Alignment using the grid and snap guides
The
section “Aligning shapes” on page 105 discussed the alignment of
objects relative to each other or to the page border. However,
sometimes it is important to align objects to specific points of the
page or to make sure that objects that appear on multiple slides are
placed in exactly the same position. For this purpose Impress
provides two mechanisms: the Grid
and the Snap Guides (also
called Snap Lines).
Using
the grid
Options
for the grid are available in the menu that opens by right-clicking
on an empty part of the page in Normal view and choosing Grid
or by selecting View >
Grid from the menu bar. In both cases a submenu with
three options opens:
Visible
Grid: displays the grid.
Snap
to Grid: the anchor points of an object will always be
placed on a grid when the object is moved or resized.
Grid
to Front: displays the grid in the foreground.
To
set up the grid spacing and snapping options, choose Tools
> Options > OpenOffice.org Impress > Grid from
the menu bar.
Using
snap guides
Options
for the guides are available in the menu that opens by clicking on
an empty part of the page in Normal view and choosing Snap
Lines or by selecting View
> Guides from the menu bar. A submenu with three
options opens:
Visible
Guides (Snap Lines Visible): the guides are shown on the
slide.
Snap
to Guides (Snap to Snap Lines): the anchor points of the
objects snap to the guides when the objet is moved or resized.
Guides
to Front (Snap Lines to Front): the guides are brought
to the foreground and cover the objects.
|
Note
|
The
main menu uses the term Guides,
but the pop-up menu refers to Snap
Lines.
|
To create a new
Guide:
Right-click
on an empty part of the work area and select Insert
Snap Point/Line from the pop-up menu.
In
the dialog that appears, specify the type (Point, Vertical line, or
Horizontal line).
Depending
on the choice made, the two edit fields X
and Y
become active; enter the position of the Guide.
Click
OK to close the
dialog.
|
Tip
|
When
positioning the Snap Guides, it is useful to display the rulers.
To do so, select View
> Rulers.
|
|
Tip
|
Drag
a Snap Guide directly onto the slide by clicking on the ruler and
then dragging onto the slide.
|
To
edit a Guide:
Right-click
next to or on the guide to be edited.
Select
Edit Snap line
from the pop-up menu.
Enter
the new value (or values) and click OK.
To delete a Guide:
Right-click
next or on the guide to be deleted.
Choose
Delete Snap line
from the pop-up menu.
Figure 75 show
the three types of guides, the grid on a slide, and the dialog to
create a new Guide.
