Setting Line width defaults - Doing lots of model sheets

[Zwaeback]

Hi,
I thought i'd post this question in the off chance that someone has a solution for it.
I'm "inking" many, many character model sheets with Xara X. I'm using only certain fixed line widths - 0.6,0.8,1.0,1.2,1.4 and 1.6. I'd like to have these line widths available in the set line width box (or somewhere), so i don't have to type them in every time i change widths. This would save me a significant amount of time. Is it possible.
Thanks for your help.
Phil

btw - Xara is the best vector drawing software i've used for doing LOTS of drawings. I'll still use illustrator to export the Xara drawings to Flash to keep the layers. Also, illustrator sometimes exports a bit better.....but its.....soooo....slow when working with lots of vectors.

[Zwaeback]

Hi,
I thought i'd post this question in the off chance that someone has a solution for it.
I'm "inking" many, many character model sheets with Xara X. I'm using only certain fixed line widths - 0.6,0.8,1.0,1.2,1.4 and 1.6. I'd like to have these line widths available in the set line width box (or somewhere), so i don't have to type them in every time i change widths. This would save me a significant amount of time. Is it possible.
Thanks for your help.
Phil

btw - Xara is the best vector drawing software i've used for doing LOTS of drawings. I'll still use illustrator to export the Xara drawings to Flash to keep the layers. Also, illustrator sometimes exports a bit better.....but its.....soooo....slow when working with lots of vectors.

[myles]

Phil, I don't know of any way to do this in Xara, but you can work around it by using a macro utility that will record mouse information.

Just record the mouse clicking in the box and then the keystrokes to change the line width.

Personally I still keep a copy of the Recorder utility that came with Windows 3.1 (still works fine in Win95 and Win98).
PC Magazine has a free utility (RecEdit) on their website that lets you modify the events in the macros.

If you can get hold of a copy of Recorder from a
Win3.1 machine or disks (you need recorder.exe and recorder.dll, plus recorder.hlp if you want the online help), I have attached a set of macros that will set the line widths you mentioned.

F6 = 0.6
F8 = 0.8
F10 = 1.0
F12 = 1.2
Then I ran out of imagination (and keyboard)
F9 = 1.4
F11 = 1.6

Note that some of these conflict with Xara X shortcut keys - you can change the macro shortcut
keys within Recorder.

Note also that these particular macros will only work on a screen running at 1024x768 with Xara X at full size and all the toolbars in their default locations.
(A limitation of the recording mechanism in Recorder - it records direct screen locations rather than objects clicked on)

Regards, Myles.

[This message was edited by Myles on February 27, 2001 at 04:16 PM.]

[jclements]

Here are two other "indirect methods". They may not be elegant, but they should work

1. Designate a different Layer for each line width.

Draw your objects and lines on a layer without worrying about their line width. You can then lock all layers but the one you to need to set/change your line width; do a Select All, and type in the desired line width in the Info Bar. This method has its benefits when importing other files because you can isolate the imported objects to the active layer.

2. Another way would be to use the new Name Gallery (Ctrl-Shift-F9).

Create a line and give it a width (say 4pt). Then create a Name of "4 PT" (you can click on the little yellow tag at the far right of the info bar to do this). Any copies you make of the line will have the same name. ALSO, any objects selected can be assigned a name from the Name Gallery by double-clicking the name in the Name Gallery. What's the point to all of this? Well, assuming you assigned "names" to all your objects, all you have to do is go to the Name Gallery, click on the little circle to the left of the name and this WILL SELECT ALL THE OBJECTS with that name. Then, like in Method 1 above, you can use the Info Bar to give all the selected objects a particular line width, color, or what-ever. The advantage of this method is you don't use more layers than necessary and its a quicker way of selecting a subset of objects across all layers.

FINALLY, I believe you can save to save/store the custom names in the Name Gallery as a Xar template.

[myles]

Hey, John, those are neat solutions!

May I suggest a possible slight variation ?

Instead of setting up the line style to begin with, use the default 0.5pt line width for drawing width, but use different colours for what will be the final line widths e.g. green for 0.6, red for 1.4, or alternatively shades of grey.
Later you can use the name gallery to select all red (or 20% black) lines and then change them all at once to e.g. black 0.8pt width.

If you wish, you can even start by creating some named colours (plain black, greys, or colours) named "0.6", "1.4".

Further tip for the name gallery - you can select a group of lines (by colour from the name gallery, by shift-clicking in the workspace, etc.), then group them all for later manipulation by clicking the New button in the name gallery.

I've been mostly ignoring the name gallery until now - I never realised how useful it could be.
Thanks John !

Regards, Myles.

[jclements]

Your color solution is workable. BUT, if you have any other objects with that color (including a FILL or 2-colored GRADIENT-fill) then the "Used Color" colors would select these objects as well .... Bummer.

I noticed this about a week ago. For a future version of Xara, I have suggested that the Name gallery have some way of segregating fill, outline, and gradient-color attributes (including multicolor-gradients) for each named color used via a drop-down or flyout menu (like they have for buttons bar elements) in which the user could check one or any combination of these attributes.

Aside: In case you're interested, if a named color's color values are modified in the color editor, those changes will be reflected in multicolored gradients which use the named color.

[Zwaeback]

I've asked questions at many different software forums and i have to say that this forum is the most responsive....

i'm going to try both the recorder utility and the name gallery. THANK YOU!!! very much for the ideas.

Phil

[John F Dye]

Hi,
My low tech way is to draw a series so short lines of the various line widths off to the side. then make my drawing without concern for line width then click on the line of the correct width do Cntl C select all lines to be that width. Do cntl/shift A to past attributes.
John

[Jonathan Payne]

John D,

To make your method even easier to use, try clicking 'New view' on the window menu once the document is open and then resizing the new view to be a small window in the corner. After that, you can zoom in on the sample lines in the mini-view and click 'Always on top' in the view's menu (top left hand corner of the view) so the view always stays visible above the main window. This trick is also useful if you need an overview of the document you are working on or a picture of a bitmap you are basing a document on.

Jonathan

[John F Dye]

Now That's a Good Idea!
Thanks
John