Selecting Objects

Getting Started with OpenOffice 4

Chapter 6: Getting Started with Draw

< Previous Section

Next Section >

• What is Draw?
• Parts of the main Draw window
• Choosing and defining colors
• Positioning objects with Snap functions
• Positioning objects with guiding lines
• The basic drawing shapes
  • Drawing a straight line
  • Drawing an arrow
  • Choosing line endings
  • Drawing a rectangle or square
  • Drawing a circle or ellipse
  • Drawing curves
  • Writing text
  • Gluepoints and connectors
• Drawing geometric shapes
• Selecting objects
• Moving and dynamically adjusting an object’s size
• Editing objects
• Using styles
• Special effects
• Combining multiple objects
• Aids for positioning objects
• Inserting and editing pictures
• Working with 3D objects
• Exporting graphics
• Adding comments to a drawing

< Previous Page

Next Page >

Selecting Objects

Direct Selection

The easiest way to select an object is to click directly on it. For objects that are not filled, click directly on the object's outline to select it.

Selection by Framing

You can select several objects at once by using the mouse to drag a large rectangle around the objects, as shown. For this to work, the Select icon on the Drawing toolbar must be active. Only objects that lie entirely within the rectangle are selected.

Selecting Hidden Objects

Even if objects are located behind others and not visible, they can still be selected. Hold down the  Alt  key and click where the object is located. If there are several overlapping objects, hold down the  Alt  key and click until you reach the object you want. To cycle through the objects in reverse order, hold down the  Alt  +  ⇧ Shift  keys. The number and type of selected objects is shown at the left of the status bar to help you select the correct object.

This method generally works in Windows, but on a Linux system it usually does not. If the  Alt  key on your system does not operate as described above, use the  Tab ⇆  key method described below.

To select an object that is covered by another object using the keyboard, press the  Tab ⇆  key to cycle through the objects, stopping at the object you wish to select. To cycle through the objects in reverse order, press  ⇧ Shift  +  Tab ⇆ . This may not be practical if you have numerous objects in your drawing.

When you click on the selected object, its outline will appear briefly through the objects covering it. In the illustration to the right, the square located beneath the circle was selected in this way (the circle was made transparent in order to see the square).

Arranging Objects

In a complex drawing, several objects may be stacked on top of one another. To rearrange the stacking order (move an object to the front or to the back of the stack), select the object, choose Modify → Arrange and choose Bring Forward or Send Backward. Or right-click the object, select Arrange from the context menu, then pick Bring Forward or Send Backward.

These options are also available from the Arrange tear-off toolbar from the button on the Drawing toolbar. A keyboard shortcut is  ⇧ Shift  +  Ctrl  +  plus sign  to bring an object to the top, and  ⇧ Shift  +  Ctrl  +  minus  to send an object to the bottom.

Draw also provides tools for aligning multiple objects; details are given in the Draw Guide.

Selecting Several Objects

To select or deselect several objects one by one, press the ⇧ Shift  key and click on the various objects to be selected or deselected. One click on an object selects it; a second click on the same object deselects it.