Draw Guide

Setting size and position exactly
You can position and resize objects with the mouse, but this method is not very exact.
If you need accurate positioning of objects, use Format > Position and Size from
the menu bar, or right-click the object and select Position and Size from the context
menu, or press F4.
Position and Size
Open the Position and Size dialog (see Figure 45) and click on the first tab to set
the appropriate values.
Figure 45: Position and size of an object
Position is defined as an X,Y coordinate relative to a fixed point (the base point),
typically located at the upper left of the drawing area. If desired, you can temporarily
change this base point to make positioning or dimensioning simpler (click on the
radio button corresponding to the location of the base point in either of the two
selection windows on the right side of the dialog—upper for positioning or lower for
dimensioning). The possible base point positions correspond to the handles on the
selection frame plus a central point. The change in position lasts only as long as you
have the dialog open; when you close this dialog, Draw resets the base point to the
standard position.
Tip
The Keep ratio checkbox is very useful. Click it to keep the ratio of width
to height fixed while you change the size of an object.
Either or both the size and position can be protected so that they cannot be
inadvertently changed. Check the appropriate boxes to achieve this.
Tip
You cannot move an object? Check to see if the position is protected!
46 OpenOffice.org 3.3 Draw Guide