Copying, Cutting, Pasting, and Deleting Objects

Once you select one or more objects, you can perform various basic editing functions. The following are the basic editing commands:

Copying Objects to the Clipboard

The Clipboard is a part of the system that temporarily stores selected objects when you choose the Copy or Cut command. The Clipboard stores the results of one editing action, (which can include multiple objects). Whatever is on the Clipboard is replaced by the next selection you place there, including a selection placed by using the Cut or Copy command in another application.

• You can bypass the Clipboard by using the Duplicate command to quickly copy a selected object in the same document without replacing the Clipboard contents.
• Using the Clear command or the Delete keyboard key does not replace the contents of the Clipboard.

When you paste objects into other programs, the Clipboard uses a format that the receiving program understands. However, special types of objects and special object attributes can be lost when pasting objects into other applications. If you can’t transfer an object successfully using the Clipboard, consider using a compatible file format to import the object as a file into other programs.

Using Cut, Copy, and Paste Commands

The Cut, Copy, and Paste commands let you make copies of objects using the Clipboard. Use Cut or Copy to place objects on the Clipboard, and then choose Paste to place copies in the same document, other open Canvas X Draw documents, and also into other programs.

You select one or more Canvas X Draw objects before choosing Cut or Copy. You can select text objects, paint objects, vector objects, specialized objects such as dimensions, and group objects. When you choose Cut or Copy, the selected items appear on the Clipboard.

• The Cut command removes selections from the document.
• The Copy command leaves selections in the document.

Using the Paste command to insert the Clipboard contents into a document does not erase the Clipboard. You can use Paste to insert the Clipboard contents as many times as you want. The Clipboard contents remain intact until you use the Copy or Cut command in any application to replace the Clipboard contents with a new selection.

To Paste Copied Objects:

1. Select the objects that you want to copy.
2. Choose Edit | Copy. Canvas X Draw puts the selected objects on the Clipboard.
3. If you want to paste the copied selection into another document, switch to that document. You can switch to an open Canvas X Draw document by choosing its name at the bottom of the Window menu.
4. Choose Edit | Paste. Canvas X Draw pastes the Clipboard contents into the active document. Pasted objects appear selected in the center of the document window.

To Replace a Selection with a Copied Object:

Choose Edit | Paste & Replace Selection.

The clipboard content is automatically sized to fit the dimensions of the object it replaces.

You can set up the layout of your pages with image placeholders and replace these objects with relevant images later with the Paste and Replace Selection command.

Copying Selections in Objects

Besides using Cut or Copy to place entire objects on the Clipboard, use these commands to place selected parts of Canvas X Draw objects on the Clipboard.

Cut or copy the following parts of objects:

• Text selections made by highlighting text in a text object.
• Image selections made by defining areas, ranges of colors, or loading alpha channels in a paint object.
• Segment selections made by selecting anchor points of vector objects in Path Edit mode.

Pasting Selections and Pasting into Objects

When you paste a selection, the result depends on whether an object is in Edit mode at the time:

• Pasting with no object in Edit mode creates a new, separate object containing the selection.
• Pasting with an object in Edit mode usually pastes the selection into the object.

For example, if you copy a highlighted text selection, and then choose Paste when no object is in Edit mode, you create a new text object containing only the text you selected. If you choose Paste when a text object is in Edit mode, the pasted text appears at the insertion point in the text object. If you choose Paste when a paint object is in Edit mode, the selected text appears as a floating image selection in the paint object.

• Pasting into text: You can paste text into a text object in Edit mode. This lets you insert new text cut or copied from another object, and move text from one place to another while editing a text object.
• Pasting pixels into images: You can paste an image selection into a paint object in Edit mode. The pixels that you paste become a floating selection in the paint object.
• Pasting objects into images: You can paste a vector object or text into a paint object in Edit mode. Canvas X Draw converts the object into pixels pasted as a floating selection in the paint object.
• Pasting and placing objects: You can use the Paste and Place command to copy objects and position the copies anywhere in the document. Copy the objects to be pasted. Right-click and choose Paste and Place. Click the pointer where you want to place the object.

To copy an object and paste it in the same position on a different page, you can do so by copying the object and then pressing Shift+Command+V, or choosing Edit | Paste in Place or pressing Shift and choosing Edit | Paste.

To Paste the Copy:

Do one of the following:

• Click to place the copy at full size.
• To set the dimensions of the copy, drag to create a bounding box to contain the selection.

To Paste Above or Below Other Objects:

1. Select an object.
2. Choose Edit | Cut to place the object on the Clipboard.
3. Do one of the following:
   • To paste above another object: Select the object you want to paste in front of, and choose Edit | Paste Within Selection | Paste In Front Of Selection.
   • To paste below another object: Select the object you want to paste behind, and choose Edit | Paste Within Selection | Paste In Back Of Selection.

Transferring Object Attributes

Transfer attributes from one object to other objects using the Paste Attributes command. Transferring attributes can help you maintain consistency between objects.

You can transfer attributes from a source selection — an object or text that has been copied to the Clipboard — to a target selection, which is one or more objects selected in the document. Or, you can retain the source selection attributes as the current attributes — those attributes that you can apply to new objects.

Use Paste Attributes to transfer inks and stroke settings, object dimensions, effects, and text attributes.

Depending on the source selection and target selection, choose options listed in the Paste Attributes dialog box.

An option is available if the attribute was copied from the source selection and can be applied to the selected target objects. The exception to this rule is the Text Style option. The Text Style option is available whenever the source selection is text, even if the target objects are not. In this case, no Text Style attributes will be applied to the target selection, but the Text Style attributes will be retained as the current attributes and can be applied to new text objects.

To Paste Attributes:

1. Select an object or text whose attributes you want to transfer.
   • If you select multiple objects, you can only paste the dimensions of a bounding rectangle encompassing all the objects.
   • If you select a group object, only attributes that apply to the entire group, including the bounding box size and transformations applied to the group object, will be available.
   • If you select a text object, only the attributes common to the entire object will be available.
2. Choose Edit | Copy to place the selection on the Clipboard.
3. Select the one or more target objects to receive the attributes. If no objects are selected, the source attributes will be retained as the current attributes and can be applied to new objects.
4. Choose Edit | Paste Attributes. In the Paste Attributes dialog box, select the attributes to paste. Options that appear dimmed were not available in the source selection or cannot be applied to the target selection.
5. Click OK to paste the attributes.

Paste Attributes Options