Learning a new trick

[Jill D Holloman]

I'm trying to figure out HOW to fill a shape I drew. I used the straight line tool to draw a box. And I want to fill the box with a color. How do I do that?

[Acorn]

Jill, the trick is not to use the Staiht Line tool; it does just that draws straight line.
All such lines in a box do not make a shape, only shapes can have a fill.

You need to use the Shape Tool (F4) set for Make a Line (L) and set for a Cusp Join (Z). Combined F4-L-Z.

Click four points for the corners then press the Enter key or click on the first point (the pointer changes to one with a large +). The result is a filled shape.

Joining separated lines is awkward and tedious.

Acorn

[gwpriester]

Welcome to TalkGraphics Jill

What product are you using? You do not list any in your profile.

The simplest way to do this is draw your rectangle with the Rectangle Tool which creates a shape to which you can apply any number of fills.

[Gamerprinter]

As every is saying, use the rectangle tool to create rectangles and squares. Let's put it this way, I've been using Xara since XaraX 1, which was 1999. I'm always using the rectangle/circle/quick shape tool, or the Freehand drawing tool. I've never used the straight line tool, ever in all that time...

[Acorn]

When is a line not a line? When Xara makes it an image.
I appreciate that a straight line can be deformed into a curved one easily in Xara, but...

... if you use the rectangle tool and draw a box with a height of 0.01px and add a line width, you have a straight line that can be lengthened or shortened.
So what?

The beauty of it is that it can be rotated and it stays as an HTML SPAN tag with a 2-D transformation so it never becomes an image.
Your lines stay crisp at scale.

This leaves the problem of what to do with the Straight Line tool. Perhaps make it smart and turn it into a dimension line.
Another reason I await the long-promised API.

Acorn

[amoore]

[sigh] I really like the Straight Line Tool. Guess I'm just a dinosaur...

[gwpriester]

Jill? Hello? Are you here? Do any of these answers help?

[Gamerprinter]

Also didn't say, I draw straight lines with the Freehand Tool, click your mouse at the starting point of your line or shape, and hit Ctrl key, and it keeps the Freehand line straight. Unclick the mouse, and release the Ctrl key, then hit it again and change the direction of your line.