InDesign for QuarkXPress Users [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Moving Objects

In QuarkXPress when you want to move a box or line, you use the Item tool, the Measurement palette, the Modify dialog box, or the Arrow keys on the keyboard. InDesign's methods are similar.

By Dragging

When you want to move a path or frame interactively, choose the object with the Selection tool and just drag it. (Holding down the Command/Ctrl key gives you temporary access to the Selection tool if another tool is selected.) For an object that has a fill, you can drag from anywhere inside the shape. However, unlike QuarkXPress, if it has a stroke and no fill, you must click it on its outline to move it. If the outline is difficult to select, you can also drag the object by its nonprinting center point.

When you drag an object quickly, you'll only see the outline of your object. If you pause a second before dragging, you'll see the object previewed as you drag. (This also true of the other transformations we describe in this chapter and the next.)

Using the Transform Palette

A second way to move an object is by changing the values of the Position fields (X and Y) in the Transform palette. Imagine that you have a text frame which is located 1 inch down and 1 inch across from the ruler origin, and you're using the upper-left proxy point. In the Transform palette, the position appears as "X = 1" in and "Y = 1" in. If you want to move the frame one inch to the right, you can change the X value to either "2 in" or "1 in + 1", then press Enter. Like XPress, InDesign can do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in any field that shows a number. Positive values move to the right and down, so the frame shifts one inch to the right.

Using the Move Dialog Box

InDesign borrows a third method of moving objects from Illustratorthe Move dialog box. You can get to it by selecting Move from the Transform submenu (under the Object menu). But we never do it that way. It's much faster simply to double-click the Selection tool (see Figure 17-3).

The fields in the Move dialog box tell InDesign how much and in what direction you want to move the frame.

• If you want to move the object horizontally or vertically, enter numbers in the Horizontal and/or Vertical fields, and press Enter (or click OK). Positive values move the object to the right and down, negative values to the left and up.




• If you want to move the object a specific distance and angle, enter numbers in those fields, and press Enter. InDesign measures angles from the horizontal. Positive angles rotate counterclockwise, negative angles clockwise.

You can preview your move by clicking the Preview checkbox. We'll discuss the Copy option in Chapter 21.

Using the Arrow Keys

Finally, you can move paths and frames with the Arrow keys on the keyboard. Each time you press an Arrow key, your object moves one point, by default. Holding down the Shift key while pressing an arrow key moves by 10 points. But you can change these amounts in the Cursor Key field in InDesign's Units and Increments preferences (see Chapter 7).