Adobe InDesign CS3 Bible

One of the great things about using computers to create publications is that it's easy to change your mind. For example, if you don't like where you've placed an object, it's easy to move it or remove it altogether. When you combine this flexibility with InDesign's option to undo as many previous actions as you want, you're free to experiment to your heart's content.

Moving objects

Before you can move an object, you must first select it. Once an object is selected, InDesign provides several methods for moving it. You can move a selected object by:

• Clicking and dragging it to a different location. When you drag an object, you can move it anywhere within the current page or spread, into an open library (see Chapter 7 for more information about libraries), or into another document (if another document is open and its window is visible). If you drag an object from one document to another, a copy of the object is placed in the target document and the original object remains unchanged in the source document.

  Tip ‚

  Hold down the Shift key as you drag to restrict the angle of movement to multiples of 45 degrees.

  Tip ‚

  You can create a clone (that is, an exact duplicate) of an object when you move it by pressing the Option or Alt key as you drag with a selection tool. Not only is this a handy way to create a duplicate, it's also a great way to experiment: You can practice on a clone without jeopardizing the original.

• Pressing any of the arrow keys. Each time you press an arrow key, the object is nudged by the distance specified in the Cursor Key field in the Units & Increments pane of the Preferences dialog box (choose File ‚ Preferences on the Mac or Edit ‚ Preferences in Windows, or press z +K or Ctrl+K). The default nudge value is 1 point. If you hold down the Shift key when using arrow keys, the nudge increment is 10 points.

  Tip ‚

  If you hold down the Option or Alt key as you nudge an object with the arrow keys, a clone of the selected object is created.

• Changing the X and Y values in the new Control palette or in the Transform pane. These values determine the distance between an object's point of origin and the ruler origin, where the horizontal and vertical rulers intersect (usually the upper-left corner of a page or spread). (If the Control palette is not displayed, activate it by choosing Window ‚ Control or pressing Option+ z +6 or Ctrl+Alt+6. If the Transform pane is not displayed, activate it by choosing Windows ‚ Transform or pressing F9.) Figure 11-4 shows the Control palette and Transform pane and their controls. If you want, change the object's point of origin ‚ where the X and Y coordinates refer to.

  Figure 11-4: If you prefer modifying values precisely to clicking and dragging, use the Control palette or Transform pane to move objects and perform other modifications. The Control palette is more flexible, providing different options based on what is selected. In this figure, the six horizontal panes are, from top to bottom, the Control palette for a text frame, text in a text frame or on a text path , a graphics frame, an image in a graphics frame, a line, and multiple objects. At bottom is the Transform pane.

  Note ‚

  The grid of small, white squares in the far left of the Control palette and in the upper-left corner of the Transform pane let you specify the point on the object used to position the object relative to the page origin. If a shape or curved line is selected, all nine squares are selectable for the point of origin; if a straight line is selected, six of the small squares are grayed out and only three squares are selectable for the point of origin. Click on a white square to change the point of origin. (The current point of origin is indicated by a square displaying as black rather than as white.)

  Tip ‚

  To create a clone of an object, press Option+Return or Alt+Enter after changing the X and/or Y value in the Control palette or Transform pane.

Each of the preceding methods for moving objects has its merits. The method you choose will depend on how you prefer to work.

Resizing objects

After you create a shape, frame, or line, you may find that it's too big or too small for your design. No problem. Resizing objects is as easy as moving them. And as is the case with repositioning objects, you have multiple options for resizing. You can

• Click and drag an object's bounding box using the Selection tool. To change the width and height, drag a corner handle. To change only the width or height, drag a midpoint handle. If you hold the Shift key as you drag, the object's original proportions are retained.

You can also resize an object by selecting it and then changing the values in the Scale X percentage and Scale Y percentage fields in the Control palette or Transform pane. If you scale a picture frame with the Selection tool, both the frame and the picture within are scaled. If you scale a picture frame with the Direct Selection tool, only the frame size changes. If you scale a text frame with either selection tool, both the frame and its text are scaled. (By the way, if you resize an object by scaling it, you can return to its original size by choosing 100% from the Scale X percentage and Scale Y percentage pop-up menus .)

The distinction in InDesign between a frame and its contents and between the Selection and Direct Selection tools can be a little confusing. The option to resize an object by changing its scale only adds to the confusion. The simplest method is to resize an object by dragging bounding box handles or changing width and height values in the Transform pane.

Also, note that you can flip the contents of a picture frame or text frame by dragging a bounding box handle across and beyond the opposite corner or edge. Although this isn't a scaling operation, you accomplish it by dragging a handle as if you were resizing.

• After selecting the object with either selection tool, modify the horizontal and/or vertical scaling by changing the width and/or height values in the Control palette or Transform pane. If you want, change the object's point of origin. The grid of small, white squares in the far left of the Control palette or in the upper-left corner of the Transform pane lets you specify the point on the object used to position the object relative to the page origin. If a shape or curved line is selected, all nine squares are selectable for the point of origin; if a straight line is selected, six of the small squares are grayed out and only three squares are selectable for the point of origin. Click on a white square to change the point of origin. (The current point of origin is indicated by a square displaying as black rather than as white.)

  Note ‚

  If the Direct Selection tool is selected when you click on an object, the object's anchor points and direction handles are displayed. Clicking and dragging a point or a handle changes the shape of the object. For more information about changing the shape of objects, see Chapter 27.

Deleting objects

Alas, not all the objects you create will survive all the way to the final version of your publication. Some will wind up on the cutting room floor, so to speak. You can always move an object to the pasteboard if you're not sure whether you want to get rid of it altogether (objects on the pasteboard won't print). But when it's time to ax an object, oblivion is just a keystroke or two away. If you delete a text or picture frame, the contents are removed as well as the frame.

Here's how to delete objects: Using either selection tool, click on the object you want to delete, then press the Delete key or Backspace key. You can also delete a selected item by choosing Edit ‚ Clear.