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Tool palette

To use the tools in the tool palette, click the desired tool to perform the action. If the tool is designed to perform an action on objects, it appears grayed out until one or more objects are selected. Then clicking the tool performs the action on the selected object(s).

the Anchor tool

Anchor

Enables you to anchor two objects together. To draw an anchor, click an edge of the child object, click at other positions in the editor (optionally), and double-click an edge of the parent object. Using the constrain key (usually the Shift key) while placing the anchor on the child object causes it to be constrained to the nearest 25 percent increment.

the Arc tool

Arc

Enables you to draw an arc boilerplate object. To draw an arc, click-and-drag diagonally to define the object, then release. To draw the arc of a circle, use the constrain key (usually the Shift key). You can set special Graphics Options for an arc object using the Format menu.

the Ellipse tool

Ellipse

Enables you to draw an elliptic boilerplate object. To draw an ellipse, click-and-drag diagonally to define the object, then release. To draw a perfect circle, use the constrain key (usually the Shift key).

the Fill Color tool

Fill Color

Displays all of the available colors, No Fill, and Patterns. Choosing any of the colors or No Fill sets the fill color for the selected objects and all subsequently created objects. Selecting Patterns displays a pattern palette. Choosing any pattern sets the fill pattern for the selected objects and all subsequently created objects. At the bottom of the Pattern palette are foreground and background color palettes. Choosing foreground and background colors sets the colors for the patterns.

the Field tool

Field

Creates a field. To draw a field, click-and-drag diagonally to define the object, then release. To draw a perfect square, use the constrain key (usually the Shift key).

the File Link tool

File Link

Creates a boilerplate object that is read in from a file. The boilerplate may be text, drawings, or images and is represented as a rectangle in the editor. To draw a File Link object, click-and-drag diagonally to define the object, then release. To draw a perfect square, use the constrain key (usually the Shift key).

the Frame tool

Frame

Creates a frame. To draw a frame, click-and-drag diagonally to define the object, then release. To draw a perfect square, use the constrain key (usually the Shift key).

the Freehand tool

Freehand

Draws a free-form boilerplate object. To draw a freehand object, click-and-drag to define the object, then release.

the Frame Select tool

Frame Select

Selects a frame or repeating frame and all of the objects within it. Any object that is indirectly or directly anchored to an object within the frame or repeating frame is also selected. Any object that is anchored to the frame or repeating frame or an object outside of the frame or repeating frame is not selected.

the Graph tool

Graph

Enables you to create a graph in your report. To create a graph, click in the painting region to display the Graph Wizard.

the Line Color tool

Line Color

Displays all of the available colors, No Line, and Patterns. Choosing any of the colors or No Line sets the line color for the selected objects and all subsequently created objects. Selecting Patterns displays a pattern palette. Choosing any pattern sets the line pattern for the selected objects and all subsequently created objects. At the bottom of the Pattern palette are foreground and background color palettes. Click these to display the available colors. Choosing foreground and background colors sets the colors for the patterns.

the Line tool

Line

Draws a line boilerplate object. To draw a line, click where you want one endpoint, drag to the other endpoint, and release. To draw perfectly horizontal, vertical, or 45 degree lines, use the constrain key (usually the Shift key). You can set additional options for lines by choosing Line Width, Bevel, Dash, or Arrow from the Format menu.

the Magnify tool

Magnify

Magnifies an area around the point on which you click by a factor of two (that is, the objects become twice as big as they were). By pressing the constrain key (usually the Shift key) while using the Magnify tool, you magnify by a factor of one-half (that is, the objects become half as big as they were). This tool is useful when you want to focus on one part of a large layout.

the Polygon tool

Polygon

Draws a polygon boilerplate object. To draw a polygon, click at the desired location of the first vertex, then click at the next vertex, and so on. To finish drawing the polygon, double-click at the final vertex, and a line is drawn connecting the first and last vertices. To draw a perfectly horizontal, vertical, or 45 degree segment, use the constrain key (usually the Shift key). Constraining one vertex does not affect subsequent vertices.

the Polyline tool

Polyline

Creates a polyline boilerplate object. To draw a polyline, click at the desired location of the first vertex, then click at the next vertex, and so on. To finish drawing the polyline, double-click at the final vertex. Unless you manually connect the first and last vertices, they are not connected (as with the polygon object). To draw a perfectly horizontal, vertical, or 45 degree segment, use the constrain key (usually the Shift key). Constraining one vertex does not affect subsequent vertices.

the Rectangle tool

Rectangle

Draws a rectangular boilerplate object. To draw a rectangle, click-and-drag diagonally to define the object, then release. To draw a perfect square, use the constrain key (usually the Shift key).

the Repeating Frame tool

Repeating Frame

Creates a repeating frame. To draw a repeating frame, click-and-drag diagonally to define the object, then release. To draw a perfect square, use the constrain key (usually the Shift key).

the Report Block tool

Report Block

Enables you to define a default layout for a portion of your report, without overwriting the entire layout model. To create an additional default layout, click in the painting region to display the Report Block Wizard.

the Reshape tool

Reshape

Changes the shape of selected objects. To reshape objects, click-and-drag on their control points. The control points you see when reshaping differ from those you seen when selecting an object.

arcs

Changes the sweep angle to something other than 90 degrees (the default when creating an arc).

polygons

Moves any vertex to a new position.

rectangular objects (for example, frames, fields, and chart objects)

Moves any vertex to a new position. Note that this is only useful if the rectangle has been rotated such that the select control points no longer coincide with the reshape control points.

anchors

moves any vertex to a new position, including moving the endpoints to new positions on the same or different objects.

the Rotate tool

Rotate

Rotates selected boilerplate text and graphic objects. To rotate an object, click-and-drag one of its control points. The selected object will rotate in the direction you drag.

These additional rules apply when using the Rotate tool:

  • Rotated text is not supported on all operating systems. For example, rotated text will not appear rotated in character mode.

  • To rotate a field, reference the field (for example, &ename) in a boilerplate text object.

  • You can only rotate boilerplate text that you typed or imported in the editor. You cannot rotate boilerplate text created with the File Link tool.

  • For rotated text, the Horizontal Elasticity property refers to the direction in which you read the text. For example, if you rotate your text 90 degrees and give it a Fixed Horizontal Elasticity, it means that the text will occupy a fixed vertical space. If you set Horizontal and Vertical Elasticity to Variable or Expand and the rotation angle of the text is not a multiple of 90 degrees, the object's width will actually be treated as contracting (for Variable) or fixed (for Expand).

the Rounded Rectangle tool

Rounded Rectangle

Draws a rounded, rectangular boilerplate object. To draw a rounded rectangle, click-and-drag diagonally to define the object, then release. To create a square with rounded corners, use the constrain key (usually the Shift key). You can set special Graphics Options for a rounded rectangle object using the Format menu.

the Select tool

Select

Selects one or more objects for an operation. When an object is selected, its control points become visible. By shift-clicking, you can select multiple objects or groups. When you select an object in the Report Editor, it is also selected in the Object Navigator.

the Text Color tool

Text Color

Displays all of the available colors. Choosing any of the colors sets the text color for the selected objects and all subsequently created objects, until you change it.

the Text tool

Text

Creates and edits a boilerplate text object. You can create a boilerplate text object with the Text tool in one of two ways:

  • Click where you want the text to start and begin typing. Text will word wrap only when you type a return to start a new line.
  • Click-and-drag to create a bounding box for the text. Text entered in the box will word wrap to fit within the horizontal boundaries of the box. The box will grow vertically, if necessary, to accommodate the text you type.

To edit existing boilerplate text, click the boilerplate text object and start typing/editing. When you are typing or editing text, you are in text mode. To get out of text mode, click outside of the boilerplate text object. While in text mode, you can perform actions on text such as cut, copy, and paste, or use the Stylebar to change fonts and alignment.

Note: If you change the font or size of the boilerplate text, the bounding box automatically grows or shrinks with the text.