Operation Manual

Set or change properties for drawing objects
To set the properties for a drawing object before you draw it:
1) On the Drawing toolbar (Figure 307), click the Select tool.
2) On the Drawing Object Properties toolbar (Figure 308), click on the icon for each property
and select the value you want for that property.
3) For more control, or to define new attributes, you can click on the Area or Line icons on the
toolbar to display detailed dialogs.
1 Styles and Formatting 4 Line Style 7 Area 10 Effects
2 Line 5 Line Width 8 Area Style / Filling 11 Alignment
3 Arrow Style 6 Line Color 9 Shadow 12 Arrange
Figure 308: Drawing Object Properties toolbar
The default you set applies to the current document and session. It is not retained when you close
the document or close Writer, and it does not apply to any other document you open. The defaults
apply to all the drawing objects except text objects.
To change the properties for an existing drawing object:
1) Select the object.
2) Continue as described above.
You can also specify the position and size, rotation, and slant and corner radius properties of the
drawing object:
1) Right-click on the drawing object and then choose Position and Size from the context
menu. The Position and Size dialog is displayed.
2) Choose any properties, as required.
Resizing a drawing object
An object is resized in a similar way to an image. Select the object, click on one of the eight
handles around it and drag it to its new position. For a scaled resizing, select one of the corner
handles and keep the Shift key pressed while dragging the handle to its new position.
For more sophisticated control of the size of the object, choose Format > Object > Position and
Size from the Menu bar. Use the Position and Size dialog to set the width and height
independently. If the Keep ratio option is selected, then the two dimensions change so that the
proportion is maintained, allowing for a scaled resizing.
Grouping drawing objects
To group drawing objects:
1) Select one object, then hold down the Shift key and select the others you want to include in
the group. The bounding box expands to include all the selected objects.
2) With the objects selected, hover the mouse pointer over one of the objects and choose
Format > Group > Group from the Menu bar or right-click and choose Group > Group
from the pop-up menu.
Note
You cannot include an embedded or linked graphic in a group with drawing objects.
Chapter 11 Graphics, Gallery, Fontwork | 321