Datasheet

Chapter 1 ✦ Learning the Illustrator Interface

✦ Type ➪ Tab Ruler palette (Ctrl + Shift + T): The Type ➪ Tab Ruler palette can

be used to set tab breaks.

✦ Variables palette: The Variable palette includes an interface for defining data

variables for data driven graphics.

Using Illustrator’s menus

Menus are one of the most common interface elements for all software packages.

Over time, Adobe has pushed a lot of their functionality to the palettes and other

interface elements rather than the menus, but menus are still important and offer

another way to work with the program. Some general rules apply to Illustrator

menus:

✦ To select a menu item, pull down the menu, highlight the menu item you

want, and release or click the mouse button (Macintosh) or click that item

(Windows). If the cursor is not on that item, but it is still highlighted, the

command will not take effect.

✦ Whenever an ellipsis appears (three little dots that look like this . . .), choosing

that menu item brings up a dialog box where you must verify the current

information by selecting an OK button, or enter more information and then

select OK. If the option has no ellipsis, the action you select takes place right

away.

✦ When you see a key command listed on the right side of the menu — usually

the Command (Ô) symbol and a character for Macintosh or Ctrl plus a char-

acter for Windows, but sometimes the Ô symbol [Ctrl] or another modifier

key plus a character — you can type that key command instead of using the

mouse to pull down this menu. Using key commands for menu items works

just like clicking the menu bar and pulling down to that item.

✦ If you see a little triangle next to a menu item, it means the menu has a submenu

associated with it. You can choose items in the submenu by pulling over to

the menu and then pulling up or down to select the menu item needed.

Submenus usually appear on the right side of the menu, but due to space limi-

tations on your monitor, they may appear on the left side for certain menus.

Palette menus

In addition to the main interface menus, many palettes have their own menus. In

the upper right corner of many palettes is a round button with an arrow on it. This

button will open a fly-away menu of palette options. Figure 1-10 shows the Color

palette with its palette menu visible.

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