dia r4240 - in trunk: . doc/en doc/en/graphics
- From: hans svn gnome org
- To: svn-commits-list gnome org
- Subject: dia r4240 - in trunk: . doc/en doc/en/graphics
- Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:28:24 +0000 (UTC)
Author: hans
Date: Sat Jan 31 17:28:23 2009
New Revision: 4240
URL: http://svn.gnome.org/viewvc/dia?rev=4240&view=rev
Log:
2009-01-31 Hans Breuer <hans breuer org>
[
Huge documentation update from Mark Dexter, bug #455400,
hope I didn't break anything during merge.
]
* doc/en/*.xml doc/en/graphics/*.png :
1. major edits to the following XML files: usage-quickstart.xml,
usage-canvas.xml, usage-objects.xml, usage-objects-basic.xml,
usage-objects-special.xml, usage-objects-selecting.xml.
Added documentation for items not previously documented (e.g.,
Diagram Tree, Sheets and Objects, etc.) and expanded other
documentation.
2. Added 78 screenshots (for a total of 82).
3. Minor edit to authors.xml. (Still need to fix broken links and
bad e-mails).
4. Updated images. These changes obsolete the following bugs:
#347209, #439974, #144128.
Added:
trunk/doc/en/graphics/adjacent.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/after-hor-spread.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/after-vert-spread.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/align-bottom.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/align-center.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/align-left.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/align-menu.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/align-middle.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/align-right.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/align-top.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/arrow-style.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/assorted-shapes.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/before-hor-spread.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/before-left.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/before-top.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/before-vert-spread.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/bezierline-rightclick.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/canvas-zoom.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/cisco-computer-shapes.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/cisco-misc-shapes.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/cisco-network-shapes.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/cisco-switch-shapes.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/cisco-telephony-shapes.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/color-dropdown.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/color-selector1.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/connect-fixed.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/connect-middle.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/default-colors.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/defaults-box.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/defaults-text.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/delete-text.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/dia-startup.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/diagram-properties-grid.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/diagram-properties.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/diagram-tree-sort.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/diagram-tree.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/edit-text.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/file-preferences-diagram.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/file-preferences-tree.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/file-preferences-ui.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/file-preferences-view.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/flowchart-shapes.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/line-arrows.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/line-buttons.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/line-colors.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/line-connect.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/line-handles.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/line-styles.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/line-width.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/misc-shapes.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/network-shapes.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/object-group.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/polyline-rightclick.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/preferences-fig.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/preferences-gridlines.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/properties-uml-class1.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/reverse-colors.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/ruler-arrows.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/sample-flowchart.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/select-area.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/select-menu.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/selected-object.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/sheets-objects.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/snaptogrid-button.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/stacked.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/standard-line-properties.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox-basic.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox-image.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox-lower.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox-magnify.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox-modify.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox-scroll.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox-special.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/uml-shapes.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/view-menu.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/view-zoom.png (contents, props changed)
trunk/doc/en/graphics/zigzagline-rightclick.png (contents, props changed)
Modified:
trunk/ChangeLog
trunk/doc/en/authors.xml
trunk/doc/en/usage-canvas.xml
trunk/doc/en/usage-customization.xml
trunk/doc/en/usage-layers.xml
trunk/doc/en/usage-loadsave.xml
trunk/doc/en/usage-objects-basic.xml
trunk/doc/en/usage-objects-selecting.xml
trunk/doc/en/usage-objects-special.xml
trunk/doc/en/usage-objects.xml
trunk/doc/en/usage-quickstart.xml
Modified: trunk/doc/en/authors.xml
==============================================================================
--- trunk/doc/en/authors.xml (original)
+++ trunk/doc/en/authors.xml Sat Jan 31 17:28:23 2009
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@
, Judith Samson (<email>judith samsonsource com</email>), Kevin Breit
(<email>battery841 mypad com</email>) and Alan Horkan
(<email>horkana tcd ie</email>.
+ It was significantly expanded and revised
+ in August 2007 by Mark Dexter (<email>dextercowley gmail com</email>.
Please send all comments and suggestions regarding this manual to the
<ulink type="http" url="http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gdp/";>GNOME Documentation
Project</ulink> by sending an email to <email>docs gnome org</email>. You
Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/adjacent.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/align-bottom.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/align-top.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/arrow-style.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/assorted-shapes.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/before-hor-spread.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/before-left.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/before-top.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/before-vert-spread.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/bezierline-rightclick.png
==============================================================================
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/canvas-zoom.png
==============================================================================
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/cisco-computer-shapes.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/cisco-misc-shapes.png
==============================================================================
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/cisco-network-shapes.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/cisco-switch-shapes.png
==============================================================================
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/cisco-telephony-shapes.png
==============================================================================
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/color-dropdown.png
==============================================================================
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/color-selector1.png
==============================================================================
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/connect-fixed.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/connect-middle.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/default-colors.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/defaults-box.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/defaults-text.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/delete-text.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/dia-startup.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/diagram-properties-grid.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/diagram-properties.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/diagram-tree-sort.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/diagram-tree.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/edit-text.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/file-preferences-diagram.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/file-preferences-tree.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/file-preferences-ui.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/file-preferences-view.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/flowchart-shapes.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/line-arrows.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/line-buttons.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/line-colors.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/line-connect.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/line-handles.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/line-styles.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/line-width.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/misc-shapes.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/network-shapes.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/object-group.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/polyline-rightclick.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/preferences-fig.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/preferences-gridlines.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/properties-uml-class1.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/reverse-colors.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/ruler-arrows.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/sample-flowchart.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/select-area.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/select-menu.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/selected-object.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/sheets-objects.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/snaptogrid-button.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/stacked.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/standard-line-properties.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox-basic.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox-image.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox-lower.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox-magnify.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox-modify.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox-scroll.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/toolbox-special.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/uml-shapes.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/view-menu.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/view-zoom.png
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Added: trunk/doc/en/graphics/zigzagline-rightclick.png
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Modified: trunk/doc/en/usage-canvas.xml
==============================================================================
--- trunk/doc/en/usage-canvas.xml (original)
+++ trunk/doc/en/usage-canvas.xml Sat Jan 31 17:28:23 2009
@@ -3,9 +3,8 @@
<sect1 id="canvas">
<title>Canvas Introduction</title>
<para>
- The canvas is the main part of Dia. The Dia canvas is the window where all
- the user's objects will be placed on the screen and arranged. When the
- diagram is printed or saved, the contents of the canvas will be saved.
+ The Dia canvas is the window that contains the diagram. All of
+ the user's objects are placed and arranged on the canvas.
</para>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="gridlines">
@@ -13,7 +12,7 @@
<para>
Grid lines are similar to the lines on graph paper. They allow the user
to easily align objects on the canvas. The grid lines can be temporarily
- hidden for the current document choosing the menus item
+ hidden for the current document by selecting
<menuchoice>
<guimenu>
View
@@ -21,33 +20,99 @@
<guimenuitem>
Show Grid
</guimenuitem>
- </menuchoice>.
- The grid lines can be turned hidden for all new documents by going into
+ </menuchoice>.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Grid line properties can be modified by selecting
<menuchoice>
<guimenu>
- File
+ Diagram
</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>
- Preferences
- </guimenuitem>
- </menuchoice>.
- In the Grid Lines tab, click the checkbox labelled Visible and leave it
- empty to hide the grid lines.
+ Properties</guimenuitem></menuchoice>,
+ which brings up the dialog shown in the figure below.
+ <figure>
+ <title>Diagram / Properties / Grid</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Diagram / Properties / Grid</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/diagram-properties-grid.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ If the Dynamic grid box is checked, the grid adjusts automatically
+ to keep the same visible spacing as the diagram view is zoomed in or out. Also,
+ when this box is checked, the other options on the dialog are disabled.
</para>
- </sect1>
+ <para>
+ If the Dynamic grid box is unchecked, then the grid spacing remains the same
+ in absolute terms. So when the view is zoomed out, the grid appears smaller,
+ and when the view is zoomed in, the grid appears larger.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The Spacing for the
+ x and y coordinates is in centimeters and can be typed or entered using
+ the increment / decrement buttons. The visible spacing determines
+ which grid lines are visible. A value of 1 indicates that all grid
+ lines are visible, 2 indicates that every second line is visible,
+ and so on. Note that the snap-to-grid works the same whether or not
+ grid lines are visible.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The Hex grid checkbox allows you to create a grid of hexagons instead of
+ squares. The Hex grid size is also in centimeters.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The snap-to-grid feature may be toggled on and off using the snap-to-grid
+ button located below the canvas. When this is enabled, objects
+ are forced to align on a grid line.
+ <figure>
+ <title>Snap-To-Grid Toggle Button</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Snap-To-Grid Toggle Button</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/snaptogrid-button.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ </para>
+ </sect1>
<sect1 id="Rulers">
<title>Rulers</title>
<para>
Rulers appear on the top and the left of the <application>Dia</application>
- canvas. They show, in centimeters, how large your canvas is.
+ canvas. They show, in centimeters, how large your canvas is. A centimeter
+ on the screen will not necessarily equal an actual centimeter.
+ This will depend on
+ your monitor's dots-per-inch (DPI) setting and your current zoom percentage.
+ For example, if your monitor is set to 96 DPI and your zoom percentage
+ is about 185%, then the display ruler is at actual scale. Regardless of
+ these settings, you can always see how big your objects and diagram are using
+ the on-screen ruler.
</para>
- <para>
- On each ruler exists an arrow. The arrow moves on the ruler in coordination
- with where the mouse pointer is. For example, if the user moves the mouse
+ <note>
+ <para>
+ When you print a diagram and select the option Scaling / Scale of 100.0%,
+ the diagram will be printed to scale regardless of the printer's DPI
+ setting or the view zoom factor.
+ </para>
+ </note>
+ <para>
+ Each ruler has an arrow that moves along the ruler to show the exact
+ coordinate of the mouse pointer. For example, if the user moves the mouse
up, the vertical ruler's arrow will move up, indicating the change. These
- arrows become useful when an object needs to line up exactly at a certain
+ arrows are useful when an object needs to line up exactly at a certain
measurement point.
</para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Ruler With Arrows Circled in Red</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Arrows Circled in Red</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/ruler-arrows.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
<para>
Rulers can be temporarily hidden for the current document by choosing the
menu item
@@ -59,44 +124,217 @@
Show Rulers
</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice>.
- Rulers, unlike grid lines, cannot be turned off by default for new
+ Unlike grid lines, rulers cannot be turned off by default for new
documents.
</para>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="background-color">
- <title>Background Colour</title>
+ <title>Background Color</title>
<para>
- The background colour option allows you to change what the background looks
- like in the canvas. By default, the colour is white. However, the colour
- can be changed by going into
+ The background color option allows you to change the color of the canvas.
+ By default, the color is white. However, the color
+ can be changed by selecting
<menuchoice>
<guimenu>
- View
+ Diagram
</guimenu>
- <guimenu>
- Diagram Properties
- </guimenu>
- <guimenuitem>
- Background
+ <guimenuitem>
+ Properties
</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice>
- and clicking on the bar. The bar displays the current background colour.
+ and then selecting the "Colors" tab. The first color option is Background.
+ You can change the color by selecting the drop-down list box and then using
+ the standard color selection options. See <link linkend="colors">
+ Objects / Colors </link> for more information about selecting colors.
+ </para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Changing Background Color</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Changing Background Color</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/diagram-properties.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <note>
+ <para>
The gridlines will change their color automatically to stay visible if
the background color is changed to black.
- </para>
+ </para> </note>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="zooming">
<title>Zooming</title>
<para>
- Zooming allows the user to get up closer to their diagram. This helps to
- let the user make precision drawings.
+ Zooming allows the user to zoom in (make things bigger) or zoom out
+ (make things smaller). Zooming in is useful when you are trying to make
+ your drawing very precise. Zooming out is useful when you want to view
+ a larger portion of the diagram.
</para>
<para>
- The canvas can be zoomed up to 400%. Zoom can be done by clicking on the
- magnifying glass on the toolbox and clicking on the canvas. To zoom out,
- hold the shift button and click again on the canvas.
- </para>
+ The canvas can be zoomed in to 2500% and out to 5%. Zooming can be done
+ in several ways.
+ <figure>
+ <title>Toolbox Magnify</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Toolbox Magnify</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/toolbox-magnify.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The Toolbox contains a Magnify tool. If you select the Magnify tool and
+ then click anywhere on the canvas, the diagram is zoomed in at that point
+ by a factor of two (e.g., from 100% to 200%). Shift+Click reverses the process
+ (i.e., zooms out by a factor of two).
+ </para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Canvas Zoom</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Canvas Zoom</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/canvas-zoom.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ Dia has a zoom control at the lower left corner of the canvas. This control
+ allows you to enter in a zoom percentage or to
+ select from a series of fixed zoom percentages.
+ </para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>View Menu Zoom Options</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>View Menu Zoom Options</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/view-zoom.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ The View menu has options for Zoom In (Ctrl++); Zoom Out (Ctrl+-);
+ Zoom to a choice of fixed percentages; and Best Fit (Ctrl+E).
+ </para>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ The Ctrl+E (Zoom to Best Fit) is very useful for fitting the entire diagram
+ in the window. It also provides a quick way to see if there are any objects
+ outside the current view area.
+ </para>
+ </tip>
</sect1>
+
+ <sect1 id="view-menu">
+ <title>Other View Menu Options</title>
+ <para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>View Menu</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>View Menu</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/view-menu.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ In addition to the zoom options discussed above, the View menu provides
+ a number of useful functions. These are discussed below.
+ </para>
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Fullscreen (F11) toggles between the normal window view and full-screen view.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ AntiAliased toggles the antialiased feature on and off.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Show Grid toggles the display of the grid on and off.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Snap To Grid toggles the snap-to-grid property on and off.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Snap To Objects toggles the snap-to-objects property on and off. When this is on,
+ lines can be connected to the middle connection point of an object by
+ dragging the line end handle to any point inside the object. When this is off,
+ the line's connection handle must be dragged to the middle connection
+ point of the object being connected.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Show Rulers toggles the ruler display on and off.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Show Connection Points toggles the connection points display on and off.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ New View opens a new window that displays the same diagram. This can be
+ useful if you want to see and work on different sections of a diagram
+ at the same time.
+ </para>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ If you use New View or Clone View to open a second window on a diagram,
+ changes you make in one window display immediately in the other window. If you
+ open the same diagram file in two different instances of the application
+ (e.g., using File / Open), you must save changes
+ made in one session and re-load the diagram in the second session before they
+ will be visible to
+ the second session. For this reason, using New View or Clone View is normally
+ preferred.
+ </para>
+ </tip>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Clone View is the same as New View except that it copies the zoom and size
+ of the first view instead of using the default values.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Best Fit automatically zooms to the highest zoom value that will fit the
+ entire diagram in the window.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Refresh redraws the diagram on the canvas. Normally this is not needed.
+ Occasionally when making changes to a diagram, however, the screen will not redraw
+ correctly. For example, a portion of a deleted line might still display.
+ If this happens, Refresh correctly redraws the canvas.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+ </sect1>
+ <sect1 id="undo-redo">
+ <title>Undo and Redo</title>
+ <para>
+ <application>Dia</application> supports Undo and Redo on most operations.
+ To undo an operation, press Ctrl+Z or select
+ <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Undo</guimenuitem></menuchoice> from the diagram
+ menu bar. To redo an operation, press Ctrl+Shift+Z or select
+ <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Redo</guimenuitem></menuchoice> from the diagram
+ menu bar.
+ </para>
+ </sect1>
</chapter>
Modified: trunk/doc/en/usage-customization.xml
==============================================================================
--- trunk/doc/en/usage-customization.xml (original)
+++ trunk/doc/en/usage-customization.xml Sat Jan 31 17:28:23 2009
@@ -1,43 +1,73 @@
-<chapter label="9" id="usage-customization">
-<title>Customization</title>
+ <chapter label="9" id="usage-customization">
+ <title>Customization</title>
<sect1 id="prefs">
- <title>Customization</title>
+ <title>Preferences Dialog</title>
+
<para>
- <application>Dia</application> can be changed in a few ways, allowing the
- user to make <application>Dia</application> fit more to their needs.
+ <application>Dia</application> allows you to set a number of
+ customization options that modify how the program works.
+ These options are set by selecting the
+ <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>File</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Preferences</guimenuitem>
+ </menuchoice> from the <interface>Toolbox Menu Bar</interface>.
+ This opens the <interface>Preferences</interface> dialog. This
+ dialog has five tab panes: User Interface, Diagram Defaults,
+ View Defaults, Grid Lines, and Diagram Tree.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ After you have made all the changes you want, click on
+ <guibutton>OK</guibutton> to apply the changes and close the
+ <interface>Preferences</interface> dialog. To cancel the changes and return
+ to previous values, click the <guibutton>Close</guibutton> button. You may
+ preview the effect of your changes using the Apply
+ button.
</para>
+ <sect2 id="user-interface">
+ <title>User Interface</title>
<para>
- To change the behavior settings, select
- <menuchoice>
- <guimenu>File</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Preferences...</guimenuitem>
- </menuchoice> from the <interface>Toolbox Menu Bar</interface>.
- This opens the <interface>Preferences</interface> dialog
<figure>
- <title><interface>Preferences</interface> dialog box</title>
+ <title><interface>User Interface</interface></title>
<screenshot>
- <screeninfo><interface>Preferences.</interface>dialog box</screeninfo>
- <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/preferences_fig"
- srccredit="Jeremy" />
+ <screeninfo><interface>User Interface</interface>
+ dialog box</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/file-preferences-ui.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit="Mark Dexter" />
</screenshot>
</figure>
</para>
<para>
- The configurable properties in the <guilabel>User Interface</guilabel> tab
- are:
+ The User Interface tab pane allows you to change the way
+ <application>Dia</application> works.
+ The configurable properties in the User Interface tab are explained below.
+ </para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
+
<para>
- Reset tools after create.
- If this button is checked then the buttons in the Toolbox will reset
- to the Modify Tool after being used once. If the button is not checked
- then the current tool will stick until another tool is chosen,
- which is useful if you want to draw lots many shapes using the same tool
- over and over again.
- </para>
+ Reset tools after create causes the Modify tool to be selected
+ automatically each time an object has been added to the diagram. This
+ allows you to add an object and then use the Modify tool to select objects
+ without having to go back to the Toolbox.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ If the Reset tools button is not checked,
+ then the current object tool will "stick" until another tool is chosen. This
+ is useful if you want to draw many shapes using the same tool repeatedly.
+ However, in this case, you will need to manually select the Modify tool
+ in order to select objects.
+ </para>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ As an alternative to unchecking this box,
+ you can press the Space key after inserting an object to reselect
+ the last object. See <link linkend="adding-objects">Adding Objects</link>
+ for more information.
+ </para>
+ </tip>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Compress saved files, provides the option to have Dia XML files
+ Compress saved files provides the option to have Dia XML files
compressed into much smaller files using gzip or to leave the Dia XML
files as plain text so that they can be more easily edited using other
software.
@@ -45,26 +75,36 @@
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Reverse dragging selects intersecting objects, means that you can create
- selections that only need to cover part of the object you want to select
- whereas normally you need to create a selection around the whole of the
- object you want to select.
- Reverse dragging means creating a selection by dragging up and to the
- left from the point you started your selection, as opposed to creating a
- selection by dragging down and to the right.
- This can be useful if you want to make very precise selections where
- there are many objects on the canvas.
+ Number of undo levels customizes how many steps that the undo tool
+ remembers. The higher the number, the more steps you can undo to fix an
+ error. However, more undo levels requires more computer memory.
+ Setting the undo level to zero allows the program an unlimited
+ number of undo levels, subject to the available computer memory.
+
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Number of undo levels customizes how many steps that the undo tool
- remembers. Higher numbers let the user go back more steps to fix an
- error, but take up more memory.
- Setting the undo level to zero does not turn off undo, it gives infinite
- undo (which means it uses as much of the available computer memory as
- possible).
- </para>
+ Reverse dragging selects intersecting objects allows you to create
+ selections by area that only need to cover part of the object you
+ want to select. Normally when you select objects by area,
+ you need to create a selection around the whole of the
+ object you want to select in order to select it. Also, normally dragging
+ from the top-left to the bottom-right is the same as "reverse dragging" --
+ dragging from the bottom-right to the top-left.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ If this option is checked, dragging from the bottom-right
+ to the top-left allows you to select objects that only partially fall
+ into the selection rectangle. Dragging from the top-left to bottom-right
+ still works the same -- objects are only selected if the whole object
+ is inside the selection rectangle.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ This option gives you two different ways to select by area, depending on
+ which way you drag the mouse.
+ </para>
+
</listitem>
<!-- The description of Recent Documents is deliberately vague so that it
will still make some sense if a submenu for Recent items is added. -->
@@ -76,75 +116,298 @@
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Use menu bar allows you to have a menu bar at the top of each Diagram
- window instead needing to right click to access the menus.
- With the menu bar enabled you can access the object context menu by
- right clicking (instead of middle clicking, which is essential for users
- that do not have a three button mouse).
- </para>
+ When Use menu bar is checked, the pull-down menus appear at the
+ top of each Diagram, and the object context menus are accessed
+ by right-clicking on a selected object. If this box is unchecked,
+ these menus do not
+ display at the top of the diagram. Instead, these menus are
+ selected by right-clicking on the canvas, and the object context
+ menus are selected by middle-clicking (on a three-button mouse) on
+ a selected object.
+ </para>
+ <note>
+ <para>
+ If you do not have a three-button mouse, you will need to have this
+ box checked. Otherwise, you will not be able to access the object
+ context menus.
+ </para>
+ </note>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Keep tool box on top of diagram windows ensures that the Toolbox windows
+ Keep tool box on top of diagram windows ensures that the Toolbox window
is always in front of all the diagram windows which makes it easier to
keep track of and have quick access to the tool at all times.
</para>
</listitem>
+
+ </itemizedlist>
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2 id="diagram-defaults">
+ <title>Diagram Defaults</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Diagram Defaults</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Diagram Defaults</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/file-preferences-diagram.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ The Diagram Defaults tab allows you to set default properties for all new
+ diagrams. These are explained below.
+ </para>
+ <itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
- Width controls the width, in pixels, of a new diagram.
+ Portrait indicates that the diagram is in portrait orientation on the page.
+ If this is unchecked, then landscape orientation is assumed.
</para>
- </listitem>
+ </listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Height controls the height, in pixels, of a new diagram.
+ Paper type allows you to select from a list of paper sizes (e.g., A4, Letter,
+ etc.).
</para>
- </listitem>
+ </listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Magnify sets a multiplier that controls the default zoom level of
- a new diagram.
+ Background color allows you to set a default background color for all new
+ diagrams. See <link linkend="colors">Colors</link> for more information
+ on setting colors.
</para>
- </listitem>
+ </listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Snap To makes object edges attract to where the grid lines intersect.
- This makes it easier for the user to align objects, as separate objects
- snap to the same line.
+ New Window: Width allows you to set default width (in pixels) of
+ the window when a new diagram is created.
+ You can either enter a number manually or
+ use the increment / decrement buttons.
</para>
- </listitem>
+ </listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- X Size lets the user set a multiplier which sets how far the horizontal
- grid lines are from each other.
+ New Window: Height allows you to set default height (in pixels).
</para>
- </listitem>
+ </listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Y Size lets the user set a multiplier which sets how far the vertical
- grid lines are from each other.
+ New Window: Magnify allows you to set the default zoom value (in
+ percent) for a new diagram. You can either enter a number manually or
+ use the increment / decrement buttons.
</para>
- </listitem>
+ </listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Colour sets the display colour of the grid lines.
+ Connection Points: Visible determines whether connection points will be
+ visible by default on new diagrams. When working with a diagram,
+ this can be toggled on or off using the
+ <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>View</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Show Connection Points</guimenuitem>
+ </menuchoice> on the Diagram menu bar.
</para>
- </listitem>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2 id="view-defaults">
+ <title>View Defaults</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>View Defaults</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>View Defaults</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/file-preferences-view.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ This tab allows you to set default properties for the Page break lines.
+ </para>
+ <itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
- Page Breaks are lines that indicate where the page edges will be when
- you print out your diagram.
+ Page Breaks: Visible controls whether page break lines will be visible.
</para>
- </listitem>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Color allows you to select the default color of the page break lines.
+ This can be changed for a single diagram using the Colors tab on the
+ <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>
+ Diagram
+ </guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>
+ Properties
+ </guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu choice from the Diagram menu bar.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Solid lines determines whether the page break lines appear as solid
+ lines or as dashed lines.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
</itemizedlist>
+
+
+
+ </sect2>
+
+ <sect2 id="preferences-gridlines">
+ <title>Grid Lines</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Grid Lines</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Grid Lines</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/preferences-gridlines.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+
+ This tab allows you to set default properties for Grid Lines. These may
+ be changed for an individual diagram by selecting the
+ <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>
+ Diagram
+ </guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>
+ Properties
+ </guimenuitem></menuchoice> from the Diagram menu bar and then selecting
+ the Grid tab. These options are explained below.
+
</para>
+<itemizedlist>
+ <listitem>
<para>
- After you have made all the changes you want, click on
- <guibutton>OK</guibutton> to apply the changes and close the
- <interface>Preferences</interface> dialog. To cancel the changes and return
- to previous values, click the <guibutton>Close</guibutton> button. You may
- preview the effect of your changes using the Apply
- button.
+ Visible determines whether, by default, grid lines will be visible on
+ new diagrams.
</para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Snap to determines whether, by default, new diagrams will have snap-to-grid
+ enabled. Snap-to-grid forces object edges to move to the nearest grid line
+ intersection.
+ This makes it easier to align objects, as separate objects
+ snap to the same line. This feature can be toggled on or off using the
+ snap-to-grid button on the bottom of the Toolbox.
+ See <link linkend="gridlines">Canvas /
+ Grid Lines</link> for more information. This can also be toggled using the
+ <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>
+ View
+ </guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>
+ Snap To Grid
+ </guimenuitem></menuchoice> option on the Diagram menu bar.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Dynamic grid resizing determines whether the grid size changes as the
+ diagram is zoomed in or out. If this box is checked, then the grid lines
+ display as the same size no matter how the diagram zoom is changed.
+ In this case, the X Size and Y Size values have no effect.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ If this
+ box is unchecked, then the grid size is set in absolute terms according to
+ the X Size and Y Size values (in centimeters). In this case, the appearance
+ of the grid will change as the zoom changes, so the grid lines will
+ move closer when you zoom out and will spread out as you zoom in.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ X Size determines the distance, in centimeters, between grid lines
+ along the horizontal axis. This only
+ takes effect if Dynamic grid resizing is unchecked.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Y Size determines the distance, in centimeters, between grid lines
+ along the vertical axis. This only
+ takes effect if Dynamic grid resizing is unchecked.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Color sets the display color of the grid lines.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Lines per major line determines the spacing of major (i.e., solid)
+ grid lines. For example, a value of 5 means that every 5th grid line
+ is solid.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Hex grid allows you to have a grid of hexagons instead of a rectangular
+ grid.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Hex size determines the size of the hexagons, in centimeters, in the
+ hex grid. This option only applies if Hex grid is checked.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+
+ </sect2>
+
+ <sect2 id="diagram-tree-options">
+ <title>Diagram Tree</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Diagram Tree</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Diagram Tree</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/file-preferences-tree.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ This tab refers to the Diagram Tree window, which can be opened
+ from the Toolbox menu bar using the
+ <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>
+ File
+ </guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>
+ Diagram Tree
+ </guimenuitem></menuchoice> choice or by pressing F8.
+ In the Diagram Tree window, you can right-click on an object and select
+ "Hide this type" from the context menu. This removes objects of this
+ type from the Diagram Tree window. See <link linkend="diagram-tree">
+ Objects and the Toolbox / Diagram Tree</link> for more information.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The Save Hidden object types box controls whether "Hide this type" is permanent
+ or only for the current <application>Dia</application> session.
+ If the Save hidden object types box is checked, then the program will
+ remember which types you have selected to hide in the Diagram Tree. When
+ <application>Dia</application> is restarted, these object types will
+ continue to be hidden in this window. If this box is unchecked, any time
+ the program restarts, all objects will again display in the Diagram Tree window.
+ </para>
+ <note>
+ <para>
+ You can restore hidden object types by selecting the type from the list
+ in the "Show object type" option in the context menu of the Diagram Tree
+ window.
+ </para>
+ </note>
+ </sect2>
</sect1>
</chapter>
Modified: trunk/doc/en/usage-layers.xml
==============================================================================
--- trunk/doc/en/usage-layers.xml (original)
+++ trunk/doc/en/usage-layers.xml Sat Jan 31 17:28:23 2009
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
</para>
</tip>
<para>
- Each new diagram comes with the default layer labelled "Background". Of course you can change its name and settings to customize it to your needs as you can do with any other layer.
+ Each new diagram comes with the default layer labeled "Background". Of course you can change its name and settings to customize it to your needs as you can do with any other layer.
</para>
<para>
You can use layers to create overlay slide show by drawing each incremental slide in a
@@ -146,7 +146,10 @@
</para>
<note>
<para>
- In <application>Dia</application>, <emphasis>Layers</emphasis> creation and manipulation are as common as drawing or selecting objects in the diagram. You must get your hands on them, because you will probably have to use them anytime you will want to creat a new diagram.
+ In <application>Dia</application>, <emphasis>Layers</emphasis> creation and
+ manipulation are as common as drawing or selecting objects in the diagram.
+ You must get your hands on them, because you will probably have to use
+ them anytime you will want to create a new diagram.
</para>
</note>
</sect1>
Modified: trunk/doc/en/usage-loadsave.xml
==============================================================================
--- trunk/doc/en/usage-loadsave.xml (original)
+++ trunk/doc/en/usage-loadsave.xml Sat Jan 31 17:28:23 2009
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- GdkPixbuf bitmpa graphics (.bmp, .gif, .jpg, .png, .pnm, .ras, .tif)
+ GdkPixbuf bitmap graphics (.bmp, .gif, .jpg, .png, .pnm, .ras, .tif)
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
Modified: trunk/doc/en/usage-objects-basic.xml
==============================================================================
--- trunk/doc/en/usage-objects-basic.xml (original)
+++ trunk/doc/en/usage-objects-basic.xml Sat Jan 31 17:28:23 2009
@@ -1,21 +1,37 @@
-<chapter label="5" id="basic-objects-chapter">
-<title>Basic Objects</title>
-<sect1 id="basic-objects-introduction">
-<title>Basic Objects Introduction</title>
- <para>
- The first, and most common type of object is the basic object. Basic objects normally are geometric shapes, which can be customized. <application>Dia</application> offers
-the user numerous basic objects.
- </para>
- <sect2 id="text">
- <title>Text</title>
- <para>
- <application>Dia</application> supports the use of text as its own type of
- object. Text can be placed on the canvas by clicking on the text button on
- the toolbox.
- </para>
- <para>
+ <chapter label="5" id="basic-objects-chapter">
+ <title>Basic Objects</title>
+ <sect1 id="basic-objects-introduction">
+ <title>Basic Objects Introduction</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Basic Objects</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Basic Objects</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/toolbox-basic.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ <application>Dia</application> has 11 basic objects: Text, Box, Ellipse,
+ Polygon, Beziergon, Line, Arc, Zigzagline, Polyline, Bezierline, and Image.
+ </para>
+ <sect2 id="text">
+ <title>Text</title>
+ <para>
+ <application>Dia</application> supports the use of text as its own type of
+ object. Text can be placed on the canvas by clicking on the text button on
+ the toolbox. For tips on editing text, see
+
+ <link linkend="entering-text">Entering Text</link> in the Using
+ Objects chapter.
+ </para>
+ <note>
+ <para>
+ Text in <application>Dia</application> can use any font available to Gnome.
+ </para>
+ </note>
+ <para>
The text object, and several other objects, offers direct text entry in the
-dia gram. Text can be entered by selecting the object and then typing the text. The font,
+diagram. Text can be entered by selecting the object and then typing the text. The font,
size, and other formatting properties can be changed by double-clicking the
object.
</para>
@@ -26,9 +42,9 @@
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
-The normal Copy / Cut / Paste keys (CTRL-C, CTRL-X, CTRL-V) don't work for
-text. They work for entire objects. Use CTRL-SHIFT-X to cut and
-CTRL-SHIFT-V to paste just the text in an object. There is no shortcut to copy
+The normal Copy / Cut / Paste keys (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+V) don't work for
+text. They work for entire objects. Use Ctrl+Shift+X to cut and
+Ctrl+Shift+V to paste just the text in an object. There is no shortcut to copy
just the text.
</para>
<note><para>When you paste text into an object, the text is
@@ -44,9 +60,11 @@
</para>
<note><para>
The DEL key deletes the entire object, not the text
-to the right of the cursor. Use SHIFT-DEL to delete the text to the right of
-the cursor. (Use Edit / Undo or CTRL-Z if you delete an object by mistake.) To
-delete all of the text in an object, use the Cut (CTRL-SHIFT-X).
+to the right of the cursor. Use Shift+DEL to delete the text to the right of
+the cursor. (Use <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Undo</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
+ or Ctrl+Z if you delete an object by mistake.) To
+delete all of the text in an object, use the Cut (Ctrl+Shift+X).
</para></note>
</listitem>
@@ -54,7 +72,7 @@
If you are using a non-default font or font size, one trick for productivity
is to create a palette of empty objects with the desired font settings on a
separate diagram. Then copy and paste these objects onto your working diagram
-as you need them (i.e., instead of using the toolbar).
+as you need them (i.e., instead of using the Toolbox icons).
</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>
<note>
@@ -108,68 +126,214 @@
<sect2 id="line">
<title>Line</title>
<para>
- A line simply...a line. <!--fix this wording...it sucks--> Refer to the
- customizing a line section to find more information about a line.
+ A Line is a simple straight line. Unlike the other lines, the simple Line
+ does not have any handles to allow the shape to be altered. It just has
+ two connection handles, one at each end.
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="arc">
<title>Arc</title>
<para>
- An arc is a line which has been bent to create a semi-circle shape.
+ An Arc is a line which has been bent to create a semi-circle shape. Drag the
+ orange handle in the middle to alter the curve of the arc.
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="zigzagline">
- <title>Zigzag Line</title>
+ <title>Zigzagline</title>
<para>
- A zigzag line is a line which has sharp, 90 degree turns in it. They hold
- visual similarities to staircases.
- </para>
+ A Zigzagline is a line which has sharp, 90 degree turns in it.
+ Zigzaglines have two special properties,
+ Corner radius and Autoroute. Corner radius allows you to round the corners
+ of the line. On the Properties page, enter a number
+ between 0 and 10.00, where 0 = square corners and 10.00 = maximally-rounded
+ corners.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Autoroute is a yes/no property. If yes, the line is automatically
+ routed between the start and end points with the minimum number of
+ segments. If you move or change the shape of
+ the line, the Autoroute property is automatically set to no. Autoroute can
+ be set on the Properties page or using the right-click menu.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Zigzaglines also allow you to add or delete line segments. This can be useful
+ if you need the line to turn several corners (e.g., to traverse around some
+ other objects) or to get the arrow pointed in the right direction. To add or
+ delete a segment, right-click on the line at the point on the line
+ where you want to add or delete and select Add segment or Delete segment.
+ </para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Zigzagline Right-Click Menu</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Zigzagline Right-Click Menu</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/zigzagline-rightclick.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="polyline">
- <title>Poly Line</title>
+ <title>Polyline</title>
<para>
- A poly-line is like a zigzagline, but does not necessarily have to have
- 90 degree turns to it. The angles can be customized.
- </para>
+ A Polyline has multiple segments like a zigzagline, but can have turns
+ of any angle. A Polyline starts with one segment. You add more segments
+ by right-clicking and selecting Add segment from the menu. Like the Zigzagline,
+ the Polyline has a Corner radius value between 0 and 10.00, where 0 = sharp
+ corners and 10.00 = maximally-rounded corners.
+ </para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Polyline Right-Click Menu</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Polyline Right-Click Menu</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/polyline-rightclick.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="bezier">
- <title>Bezier Line</title>
+ <title>Bezierline</title>
<para>
- A bezier line is a line which has curves in it. The bezier line tool is
+ A Bezierline is a line which has curves in it. The Bezierline's shape is
edited by clicking and dragging the green and orange dots. The green dots
customize the size while the orange dots customize the angles at which the
- line curves at.
+ line curves. With a right-click menu, you can add or delete segments. If
+ you add one or more segments, three additional properties are available.
+ </para>
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <listitem><para>
+ Symmetric control causes any dragging action on the added segment to be
+ symmetrical around this point.
+ </para></listitem>
+ <listitem><para>
+ Smooth control allows you to pull away from the middle point
+ independently but rotations around the middle point are symmetrical.
+ </para></listitem>
+ <listitem><para>
+ Cusp control allows you to drag each handle
+ independently, and actions on one handle have no effect on the other one.
+ </para></listitem></itemizedlist>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Bezierline Right-Click Menu</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Bezierline Right-Click Menu</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/bezierline-rightclick.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2 id="line-properties">
+ <title>Line Properties</title>
+ <para>
+ All lines share the following properties: width, color, style,
+ and arrows. These properties may be edited using the Properties
+ dialog box shown below.
+ </para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Standard Line Properties</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Standard Line Properties</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/standard-line-properties.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <sect3 id="line-thickness">
+ <title>Line Width</title>
+ <para>
+ The line width is measured in centimeters and can be entered manually
+ or by using the increment / decrement buttons.
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3 id="line-colors">
+ <title>Line Color</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Line Colors</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Line Colors</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/line-colors.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ Line colors are edited by opening the Line color drop-down listbox and either
+ selecting one of the choices on the list or "More colors...", which opens the
+ Select color dialog.
+ See <link linkend="colors">Colors</link> for more information on
+ selecting colors.
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3 id="line-styles">
+ <title>Line Style</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Line Styles</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Line Styles</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/line-styles.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ The style of the line (solid, dots, etc.) can be changed
+ to one of the five options shown above using
+ the Line style drop-down listbox. If you select a line style with dashes,
+ you may also enter a dash length, measured in centimeters.
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
+
+ <sect3 id="arrows">
+ <title>Arrows</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Line Arrows</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Line Arrows</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/line-arrows.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ The start and end arrow style can be changed using the drop-down listboxes
+ in the dialog. A large number of options are available. If you don't want
+ any arrow, just select the plain line at the top of the list.
</para>
- </sect2>
+ </sect3>
+ </sect2>
<sect2 id="image">
<title>Images</title>
- <para>
- The <application>Dia</application> canvas can have pictures inside of it,
- as well as shapes.
- </para>
- <para>
- To add an image, click on the image button and then add it to the canvas.
- An object that says "Broken Image" will appear. Double-click to
- open the properties. Click on "Browse" and select your file. Click "OK"
- and then the image will be updated accordingly.
+ <figure>
+ <title>Image</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Image</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG"
+ fileref="graphics/toolbox-image.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit="Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ A diagram can contain images as well as shapes.
+ To add an image, click on the Image icon and click on the canvas.
+ An object that says "Broken Image" will appear. Double-click it to
+ open the properties dialog. Then click on "Browse" and select your file.
+ Click "OK" and then the image will display on the diagram.
+ You can resize the image as desired using the object handles.
</para>
<para>Currently the following image formats are supported for inclusion in
<application>Dia</application> diagrams:
<itemizedlist>
- <listitem><para>ANI</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>BMP</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>GIF</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>ICO</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>JPEG</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>PNG</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>PNM</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>RAS</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>SVG</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>TGA</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>TIFF</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>WMF</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>XBM</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>XPM</para></listitem>
+ <listitem><simpara>ANI</simpara></listitem>
+ <listitem><simpara>BMP</simpara></listitem>
+ <listitem><simpara>GIF</simpara></listitem>
+ <listitem><simpara>ICO</simpara></listitem>
+ <listitem><simpara>JPEG</simpara></listitem>
+ <listitem><simpara>PNG</simpara></listitem>
+ <listitem><simpara>PNM</simpara></listitem>
+ <listitem><simpara>RAS</simpara></listitem>
+ <listitem><simpara>SVG</simpara></listitem>
+ <listitem><simpara>TGA</simpara></listitem>
+ <listitem><simpara>TIFF</simpara></listitem>
+ <listitem><simpara>WMF</simpara></listitem>
+ <listitem><simpara>XBM</simpara></listitem>
+ <listitem><simpara>XPM</simpara></listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</sect2>
Modified: trunk/doc/en/usage-objects-selecting.xml
==============================================================================
--- trunk/doc/en/usage-objects-selecting.xml (original)
+++ trunk/doc/en/usage-objects-selecting.xml Sat Jan 31 17:28:23 2009
@@ -1,267 +1,389 @@
-<chapter label="7" id="selecting-chapter">
-<title>Selecting Objects</title>
- <sect1 id="selecting-introduction">
- <title>Selection Introduction</title>
- <para>
- Selecting objects is probably the most frequently task
- when using <application>Dia</application>. From the moment
- you create a new object to the moment you think the diagram looks the
- way it should be, you will always have to select objects to set them
- up properly.
- <!-- I must confess that this intro really sucks -->
- </para>
- <para>
- When you select objects, you bring focus to an object to edit. An object
- which is not selected, cannot be edited.
- </para>
- <para>
- Selecting objects can be done in many different ways, and there are
- also many operations can be performed on these selected objects.
- </para>
- <para>
- You can select objects to simply drag them around the diagram, or to
- group them in a logical way to manipulate them more easily, to connect
- them each others, or to simply remove them from the diagram.
- </para>
- </sect1>
-
- <!-- +How to Select Objects -->
- <sect1 id="how-to-select">
- <title>How To Select Objects</title>
- <sect2 id="basic-selection">
- <title>Basic Selection</title>
- <para>
- The basic way to select an object is by clicking on it.
- </para>
- <para>
- When the object is selected it appears on the diagram with some little
- green points on its corners and on its sides.
- </para>
- <para>
- Once the green points appeared, you can start manipulate this object as you
- wish. When you're done with it you can deselect this object by clicking on
- any free space of the diagram, the green points will desappear and selection
- of an other object becomes possible.
- </para>
- </sect2>
-
- <sect2 id="multi-selection">
- <title>Multiple Selection</title>
- <para>
- The simplest way to select more than one object at the time, is by clicking
- on a free space of the diagram with the left mouse button and moving the mouse
- while pressing on it. Doing so will draw a thin rectangle on the Canvas. All
- objects present in this area will be selected when depressing the button.
- </para>
- <para>
- An other way to do so is by holding down the Shift key while selecting the
- objects by clicking them one by one.
- </para>
- <para>
- Once your selection is complete, each of the selected objects must appear
- with its own green points as described above.
- </para>
- <para>
- Multiple selection is useful when you want apply the same operation on many
- different objects and you don't want waste time by selecting them one by one.
- </para>
- <para>
- When selected, objects act like a group. Meaning if you try to drag one
- of them, it is the whole group which moves. The same if you try to delete
- one of them, it is the whole group will be removed from the diagram.
- </para>
- <para>
- Then if you click on any free space on the diagram or if you change to another
- layer, you will loose the selection. Or if you want to add some more objects
- to your selection, simply hold down the Shift key again and click on the items
- you want add.
- </para>
- <note>
- <para>
- Assuming you selected some objects on your diagram, it is still possible
- to resize one of them without changing the size or position of other selected
- objects. To learn how to resize objects see the Resizing Objects section.
- <!-- need to set up some link right here -->
+ <chapter label="7" id="selecting-chapter">
+ <title>Selecting Objects</title>
+ <sect1 id="selecting-introduction">
+ <title>Selection Introduction</title>
+ <para>
+ Selecting one or more objects is a very common task
+ when using <application>Dia</application>. Whenever you wish to move,
+ copy, delete, or edit an object or change it's properties, you must first
+ select it. You can also work with a set of selected objects -- for example,
+ to move a group of related objects while keeping their relative positions
+ in tact or to change the properties of a group of objects.
</para>
- </note>
- </sect2>
-
- <sect2 id="other-selection">
- <title>Other Ways for Selecting Objects</title>
- <para>
- Other ways for selecting objects are describe below, all these options can be
- reached in the <interface>Main Popup Menu</interface> under the
- <menuchoice><guimenu>Select</guimenu></menuchoice> menu :
- </para>
- <variablelist>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Selecting all objects</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Choosing the <menuchoice><guimenuitem>All</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
- option will let you select all the objects present on the current layer,
- the same way as you could do it by hand.
- </para>
- <para>
- This option is a shortcut of when your diagram contains a lot of objects
- and you don't want waste your time in selecting objects one by one.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Deselecting all objects </term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Selecting the <menuchoice><guimenuitem>None</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
- option will deselect objects you have selected before. It has the
- same effect as when you clicking on any free part of your diagram.
- </para>
- <para> After you have deselected objects you cannot perform any operation on
- them anymore. So you have to select them again to continue
- </para>
- <tip>
- <para>
- Often you will have to keep your selections persistent, to do so, you
- can form an arbitrary group with the selected items or cut and paste
- them in a new layer which will contain all the objects of your selection.
- </para>
- <!-- para
- To learn more about managing groups see the Managing Groups section, and
- to learn more about layers you can also check the Managing Layers section.
- para -->
- </tip>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Inverting the selection</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Admiting you have ten items on your diagram and want to select only eight
- of them. One way to select these eight objects can be done by the
- <menuchoice><guimenuitem>Invert</guimenuitem></menuchoice> option under
- the <menuchoice><guimenu>Select</guimenu></menuchoice> menu.
- </para>
- <para>
- Simply select by hand the two objects you don't need, then check the
- <menuchoice><guimenuitem>Invert</guimenuitem></menuchoice> option and you
- will get the eight objects you wanted being selected and the two others
- left on their owns.
- </para>
- <tip>
- <para>
- Another way to do this is to select <menuchoice><guimenuitem>All</guimenuitem>
- </menuchoice> the items as described above, and then press the Shift key
- and deselect the objects you don't need.
- </para>
- </tip>
- <note>
- <para>
- Only objects present in the current layer can be selected. If an object
- doesn't want to be select it's probably because it is situated in another
- layer. To know how to change the current layer or how to manipulate many
- layers, please refer to the Managing Layers section.
- <!-- need to make a link link to it -->
- </para>
- </note>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- </variablelist>
- </sect2>
-
- <sect2 id="selection-connected">
- <title>Selecting Connected Objects</title>
- <para>
- One really useful and powerful feature of <application>Dia</application> is its
- ability of handling connection between objects.
- </para>
- <para>
- Connections, in <application>Dia</application>, can be used for many purposes. The
- first, and not the least, is to explicitly specify a direct relationship
- between two objects.
- </para>
- <para>
- The second could be it is easier to manage objects that behave efficiently in
- following established rules and can be accessed in a few clicks.
- </para>
- <!-- <note>
- para To learn more about advantages in connecting different objects together, you
- should read the Connecting Objects section.
- para
- </note> -->
- <para>
- Selecting objects connected to a particular object, is as simple than selecting
- this particular object, right click on the Canvas to get the
- <interface>Main Popup Menu</interface> appear and click on the
- <menuchoice>
- <guimenu>Select</guimenu>
- <guimenuitem>Connected</guimenuitem>
- </menuchoice> button.
- </para>
- <para>
- If this object doesn't have any object connected to it, it will do nothing.
- Otherwise, all the connected objects will be magicaly selected and will form
- a new group of temporary selected objects.
- </para>
- <note>
+ <para>
+ Selecting objects can be done in several ways, including clicking with
+ the mouse, selecting by area, or using the Select menu to perform
+ additional selection options.
+ </para>
+ </sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1 id="how-to-select">
+ <title>How To Select Objects</title>
+ <sect2 id="basic-selection">
+ <title>Selecting a Single Object</title>
+ <para>
+ To select a single object, just click it with the mouse. Also, when an
+ object is first placed on the canvas, it is automatically selected.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Once an object is selected, its handles are
+ illuminated. For shapes, the handles are green points on its corners
+ and sides. For a line, the handles are green or red at the ends, and
+ orange in the middle. Once the object is
+ selected, you may work with it as desired. To access the object's properties,
+ you can double-click it or right-click and select Properties from the
+ pop-up menu.
+ </para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Selected Object</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Selected Object</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/selected-object.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2 id="basic-deselection">
+ <title>Deselecting Objects</title>
+ <para>
+ You can deselect one or more selected objects by double-clicking on
+ any empty space on the canvas or by selecting any other object. The
+ handles will diObjects / Align Optionssappear, indicating that the object is no longer selected.
+ Selecting the Layers option from the Diagram menu will also deselect
+ all selected objects.
+
+ </para>
+
+ </sect2>
+
+ <sect2 id="multi-selection">
+ <title>Selecting Multiple Objects</title>
+ <para>
+ Multiple selection is useful when you want to apply the same operation to two
+ or more objects. When selected, you may work with these objects as a set or
+ individually. See the section
+ <link linkend="working-with-selected">Working With Selected Objects</link>
+ for more information.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+
+ <application>Dia</application> provides a number of ways to select multiple
+ objects. These are outlined below. Note that either double-clicking on an empty
+ region of the canvas or single-clicking on an unselected object
+ deselects all selected objects.
+ </para>
+
+ <sect3 id="shift-click">
+ <title>Shift+Click Selection</title>
+
<para>
- If you repeat this manipulation again, that will be all the connected objects
- to this new group that will be add to the selection.
- </para>
+ A simple way to select two or more objects is to hold the Shift key down
+ while clicking the objects with the mouse. The Shift+Click acts as a toggle.
+ If you Shift+Click once, the object is selected. Shift+Click a second time
+ to deselect the object.
+ </para>
+ <tip><para>
+ You can combine Shift+Click with any of the other methods outlined below
+ to either select an additional object or deselect a selected object.
+ </para></tip>
+ <note>
+ <para>
+ When you have a set of objects selected, it is still possible
+ to resize or change the properties of one object without
+ affected the other selected
+ objects. See the section
+ <link linkend="working-with-selected">Working With Selected Objects</link>
+ for more information.
+ </para>
+ </note>
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3 id="select-area">
+ <title>Select By Area</title>
+ <para>
+ You can select all of the objects within a rectangular region of the
+ screen by placing the mouse pointer to the upper left of the top-left
+ object in the set and then dragging the mouse to a point below and to
+ the right of the lower-right object in the set. A thin dashed rectangle will
+ be drawn on the canvas as shown in the screenshot below.
+ All objects that COMPLETELY FIT inside this
+ rectangle are selected. Objects that are only partly inside the
+ rectangle are not selected.
+
+ </para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Select By Area Example</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Select By Area Example</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/select-area.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ <blockquote>
+ <simpara>Only objects entirely inside rectangle are selected.</simpara>
+ </blockquote>
+ </figure>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ You can select multiple regions using select by area. Objects previously selected
+ will continue to be selected as long as you don't deselect all (e.g., by
+ double-clicking on an empty region of the canvas or by clicking on an
+ unselected object without using the Shift key). As noted above, you can
+ also use Shift+Click to select or deselect an individual object at any time.
+ </para> </tip>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ Normally, selecting from top-left to bottom-right is the same as a "reverse
+ drag" --
+ starting on the bottom-right and dragging toward the top-left.
+ However, you can set an option in <application>Dia</application> that allows you
+ to select objects that are only partially contained in the selection rectangle
+ when you "reverse drag". See <link linkend="user-interface">User Interface /
+ Reverse Dragging</link> for more information.
+ </para> </tip>
+
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3 id="select-all">
+ <title>Select All</title>
+ <para>
+ The Select menu shown below has six options for selecting multiple objects.
+ The first option is All.
+ </para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Select Menu</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Select Menu</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/select-menu.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+
+
<para>
- You can redo the operation until you have selected all objects that were
- connected all together.
+ You can select all objects on the canvas using the
+ <menuchoice><guimenu>Select</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>All</guimenuitem>
+ </menuchoice> option or by pressing Ctrl+A. This selects
+ all objects whether they are visible or not.
</para>
- </note>
- </sect2>
- <sect2 id="selection-transitive">
- <title>Selecting Transitive Objects</title>
- <para>
- Technic shown above is fine when you only want select a small number of
- connected objects at the time.
- </para>
- <para>
- Sometimes you will have to select a whole bunch of objects which are connected
- all together. This way of selecting objects step by step isn't
- efficient.
- </para>
- <para>
- This is the reason why <application>Dia</application> offers you to do all these
- steps at once.
- </para>
- <para>
- To do so, select the root object you desire, then right click on the
- Canvas to have the
- <interface>Main Popup Menu</interface> appear on screen, but this time choose the
- <menuchoice>
- <guimenu>Select</guimenu>
- <guimenuitem>Transitive</guimenuitem>
- </menuchoice> button instead of <guimenuitem>Connected</guimenuitem>.
- </para>
- <para>
- And that's it, all objects that were connected to the root object you
- choose are now selected and ready to be manipulate and waiting for you to
- apply on them any number of operations you would like.
- </para>
- </sect2>
- <sect2 id="selection-same-type">
- <title>Selecting Same Type of Objects</title> <para>
- <application>Dia</application> implements some trick to select objects
- issued from the same type.
- </para>
- <para>
- Meaning if, for any reason, you need to select objects matching the same
- type (all Rectangles, Lines or any custom Shape) you could do it by selecting
- an object of the type you need to select and click, in the
- <interface>Main Popup Menu</interface>, the
- <menuchoice>
- <guimenu>Select</guimenu>
- <guimenuitem>Same Type</guimenuitem>
- </menuchoice> button.
- </para>
- <para>
- This will automaticaly select all objects which correspond to the type you have
- chosen. Only objects present in the current layer will be selected.
- </para>
- </sect2>
-</sect1>
-</chapter>
+ <note>
+ <para>
+ As with any of the selection methods, if you are using layers,
+ only objects in the current layer will be selected. See
+ <link linkend="layers-chapter">Managing Layers</link> for
+ more information on working with layers.
+ </para>
+ </note>
+ </sect3>
+
+ <sect3 id="select-none">
+ <title>Select None</title>
+ <para>
+ <menuchoice><guimenu>Select</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>None</guimenuitem>
+ </menuchoice>
+ option will deselect all objects. It has the
+ same effect as double-clicking on a blank region of the canvas.
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
+
+
+ <sect3 id="select-invert">
+ <title>Select Invert</title>
+
+
+ <para>
+ This option allows you to select all objects except for those currently
+ selected. Say, for example, that you have 20 objects and wish to select
+ all but two of them. You can do this by (1) selecting the two objects
+ to be excluded and then (2) using the
+ <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>Select</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Invert</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu (or Ctrl+I).
+ This will
+ deselect the two currently-selected objects and select the 18 unselected
+ objects.
+ </para>
+
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ Another way to do this is to <menuchoice><guimenu>Select</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>All</guimenuitem>
+ </menuchoice> (or Ctrl+A) and then use Shift+Click to deselect the
+ objects you don't need.
+ </para>
+ </tip>
+
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3 id="selection-transitive">
+ <title>Select Transitive</title>
+ <para>
+ Objects in <application>Dia</application> can be connected using lines. The
+ Select Transitive and Select Connected options allow you to select
+ objects based on how they are connected.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The Select Transitive option selects ALL objects connected directly or
+ indirectly to the currently
+ selected objects,
+ no matter how many levels deep the connection might be. To use this, select
+ one or more objects and then choose
+ <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>Select</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Transitive</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
+ All objects connected to the
+ initially selected objects will be added to the selected set.
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3 id="selection-connected">
+ <title>Select Connected</title>
+
+ <para>
+ This option is similar to Select Transitive except that it only adds
+ objects that are immediately connected to an already-selected object.
+ To use this option, first select one or more objects. Then choose
+ <menuchoice> <guimenu>Select</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Connected</guimenuitem>
+ </menuchoice>. Any objects that are directly connected to the currently
+ selected objects will be added to the selected set.
+ </para>
+ <note>
+ <para>
+ The Select Connected option only goes out one level. For example, if box
+ A is connected by a line to box B, and box A is selected,
+ <menuchoice> <guimenu>Select</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Connected</guimenuitem>
+ </menuchoice>
+ will only select the line, not box B. If you do
+ <menuchoice> <guimenu>Select</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Connected</guimenuitem>
+ </menuchoice>
+ a second time, then box B will also be connected.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ You can use <menuchoice> <guimenu>Select</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Transitive
+ </guimenuitem> </menuchoice>
+ to select all objects connected to the currently selected objects in one operation.
+ </para>
+ </note>
+ </sect3>
+
+ <sect3 id="selection-same-type">
+ <title>Select Same Type</title>
+ <para>
+ This option allows you to select all objects that are the same type
+ of object as one already selected. To use this option, select one or more
+ objects and then choose the <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>Select</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Same Type</guimenuitem> </menuchoice> option.
+ All objects that are the
+ same type as one of the previously selected objects will be added to
+ the set of selected objects.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ For example, if you want to select all of the Line objects on your diagram,
+ select one Line object and then use <menuchoice><guimenu>Select</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Same Type</guimenuitem></menuchoice> to select all other lines.
+ </para>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ The menu choice
+ <menuchoice><guimenu>Select</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Same Type</guimenuitem></menuchoice> can be combined with
+ the menu choice
+ <menuchoice><guimenu>Objects</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Group</guimenuitem></menuchoice> to quickly change one or more
+ properties of all objects of one type on your diagram. See
+ <link linkend="changing-group-properties">
+ Changing Properties for a Group of Objects</link> for
+ more information.
+ </para>
+ </tip>
+ <note>
+ <para>
+ The object type must match exactly. For example, a Line object and a
+ Zigzagline object are different types.
+ </para></note>
+ </sect3>
+ </sect2>
+ </sect1>
+ <sect1 id="working-with-selected">
+ <title>Working With Selected Objects</title>
+ <para>
+ Once you have a set of selected objects, there are several things you may do with
+ them.
+ </para>
+ <sect2 id="working-with-all">
+ <title>Operations on All Selected Objects</title>
+ <para>
+ The following operations can be done on all selected objects as a set.
+ </para>
+ <sect3 id="move-selected">
+ <title>Move Selected Objects</title>
+ <para>
+ You can move selected objects as a group, without changing their
+ relative positions. To do this, place the mouse pointer inside a shape or
+ on a blank spot on a line that is part of the selected set and then drag
+ to the desired new location.
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ Be sure
+ to avoid placing the mouse on an object's handle, or this will resize the object
+ instead of moving the selected set of objects.
+ </para>
+ </tip>
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3 id="copy-selected0">
+ <title>Copy, Cut, Paste, Duplicate, Delete</title>
+ <para>
+ You can perform any of the normal edit operations on a set of selected objects,
+ just as you would for a single object, using either the shortcut key or the Edit
+ menu. For example, to Duplicate a set of selected objects, select Edit / Duplicate
+ or press Ctrl+D. A copy of the entire set of objects will be created on your
+ canvas, just below and to the left of the original objects. Note that when you
+ Duplicate or Paste a set of objects, after the operation only the newly-created
+ objects are selected.
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3 id="individual-selected">
+ <title>Working With Individual Objects</title>
+ <para>
+ While a set of objects is selected, you may still resize or modify a single object's
+ properties without losing the currently selected set. To resize an object,
+ place the mouse pointer over the desired handle of the object and drag the
+ handle to resize. To view or change an object's properties, double-click anywhere
+ on the object and the properties dialog box will display.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ For line objects, you may change the line's connection points and change the shape
+ of the line while a line is part of a selected set. Just place the pointer on the
+ desired handle of the line and drag it as needed.
+ </para>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ When pulling up the properties dialog, be sure not to double-click on the
+ blank canvas or all of the objects will be deselected.
+ </para>
+ </tip>
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3 id="copy-selected">
+ <title>Creating an Object Group</title>
+ <para>
+ As noted above, it is easy to create and remove sets of selected objects,
+ and a selection can be removed accidentally by double-clicking on a blank
+ area of the canvas. If you wish to
+ keep a set of selected objects as a permanent group so that you will not
+ accidentally deselect them, you can create an object group. Just select
+ <menuchoice><guimenu>Objects</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Group</guimenuitem></menuchoice> to create the group.
+ You can select <menuchoice><guimenu>Objects</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Ungroup</guimenuitem></menuchoice> to remove the group.
+ See <link linkend="grouping-objects">Grouping Objects
+ </link> for more information on groups.
+
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
+ </sect2>
+ </sect1>
+ </chapter>
Modified: trunk/doc/en/usage-objects-special.xml
==============================================================================
--- trunk/doc/en/usage-objects-special.xml (original)
+++ trunk/doc/en/usage-objects-special.xml Sat Jan 31 17:28:23 2009
@@ -1,141 +1,253 @@
-<chapter label="6" id="special-objects-chapter">
-<title>Special Objects</title>
- <sect1 id="special-objects">
- <title>Special Objects Introduction</title>
- <para>
- The previous discussion explained what a basic object is. The next section
- goes a step further and teaches how to create objects, how to use pre-made
- objects which are more detailed than just shapes, and much more!
- </para>
- </sect1>
- <sect1 id="special-object-categories">
- <title>Special Object Categories</title>
- <para>
- Special objects are broken into different categories or sheets.
- This way, someone creating a diagram of a circuit board is shown
- only the objects which apply to them.
- <application>Dia</application> supports numerous
- pre-defined categories.
-
-<!-- Please try to keep the list Alphabetically sorted. -->
-
- <variablelist>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Assorted</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Assorted Geometric Shapes. The purpose of this sheet is to
- provide a selection of simple and convenient preset shapes so
- that users need not create spend time creating their own basic
- shapes. The set includes shapes with constrained ratio such as
- perfect Circles, Squares, various type of Triangle and Crosses.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Chemical Engineering</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- A collection of shapes for modelling the process of Chemical
- Engineering.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Chronogram</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Uses objects to be used in a chronographic design.
- These are common place in time lines.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Circuit</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- A group for people interested in creating diagrams of electrical
- circuits.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Civil</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Civil Engineering components.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Cybernetics</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Shapes for creating diagrams of Cybernetic Circuits.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Cisco</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Cisco includes shapes representing equipment from Cisco a
- manufacturer of Computer Networking Equipement.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <!-- TODO fully describe all four of the Cisco Sheets -->
- <varlistentry>
- <term>PLC Ladder</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- PLC 'Ladder' graphical programming (electrical
- controls in manufacturing automation).
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>ER</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Editor for Entity Relations (ER) Diagrams.
- Entity Relationship diagrams are used to represent high level
- descriptions of conceptual models in terms of how each data
+ <chapter label="6" id="special-objects-chapter">
+ <title>Special Objects</title>
+ <sect1 id="special-objects">
+ <title>Special Objects</title>
+ <para>
+ Special objects are sets of objects designed to serve specific needs.
+ They are organized into categories called sheets. The middle section
+ of the Toolbox allows you to select a sheet of special objects. When
+ you do this, the objects on this sheet display on the Toolbox and can
+ be added to your diagram just like basic objects.
+ <application>Dia</application> supports numerous
+ predefined categories.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The predefined sheets are designed to group related objects together
+ so you can see all of the objects you are likely to need on the same
+ sheet. However, it is easy to modify the predefined sheets. See
+ <link linkend="sheets-objects">Organizing Sheets and Objects</link>
+ for more information.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ It is also possible to create your own objects and sheets without
+ programming. Custom shapes can be created with an XML file that
+ describes the shape. See <link linkend="custom-shapes-chapter">
+ Custom Shape Module</link> for more information
+ on custom shapes.
+ </para>
+
+
+ <sect2 id="special-object-categories">
+ <title>Special Object Categories</title>
+
+ <!-- Please try to keep the list Alphabetically sorted. -->
+
+
+ <sect3 id="special-assorted">
+ <title>Assorted</title>
+
+ <figure>
+ <title>Assorted</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Assorted</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/assorted-shapes.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ Assorted Geometric Shapes. The purpose of this sheet is to
+ provide a selection of simple and convenient preset shapes so
+ that users need not create spend time creating their own basic
+ shapes. The set includes shapes with constrained ratio such as
+ perfect Circles, Squares, various type of Triangle and Crosses.
+ These objects do not allow text to be entered inside the shape.
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Chemical Engineering</title>
+
+ <para>
+ A collection of shapes for modeling the process of Chemical
+ Engineering.
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Chronogram</title>
+
+ <para>
+ Uses objects to be used in a chronographic design.
+ These are common place in time lines.
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Circuit</title>
+
+ <para>
+ A group for people interested in creating diagrams of electrical
+ circuits.
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Cisco - Computer</title>
+
+ <figure>
+ <title>Cisco - Computer</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Cisco - Computer</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/cisco-computer-shapes.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+
+ <para>
+ Cisco - Computer includes shapes representing computer equipment from Cisco, a
+ manufacturer of Computer Networking Equipment.
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Cisco - Misc</title>
+
+ <figure>
+ <title>Cisco - Misc</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Cisco - Misc</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/cisco-misc-shapes.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+
+ <para>
+ Cisco - Misc includes miscellaneous shapes
+ from Cisco, a manufacturer of Computer Networking Equipment.
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Cisco - Network</title>
+
+ <figure>
+ <title>Cisco - Network</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Cisco - Network</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/cisco-network-shapes.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+
+ <para>
+ Cisco - Network includes shapes representing network equipment from Cisco, a
+ manufacturer of Computer Networking Equipment.
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Cisco - Switch</title>
+
+ <figure>
+ <title>Cisco - Switch</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Cisco - Switch</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/cisco-switch-shapes.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+
+ <para>
+ Cisco - Switch includes shapes representing switch equipment from Cisco, a
+ manufacturer of Computer Networking Equipment.
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Cisco - Telephony</title>
+
+ <figure>
+ <title>Cisco - Telephony</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Cisco - Telephony</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/cisco-telephony-shapes.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+
+ <para>
+ Cisco - Telephony includes shapes representing telephony equipment from Cisco, a
+ manufacturer of Computer Networking Equipment.
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Civil</title>
+
+ <para>
+ Civil Engineering components.
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Cybernetics</title>
+
+ <para>
+ Shapes for creating diagrams of Cybernetic Circuits.
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+
+ <!-- TODO fully describe all four of the Cisco Sheets -->
+
+ <sect3>
+ <title>DIN Electrical</title>
+
+ <para>
+ DIN style electrical control schematics (electrical controls
+ in manufacturing automation).
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>ER</title>
+
+ <para>
+ Editor for Entity Relations (ER) Diagrams.
+ Entity Relationship diagrams are used to represent high level descriptions of conceptual models in terms of how each data
entity relates to other data in the model.
They are most commonly used to model the structure of data to
be stored in a database.
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Function Structure, FS. </term>
- <listitem>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Flowchart</title>
+
+ <figure>
+ <title>Flowchart</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Flowchart</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/flowchart-shapes.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ A group dedicated to providing the user shapes which are
+ commonly used in flow charts. Flow charts can be routinely
+ found in computer programming, marketing, economics, and any
+ other semi-linear operation which requires planning. Most
+ flowchart objects allow entry of text.
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>FS (Function Structure)</title>
+
<para>
Editor for Function Structure (FS) Diagrams.
Note that the Objects require the use of the
<interface>context menu</interface>
- to access much of the funtionality of these objects.
+ to access much of the functionality of these objects.
<!-- TODO this needs to be explained much more clearly
that it is the middle click context menu, unless the
main menubar is turned on for each document window
but this will be enough of a warning for now. -->
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Flowchart</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- A group dedicated to providing the user shapes which are
- commonly used in flow charts. Flow charts can be routinely
- found in computer programming, marketing, economics, and any
- other semi-linear operation which requires planning.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>GRAFCET</term>
- <listitem>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>GRAFCET</title>
+
<para>
Grafcet (or IEC 61131-3 SFC) diagrams. Used in graphical
programming and documenting sequential processes in
@@ -145,134 +257,223 @@
A chart shows the step, the action, the transition, and
the condition associated with the transition.
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Istar</term>
- <listitem>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Istar</title>
+
<para>
- Istar is agent-oriented modelling framework.
+ Istar is agent-oriented modeling framework.
Istar is also written as i*.
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Jackson</term>
- <listitem>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Jackson</title>
+
<para>
Jackson Software Design (JSD) method Diagrams.
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>KAOS</term>
- <listitem>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>KAOS</title>
+
<para>
KAOS Diagrams.
<!-- provide a help description that is actually helpful! -->
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
+
+ </sect3>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Map 3D Isometric</term>
- <listitem>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Map 3D Isometric</title>
+
<para>
- Pseudo 3D isometic shapes for creating Directional Maps.
+ Pseudo 3D isometric shapes for creating Directional Maps.
Microsoft Visio calls these shapes Map, Directional Map 3D.
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Misc. </term>
- <listitem>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Misc. </title>
+
+ <figure>
+ <title>Misc</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Misc</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/misc-shapes.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
<para>
Miscellaneous shapes that do not fit into any of the other
- groups. Includes some Filesystem shapes and an animated clock
+ groups. Includes some File system shapes and an animated clock
object that updates in real time.
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>MSE</term>
- <listitem>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>MSE</title>
+
<para>
Mobile Subscriber Equipment Components,
as used by the United States Army.
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Network</term>
- <listitem>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Network</title>
+
+ <figure>
+ <title>Network</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Network</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/network-shapes.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
<para>
Used by network administrators to create a design of their
network.
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>DIN Electrical</term>
- <listitem>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>PLC Ladder</title>
+
<para>
- DIN style electrical control schematics (electrical controls
- in manufacturing automation).
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Pneumatic/Hydraulic</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Allows diagraming of a device which employes hydraulics.
+ PLC 'Ladder' graphical programming (electrical
+ controls in manufacturing automation).
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>SADT</term>
- <listitem>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Pneumatic/Hydraulic</title>
+
+ <para>
+ Allows diagramming of a device which employs hydraulics.
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>SADT</title>
+
<para>
Structured Analysis Design Technique.
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>SDL</term>
- <listitem>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>SDL</title>
+
<para>
Specification and Description Language (SDL)
- SDL is used to describe the behaviour of interactive
+ SDL is used to describe the behavior of interactive
time based systems.
SDL was originally focused on telecommunication systems, but
has also come to be used to describe process control and
real-time applications in general.
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- </variablelist>
- <variablelist>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Sybase</term>
- <listitem>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Sybase</title>
+
<para>
Designs diagrams display the flow of a Sybase computer
network.
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>UML</term>
- <listitem>
+
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>UML</title>
+
+ <figure>
+ <title>UML</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>UML</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/uml-shapes.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
<para>
- Unified Modelling Language (UML).
- UML is a modelling and specification language commonly used to
+ Unified Modeling Language (UML).
+ UML is a modeling and specification language commonly used to
create diagrams showing the structure of object-oriented
computer programming code, particularly for large scale
- projects.
+ projects. Some UML objects are complex and have extensive properties
+ for various types of text entries, as shown in the screenshot below.
</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- </variablelist>
- </para>
+ <para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>UML Class Properties</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>UML Class Properties</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/properties-uml-class1.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ </para>
+
+ </sect3>
+
+
+
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2 id="sheets-objects">
+ <title>Organizing Sheets and Objects</title>
+ <para>
+ It is possible to modify the way objects are grouped into sheets. Say,
+ for example, that most of the object you need are on one sheet but you
+ also need some objects from a second sheet. To keep everything you need
+ on one sheet, you can copy objects from one
+ sheet to another as follows:
+ </para>
+ <orderedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ On the Toolbox menu, select
+ <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Sheets and Objects</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. This will
+ display the dialog shown in the figure below.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Sheets and Objects</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Sheets and Objects</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/sheets-objects.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Using the drop-down listbox on the left side, select the sheet you want
+ to copy from. On the right, select the sheet you want to copy to.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Click on the object you wish to copy on the left side and press the Copy
+ button.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Repeat for any other objects you want to copy. When you are done,
+ press the Apply button on the bottom to save your changes.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </orderedlist>
+ <para>
+ From now on, the new objects will be listed on the sheet on the right.
+ You can also remove objects from sheets and move objects from one sheet
+ to another. You can also use the Up and Down buttons to change the order
+ of the objects within a sheet.
+ </para>
+ </sect2>
</sect1>
</chapter>
Modified: trunk/doc/en/usage-objects.xml
==============================================================================
--- trunk/doc/en/usage-objects.xml (original)
+++ trunk/doc/en/usage-objects.xml Sat Jan 31 17:28:23 2009
@@ -1,313 +1,1018 @@
-<chapter label="4" id="objects-chapter">
-<title>Objects</title>
- <sect1 id="objects-introduction">
- <title>Objects Introduction</title>
+ <chapter label="4" id="objects-chapter">
+ <title>Objects and the Toolbox</title>
<para>
- Objects are what makes up a diagram. Objects are shapes which are either
- pre-defined or user-defined.
+ A diagram in <application>Dia</application> consists of a set of objects. Objects are shapes that are either
+ predefined or user-defined. The Toolbox allows you to select the desired
+ object and allows you to set default properties for objects.
</para>
- </sect1>
- <sect1 id="using-objects">
- <title>Using Objects</title>
- <sect2 id="adding-objects">
- <title>Adding Objects</title>
- <para>
- Adding objects to the <application>Dia</application> canvas can be
- accomplished by clicking on the desired object in the
- <interface>Toolbox</interface> to select what you want placed on the
- canvas.
- Clicking on the canvas will then place the object on the canvas.
+ <sect1 id="toolbox-overview">
+ <title>Dia Toolbox Overview</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Dia Toolbox</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Dia Toolbox</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/toolbox.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ When <application>Dia</application> is executed, two windows open: the canvas,
+ which contains the diagram,
+ and the Toolbox, which contains the object palettes and other controls. The
+ Toolbox is divided into three regions. The top region contains 14 buttons. The
+ first three are controls used to adjust the diagram. The next 11 are the icons
+ for the built-in basic objects.
</para>
<para>
- <application>Dia</application> provides two types of objects:
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
+ The middle portion of the Toolbox contains the selected Special Objects.
+ This is used to select among the many built-in object sheets supplied with Dia,
+ such as UML, Flowchart, Network, etc.
+ </para>
<para>
- User-defined objects allow a user to create their own objects,
- which are based off of a prefabricated template.
+ The bottom portion of the Toolbox contains special controls that set default
+ properties for objects placed on the canvas. These include foreground color,
+ background color, and line width. There are also three controls that set
+ the default properties for line objects. These are beginning arrow style,
+ ending arrow style, and line style.
</para>
+ <sect2 id="toolbox-modify">
+ <title>Modify Control</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Modify Control</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Modify Control</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/toolbox-modify.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
<para>
- For example, clicking on the square object and placing it on the
- canvas, creates a square. However, the dimensions of the object can
- be changed. See <xref linkend="resizing-objects" /> for more
- information.
+ The Modify control is the default setting when using Dia. This control
+ allows you to select one or more objects on the canvas. After an object
+ is added to the diagram, the Modify control is automatically selected
+ for you. This makes it easy to add an object and then continue working
+ without having to reselect the Modify control.
</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
+ <tip>
<para>
- Pre-defined objects are mostly designs which cannot be edited.
- They can be resized, but the object itself cannot be edited.
+ You can toggle between an object control and the Modify control using the
+ Space key. For example, say you wish to add several Box objects to the
+ diagram. First, click on the Box icon and click on the canvas to add the Box.
+ At this point, the Modify control will be selected automatically. To reselect
+ the Box control, press the Space key. Now you can click on the canvas again
+ to add a second Box object. Continue to press Space and then click to add
+ as many Box objects as desired.
</para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
+ </tip>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ You can customize <application>Dia</application>
+ to disable the automatic selection of the Modify control. See
+ <link linkend="user-interface">Customization / User Interface</link>
+ for more information.
</para>
+ </tip>
</sect2>
- <sect2 id="moving-objects">
- <title>Moving Objects</title>
+ <sect2 id="toolbox-magnify">
+ <title>Magnify Control</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Magnify Control</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Magnify Control</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/toolbox-magnify.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
<para>
- When an object is inserted into the canvas, the desired object will appear
- with small green boxes (also known as handles) defining the borders.
+ The Magnify control is one method for zooming in or out. See
+ <link linkend="zooming">The Canvas / Zooming</link> for more
+ information about zooming. The Magnify control stays active until you
+ press one of the other controls.
+ </para>
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2 id="toolbox-scroll">
+ <title>Scroll Control</title>
<figure>
- <title>Adjuster Dots</title>
+ <title>Scroll Control</title>
<screenshot>
- <screeninfo>The green dots allow resizing the image.</screeninfo>
- <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/greendots" srccredit=
- "Kevin Breit" />
+ <screeninfo>Scroll Control</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/toolbox-scroll.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
</screenshot>
- </figure>
- The area inside the boxes is the object area. Click and hold on the
- object area. Then move the mouse around, inside the canvas, to move
- the object to another place on the canvas.
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ The Scroll control is used to move around the diagram. When this control
+ is active, the mouse pointer changes to a hand. When the Scroll control
+ is active, you can scroll around
+ the diagram by clicking anywhere on the canvas and dragging the mouse. The
+ diagram scrolls within the canvas window. The
+ Scroll control stays active until you press one of the other controls.
</para>
</sect2>
- <sect2 id="resizing-objects">
- <title>Resizing Objects</title>
+ <sect2 id="toolbox-basic">
+ <title>Basic Objects</title>
<para>
- The previous paragraph, explains the concept of the green boxes.
- These are used to manipulate the size of the object. To change the size,
- click and hold on a green button. Drag to the respective size, then let
- go.
- </para>
- <para>
- The corner green buttons will change both the height and the width at
- the same time.
- The two on the top and bottom edges, in the center will edit height while
- the two on the left and right edges, in the center will edit width.
- Some shapes have a fixed aspect ration and will keep their proportions
- while resizing.
+ After the Modify, Zoom, and Scroll controls, the next 11 buttons allow you
+ to place Dia's basic objects on the canvas. See
+ <link linkend="basic-objects-introduction">Basic Objects Introduction</link>
+ for more information on Dia's basic objects.
+ </para>
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2 id="toolbox-special">
+ <title>Special Objects</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Special Objects</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Scroll Control</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/toolbox-special.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ On the Toolbox, just below the basic object icons, is a drop-down listbox
+ that allows you to select a sheet of special objects to be included in the
+ diagram. As you can see from the screenshot above, <application>Dia</application>
+ provides a large number
+ of special objects. To use a special object, first select the desired sheet
+ using this drop-down listbox. Then, just click on the desired object and
+ click on the canvas to insert the object.
+ See
+ <link linkend="special-object-categories">Special Object Categories</link>
+ for more information on the various types of special objects available.
</para>
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2 id="toolbox-lower">
+ <title>Default Color, Line Width, and Line Style</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Default Color, Line Width, and Line Style</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Default Color, Line Width, and Line Style</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/toolbox-lower.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ Below the special objects palette are controls for setting the default
+ foreground and background color, line width, and line style.
+ These controls all set default
+ properties for new objects being added to the canvas. They do not affect the
+ properties of existing objects already on the palette. These settings
+ stay in effect for all future <application>Dia</application> sessions,
+ until they are changed.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The two squares on the left allow you to set the default foreground and
+ background colors for all new objects being added to the diagram. If you
+ double-click on the upper square (i.e., the black one in the screenshot
+ above), you can set the default foreground color for all new objects.
+ Double-clicking on the lower square (white in the screenshot) allows you to
+ select the default background color. See <link linkend="colors">
+ Objects / Colors </link> for more information about selecting colors.
+ </para>
<tip>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Restore Default Colors Button</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Restore Default Colors Button</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/default-colors.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
<para>
- To drag with the corner buttons, but keep proportions, hold the shift key
- while resizing. This only applies to the special objects, not regular
- shapes.
+ To set the colors back to the default, click on the black and white box
+ to the bottom left of the color selector.
</para>
</tip>
- </sect2>
- <sect2 id="deleting-objects">
- <title>Deleting Objects</title>
+ <tip>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Reverse Colors Button</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Reverse Colors Button</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/reverse-colors.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
<para>
- To delete an object, click on the object to select it. The green boxes
- will appear to indicate the object is selected.
- From the menus choose Edit, Delete.
+ To inverse the colors, click on the little arrow to the top right of the
+ two boxes.
</para>
- </sect2>
- <sect2 id="aligning-objects">
- <title>Aligning Objects</title>
+ </tip>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Default Line Width</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Default Line Width</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/line-width.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
<para>
- <application>Dia</application> provides some functionality to help
- arrange mulitple objects without needing to move each object
- individually.
- <!-- TODO explain the different types of Alignment -->
+ To the right of the two squares are five lines of increasing width. To
+ select the desired default line width, simply click on it. A dashed-rectangle
+ indicates which width is currently selected.
</para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Arrow and Line Style</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Arrow and Line Style</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/arrow-style.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ At the bottom of the Toolbox are three buttons. The left button allows you
+ to select the default arrow shape for the beginning of a line. In the screenshot
+ this is defaulting to "no arrow". The right button allows you to select the
+ default arrow shape for the end of a line. Since only lines have arrows,
+ these buttons only affect
+ line objects and have no effect on other shapes. The middle button allows
+ you to select the default line style (solid, dashed, etc.).
+ </para>
+ <note>
+ <para>
+ The line-width and line style settings affect all basic objects. For shapes,
+ these settings determine the line properties of the shape outlines. These
+ settings also are used for some special objects (e.g., Flowchart objects).
+ Other special objects (e.g., AADL objects)
+ have fixed line widths and are not affected by these settings.
+ </para>
+ </note>
+
</sect2>
- <sect2 id="grouping-objects">
- <title>Grouping Objects</title>
+ </sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1 id="using-objects">
+ <title>Using Objects</title>
+
+ <sect2 id="adding-objects">
+ <title>Adding Objects</title>
<para>
- Grouping allows you to treat several objects as a unified group that
- acts a lot more like a single object. A group enables you to
- fix the position of the objects in releation to each other.
- Select more than one object and then from the menu choose
- Object, Group to group them.
+ Adding objects to the <application>Dia</application> canvas is done
+ by clicking on the desired object's icon button in the
+ <interface>Toolbox</interface> and then
+ clicking on the canvas at the desired insertion point. The selected object
+ will be inserted at that point.
</para>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ You can quickly add multiple objects of the same type to the diagram
+ using the Space key to toggle between the Modify control and the
+ desired object. For example, say you wish to add several Box objects to the
+ diagram. First, click on the Box icon and click on the canvas to add the Box.
+ At this point, the Modify control will be selected automatically. To reselect
+ the Box control, press the Space key. Now you can click on the canvas again
+ to add a second Box object. Continue to press Space and then click to add
+ as many Box objects as desired.
+ </para>
+ </tip>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ If you are using different colors or line styles for different objects,
+ one trick to save time is to create a separate file of sample objects with the
+ desired properties on a separate diagram. Then copy and paste these objects
+ onto your working diagram as you need them.
+ </para>
+ </tip>
</sect2>
- <sect2 id="line-properties">
- <title>Line Properties</title>
+ <sect2 id="moving-objects">
+ <title>Moving Objects</title>
<para>
- One of <application>Dia</application>'s objects is the line. The line
- object is symbolized by the following icon:
- </para>
+ When an object is inserted into the canvas, the desired object will appear
+ with small green boxes (known as handles) around the border.
<figure>
- <title>The line icon</title>
+ <title>Object Handles</title>
<screenshot>
<screeninfo>The line icon</screeninfo>
<graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/line_icon" srccredit=
"Steffen Macke" />
</screenshot>
- </figure>
+ </figure>
+ To move an object,
+ click anywhere inside the object (or somewhere on a line other than
+ a handle) and drag the mouse to the desired location on the canvas. For
+ line objects, you need to click on the line.
+ </para>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ When moving an object, be sure not to click on a handle. Otherwise, you will
+ resize the object instead of moving it.
+ </para>
+ </tip>
</sect2>
- <sect2 id="line-styles">
- <title>Line Styles</title>
+ <sect2 id="resizing-objects">
+ <title>Resizing Objects</title>
<para>
- Lines can be easily edited to easily create items such as arrows. At the
- bottom of the toolbox is 3 buttons with lines through them. Clicking
- and holding will open up a menu which demonstrates what the change will
- look like.
+ Handles are used to change the size of the object. To expand an object,
+ just click a handle and drag it away from the center of the object.
+ To shrink an object, drag a handle toward its center. The
+ object's size will change as you drag the mouse.
+ If an object has a fixed aspect ratio, changing one dimension automatically
+ changes the other. If an object has a free aspect ratio, you can change one
+ dimension (e.g., height) without affecting the other (e.g., width). Some
+ objects have a property setting that determines whether the aspect ratio
+ is fixed or free.
</para>
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2 id="deleting-objects">
+ <title>Deleting Objects</title>
+ <para>
+ To delete an object, click on the object to select it. The handles
+ will display, which indicates that the object is selected.
+ Then press the Delete key or select
+ <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Delete</guimenuitem></menuchoice> from the menu.
+ </para>
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2 id="connecting-objects">
+ <title>Connecting Objects With Lines</title>
+ <para>
+ In many diagrams, shapes are connected to each other using one of the
+ basic line objects. When a shape is not selected, a number of connection
+ points are displayed on its borders as small "x" figures. There is
+ also a connection point in the middle of each shape. Lines also have
+ connection points where other lines can connect.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Lines have handles on each end that are used to connect them to other objects.
+ These handles are green if the line is not connected and red if it is connected.
+ Lines also have orange handles that are used to shape the line. The figure below
+ shows several lines with green handles on the unconnected end and red handles
+ on the connected end.
<figure>
- <title>Line properties</title>
+ <title>Line Handles</title>
<screenshot>
- <screeninfo>The three sections are all described below.</screeninfo>
- <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/line_props"
- srccredit="Kevin Breit" />
+ <screeninfo>Line Handles</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/line-handles.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
</screenshot>
</figure>
+ </para>
+
<para>
- Lines can employ different style types such as:
- <itemizedlist>
+ To connect
+ two shapes with a line:
+ </para>
+ <orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
- Solid
+ Select the desired line (Line, Zigzagline, etc.) by clicking on the Toolbox icon.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Dashed
+ You can either click on the canvas to place the line on the diagram and
+ then drag the "from" end of the line to the desired connection point of
+ the first object.
</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
<para>
- Dash-Dot
+ Or you can save a step by clicking directly on the desired connection point
+ of the first object. In this case, the line will
+ display with the "from" end of the line already connected to the first object.
</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
<para>
- Dash-Dot-Dot
+ In either case, when the "from" end of the line is connected,
+ it's "from" handle will be red.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Dotted
+ Click on green handle at the "to" end of the line and drag it to the desired
+ connection point on the second object. When the line is connected, the outline
+ of the object being connected will turn red, as shown in the figure below.
+ <figure>
+ <title>Line Connected</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Line Connected</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/line-connect.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ At this point, the two objects are connected. If you move either object,
+ the line will stretch to keep them connected. If you move the line, it will
+ disconnect from both objects. If you do this by mistake, you can undo using
+ Ctrl+Z or <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Undo</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
</para>
</listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
+ </orderedlist>
+ <para>
+ At any time, you can disconnect or connect to a new point by clicking on the "from"
+ or "to" handle and dragging it to a new location on the diagram.
</para>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ If you connect a line to a fixed point on a shape's perimeter, it will stay
+ connected to this point when the object is moved.
+ <figure>
+ <title>Fixed Connection Point</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Fixed Connection Point</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/connect-fixed.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ If you connect a line to
+ the middle of an object, when you move the object the displayed
+ connection point moves automatically, so you don't need to change the
+ connection point.
+ <figure>
+ <title>Middle Connection Point</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Middle Connection Point</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/connect-middle.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Note that, when a line is connected to the middle of an object, the line's
+ connection handle is still positioned on the perimeter of the object. So
+ to move the line's connection point, drag on the line's handle (as opposed
+ to the middle of the object).
+ </para>
+ </tip>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ If you connect a Line or Polyline object to the middle of a shape
+ when you first place the
+ line on the canvas, you need to be careful when connecting the "to" end
+ of the line. Be sure to click on the line's handle and not on
+ the surrounding area within the shape. If you click on the surrounding area
+ inside the shape, you will select the shape and not the line's handle. If this
+ happens, click outside the shape to deselect it and then carefully click
+ on the "x" in the middle of the object (not on the line's arrow). The
+ handle will display, and you can drag it to the desired location. Note that
+ the handle will display as red, because it is connected to the middle. Also
+ note that you need to drag it outside the shape before you can see the line.
+ </para>
+ </tip>
+ <para>
+ See <link linkend="line">Basic Objects / Line</link> for more information on
+ the different lines available.
+ </para>
</sect2>
- <sect2 id="line-thickness">
- <title>Line Thickness</title>
+ <sect2 id="entering-text">
+ <title>Entering Text</title>
<para>
- The thickness of lines can be edited by clicking on the five thicknesses
- to the right of the color selector.
+ Text can be entered by selecting the object and then typing the text.
+ The font, size, alignment, and other formatting properties can be changed by
+ double-clicking the object.
</para>
+ <para>
+ Here are some important tips regarding short-cut keys when entering text.
+ </para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Edit Menu Text Commands</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Edit Menu Text Commands</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/edit-text.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ The normal Copy / Cut / Paste keys (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+V) work on
+ entire objects, not on text. The Edit menu contains the commands
+ Copy Text, Cut Text (Shift+Ctrl+X), and Paste Text (Shift+Ctrl+V)
+ to copy, cut, and paste just the text contents of an object.
+ Note that when you paste text into an object, the text is
+ formatted according to the <application>Dia</application> object properties,
+ not the text source.
+ </para>
+ </tip>
+ <tip>
+ <para>
+ You cannot select a section of text inside an object with the mouse (this
+ moves the object). You can insert characters at the current cursor position
+ just by typing. You can delete the character to the left of the mouse using
+ Backspace. IMPORTANT: The Del key deletes the entire object, not the text
+ to the right of the cursor. Use Shift+Del, Ctrl+Del, or Alt+Del to delete
+ the text to the right of the cursor. (Use Ctrl+Z or
+ <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Undo</guimenuitem></menuchoice> if you delete
+ an object by mistake.) To delete all of the text in an object, use the
+ Cut (Shift+Ctrl+X).
+ </para>
+ </tip>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Deleting Text</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Deleting Text</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/delete-text.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+
</sect2>
- <sect2 id="arrows">
- <title>Arrows</title>
+ <sect2 id="aligning-objects">
+ <title>Aligning Objects</title>
<para>
- The line tool can be used to create arrows. By clicking on the two side
- buttons on the bottom of the toolbox, a menu pulls out showing the possible
- beginning and end designs for the arrows.
+ <application>Dia</application> provides several options to help
+ arrange multiple objects without needing to move each object
+ individually. These are available on the <menuchoice><guimenu>Objects</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Align</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu choice shown below.
+ <figure>
+ <title>Objects / Align Options</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Objects / Align Options</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/align-menu.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
</para>
+ <sect3 id="how-to-align">
+ <title>How To Align Objects</title>
+ <para>
+ To align objects, first select the objects to align (see
+ <link linkend="selecting-chapter">Selecting Objects</link>
+ ) and then execute one of the align commands, using either the menu
+ or the shortcut key. The order in which objects are selected does not
+ matter.
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3 id="align-left-center-right">
+ <title>Left, Center, and Right Align</title>
+ <para>
+ The align left, right, and center are used to align objects arranged
+ vertically on the canvas. The align left aligns the selected objects
+ to the left edge of the left-most object. Similarly, the align right
+ aligns the selected objects to the right edge of the right-most object.
+ Align center aligns the center of each object to the mid-point between the
+ extreme left and extreme right edge of all selected objects. Examples of
+ align left, center, and right are shown below.
+ </para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Before Left, Center, Right Align</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Before Left, Center, Right Align</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/before-left.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Align Left</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Align Left</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/align-left.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Align Center</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Align Center</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/align-center.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Align Right</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Align Right</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/align-right.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3 id="align-top-middle-bottom">
+ <title>Top, Middle, and Bottom Align</title>
+ <para>
+ The align top, middle, and bottom are used to align objects arranged
+ horizontally on the canvas. The align top aligns the selected objects
+ to the top edge of the upper-most object. Similarly, the align bottom
+ aligns the selected objects to the bottom edge of the lowest object.
+ Align middle aligns the middle of each object to the mid-point between the
+ extreme top and extreme bottom edge of all selected objects. Examples of
+ align top, middle, and bottom are shown below.
+ </para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Before Top, Middle, Bottom Align</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Before Top, Middle, Bottom Align</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/before-top.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Align Top</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Align Top</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/align-top.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Align Middle</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Align Middle</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/align-middle.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Align Bottom</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Align Bottom</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/align-bottom.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3 id="align-spread-out">
+ <title>Spread Out Horizontally and Vertically</title>
+ <para>
+ The Align / Spread Out commands can be used to create uniform spacing
+ for objects arranged either horizontally or vertically. Examples of these
+ commands are shown below.
+ </para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Before Spread Out Horizontally</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Before Spread Out Horizontally</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/before-hor-spread.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <figure>
+ <title>After Spread Out Horizontally</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>After Spread Out Horizontally</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/after-hor-spread.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Before Spread Out Vertically</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Before Spread Out Vertically</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/before-vert-spread.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <figure>
+ <title>After Spread Out Vertically</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>After Spread Out Vertically</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/after-vert-spread.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ </sect3>
+
+ <sect3 id="align-adjacent-stacked">
+ <title>Align Adjacent or Stacked</title>
+ <para>
+ The Align / Adjacent command is used to place objects next to each other with no
+ horizontal space in between. The Align / Stacked is used to place objects directly
+ on top of each other, with no vertical space in between. Examples of these
+ commands are shown below.
+ </para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Align / Adjacent</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Align / Adjacent</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/adjacent.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Align / Stacked</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Align / Stacked</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/stacked.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ </sect3>
</sect2>
- <sect2 id="line-colors">
- <title>Line Colors</title>
+ <sect2 id="grouping-objects">
+ <title>Grouping Objects</title>
<para>
- The line color can be edited by double-clicking on the line once it has
- been placed on the canvas. A window will show up. The second line is
- labeled as "Line Colour" with a bar demonstrating the selected color. By
- clicking on the bar, you can change the color of the line.
+ Grouping allows you to treat several objects as a single entity.
+ A group enables you to
+ fix the position of the member objects in relation to each other and to
+ change the properties of all member objects at one time.
+ To create an object group, select two or more objects and then
+ select <menuchoice><guimenu>Objects</guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>Group</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
</para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Before and After Group Create</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Before and After Group Create</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/object-group.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <para>
+ When the group is created or subsequently selected, a set of black handles
+ displays around the outside of the group, as shown in the figure
+ above. At this point, you can
+ move the entire group just like you
+ would move a single object. Just click and drag on any of the objects
+ in the group.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ You can also change the properties of all objects in a group by double-clicking
+ or using the right-click context menu.
+ See <link linkend="changing-group-properties">Changing Properties for a
+ Group of Objects</link> for more information.
+ </para>
</sect2>
+
</sect1>
<sect1 id="object-properties">
<title>Object Properties</title>
<para>
- Each object has its own properties assigned to it. They can be accessed
- by double-clicking on an object already on the canvas. A window will appear
- allowing you to edit numerous properties including:
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
+ The properties of an object control it's appearance. Properties include text
+ font and appearance; line width, style, and color; transparency (i.e., draw background
+ yes or no); foreground and background
+ color; and any other settings that control the way an object is displayed.
+ Different types of objects have different sets of properties.
+ </para>
<para>
- Line width
+ The specific properties of an object are determined in two different ways.
+ The default settings in force at the time the object is added
+ to the canvas determine the object's initial properties. Once objects are
+ placed onto the diagram, their properties may be set using the Properties
+ dialog box for the object or for a group of objects.
</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
+ <sect2 id="default-properties">
+ <title>Sources of Default Properties</title>
<para>
- Line color
+ An object's default properties are set in two places within Dia. First,
+ as discussed above in <link linkend="toolbox-lower">
+ Default Color, Line Width, and Line Style</link>, default values for
+ the foreground and background
+ color; the line width; and the line style of all basic objects and some
+ special objects
+ are determined by settings on the Toolbox. For basic lines,
+ the default beginning
+ and ending arrow styles are also determined by the Toolbox settings.
</para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- among others.
+ <para>
+ The rest of an object's default properties can be set using the Defaults:
+ Properties dialog box for each object. This is opened by double-clicking
+ on the object's icon on the Toolbox. Since the available properties for each
+ type of object can be different, each object's default properties dialog
+ is different. Below are examples of the default properties dialog for
+ the basic Text and Box objects.
</para>
- </sect1>
- <sect1 id="colors">
- <title>Colors</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Default Text Properties</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Default Text Properties</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/defaults-text.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Default Box Properties</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Default Box Properties</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/defaults-box.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit= "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
<para>
- All the objects can be colored in different ways, according to a user
- defined setting.
+ For objects that include text, the dialog will normally include the
+ text alignment, the font name, the font modifier (normal, bold, etc.), and
+ the font size (in centimeters, not points). This makes it possible to set
+ defaults for text display for any object that can contain text.
</para>
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2 id="changing-properties">
+ <title>Changing Object Properties</title>
<para>
- The color control is located near the bottom of the toolbox. There are two
- squares make up the control. The one on the top left is the
- foreground color. The one in the bottom right is the background color.
- To edit the colors, click on the desired box and select the color in the
- color window that appears.
+ Once objects are placed onto the diagram, their properties can be
+ changed either individually or as a member of a group.
+ </para>
+ <sect3 id="changing-individual-properties">
+ <title>Changing Properties for One Object</title>
+ <para>
+ To change the
+ properties of an individual object, either double-click on the object
+ or select the object, right-click to display the context menu, and select
+ the Properties option. In either case, the Properties dialog for the selected
+ object will display, allowing you to change any of the object's properties.
+ </para>
<note>
<para>
- This control will only allow the selection of colors of objects which have
- not yet been placed on the canvas.
+ If multiple objects are selected, you can still change the properties of one
+ of the selected objects by double-clicking that object. This will only change
+ the properties of the one object you double-clicked.
</para>
</note>
- <tip>
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3 id="changing-group-properties">
+ <title>Changing Properties for a Group of Objects</title>
<para>
- To inverse the colors, click on the little arrow to the top right of the
- two boxes.
+ You can change the properties of a group of objects at one time by selecting
+ two or more objects and then selecting
+ <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>
+ Objects
+ </guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>
+ Group
+ </guimenuitem>
+ </menuchoice>
+ to create a group. Once the group is created, you can set properties for all
+ objects in the group. To do this, either double-click on the group or right-click
+ to display the context menu and select the Properties option.
+ The Properties: Group dialog will display. Only properties that pertain
+ to all of the selected objects will display in the dialog. If your group
+ contains only objects of one type, then all of the properties for that object
+ type will display.
</para>
- </tip>
- <tip>
<para>
- To set the colors back to the default, click on the black and white box
- to the bottom left of the color selector.
+ For example, if a group contains all basic Line objects,
+ all of the Line properties will display in the Properties: Group dialog.
+ If a group contains a basic Line
+ and a basic Box, the Properties: Group dialog will only show Line width,
+ Line color, and Line style, since these are the properties these objects
+ have in common.
</para>
- </tip>
+ <para>
+ Changing properties for a group is a powerful feature of
+ <application>Dia</application>. For example, say you have a large diagram
+ and you need to
+ change the line style of all the basic Line objects everywhere in the diagram.
+ You can accomplish this easily with the following steps.
+ <orderedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <simpara>
+ Select one basic Line object.
+ </simpara>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <simpara>
+ Use
+ <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>
+ Select
+ </guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>
+ Same Type
+ </guimenuitem>
+ </menuchoice>
+ to select all of the basic Line objects on the diagram.
+ </simpara>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <simpara>
+ Use
+ <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>
+ Objects
+ </guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>
+ Group
+ </guimenuitem>
+ </menuchoice>
+ to create a group for the selected objects.
+ </simpara>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <simpara>
+ Double-click on the
+ group and make your property changes.
+ </simpara>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <simpara>
+ Use
+ <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>
+ Objects
+ </guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>
+ Ungroup
+ </guimenuitem>
+ </menuchoice>
+ to remove the group.
+ </simpara>
+ </listitem>
+ </orderedlist>
+ With this technique, you can quickly change the properties
+ of many objects. This also works with selections containing
+ multiple object types, as long as all of the selected objects have the
+ properties you want to change.
</para>
- <sect2>
- <title>Colors selector box</title>
+ </sect3>
+
+
+ </sect2>
+
+ </sect1>
+ <sect1 id="colors">
+ <title>Colors</title>
+ <para>
+ All objects in <application>Dia</application> have color attributes. Lines
+ have line color. Shapes have line color and fill color. Text and other objects
+ that contain text have text color. In addition, the
+ <menuchoice><guimenu>
+ Diagram
+ </guimenu><guimenuitem>
+ Properties</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
+ allows you to set colors for Background, Grid Lines, and Page Breaks.
+ Finally, the Toolbox allows you to set default foreground and background
+ colors for new objects.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ In most cases, there are two methods for selecting a color. First, you
+ can select a color from a list of colors provided in the drop-down listbox
+ by each color property.
<figure>
- <title>Colors selector box</title>
+ <title>Color Listbox</title>
<screenshot>
- <screeninfo>The colors selector box is described below.</screeninfo>
+ <screeninfo>Color Listbox</screeninfo>
<graphic format="PNG"
- fileref="graphics/color_selector"
+ fileref="graphics/color-dropdown.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit="Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ The list contains five primary colors (black, white, red, green, and blue)
+ plus custom colors that have been previously used. You can just select a
+ color from the list or select "More colors..." to display the Select color
+ box. The Select color box allows you to select any color. It is explained in
+ the next section.
+
+
+ </para>
+ <sect2 id="color-selector">
+ <title>Select Color Box</title>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Select Color Box</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>The Select color box is described below.</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG"
+ fileref="graphics/color-selector1.&pngfile;"
srccredit="Jeremy" />
</screenshot>
</figure>
<para>
- The Colors selector box counts 6 zones:
- <itemizedlist>
+ The Colors selector box contains 6 zones:
+ <orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
- The colors wheel: cliquez then slip on the circle
- to defined tint, then click and move the litle circle
- into the triangle to defined saturation
- et value.
+ The colors wheel allows you to select a color using the mouse.
+ Select the color you want from the outer
+ ring. A white or black line shows the current position on the
+ ring. Select the darkness or lightness you want using the inner
+ triangle. A white or black circle shows the current position
+ in the triangle. You can click or drag on either surface. The
+ currently-selected color displays in the right side of the
+ rectangle just below the circle.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Below the color wheel there are two rectangles. Left one
- displays current color, and right one the new color (the
- one which will be defined if you <emphasis>Valid</emphasis>).
+ Below the color wheel there are two rectangles. The left one
+ displays the current color of the object, the right one the new color
+ (i.e., the one you currently have chosen using the colors wheel).
+ Pressing the OK button will set the object to the new color.
</para>
<para>
- Just right on these rectangles, you'll find a pipette.
- while clicking this button, the mouse pointer will be
- transformed as a pipette. You can, while clicking on
+ Just to the right of these rectangles, there is a pipette button.
+ When you click this button, the mouse pointer changes to
+ a pipette. When the pipette is active, you can click on
the canvas or any open application window (Like
- <application>The Gimp</application>), pick-up any color!
+ <application>The Gimp</application>), and select any color!
</para>
+ <note>
+ <para>
+ On Windows, you can only select from colors on the Dia canvas.
+ </para>
+ </note>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Just right there is a pre-defined color pallets
- Click on one rectangle to choose color.
+ In the lower right there is a predefined color palette.
+ Click on any of these to choose the color.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- On top center there are TSV settings
- (Tint/Saturation/Value). You can setup
- color by typing or by the ascenceurs
+ In the upper center there are settings for Hue, Saturation, and Value
+ (HSV). You can select a
+ color by typing a numeric value or by using the increment /
+ decrement controls. Note that when you enter a value here, the
+ color wheel selection changes to reflect the new color.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- To the right, the RGB settings (Red, Green, Blue).
- Same behavior than TSV.
+ To the right, there are settings for Red, Green, and Blue.
+ These work the same as the HSV controls.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Below, the color name input. Supports standard colors names.
+ In the middle of the box is a place to enter a Color name.
+ This supports standard color names or HTML-style hexadecimal
+ color values.
(See
<ulink type="http"
url="http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/types.html#h-6.5";
@@ -315,8 +1020,151 @@
values (0-9A-F) on 3 or 6 octets.
</para>
</listitem>
+ </orderedlist>
+ </para>
+ </sect2>
+ </sect1>
+ <sect1 id="diagram-tree">
+ <title>Diagram Tree</title>
+ <para>
+ The Diagram Tree provides an alternative method of working with a diagram.
+ This window displays a list of all objects in the diagram in a scrolling
+ list box. By right-clicking on an object, you can perform a number of operations.
+ </para>
+ <sect2 id="open-diagram-tree">
+ <title>Opening the Diagram Tree</title>
+ <para>
+ The Diagram Tree is toggled on or off by selecting
+ <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>
+ File
+ </guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>
+ Diagram Tree
+ </guimenuitem></menuchoice> from the Toolbox menu bar or by pressing F8
+ when the Toolbox is in focus.
+ When this is toggled on, the Diagram Tree window displays.
+ The window closes when this is toggled off.
+ </para>
+
+ </sect2>
+ <sect2 id="working-diagram-tree">
+ <title>Working With the Diagram Tree</title>
+ <para>
+ Actions on the Diagram Tree affect the diagram canvas. If you double-click
+ on a diagram name in the list, that diagram window comes into focus
+ on your desktop.
+ If you click an object on the list, that object is selected in the
+ diagram on the canvas, just as if you had clicked on it on the canvas.
+ If you right-click on the Diagram tree list, a context menu
+ displays with six options, as shown in the figure below.
+
+ <figure>
+ <title>Diagram Tree</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Diagram Tree</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/diagram-tree.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+
+ These options are explained below.
+ </para>
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Locate will bring the selected object into view on the canvas.
+ This can be useful if you are trying to find an object in a large
+ diagram.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Properties will display the properties dialog for the selected object.
+ See <link linkend="object-properties">Object Properties</link> for
+ more information.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Hide this type will cause all objects of this type to be removed from the
+ list. They are still in the diagram, just not visible in this window.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Show object type will display a list of any object types you have hidden
+ using Hide this type. You can select a hidden object type to restore it
+ to the list.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Sort objects brings up a sub-menu of sort options as shown in the figure
+ below.
+ <figure>
+ <title>Diagram Tree Sort Options</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Diagram Tree Sort Options</screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/diagram-tree-sort.&pngfile;"
+ srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <simpara>
+ by name: sorts list by the text entered into the object.
+ </simpara>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <simpara>
+ by type: sorts list by the object type (Box, Line, etc.).
+ </simpara>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <simpara>
+ as inserted: sorts list in the order the objects were added to the diagram.
+ </simpara>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <simpara>
+ All by name: same as by name except that it sorts all open diagrams, not
+ just the selected one.
+ </simpara>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <simpara>
+ All by type: same as by type except that it sorts all open diagrams, not
+ just the selected one.
+ </simpara>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <simpara>
+ All as inserted: same as as inserted except that it sorts all open diagrams, not
+ just the selected one.
+ </simpara>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <simpara>
+ Default: allows you to select which of the three sort types (by name, by type,
+ or as inserted) to use by default. Initial default is as inserted.
+ </simpara>
+ </listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Sort diagrams allows you to sort diagrams if you have more than one
+ diagram open during the session. The sort options are by name or as inserted
+ (meaning the order in which the diagrams were opened).
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
</sect2>
</sect1>
-</chapter>
+ </chapter>
Modified: trunk/doc/en/usage-quickstart.xml
==============================================================================
--- trunk/doc/en/usage-quickstart.xml (original)
+++ trunk/doc/en/usage-quickstart.xml Sat Jan 31 17:28:23 2009
@@ -1,15 +1,19 @@
-<chapter label="2" id="quickstart-chapter">
-<title>Quickstart</title>
+ <chapter label="2" id="quickstart-chapter">
+ <title>Quickstart</title>
+ <para>
+ The Dia Quickstart is designed to help you get started creating diagrams
+ with Dia without having to read a manual.
+ </para>
<sect1 id="what-can-you-do">
<title>What Can You Do?</title>
<para>
- <application>Dia</application> is a diagraming application made for many
- people. <application>Dia</application> is easy enough to learn without
- much hassle and flexible enough to make the power users feel right at home
- with their commercial tools. Below is an example of what five minutes of
- using <application>Dia</application> can provide.
+ <application>Dia</application> is a diagramming application that can be used
+ to make a large variety of diagrams. <application>Dia</application> is easy
+ to learn and flexible enough to allow power users to create highly customized
+ diagrams. Below are two simple examples of diagrams that can
+ quickly be created using <application>Dia</application>.
<figure>
- <title>Demo</title>
+ <title>Sample Network Diagram</title>
<screenshot>
<screeninfo>This is a diagram of a home network produced in under
5 minutes using <application>Dia</application>.
@@ -18,131 +22,213 @@
"Kevin Breit" />
</screenshot>
</figure>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Sample Flowchart Diagram</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>This is a simple flowchart diagram produced
+ using <application>Dia</application>.
+ </screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/sample-flowchart.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ </figure>
</para>
</sect1>
- <sect1 id="starting-dia">
- <title>Starting Dia</title>
+ <sect1 id="starting-dia"> <title>Starting Dia</title>
<para>
You can start Dia by going into the Applications section on the Main Menu
and clicking on the Dia icon. Or, you can type <command>dia</command> in
a console window or xterm.
</para>
</sect1>
- <sect1 id="quickstart-intro">
- <title>Quickstart Introduction</title>
- <para>
- The Dia Quickstart is for the user who doesn't want to read a whole
- manual to make a basic diagram.
- </para>
- </sect1>
<sect1 id="creating-canvas">
<title>Creating a Canvas</title>
<para>
- All diagrams are drawn in their own <emphasis>canvas</emphasis>. To
- create a new canvas, select
+ All diagrams are drawn in their own <emphasis>canvas</emphasis>. When you
+ first start Dia, a blank canvas is created automatically. At any time, you
+ can create a new canvas by selecting
<menuchoice>
<guimenu>File</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>New Diagram</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice>
- A new canvas window will appear.
+ The canvas may be customized in various ways, such as changing the background
+ color or grid lines. See <link linkend="canvas-chapter"> The Canvas </link>
+ for more information on customizing the canvas.
</para>
+ <figure>
+ <title>Dia Startup</title>
+ <screenshot>
+ <screeninfo>Dia Startup
+ </screeninfo>
+ <graphic format="PNG" fileref="graphics/dia-startup.&pngfile;" srccredit=
+ "Mark Dexter" />
+ </screenshot>
+ <blockquote>
+ <simpara>Dia startup showing blank canvas above and Toolbox to right.</simpara>
+ </blockquote>
+ </figure>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="making-diagram">
<title>Making a Diagram</title>
<para>
- A diagram is made up of objects. Objects are shapes that can be different
- colors, shapes, and sizes. They include everything from 2-bit images to
- full color pictures to text.
- </para>
- <para>
- To add object to the canvas, click on an object in the toolbox and click
- on the canvas. The selected object will appear. The object can be
- manipulated mainly by clicking and dragging on the green corner buttons.
+ A diagram is made up of objects. Objects are shapes or lines that can be
+ different colors and sizes. Objects can be simple line
+ drawings, text, or full-color pictures. Some objects allow text to be entered
+ inside the shape.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Using Dia to create a diagram is easy. The Toolbox contains a palette of
+ predefined objects, including simple shapes, lines, and specialized objects.
+ To add an object to the canvas, simply click on the desired object's icon on
+ the Toolbox and then click on the desired point on the canvas. The object
+ will appear on the canvas where you clicked. See <link linkend="adding-objects">
+ Adding Objects </link> for more information.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ An object can be
+ moved by clicking on the object and dragging the mouse. The object can be
+ resized by clicking and dragging one of the object's green or red "handles".
+ See <link linkend="moving-objects"> Moving Objects </link> and
+ <link linkend="resizing-objects"> Resizing Objects </link>
+ for more information on
+ moving and resizing objects.
</para>
<para>
- In the toolbox, you can double-click on any object to view its advanced
- properties. This allows you to customize the stock shape more to your
- liking.
- </para>
+ Objects can be connected using lines. Just drag each end of a line
+ to any connection point (small blue "x") on an object. Once objects are
+ connected, they can be moved and the line stretches to keep them connected.
+ See <link linkend="connecting-objects">
+ Connecting Objects With Lines</link> for more information on how to connect objects.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ In the Toolbox, you can double-click on any object's icon to view and edit the
+ object's default properties. This allows you to customize various default
+ properties of each object. For objects that include text, you can customize the
+ text alignment and font properties. For standard shapes, you can customize the
+ transparency, the corner shape, and the aspect ratio. See
+ <link linkend="default-properties">Sources of Default Properties
+ </link> for more information about changing default properties.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Dia includes a set of standard shape and line objects. See
+ <link linkend="objects-chapter"> Objects
+ </link> for more information on working with the standard objects.
+ Dia includes a large number of predefined objects for various uses. These include
+ flowcharts, UML diagrams, network diagrams, and many others. See
+ <link linkend="special-object-categories"> Special Object Categories
+ </link> for more information on the various objects available.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Many common tasks in Dia require selecting one or more objects. Dia includes
+ a number of ways to select objects quickly. See
+ <link linkend="selecting-chapter"> Selecting Objects
+ </link> for more information.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Dia can be customized in a number of ways. See <link linkend="usage-customization">
+ Customization </link> for more information on customization.
+ </para>
<para>
Layers create multiple-images so they are one image.
By doing this, a user can edit one layer without worrying about affecting
- any of the other layers.
- </para>
- <para>
- Transparency allows objects to have
- transparent parts of an object, so anything behind the transparent
- section shows through.
+ any of the other layers. See <link linkend="layers-chapter"> Managing Layers
+ </link> for more information on working with layers.
</para>
<para>
- Plug-ins allow the average user to easily add new object types to Dia, to
- help extend its functionability.
+ Dia is designed to make adding new user-defined shapes very easy.
+ See <link linkend="custom-shapes-chapter"> Custom Shape Module
+ </link> for more information on creating your own custom shapes.
</para>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="save-print-diagram">
<title>Saving and Printing Your Diagram</title>
- <para> Saving your diagram and printing your diagram is as easy as creating and
- modifying your document.
- </para>
- <para>
- Dia supports saving and printing to printers. If you have gnome-print
- installed, the printing is very easy!
- </para>
<para>
- The print command can be found in the File menu when right-clicking on the
- canvas.
+ Dia provides the normal save and print options, located on the File menu.
+ Selecting the
+ <menuchoice>
+ <guimenu>
+ File
+ </guimenu>
+ <guimenuitem>
+ Page Setup
+ </guimenuitem></menuchoice>
+ allows you to set the paper size, orientation, and print margins. This
+ also allows you to choose whether to print the diagram to scale (entered
+ in percent) or to fit the diagram to a specific size (in centimeters).
</para>
<para>
Dia supports exporting to numerous formats for excellent web publishing.
Some of them include:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
- <para>
+ <simpara>
Computer Graphics Metafile (.cgm)
- </para>
+ </simpara>
</listitem>
<listitem>
- <para> Encapsulated Postscript (.eps)
- </para>
+ <simpara>
+ Encapsulated Postscript (.eps)
+ </simpara>
</listitem>
<listitem>
- <para>
+ <simpara>
Native Dia Format (.dia)
- </para>
+ </simpara>
</listitem>
<listitem>
- <para>
+ <simpara>
Portable Network Graphics (.png)
- </para>
+ </simpara>
</listitem>
<listitem>
- <para>
+ <simpara>
Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg)
- </para>
+ </simpara>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
+ <para>
+ See <link linkend="loadsave-chapter"> Loading and Saving Diagrams
+ </link> for more information.
+ </para>
+ <note>
+ <para>
+ On some Windows systems, Dia diagrams do not print correctly. This problem
+ can be worked around by exporting the diagram -- for example to Portable
+ Networks Graphics (.png) format -- and then printing the exported .png file.
+ </para>
+ </note>
+
</sect1>
- <sect1 id="who-appeal-too"> <title>Who Does Dia Appeal To?</title>
+ <sect1 id="quickstart-commandline">
+ <title>Running Dia From the Command Line</title>
+ <para>
+ Dia can be run from the command line. This allows certain Dia capabilities
+ to be used in batch script files. See <link linkend="commandline">
+ Dia Command Line </link> for more information on creating your own custom shapes.
+ </para>
+ </sect1>
+ <sect1 id="who-appeal-too">
+ <title>Who Does Dia Appeal To?</title>
<para>
- Dia can appeal to many people in a variety of industries.
+ Dia can be used by many people in a variety of industries.
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
An electrical engineer may use <application>Dia</application> to
- create a diagram to show how their circuit works.
+ create a diagram to show how a circuit works.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- A computer programmer may use a flow chart to show the execution path
- of their program.
+ A computer programmer can create a flow chart to show the execution path
+ of a program.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- A network administrator is able to create a diagram to show how their
- company network is layed out.
+ A network administrator can create a diagram to model the company's
+ company network.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
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