Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Selecting, Deselecting, Deleting Objects

Object Limit

EXPRESS allows you to add or freeform up to 65,000 objects in one document, or up to the limit of memory on your system, whichever comes first. This means that you have practically no object limit.

To determine the number of objects in the current document, select About Arts & Letters EXPRESS from the Help menu.

The Bounding Box

The bounding box is the smallest rectangle that completely encloses an object. When an object is selected, handles are displayed at the corners and midpoints of the invisible outline of the bounding box.

When you move, duplicate, rotate, slant, or size an object, the bounding box is shown as a thin-lined rectangle. At all other times the bounding box is invisible.

When you move or duplicate an object, the bounding box moves with the Pointer to show the current position of the object.

Add Object Cursor

The Add Object Cursor appears after you specify a symbol, type a text object, or import an image. Position the Add Object Cursor on the drawing area where you want the upper-left corner of the object to appear and click the left mouse button, or drag the cursor to size the object before placing it in the document.

Object Viewer

The Object Viewer, found at the top of the Drawing Area in the Style bar, displays the kind and the name of the object selected. A click of the left mouse button on the down arrow displays the list of objects in the document, with the selected object (if there is one) highlighted. A click of the Content menu button in the Object Viewer displays the Browser, and a sustained press of the Content menu button offers a choice of Browser, Lock, and Hide options.

Object Management / Browser (Ctrl H)

The Object Management command in the Edit menu %!PI("useguide.mvb","help_EditMenupic") displays a sub-menu for Browser, Lock, and Hide. Using Browser you can assign a name to an object, which appears in the style bar when the object is selected. Use Lock and Hide (which are also accessible through Browser or the toolbox) to make objects unselectable (locked) or unselectable and invisible (hidden).

Locking objects prevents them from being accidentally moved, sized, or otherwise altered. Hiding objects gets them temporarily “out of the way” while you work on other objects. Naming objects is a good way to distinguish between multiple, overlapping objects. You know which one is selected because its name is displayed in the style bar. You can then select objects by name using the Browser if desired.

To lock, hide, or name an object:

1. Select the object and choose Browser from Object Management in the Edit menu.

Click on the Object Viewer window with the Content Menu mouse button.

Press the Backspace key on your keyboard.

The Browser dialog box appears. The names (specific or, if unnamed, generic) of all objects in the document are displayed in a list box, along with their status: normal, locked, or hidden.

If an object is currently selected, its name is highlighted in the list box.

2. Click on Lock to lock the selected object, Hide to hide the object, or enter a name in the text box and click on Name to name the object. Lock and Hide icons are displayed beside names in the list box to show that they have been locked or hidden.

3. To deselect the current object, click again on its name in the list. To select another object, click on its name. Click on multiple names to select additional objects. You can then lock, hide, or name all selected objects together.

4. To unlock or unhide an object, select its name in the list and click on Normal. To remove a name that has been given an object, select the object in the list box, delete the name in the text box, then click on Name. The default name is restored.

You can also lock a selected object or all objects in a document by clicking on the Lock/Unlock button in the Toolbox:

(Lock/Unlock)

Note: You don’t have to use the Browser to name objects. You can also simply click on the object and type in a name in the Object Viewer window in the Style bar. The new name will appear thereafter in the Browser.

Double-click on objects indicated as Groups in the Browser. You will see branching lines indicating the inclusion of the just-displayed objects in the group.%!PI("useguide.mvb","GroupObject") Now you can select these composite objects and lock/hide/name them without breaking apart the group.

You can also choose to lock or hide all objects that are not selected. Select the object(s) that you do not want to lock or hide and click on the Non-Selected button in the Browser before selecting Lock or Hide.

Displaying Freeform Point Handles

The Show Freeform Points command works with freeform objects only, not with symbol or text objects, which must first be converted to freeform.

One of the functions of object handles is to identify which object is currently selected.

However, if several objects are overlapping, it may be difficult to determine which one is selected. It is even more difficult if the objects are irregular in shape, or if you zoom in on a selected object, and its object handles are outside the drawing area.

In such cases you may want to use the Show Freeform Points%!JI("useguide.mvb>second", "help_FreeformPoints") command. When Show Freeform Points is on, in addition to the point handles around the object, diamond-shaped points will be displayed on the perimeter of the object.

To turn Show Freeform Points on and off:

Freeform Points Off Freeform Points On

(Object Handles Only) (Object Handles and Freeform Points)

Choose Point Display from the View menu. A sub-menu appears; choose Freeform Points.

Click on the Point Display button on the Style Bar to toggle the command on and off.

Press Ctrl+5.

Selecting a Single Object

There are several methods of selecting a single object:

• Point on any visible part of the object and click the mouse button

• Point within the imaginary boundaries of the object and click the mouse button while pressing the Control key

• Highlight the desired object in the Stacking Order dialog box or Browser dialog box

• Display all of the objects in your document by clicking on the down arrow to the right of Object Viewer, then highlight the desired object.

Handles appear around the object. Any previously selected objects are deselected.

Intuitive Object Selection

An object in EXPRESS can be selected by clicking on any of its visible parts. An object within a stack of other objects can be selected intuitively by clicking on the part of it that you can see.

To select a single object:

1. Point on a visible area of the object with the Pointer and click the mouse button.

2. The selected object is surrounded by eight small squares, called object handles. These handles appear at each corner of an invisible rectangle that surrounds the object, and at the midpoint of each side. A ninth handle, in the shape of four arrows, appears at the center point of the object. Any previously selected objects are deselected. Whenever you add a new object to your Arts & Letters document, it is automatically selected. Objects selected from the Basic Drawing Shapes flyout are automatically converted to freeform shapes when placed in a document.

3. An open shape or object with no fill must be selected by clicking on its outline.

Note: To select an object that is completely concealed by other objects, hold down on the Control key and point on the stack. Each time you click the mouse, a different object in the stack will be selected. Check the Object Viewer in the Style bar to see the name or the type of the currently-selected object.

Selecting an Object from a Stack

There are several direct methods of selecting an object from a stack:

• Point on any visible part of the object showing in the stack

• For completely concealed objects, hold down the Control key and click on the stack until the object’s name appears in the Style bar

• Select the Stacking Order command from the Arrange menu, and highlight the desired object

• Select the Browser command from Object Management in the Edit menu and highlight the desired object

• Click on the down arrow to the right of the Object Viewer and click on the desired object.

Check the Object Viewer in the Style bar%!JI("useguide.mvb>second","StatusBar") to see the name or type of the currently-selected object.

Stacking Order Command

The Stacking Order command in the Arrange menu (or the second tool under the Arrange flyout) allows you to change the drawing order (front to back) of selected objects.

The command displays a list of all the objects currently in your document. You highlight one or more of the listed objects and choose the To Front or To Back button to restack them as you want.

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Or you can select one or more objects in the list, then, without pressing the mouse buttons, point the cursor BETWEEN the objects where you want the selected objects to be moved. Give a mouse click at the desired position. This gives you the capability to arbitrarily change the stacking order of objects.

Selecting Individual Objects from within a Group

You can select individual elements of any group object%!PI("useguide.mvb","GroupObject") by double-clicking on the group then clicking on each of its elements. Once selected, the object can be edited. For example, without ungrouping you can select an image that is part of a group and rotate it alone.

To select within a grouped object:

1. Double click on a group. The top-most object in the group that is underneath the cursor is selected. Object handles (black squares with white cross-marks) surround the selection and its specific styles appear in the Style Bar. A single click can choose another object in the group.

2. Change the styles, rotate, move, or edit the shape of the individual element.

Note: When groups are nested within groups, the first double mouse click selects the uppermost member. A single click selects other member groups of the larger group. Another double click selects elements within the member. You can see this process schematically illustrated in the Browser dialog box.

Selecting Multiple Objects

EXPRESS provides several ways to select multiple objects. Use the method that best fits the situation.

• Block Select � Use when you want to select several objects by drawing a “block select box” around them.

• Select One-by-One (Shift+click) � Use when the block select box would include unwanted objects.

• Stacking Order dialog box or Browser dialog box � Use either one to highlight the desired objects; when you leave the dialog box, the highlighted objects are selected

• Style bar window � Display all of the objects in your document by clicking on the down arrow and, as you hold down the Shift key, repeatedly highlighting each of the desired objects.

• Select All � Use when you want to select all objects in the document, including those not in the viewing area.

The Block Select and Select All methods put one set of object handles%!PI("useguide.mvb","help_obhandles") around all the selected objects. You can then move, duplicate, size, rotate, slant, or flip the objects as a temporary group .%!PI("useguide.mvb","GroupObject")

The other methods put a set of handles around each selected object. You can then move, duplicate, size, rotate, slant, or flip the objects individually (not as a group). You can use the Group command in the Arrange menu to group the selected objects, allowing you to manipulate them as a group.

Block Selecting Objects

To select multiple objects using Block Select:

1. Choose Block Select from the Edit menu %!PI("useguide.mvb","help_Editmenupic") or click on the Block Select tool in the toolbox.%!JI("useguide.mvb>second", "help_toolbox") The Block Select%!PI("useguide.mvb","help_blockselecttool") cursor appears.

2. Place the cursor on the drawing area where you want to start drawing the first corner of an imaginary box around the desired objects. Hold down the left mouse button.

3. Drag the mouse to draw a box around the objects you want to select, enclosing them completely. If you wish to adjust the placement of the box, to include or exclude objects,

press and hold the Content menu button. Doing so allows you to move the box. If you wish to cancel the operation, press Esc.

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4. Release the mouse button.

One set of handles surrounds the selected objects. Any previously selected objects are deselected.

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Selecting Objects One-by-One (Shift+Click)

To select multiple handles one-by-one:

1. Point on the visible part of an object and click to select it.

2. For each additional object, point on a visible part of it, hold down Shift and click the mouse on that object. To deselect an object, click on it again.

If objects are stacked on top of other objects, select the Stacking Order%!JI("useguide.mvb>second","NEW_stack") command from the Arrange menu or the Browser command from Object Management in the Edit menu and highlight the desired objects.

Handles will appear around each selected object. You can then change the styles (i.e., attributes) of the selected group, yet continue to manipulate the objects individually.

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3. To manipulate (move, copy, rotate, etc.) the objects as a group, choose Group from the Arrange menu while the objects are selected, or click the Content menu button, or press Ctrl+G.

Using Select All to Select All Objects

To select all objects in the document:

Choose Select All from the Edit menu,%!PI("useguide.mvb","help_editmenupic") or press Ctrl+A.

One set of handles appears around all objects in the document, including those not in the drawing area.

Locked or hidden objects are not selected.

Grouping Objects

The Group command in the Arrange menu (or third in the Arrange flyout in the Toolbox) allows you to combine two or more objects into a unit that is then treated as one object.

The ability to group objects is particularly useful when working with composite symbols, accent symbols, and freeform objects .%!PI("useguide.mvb","FreeformObjects") In each of these cases, a single image may be composed of several objects.

When you select a group object,%!PI("useguide.mvb","GroupObject") it is surrounded by one set of handles. With one set of handles, you can manipulate the group as a single object and make global changes to the attributes of the group.

When you use the Group command, the grouped objects are drawn at the front of the stacking order. You can use the Bring to Front and Send to Back commands to reposition objects in the stacking order.

To manipulate a single object within the group or to change its attributes, double-click on a visible part of the object within the group. After making modifications, click with the Content Menu button, and the object “rejoins” the group.

Note: Do not confuse the Group command with the Block Select command. Block Select allows you to group a block of objects temporarily. You can also globally change the attributes of all the Block Selected objects. However, when you deselect the block, the objects revert to individual objects. The Group command permanently combines the selected objects into a single object which can only be separated by using the UnGroup command.

To group objects:

1. Select the objects you want to group.

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2. Choose Group from the Arrange menu, or click the Content Menu button, (which produces a Content menu whose default selection is Group). Also, pressing Ctrl+G will group the selected objects.

EXPRESS redraws the objects. The objects have not changed visibly, but one set of handles now surrounds the group object.

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UnGrouping Objects

The UnGroup command in the Arrange menu breaks apart a group object%!PI("useguide.mvb","GroupObject") into individual objects. You can then select and manipulate the objects separately.

To break apart a group object into individual objects:

1. Select the group object you want to break apart.

One set of handles surrounds the group object.

2. Choose UnGroup from the Arrange menu, or click the Content Menu button, (which produces a Content menu whose default selection is UnGroup). Also, pressing G while holding down the Shift key will ungroup the selected objects.

EXPRESS breaks the group object apart.

Deselecting Objects

To deselect all previously selected objects:

Select a single object or block select multiple objects.

Point on a blank area and click the mouse.

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

Object handles disappear from all previously selected objects.

To deselect objects one at a time, that you selected one-by-one (Shift + Click):

1. Point on the object you want to deselect.

2. Hold down Shift and click the mouse.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each object you want to deselect.

4. Instead of the above, select the Stacking Order command from the Arrange menu or the Browser command from Object Management in the Edit menu and remove the highlight from the desired objects.

Deleting Objects

To delete an object:

1. Select the object.

2. Press the Del key or choose Clear from the Edit menu.

The object is deleted.

Note: When drawing or editing freeform objects, the Del key or Clear command allows you to delete point handles on lines and curves.

Undeleting Objects

To restore an object just deleted, pull down the Edit menu and choose Undelete (or press Ctrl+Z).

Arts & Letters Express User Guide