Drawing Assist Tools
With Buttons, Popup Pages, Sub-Pages and/or Application windows displayed on a Page in the Design View, you can utilize several of the Drawing Assist tools to edit their size and position:
- Order Assist Toolbar
- Position Assist Toolbar
- Size Assist Toolbar
Order Assist Toolbar
The Order Assist Tool toolbar (FIG. 76) contains shortcuts to control options for controlling the layering order of selected Buttons, Popup Pages and Sub-Pages.
FIG. 76 Order Assist Toolbar
Note that the Order Assist Tools do not apply to Application windows, since they always appear above other popups and buttons on a page.
| Order Assist Toolbar options | |
|---|---|
| Send to Front: | Click to bring the selected object(s) to the front (or top) layer, so that they appear to be in "front" of the other objects on the page. |
| Send to Back: | Click to send the selected object(s) to the back (or bottom) layer, so that they appear to be "behind" the other objects on the page. |
| Shift Up: | Click to shift the selected object(s) one layer up on the page. Depending on the amount of layering, this may or may not place the object(s) on the "Front" or top level of the page. |
| Shift Down: | Click to shift the selected object(s) one layer down on the page. Depending on the amount of layering, this may or may not place the object(s) on the "Back" or bottom level of the page. |
- All toolbars in TPD5 are dockable, so they can be arranged within the application window.
- To undock any toolbar, double-click anywhere inside the toolbar (but not on a toolbar button). Double-click again to dock the toolbar.
- To move the toolbar, click and drag using the handle (the single vertical bar) at the far-left side of the toolbar.
- Select View > Toolbars > Order Assist Toolbar to show/hide this toolbar:
Position Assist Toolbar
The Position Assist toolbar (FIG. 77) contains shortcuts to many layout control options for controlling various placement elements of existing buttons.
FIG. 77 Position Assist Toolbar
| Position Assist Toolbar options | |
|---|---|
| Align Left: | With two or more objects selected, click to align the left edges of the selected objects. |
| Align Horizontal Center: | With two or more objects selected, click to distribute the center points of the selected objects in a horizontal line. |
| Align Right: | With two or more objects selected, click to align the right edges of the selected objects. |
| Align Top: | With two or more objects selected, click to align the top edges of the selected objects. |
| Align Vertical Center: | With two or more objects selected, click to distribute the center points of the selected objects in a vertical line. |
| Align Bottom: | With two or more objects selected, click to align the bottom edges of the selected objects. |
| Center Horizontal: | With one or more objects selected, click to center the object horizontally, relative to the page. With multiple objects selected, click to center the objects horizontally as a group. |
| Center Vertical: | With one or more objects selected, click to center the object vertically, relative to the page. With multiple objects selected, click to center the objects vertically as a group. |
| Equal Horizontal Spacing: | With three or more objects selected, use this option to automatically distribute the objects with an equal amount of horizontal space between them. |
| Increase Horizontal Spacing: | With three or more objects selected, use this option to increase the amount of horizontal space between them. Use this option in conjunction with the Equal Horizontal Spacing option to quickly align and distribute objects horizontally on the page. |
| Decrease Horizontal Spacing: | With three or more objects selected, use this option to decrease the amount of horizontal space between them. Use this option in conjunction with the Equal Horizontal Spacing option to quickly align and distribute objects horizontally on the page. |
| Remove Horizontal Spacing: | With three or more objects selected, use this option to remove all horizontal space between them. |
| Equal Vertical Spacing: | With three or more objects selected, use this option to automatically distribute the objects with an equal amount of vertical space between them. |
| Increase Vertical Spacing: | With three or more objects selected, use this option to increase the amount of vertical space between them. Use this option in conjunction with the Equal Vertical Spacing option to quickly align and distribute objects horizontally on the page. |
| Decrease Vertical Spacing: | With three or more objects selected, use this option to decrease the amount of vertical space between them. Use this option in conjunction with the Equal Vertical Spacing option to quickly align and distribute objects horizontally on the page. |
| Remove Vertical Spacing: | With three or more objects selected, use this option to remove all vertical space between them. |
- All toolbars in TPD5 are dockable, so they can be arranged within the application window.
- To undock any toolbar, double-click anywhere inside the toolbar (but not on a toolbar button). Double-click again to dock the toolbar.
- To move the toolbar, click and drag using the handle (the single vertical bar) at the far-left side of the toolbar.
- Select View > Toolbars > Position Assist Toolbar to show/hide this toolbar:
Size Assist Toolbar
The Size Assist Tool toolbar (FIG. 78) contains shortcuts to many layout control options for controlling various size elements of existing buttons:
FIG. 78 Size Assist Toolbar
| Size Assist Toolbar options | |
|---|---|
| Make Same Width: | With two or more objects selected, click to adjust the objects to match the width of the first object selected. Select the object with the desired width first, then select the object(s) that you want to resize to match. |
| Make Same Height: | With two or more objects selected, click to adjust the objects to match the height of the first object selected. Select the object with the desired width first, then select the object(s) that you want to resize to match. |
| Make Same Size: | With two or more objects selected, click to adjust the objects to match the size (height/width) of the first object selected. Select the object with the desired size first, then select the object(s) that you want to resize to match. |
| Size To Fit Image: | This option automatically resizes the selected button(s) to accommodate the largest bitmap contained within the selected button(s). |
| Size for Video: | When using a video fill button, use this option to specify an aspect ratio to apply to the selected button. |
- All toolbars in TPD5 are dockable, so they can be arranged within the application window.
- To undock any toolbar, double-click anywhere inside the toolbar (but not on a toolbar button). Double-click again to dock the toolbar.
- To move the toolbar, click and drag using the handle (the single vertical bar) at the far-left side of the toolbar.
- Select View > Toolbars > Size Assist Toolbar to show/hide this toolbar.