The Main Window	Quick Introduction	Mouse and keyboard

Toolbar/Menu

Here's a brief description of some menu commands. If the command is also available as a button in the toolbar, the icon is also shown.

Some commands are accessible via key strokes. The key sequence is indicated in the menu. The notation for key strokes is described in the section on key strokes.

File Operations

Open

Load a file into Sketch. Sketch tries to determine the file type automatically. It recognizes its own format, XFig, Adobe Illustrator, CMX (an exchange format defined by Corel) and WMF files.

The filters for the 'foreign' formats are not complete. The XFig filter for instance has some problems with the ordering of objects (because of that awful `depth' feature) and ignores arrow heads and dashing.

Insert Document

Insert the contents of a document as a group into the current document.

Save

Save the current file. If it was read from an SK-file (Sketch's own format) it is saved under the same name after Sketch has created a backup file. If it was not read from a file or the file was not an SK-file, you have to specify a filename. Sketch can currently save SK-files and Illustrator files.

Save As PostScript

Save the current drawing into a PostScript file. The file conforms to the EPS specification (I hope).

Edit Commands

Edit Mode
Selection Mode

Switch to one of Sketch's major modes, edit mode and selection mode.

Undo
Redo

Sketch allows you to undo every operation and maintains a virtually unlimited undo history. If you really want to limit the undo history, you can do so from the preferences dialog (File/Options...).

Delete

Delete the current object.

Duplicate

Create a duplicate of the current object just above the current object and select it. The duplicate is slightly offset. You can set the duplication offset in the preferences dialog.

Effects

Flip Horizontal
Flip Vertical

Flip the current object(s) horizontally (vertically)

Remove Transformation

Some objects have an intrinsic geometry, like text objects, where the geometry is defined by the font and the font size, and bitmap images or EPS files. Any transformations (rotations, reflections, ...) later applied are stored in the object. Remove Transformation reverts these objects to their natural size and orientation.

Rearranging the Stacking Order

Move To Top

Move the current object to the top of its layer.

Move To Bottom

Move the current object to the bottom of its layer.

Move One Up

Swap the current object and the next higher one.

Move One Down

Swap the current object and the next lower one.

Grouping Objects

Group

Replace the currently selected objects with a group containing these objects and select it.

Grouped objects are usually manipulated as a whole, but if needed, you can select individual objects with the mouse or keyboard.

Ungroup

Replace the currently selected group with the objects it contains and select them.

While Group creates only normal groups, this command can ungroup other special groups such as blend groups or mask groups as well.

Viewing Commands

Zoom

After invoking the zoom command you can either

• Zoom into a region. Click and drag <Button1> to indicate a rectangular area in the main window. This area will be magnified such that it just fits into the window.
• Double the magnification Just click (and don't drag) <Button1> on a point in the main window. This point will be centered and the magnification factor doubled.

The maximum zoom factor is 1600%.

Arranging Objects

Convert To Curve

Convert the current object to a bézier object. This works for béziers :-), rectangles, ellipses and text. (To convert text to béziers, Sketch must have access to the appropriate type1 font file (either .pfa or pfb)).

Snap To Grid

Turns the grid on (or off, if it's on). If gridding is on, objects will snap to grid points when they are edited.

This command doesn't affect the visibility of the grid. The visibility is controlled via the layer dialog. The grid is a special layer which is usually called "Grid".

Snap To Objects

If snapping to objects is active, dragged objects snap to the nearest special point of any other visible object. Special points are the nodes of a bézier curve or the corners of a rectangle.

Snap To Guide Lines

If snapping to guide lines is active, dragged objects snap to the nearest guide line or other objects on the guide layer.

This command doesn't affect the visibility of the guide lines. The visibility can be controlled from the layer dialog. The guide layer is usually called "Guide Lines".

Creating Objects

Rectangle

Create a Rectangle by pressing the left mouse button and dragging the mouse. One corner of the newly created rectangle is where the button was pressed, the other where it was released. Pressing <Ctrl> while dragging creates a square.

Ellipse

Create an Ellipse by pressing the left mouse button and dragging the mouse. Pressing <Ctrl> while dragging creates a circle.

Bézier Curve

Create a Bézier curve. This requires at least two click-drag-release cycles. The first cycle defines the start point of the curve and its tangent. The next cycles define the rest of the points and tangents in the same fashion. Click <Button2> or press Space to finish.

Polygon

Create a polygon. The first click-drag-release cycle defines the first line segment. The next cycles define the rest of the segments. Click <Button2> or press Space to finish. The object created is actually a Bézier curve consisting only of straight lines.

Text

Create a text object by clicking where you want the text to be and type. If you click and drag you create rotated text.

Bitmap/EPS images

This command opens a dialog box to let you specify the image file. After selecting the file, place the image on the page by clicking at the desired position. A dashed rectangle indicates the size and position.

Sketch can load any image the Python Imaging Library (PIL) can read. EPS files are not read by the PIL, they are imported and printed unmodified. Sketch uses Ghostscript to render a preview image, so an EPS file looks like an ordinary bitmap image on the screen.

The Main Window	Quick Introduction	Mouse and keyboard