Inserting and Arranging Objects

Objects are your project's building blocks. They are generated in the workspace where they are also given a border with which their size and position can be changed. This border defines the space that the object takes up and thus also the maximum size to which the contents of the respective object can be expanded.

Objects may overlap fully or partly.

3.3.1 Inserting Objects

Objects may be inserted in the project workspace in different ways: using the tab

"Insert" (Object > Insert), shortcut keys or per drag & drop function of the variable list.

Text objects are inserted most comfortably and efficiently per drag & drop from the variable list. Simply select the desired variable and drag it to a free area in the project workspace. The easiest way to insert all other objects is via the toolbar.

1. Select the desired object type. The mouse pointer will change to a crosshair.

2. Place the crosshair on the point at which a corner of the object should be placed. It is best to use the left upper corner of the planned object.

3. Depress the left mouse button and pull – while keeping the mouse button depressed – to the opposite corner of the planned object. If you started in the upper left corner, pull the crosshair to the lower right corner of the planned object.

4. A dashed frame will appear which represents the size that the object will assume upon release of the left mouse button.

5. Release the mouse button when the object (dashed frame) has the desired size.

3.3.2 Size and Position of Objects

You can move each selected object or change its size. If you select multiple objects, you can change them all as if a single object were selected.

1. Changing the size with the mouse: Select the object. If you position the mouse on the frame, you can change the size by pulling the frame inwards or outwards, as indicated by the arrows, while holding down the left mouse button. The object's dimensions are shown during the resizing. You must position the mouse in one corner of the frame in order to change the size both horizontally and vertically.

2. Moving with the mouse: Select the object. Hold down the mouse button and drag the object to the position that you want. If you press the SHIFT key, you will only be able to move the objects horizontally or vertically. The alignment remains the same.

3. Changing the size and moving with the dialog: You can also change the size and position of an object by means of the property list. You can enter values precisely here. If you double click the "Position" sub-item in the property list, a position dialog will appear which makes it even easier to enter the size and position of objects with the keyboard.

4. Using the keyboard to move objects or change their size: Select the object. Use the DIRECTION keys to move the object in the respective direction. Pressing the key once moves the object by the smallest possible unit, if you hold down the CTRL key, the object will be moved by ten times the smallest unit.

3.3.3 Arrangement as an Object List

Objects on the workspace may overlap or completely cover each other. Using the tab

"Start" (Objects > Arrange) or via context menu, you can rearrange the planes of the selected objects so that they have the order you require (To Front, To Back, Forward, Backward).

Please note that these "planes" (just a term in this case) have nothing to do with the layers. Objects that have been edited using "Arrange" will not have their layer assignment changed.

The object highest in the object list is the object in the background, the lowest/final object to appear in the object list is the object in the foreground.

Exception: Generally the unlinked objects will be printed first, followed by the report container and then the objects that are linked with other objects in some manner. In other words, even if the report container is the first object in the object list, it will still be printed last, i.e. in the foreground. With a temporal linking it is possible to print objects (e.g. a text field) on top of a report container. You can find further information about this process in the "Linking Objects" chapter.

Figure 3.18: Print order in the object list

3.3.4 Grouping of Objects

You can group multiple objects that belong together and then modify them as if they were a single object. Please note that an object can only belong to one group. It is therefore not possible to combine groups to a higher-level group.

 In order to make a group of two or more objects, select the objects in question and then choose Group in the context menu.

 To edit a grouped object, hold down the ALT-key when selecting the object.

 To remove the grouping, choose the item Ungroup.

3.3.5 Copies of Objects

You can copy objects singly or multiply.

Copy objects

1. Select the object you want to copy, and press CTRL+C. You can also press CTRL+X to cut the object.

2. Move the mouse to the location where you want to paste the object and press CTRL+V (Start> Paste). You can also use the "Paste" command on the context-menu.

Multiple Copies of Objects

If you want to place several, similar objects with the same distance on the workspace, select the object and then choose Multiple Copies in the context menu.

Define the number and spacing of the objects horizontally and vertically.

3.3.6 Importing Objects

With File > Import, you can insert a copy of all objects belonging to another project to the project that is currently loaded.