User's Manual

NAME

JDraw - drawing editor

SYNOPSIS

java jdraw.main

DESCRIPTION

You can use JDraw to create and edit drawings containing graphics like text, lines, curved lines, rectangles, polygons, ellipses, and curved shapes. Drawings are stored in JDraw picture files and can be printed to a printer from Windows or stored in PostScript files for printing in other file systems. The graphics are displayed in a scrollable panel, which expands to fit all the Canvas' graphics. There is a toolbar (in a separate) window to the left of the editor pane and a menu bar (in another window) above the editor.

DRAWING TOOLS

The drawing tools lie in a vertical row in the toolbar to the left of the editor pane. Select, Move, Scale, Stretch, Rotate, and Reshape manipulate existing graphics. Text, Line, Multi Line, Curve, Ellipse, Rectangle, Polygon, and (Curved) Shape create new graphics. You can set the current drawing tool by clicking on it in the toolbar. Clicking the left mouse button in the drawing area invokes the current drawing tool. The following are the drawing tools available in JDraw:

Select Select a graphic whether or not it's already selected and discard all other selections. If you hold down the shift key, Select retains the previous selections while including an unselected graphic or excluding a selected graphic. If you press the button outside any graphic, you can clear all of the selections or drag a rubber band rectangle around a group of graphics to select all of them together.

Move Move graphics from one spot to another.

Scale Scale graphics about their centers (not yet implemented).

Stretch Stretch graphics vertically or horizontally while tying down the opposite edge (not yet implemented).

Rotate Rotate graphics about their centers according to the angle between two radii: the one defined by the original clicking point and the one defined by the current dragging point.

Reshape Move one of a graphic's points and reshape the graphic accordingly. Nothing happens when you try to reshape an ellipse or text object because they don't have any points suitable for dragging.

Text Create some text. You click where you want to put the text line's upper left corner and then type your text. Text is terminated when you hit the 'Enter' key.

Line Create a line. The line begins at the point where you press the left mouse key and ends where the left mouse key is released.

Multi Line Create a set of connected lines. A control point is placed each time the left key is pressed and the final point is placed when the right button is pressed.

Curve Create an open set of Bezier curves. A control point is placed each time the left key is pressed and the final point is placed when the right button is pressed.

Ellipse Create an ellipse. One corner resides at the point where you press the left mouse key and the opposite corner resides where the left mouse key is released.

Rectangle Create a rectangle. One corner resides at the point where you press the left mouse key and the opposite corner resides where the left mouse key is released.

Polygon Create a polygon. A control point is placed each time the left key is pressed and the final point is placed when the right button is pressed. The polygon is closed by connecting the final point with the first control point.

Shape Create an closed set of Bezier curves. A control point is placed each time the left key is pressed and the final point is placed when the right button is pressed. The shape is closed by connecting the final point with the first control point.

PULL-DOWN MENUS

The pull-down menus File, Edit, Structure, Text, Brush, Pattern, FGColor, BGColor, Align, and Options lie in the menu bar above the editor pane. They contain commands which you execute by pulling down the menu and releasing the mouse button on the command.

The File menu contains the following commands to operate on files:

New Open a new graphics editor pane, which is blank.

Revert Reread the currently active drawing, destroying any unsaved changes (not currently implemented).

Open... Open a '.jdr' file and draw its graphics in a new editor pane.

Save As... Save the currently active drawing in a file whose name you type.

Save Save the currently active drawing in the file it came from.

Close Close the currently active drawing editor.

Print... Print the currently active drawing to a printer in the Windows environment. The printer can be selected from the Print Dialog.

Exit Exits the JDraw environment.

The Edit menu contains the following commands to edit graphics:

Undo Undo the last done change to the drawing. Successive Undo commands undo earlier and earlier changes back to the last stored change.

Redo Redo the last undone change to the drawing. Successive Redo commands redo later and later changes up to the first change undone by Undo. Any new changes cause all undone changes to be forgotten.

Cut Remove the selected graphics from the currently active drawing and place them in a temporary graphics buffer.

Copy Copy the selected graphics from the currently active drawing into a temporary graphics buffer.

Paste Paste a copy of the graphics in the graphics buffer (if any) into the currently active drawing.

Duplicate Duplicate the selected graphics in the currently active drawing and add the copies to the currently active drawing.

Delete Destroy the selected graphics in the currently active drawing.

Select All Select every graphic in the currently active drawing.

Flip Horizontal, Flip Vertical

Flip the selected graphics in the currently active drawing into their mirror images along the horizontal or vertical axes.

90 Clockwise, 90 CounterCW

Rotate the selected graphics in the currently active drawing 90 degrees clockwise or counter clockwise.

Precise Move..., Precise Scale..., Precise Rotate...

Move, scale or rotate graphics by exact amounts which you type in a dialog box. You type movements in units of screen pixels and rotations in degrees. Precise Scale... is not currently implemented.

The Structure menu contains the following commands to modify the structure of the drawing:

Group Give the selected graphics the properties of a single graphic. When any of the graphics within the group are manipulated, the changes affect all graphics in the group.

Ungroup Dissolve the group consisting of all selected graphics (if any).

Bring To Front

Bring the selected graphics to the front of the drawing so that they are drawn on top or (after) the other graphics in the drawing.

Send To Back

Send the selected graphics to the back of the drawing so that they are drawn behind (before) the other graphics in the drawing.

Number of Graphics

Count and display in a pop up window the number of selected graphics. If no graphics are selected, the total number of graphics in the drawing is displayed.

The Font menu contains sub-menus for choosing Font properties. The properties available are Font Type, Font Size, and Font Style. The Font properties are set for all selected Text Objects as well as any which are subsequently created.

The Brush menu contains a set of brushes with which to draw lines, as well as an item to create your own brush. When you set the current brush in the menu, you will also set all the selected graphics' brushes to that brush.

The Pattern menu contains a set of patterns with which to fill graphics, as well as an item to create your own pattern. When you set the current pattern from the menu, you will also set all the selected graphics; patterns to that pattern.

The FGColor and BGColor menus contain a set of colors with which to draw graphics and text, as well as an item to create your own color. When you set the current foreground or background color from the menu, you will also set all the selected graphics' foreground or background colors.

The Align menu contains commands to align graphics with other graphics. For series alignments, graphics are organized in the order they were selected. 'Align to Grid' is not currently implemented.

The Option menu contains the following commands:

Reduce Reduce the magnification of the currently active editor pane by a factor of two so that the drawing's size is decreased by half.

Enlarge Enlarge the magnification of the currently active editor pane by a factor of two so that the drawing's size is doubled.

Normal Size Set the magnification to unity so that the drawing appears at actual size.

Home Reset the currently active editor's pane to the home position (if scrolled).

Gridding on/off

Toggle the grid's constraining effect on or off (not currently implemented).

Grid visible/invisible

Toggle the grid's visibility on or off (not currently implemented).

Grid Spacing...

Change the grid spacing using a dialog box (not currently implemented).