Line Tool

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Line Tool

Use

Description

The Line tool allows you to create lines that help you arrange a report.

How do I activate it?

The Line tool can be activated with the command Line in the menu Insert or by clicking on the icon in the Toolbox flyout. When the tool is active, the mouse becomes a .

How do I use it?

Mouse

To create a line two steps are required: Click on the spot, where the line should begin. The line is defined as soon as you click on the desired endpoint. If you would like to interrupt the entry process then you can right click and choose Cancel from the context menu or you can hit ESC.

Keyboard

For keyboard input, make sure that the properties toolbar is visible. If the toolbar is not visible you can activate it with the command Toolbox in the menu View. Activate the toolbar by hitting the Tab key or by clicking on one of its fields. You can activate the individual fields by repeatedly hitting the Tab key (or by hitting the Tab key while the Shift key is held down).

Enter the x- and y-coordinates of the start point into the appropriate fields, and then enter the coordinates of the endpoint (or the direction and length of the line). The coordinates can either be defined as cartesian or polar coordinates. To end the entry click on the Create button.

Defining Styles

The presentation of a line can be defined in the Style list in the Line tool properties. The list shows all styles for lines that have previously been determined in the Styles flyout.

A new line will always be created with the styles currently marked in the Style drop down list (see figure 1). You can either change the selection of the styles in the Styles flyout or in the Style drop down list in the Line tool properties.

The line styles can be also be adjusted afterwards by using Assign Properties tool or by using the Drag&Drop function (see lesson 1).

Figure 1