Specifying Box Properties

Use the Box Properties dialog to precisely specify the line width, line color, and position of your boxes.

To specify the properties of a box

1. Place the cursor anywhere on the edge of the box (that is not a sizing handle) and then right-click.

2. Select the Properties command from the popup menu that is then displayed.

   The Box Properties dialog is then displayed, as shown in the following image.

   

3. Select a line width from the Width combo box. The width sizes are in pixel units. The default value is 2 pixels.

4. Select a line color from the Color combo box. The default color is Black. If you select the Custom color, the common Color dialog is displayed to enable you to select or define a custom color. When you have made your selection, click the OK button to apply the selected color or click the Cancel button to close the Color dialog without making any changes.

5. Under the Start Position caption, specify the position of the top left corner of the box. The list box displays the frame in which the box starts. The position of the top left corner of the box is measured in pixels relative to the top left corner of the designated frame, in the text boxes below.

   • Select the frame the box starts in from the list box under the Start Position caption.

   • Specify the horizontal position of the box from the left edge of the frame in pixels in the horizontal position text box under the Start Position caption.

     Alternatively, click on one of the horizontal position buttons to move the left edge of the box left or right one pixel at a time.

   • Specify the vertical position of the top of the box from the top of the frame in pixels in the vertical position text box under the Start Position caption.

     Alternatively, click on one of the vertical position buttons to move the top of the box up or down one pixel at a time.

6. Under the End Position caption, specify the position of the bottom right corner of the box. The list box displays the frame in which the box ends. The position of the bottom right corner of the box is measured in pixels relative to the top left corner of the designated frame, in the text boxes below.

   • Select the frame in which the box ends from the list box under the End Position caption.

   • Specify the horizontal position of the right side of the box from the left edge of the frame in pixels in the horizontal position text box under the End Position caption.

     Alternatively, click on one of the horizontal position buttons to move the right edge of the box left or right one pixel at a time.

   • Specify the vertical position of the bottom of the box from the top edge of the frame in pixels in the vertical position text box under the End Position caption.

     Alternatively, click on one of the vertical position buttons to move the bottom of the box up or down one pixel at a time.

   You can move a box within a frame by changing the relevant top and left values, and move a box between frames by changing the start and end frames. For the end frame, the frames that come before the selected start frame are disabled, as the end frame must be the same as or below the start frame.

   If you change a box start or end value so that it is greater or less than the corresponding end or start value, the start and end positions are reversed in the dialog, to maintain their relative values.

7. Click the Apply button to apply your changes immediately to the currently selected box.

8. Click the Delete button to delete the currently selected box.

9. Click the Next button to select the next box or line. Boxes and lines are selected in the order in which they were defined. This can be useful when an existing drawing object is too small to be easily visible.

10. Click the Close button to close the Box Properties dialog and return to the report layout.