Customizing the Keyboard and Toolbar
Via the Customize dialog box, you can assign keyboard shortcuts to commands, tools, attributes, object styles, and font styles. You can also place buttons for these items on the Toolbar.
To Customize the Keyboard and Toolbar:
Choose File | Customize.
Customize Dialog Box
Use the options in the Customize dialog box to select items, and then create keyboard shortcuts and place buttons on the Toolbar.
Category | Choose the category of items to customize. The contents of the scrolling list change according to the selected category. |
Sub-Category | Only active if Menus is selected in the Category menu. The commands in the selected menu appear in the scrolling list. |
Scrolling list | Displays all tools or styles in the selected category or subcategory (for menus). For inks and strokes, the list contains the inks or strokes you select from the pop-up palettes. Select an item in the scrolling list to assign a shortcut to it or to place a button for it on the Toolbar. The selected item is highlighted. |
Current Shortcut Key | Displays the current keyboard shortcut for the selected item, if a shortcut exists. |
Press New Shortcut Key | With an item selected in the scrolling list, press the keyboard keys you want to assign to the item. To use a modifier key, press and hold Shift, Ctrl, or Alt. Press a letter, number, or function key. The new shortcut keys appear in the box. |
Menu icon | Click Modify to open the Modify icon dialog box and customize the menu bar icons. Click Restore to return the icons to their default appearance. |
Assign | Click to assign the keystrokes in the Press New Shortcut Key box to the selected item. |
Remove | Click to remove the current shortcut keystrokes from the selected item. |
Reset All | Click to restore the default shortcut keys to all items. |
Reset | Click to restore the default shortcut keys to the item selected in the scrolling list. |
Palettes | A pop-up palette appears when the Category selection is Inks; three palettes appear when the Category is Strokes. Select an ink or stroke from the palette. The selected item appears in the scrolling list and on the Toolbar. |
Remove Selection | When the Category selection is Inks, Strokes, Object Styles, or Font Names and Sizes, click the Remove Selection button to remove a selected item from the scrolling list. This also removes a button for the item from the Toolbar. |
Save Set | After you customize Canvas X Draw, you can save the current configuration in a file. You can create other custom configurations and save these in configuration files. A configuration file stores all the current keyboard shortcut assignments and the setup of buttons on the Toolbar. Click Save Set to create a file of all current shortcut keys and Toolbar buttons. In the directory dialog box, type a name for the file and click Save. |
Load Set | Click Load Set to import a file of shortcut keys and Toolbar buttons. In the directory dialog box, select the file to load and click OK. Canvas X Draw resets the shortcut keys and the Toolbar according to the configuration stored in the file. |
Clear All | Click Clear All to clear all of the customized settings in the scrolling list and all buttons on the Toolbar. |
Close | Click to close the Customize dialog box. Inks or strokes added to the scrolling list remain in the list when you close the dialog box. |
Choosing a Category to Customize
You can choose items to which you want to assign shortcuts or add to the Toolbar. The following items are available in the Category menu.
- Menus: If you select this item, you must choose one of the following menus from the Sub-Category menu: File, Edit, Text, Object, Layout, Effects, Image, and Window.
- Tools: The names of the tools and their icons appear in the scrolling list. Their respective keyboard shortcuts are also indicated in the Current Shortcut Key field.
- Inks/Strokes: Next to the scrolling list, a pop-up palette displays preset inks, or three pop-up palettes display pen strokes, dashes, and arrows. Select an ink or stroke from a palette. The item you select appears in the scrolling list and as a button on the Toolbar.
To Remove an Ink or Stroke from the Scrolling List:
Select it and click Remove Selection; if the item is on the Toolbar, this removes it from the Toolbar also.
- In the font size box, select a size and then press the Add Size button. The font size appears in the main scrolling list, and a font size button appears on the Toolbar.
To Choose a Font:
Select a name from the menu. The font appears on the scrolling list, and a font button appears on the Toolbar.
To Customize Keyboard Shortcuts:
- In the Customize dialog box, select an item in the scrolling list. If the item has a keyboard shortcut, the Current Shortcut Key box shows the shortcut keys.
- To assign a keyboard shortcut, press the keyboard keys you want to use. The keys you type appear in the Press New Shortcut Key box. Click Assign to assign the new keys to the item.
If the keys you type are assigned to another shortcut, the message Currently assigned to: appears beneath the Press New Shortcut Key box.
Certain keys are restricted, so pressing them will not display their values. Other shortcuts are reserved by Canvas X Draw, so they can be assigned, but not applied to some procedures; e.g., Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, and Ctrl+3 cannot be used in painting.
You can’t assign single keys as shortcuts; e.g., you can’t assign “H” or “F7” to an item.
To Remove Shortcut Keys from the Selected Item:
Click Remove.
To Restore the Default Shortcut Keys to All Commands:
Click Reset All.
To Restore the Default Shortcut Keys to One Command:
Select the command in the scrolling list and click Reset.
To Assign Shortcuts to Inks:
Create shortcut keys for specific fill inks and pen inks.
To Assign a Shortcut Key to a Fill or Pen Ink:
- In the Customize dialog box, select the ink in the scrolling list.
- Type the keyboard keys you want to use. The keys you type appear in the Press New Shortcut Key box.
- Under the box, select whether you want the ink to be a Fill or Pen ink.
- Click Assign to assign the new keys to the ink.
To Place Buttons on the Toolbar:
Do one or both of the following:
- Select an item in the scrolling list. Inks, Strokes, Object Styles, and Fonts appear on the Toolbar automatically.
- For Menus and Tools, double-click the item in the scrolling list to add it to the Toolbar. A button for the selected item appears on the Toolbar when it is displayed.
To Remove an Ink, Stroke, Object Style, or Font Button:
Click the Remove Selection button under the scrolling list, or double-click the item in the scrolling list.
To Remove a Menu or Tools Button:
Double-click the item in the scrolling list.
To Arrange Buttons on the Toolbar:
After you place buttons on the Toolbar, you can change their position directly on the Toolbar.
- To move a button: Shift-drag the button to a new location.
- To remove a button from the Toolbar: Shift-drag the button away from the Toolbar.
- To add a separator between Toolbar buttons: Shift-drag the button on the right slightly to the right. A separator line appears between the button and the one to its left.
Using Ink Buttons
When you place buttons for inks on the Toolbar, use the buttons to apply fill and pen inks or foreground and background colors.
You can apply fill and pen inks to vector objects and text as well as select foreground and background colors for painting.
To Apply a Fill Ink or Select a Background Color for Painting:
Click the ink button on the Toolbar. If no objects are selected, the ink becomes the current fill ink or background color.
To Apply a Pen Ink or Select a Foreground Color for Painting:
Press Ctrl and click the ink button. If no objects are selected, the ink becomes the current pen ink or foreground color.