InDesign for QuarkXPress Users [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

The Transform Palette

One of the first things QuarkXPress users notice first when they start using InDesign is the absence of a Measurements palette. Instead, InDesign lets you move and resize objects in the Transform palette (see Figure 17-1). Like the Measurement palette, the Transform palette provides two essential functions: The first is informational, providing precise data about an object's position, size, angle, and so on. The second is the ability to numerically transform these attributes.

Information on the Palette

What InDesign displays on the Transform palette when an object is selected depends on several things. The values shown are in the current ruler units (which we discuss in Chapter 7) and are relative to the position of the ruler origin. InDesign's default ruler origin is the upper left corner of the page, the same as in XPress.

When selecting an object which is nested inside another object, or when a selecting the content in a graphic frame, by default the Transform palette displays the offset of the object from the containing frame (similar to how XPress shows the Offset values for pictures inside picture boxes). This is controlled by Show Content Offset on the Transform palette menu (see Figure 17-1).

Setting the Transformation Origin

The Measurements palette and Modify dialog box in XPress always base measurements in relation to the upper left corner of the object. InDesignlike PageMakeris much more flexible, letting you pick the transformation point. This can be useful when you'd like to resize a frame from its center, for example.

The Transform palette adds a small icon called the

proxy , where you can select the transformation origin. Clicking a point on the proxy sets the origin. Figure 17-2 shows the center proxy point selected; when you use one of the resizing methods described below, you enlarge the polygon frame's shape outward from the center.

When using the Scale, Rotate and Shear tools (described in this chapter and the next) the proxy point also shows up in the document window itselfyou can see the transformation point as a small non-printing target icon. You can use these tools to drag the transformation point someplace elseeven outside the object itself. If you drag near one of the center or corner points, the proxy snaps to that point and InDesign updates the proxy icon in the Transform palette.

Pay Attention to What's Selected

When doing any kind of transformation in InDesign, pay attention to which tool you're using to select the object. Use the Selection tool to select the frame or path when you wish to transform the object and its content. You can use the Direct Selection tool to transform only part of a path. For example, when you use this tool to select one anchor point, you can use the Transform palette to move it as described below. We discuss more about scaling content in Chapter 64 when we talk about resizing graphics.