Attaching Comments to Objects and Using Markup Tools

Use the Comments & Markup function to attach written notes called comments to any object in a Canvas X Draw document. This can be useful for individuals and coworkers who share documents. Anyone who works on a document can use the Markup tools and attach multiple comments to any object, including paint, vector, and text objects.

Marking Up a Document

To facilitate group work or revision, Canvas X Draw has a complete palette of tools that you can use to mark up documents, the Markup & Redline tools. This functionality keeps the markups and comments with the original document, yet separate. Using the Markup tools doesn’t alter the original document at all. Markups and comments can be easily created on another layer.

The Markup tools consist of the following tools:

To Use a Markup Tool:

1. Select the Markup Pen tool, Markup Highlighter tool, Rectangle Redline tool, or Circle Redline tool. The tool settings appear in the Properties bar.

1. Click-drag the crosshair where you want to create your markup and release the mouse.
2. In the New Markup Comment dialog box, open the Layer menu and select one of the following:
   • Current Layer: The markup object will be on the current layer.
   • Markup Layer: This option creates another layer named Markup Layer. The markup object will be on this layer.
   • My Markup Layer: This option creates another layer with the initial of the user. This information is retrieved from the User Info in the Preferences dialog box.
3. Enter your comments, if any, in the field.
4. Click OK. The markup object is selected and its settings appear in the Properties bar.

Markup Properties

If you deselect Always Display This Dialog, the New Markup Comment dialog box doesn’t appear when you create a markup. To enable this dialog box again, select the Prompt For Comment option in the Properties bar when a markup object is selected or created. Click the Display Palette button to open the Comments & Markup palette.

To Attach Comments to Objects:

1. Select an object.
2. Choose Object | Options | Comments & Markup...
3. In the Comments & Markup palette, click the New button.

4. In the New Comment dialog box, type the comment text, then click OK.

   The comment appears in the Comments & Markup palette.

A comment can contain up to 64 KB of text (about 65,500 characters). The text appears in a fixed size and typeface.

When you create comments, you can select, copy, cut, and paste text using the standard keyboard shortcuts. Spell checking, text formatting, and text colors cannot be applied to comments.

Viewing and Editing Comments

When you open a document, you can view all comments attached to objects and markup objects.

Be sure that Show information tool tips is selected in the Functionality Options page in the Preferences dialog box.

You can edit comments that you create, but not those made by others.

When you select an object that has one or more comments attached to it, the object displays yellow selection handles. You can view comments by pointing to objects. When the pointer is on an object, the object’s comments appear in a pop-up window.

To View, Edit, and Delete Comments:

1. Choose Object | Options | Comments & Markup.

If you select a markup object, click the Display Palette button in the Properties bar to open the Comments & Markup palette.

2. From the Author drop-down list, select one of the following:
   1. An author’s name: Displays only that author’s comments in the list. The scrolling list displays the first lines and the author’s initials for each comment. The initials preceding comments are retrieved from the User Info in the Preferences dialog box.
   2. All Authors: Displays comments by all authors.

3. Click a comment to select it.

   When you select a comment, Canvas X Draw selects the commented object or markup object in the document. Yellow selection handles appear around the object to indicate that the object has one or more comments.

4. Do one of the following:

   • View: To view a selected comment, click View. The comment text appears in the View Comments dialog box. Select text and copy it to the Clipboard using standard keyboard shortcuts. You can edit your own comments in the View Comments dialog box, but you can’t edit or remove the comments of others.

     When you view a comment that you can’t edit, the dialog box appears grayed out.

     If you changed a comment, click OK to save the changes or click Cancel to discard them and close the dialog box.

   If you select a markup object with an attached comment, you can view the comments in the Properties bar. You can edit your own comments in the Properties bar.

   • Remove: Select a comment you created. Click Remove to delete the comment from the object and the Comments palette.

     Comments remain attached to objects until you remove them. However, comments are not preserved by operations that convert objects to different forms. These operations include Knife, Combine, Extrude, Join, Make Composite, Convert to Paths, and Insert Picture.

   • Generate Text Objects: Click this button to create text objects of any comments that are attached to objects or markup objects. In the Comment Attributes dialog box, select the options you want to use.

Comment Attributes

See Also:

• Adding Annotations