other EXPRESS file. You can then print or export to any supported device or format.

EXPRESS documents can be exported in Adobe Illustrator or Standard EPS formats. A number of other PostScript formats are imported and exported by EXPRESS, such as .EPS, .PS, .AI, .EPI, .CPS, and .PRN.

Adobe Illustrator uses a subset of the full PostScript language; therefore, if you want to export a file for use in Illustrator, be sure to use this format by clicking on the Setup button in the Export Files dialog box.

When exporting an EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file, you can choose to include a screen image. When you import the file into another application, and that application supports screen images, you will be able to see the image on-screen. (Otherwise, the application displays a box instead of the image, and you must print the file to see the image.)

SCD (Direct Export Only)

SCODL files can be printed on Matrix film recorders and other devices that support the SCODL format.

SLK (Direct Import and Export)

SYLK files are created by Microsoft Multiplan, Excel, and other programs. EXPRESS can import SYLK files into the Chart window.

Tagged Image File (Direct Import and Export, Decipher Import)

TIF files are created by optical scanners, paint programs, and various other graphics applications. A TIF file is a “bitmap” (a field of individual dots).

TIF files can be black & white, grayscale, or color. Grayscale and color TIF files can have different “bit values,” which determine the number of grays or colors the image can have. TIF files can also be compressed or uncompressed. (Compressed files take less disk space, but take longer to draw on the screen. Uncompressed files draw faster, but take more disk space.)

All of this means that TIF files come in a large number of varieties; EXPRESS can import and export many of them.

The resolution of a TIF image when it is created is its “optimum” resolution. A TIF file scanned at 300 dpi will look best when printed on a 300 dpi laser printer, while a TIF image scanned at 72 dpi will look best on a computer monitor (which has a resolution of about 72 dpi).

Resolution is most critical with black & white (1 bit) TIF images, which cannot be resized without loss of quality. The best results are achieved if the resizing is an exact multiple of the original (double, triple, half, etc.). Grayscale and color TIF images are more flexible and can be resized with much less degradation.

When you save an EXPRESS document that contains a TIF image, the image is NOT saved with the document. Instead, the document remembers the location of the TIF file on your disk. When you open the document, it reads the TIF information directly from the TIF file. If you move or delete the TIF file, EXPRESS will look at the “remembered” location, and then search the current directory. If the TIF file is not found, EXPRESS asks if you wish to replace the image, and at this point, you can inform EXPRESS of the new location or new name of the TIF image. If the image has been deleted, rather than moved or renamed, EXPRESS inserts an outline into the document at the location of the missing TIF image.

Note: TIF images imported into EXPRESS for autotracing must be uncompressed black & white.

Text (Direct Import Only)

Most word processors and text editors can save text in ASCII or ANSI format.

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) text is composed of 128 standard characters. ANSI (American National Standards Institute) text is composed of the 128-character ASCII set plus an additional 128 “extended” characters.

EXPRESS will import ASCII or ANSI text files up to 5,000 characters long. The imported file becomes a normal text object in EXPRESS.

Windows Metafile (Direct Import and Export)

Most Windows graphics applications support the WMF format. A WMF file is a “vector” file, made up of straight-line vectors.

WMF files can be sized, but not rotated or slanted.

WPG (WordPerfect CGM) files are graphic CGM files created in Word Perfect.

Importing Files

Graphics and text files are imported using the Import command. Data files for charts are imported using the Chart window.

To import a graphics or text file into EXPRESS:

1. Choose Import from the File menu or click on the Open button with the right mouse button. The Import dialog box appears.

2. Choose the file format you want to import from the list of supported formats.

The filename list changes to show all the files in the current directory that have the selected format’s default extension.

3. Highlight the desired filename in the list box.

or

Change to the appropriate directory and choose the desired file.

or

Type the file’s path and name in the Filename text box.

4. Click on OK.

The Pointer changes to an Hourglass while the file is converted for use in EXPRESS. Then the Hourglass changes to the Add Object cursor.

5. Move the Add Object cursor to the location where you want the top left of the file inserted and click the mouse.

EXPRESS inserts the file at the cursor position. Some images may take a few seconds to draw on the screen.

Note: If you are uncertain of the file’s format, you might choose the EPS from the File Type field and then type *.* in the File Name field and press Enter.

Exporting Files

Graphics files are exported using the Export command. Chart data is exported from the Chart window.

To export to a graphics file:

1. Select the objects you want to export.

2. Choose Export from the File menu or click on the Save button with the right mouse button. The Export dialog box appears.

3. Choose the file format you want to export from the list of supported formats.

4. Click on Selected Objects to export selected objects only, or on Current Page to export the current page.

5. Click on Setup. The Setup dialog box appears. (There is a different dialog box for each type of format.)

Choose the desired export options, such as particular kind of format and such as kind of screen representation, and click on OK.

6. Highlight the desired filename in the list box.

or

Change to the appropriate directory and choose the desired file.

or

Type the file’s path and name in the text box.

7. Click on OK.

The selected objects are exported, creating a new file having the default filename extension of the chosen format.

Linking and Embedding (OLE)

The graphics objects created by EXPRESS can be used in other applications and still be edited within EXPRESS.

Because it provides OLE objects, EXPRESS is called an OLE server. Applications that can support EXPRESS objects are called container applications. Any container application supporting the OLE (1.0 or 2.0) protocol can use EXPRESS’ graphic objects.

OLE provides two methods by which EXPRESS objects can be incorporated in other programs which support OLE. These methods are called “linking’’ and “embedding.’’

A linked object in the container application has a “link’’ to the server, so that changes made in the server document automatically update all linked objects. On the other hand, an embedded object exists only within the container application. The container application allows you to double-click on the OLE object or provides a menu or some other way to select the embedded object and update it for that document by calling up the server application.

As for methods of use, generally speaking, the best source of information on how to use a server application’s objects in another program will be in that other program’s documentation. Consult your container application’s documentation for information on how it uses OLE. More specifically, when a user Cuts or Copies an object from EXPRESS, EXPRESS puts, in addition to what the user requested, all the necessary information required for Linking and/or Embedding in the Windows Clipboard. This allows the user to “Embed” or “Paste Link” the graphics contained on the Clipboard in a Container Application. A “Cut” operation allows embedding only, whereas a “Copy” operation allows at least embedding and possibly linking, provided EXPRESS has an actual file loaded that the container application can link to.

EXPRESS can reference the objects that it creates for OLE by the actual user name for the object (”Dinosaur Arm” for example) or by the area that the object occupies on the screen. The type of referencing used is established in the Clipboard dialog box, either By Object Name or By Object Area.

In EXPRESS, the Select Area command delineates OLE area frames. These frames can be viewed as windows which “look into the server document.” The embedded OLE object frame can be sized and moved just as the Selected Area Frame can. If portions of an embedded object need not be displayed in the container document, then the server Select Area “window” can be moved or sized to change the display of the embedded data. Likewise, if extra room is needed to accommodate additional EXPRESS objects, then the Embedded Object frame size can be adjusted accordingly.

A linked OLE object frame cannot be moved or sized in EXPRESS. This is a limitation of OLE 1.0. However, EXPRESS Objects themselves can be moved and/or sized and saved with EXPRESS file.

Selecting OLE Objects and Areas

EXPRESS can link or embed either selected objects or selected areas of your EXPRESS document to other programs supporting OLE.

To select an object for linking or embedding in another currently-running application:

1. Select the desired object. Both groups and multiple objects can be selected.

2. Press Ctrl+C.

3. Go to the container, or destination, document in the other application where EXPRESS object(s) will be placed. From that application’s Edit menu, select Paste Special. Consult that application’s documentation regarding how the object(s) can be linked or embedded.

To select an area of the EXPRESS document for linking or embedding in another currently-running application:

1. Select the area. This is done by clicking on Select Area in the Edit menu. Drag the resulting box to define the area. (This box can be redefined by dragging one of its sides or corners. Reposition it by clicking on Deselect in the Edit menu and starting over.)

2. Click on Copy Area in the Edit menu.

3. Go to the container document in the other application and click on Paste Special from its Edit menu. Paste the A&L EXPRESS graphic. The placed object can be resized and moved in the container document.

Cut, Copy, and Paste through the Windows Clipboard

You can use the Clipboard to transfer images to MS Word.

To transfer EXPRESS images to Microsoft WORD through the Clipboard:

In EXPRESS:

1. Create the desired symbol, text, or freeform objects. Make the objects as close to scale as you can for the page.

2. Select the objects to be transferred.

3. Choose Clipboard from the Edit menu. Choose the desired Cut/Copy format (Windows Metafile or Bitmap).

Note: Clipping Masks do not transfer to the Clipboard. Use EXPRESS’ Export feature to maintain Clipping Masks. (EPS format recommended.)

4. Choose Cut or Copy from the Edit menu. (Cut removes the original object and puts it in the Clipboard; Copy duplicates it, leaving the original intact and putting the copy in the Clipboard. Copying is preferred since it allows the possibility of linking the illustration to EXPRESS for future updates.) The Pointer turns into an Hourglass as the selected image is read into the Clipboard.

In MS Word:

1. Open Microsoft Word and create a new document. Choose New from the File menu.

2. Choose Edit then Paste.

Insert a picture from EXPRESS in a WORD document.

In EXPRESS:

1. Create the desired artwork using text, clip-art images and drawing tools.

2. Select the artwork to be inserted into WORD using the Block Select tool. You can select one or multiple objects in a document to be inserted.

3. With the objects selected, pull down the File menu and click on Export. Select the picture format you want to use for the artwork to be inserted in the WORD document. You can insert pictures exported from EXPRESS in .wmf, .gif, jpg, bmp, and .tif format. The default directory where the “picture” will be saved is My Graphics. When you insert the picture in WORD, you will need to locate the My Graphics directory to access the “picture” file to be inserted.

In MS WORD:

1. Position the insertion point where you want to insert the picture.

2. On the Insert menu in Word, point to Picture, and then click From File.

3. Locate the file that contains the picture you want to insert.

4. Click the picture you want to insert.

5. To place the picture in the drawing layer � so you can position it precisely on the page or in front of or behind text or other objects � select the Float over text check box.

To insert the picture directly in the text at the insertion point � or inline � clear the Float over text check box.