Visual Thought User's Guide
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Chapter 10

Aligning and Spreading Objects

Aligning and Spreading Objects

Visual Thought allows you to align and spread objects with three separate types of controls. These controls can be used in any combination:

Vertical repositioning (aligning or spreading)
Horizontal repositioning (aligning or spreading)
Alignment point Changing one control has no effect on the action of any of the other two controls. The ability to use any one or a combination of these controls allows you significant flexibility in achieving the exact positioning of objects you need.

The Align dialog is also discussed in "Align Dialog" on page 202.
You can align and spread objects either by using the standard menu and key accelerators or by using the Align dialog. Both methods are discussed in detail below.

Using the Align Menu Commands

The examples in the section below illustrate how to use the various alignment commands in the Arrange menu to align objects.

Aligning in a Column

To arrange objects in a column,

Create four different shapes: a rectangle, a triangle, an arrow and a star.

Select all the objects (Ctrl-A).
Select ArrangeAlignAlign in Column (Ctrl-7).

All the selected objects are aligned in a single column.

Spread Objects in a Column

Select ArrangeAlignSpread along Column (Ctrl-9).

All the selected objects are evenly spread along a single column.

Notice that, by default, the objects are aligned along their center points, although if you change the alignment point used in the Align dialog, the menu items will use the new alignment point.

Spread along Column moves the vertical positions of objects until the vertical coordinates of their alignment points are equidistant. It does NOT move objects horizontally.

Align in a Row

To align objects in a row, use the steps listed above and replace the commands with Arrange

Align in Row (Ctrl-6) and Arrange

Spread along Row (Ctrl-8).

Using the Align Dialog

You can align and spread objects using the Align dialog as well as the items from the Arrange menu. The Align dialog allows you some additional aligning and spreading options.

The first example below illustrates how to use the alignment commands in the Align dialog to accomplish the same results you achieved in the previous examples using the menu options. The second example then illustrates special features of the Align dialog.

The Align Dialog

The example continues with the objects created in the section above.

To use the same objects from the previous example in this one,

Press Undo (Ctrl-Z) until the four shapes are returned to their initial placement. (See the first diagram on page 94.)
Select all the objects in the diagram (Ctrl-A).
Select ArrangeAlignAlign Dialog (Ctrl-Shift-@). The Align dialog is displayed.

Align and Spread Objects in a Column

To align the objects in a column, and also spread them so their vertical spacing is equidistant:

Click on the Horizontal Align button at the bottom of the dialog: when you press the Apply button, this will cause objects to move horizontally so their alignment points have the same horizontal coordinate.
Click on the Vertical Spread button at the right side of the dialog.
Press the Apply button. The objects are moved vertically so the vertical coordinates of their alignment points are equidistant.

See page 95 for a diagram of how the objects look after being aligned and spread.
All selected objects are aligned evenly in a single column.

Align Objects by Other Points

In addition to the functionality of the Arrange menu, the Align dialog also gives you the ability to change the alignment points by which objects are aligned and spread.

Objects are aligned or spread using the center point by default.

For the examples below, create four rectangles of different sizes in roughly the relative positions shown below.

Select all four objects.
Open the Align dialog.

Align Objects in a Column by Top Left Points

In the Align dialog, click on the following: · the Top Left alignment point button
· the Horizontal Align button
· the Vertical Inaction button.
Press the Apply button. The results are shown in the diagram below.

Align Objects in a Row by Top Left Points

Press Undo.
In the Align dialog, click on the following: · the Top Left alignment point button
· the Vertical Align button
· the Horizontal Inaction button
Press the Apply button. The results are shown in the diagram below.

Align and Spread Objects Along a Random Line

The Align dialog can be used to achieve an unusual align and spread effect: you can align and spread objects along a line that is not horizontal or vertical. To do this:

Create four objects of the same size and shape.
Move two of the objects until they form the "endpoints" of the line along which you wish to align and spread. Move the other two objects so they are just approximately in their intended final positions.
Select the four objects.

In the Align dialog, click on the following: · Vertical Spread button
· Horizontal Spread button
Click Apply. The results are shown in the diagram below.

The Spread command measures the distance between the two furthest objects in a row or column and then distributes each object equidistantly within that distance.

In the example above, objects were spread in both the horizontal and vertical directions simultaneously, forcing them along a line that can be oriented in any direction.

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