Copyright: Copyright 1995-1996 Companion Software. All rights reserved.
Citation: Metafile Companion User's Guide. Copyright 1995-1996 Companion Software. All rights reserved.


Help Contents
Contents

Getting Started

The Application Window

How To...

Commands


Getting Started

What Is Metafile Companion?

What Is a Metafile?

What Types of Files Can Metafile Companion Edit?

Installing the Program

Starting the Program

Getting Help


The Application Window

Application Window

Title Bar

Menu Bar

Toolbars

Status Bar

Document Window


How To...

How to Start the Program

How to Open an Existing Metafile

How to Create a New Metafile

How to Add Objects

How to Select Objects

How to Edit Objects

How to Delete Objects

How to Undo Changes

How to Save a Metafile

How to Exit the Program

How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts

How to Manage Toolbars

How to Work with the Clipboard

How to Get Help

How to Uninstall the Program


Commands

File

Edit

View

Select

Format

Tools

Help

System


What Is Metafile Companion?

Windows users have always had Paintbrush to simply create and edit bitmap (BMP) files. But there was nothing comparable for Windows metafile (WMF) files. Now there is! Metafile Companion can easily create and edit Windows metafiles.

Metafile Companion is different from most drawing programs. It only offers options and features that are directly supported by metafiles themselves. This allows Metafile Companion to work at the metafile command level without any loss of fidelity. And we avoid the complexity of massive drawing programs that are often "too powerful" for editing simple metafiles.

Most high-quality Windows clipart is distributed as metafiles. So Metafile Companion can also be thought of as a clipart editor. It can annotate clipart with text, change all objects of one color to another color, flip objects, rotate text and more.

Metafile Companion is a state-of-the-art, 32-bit Windows program designed to work smoothly with all modern Windows programs. Metafile Companion is an OLE 2 full-server program that can be activated in-place or as a stand-alone application.


What Is a Metafile?

A metafile is simply a list of Windows drawing commands. The list may contain commands to draw objects such as lines, polygons and text. It may also contain commands to control the style of these objects such as what width pen to use when drawing the line, what brush pattern to use to fill the polygon and which font to pick when displaying the text.

Metafiles are the standard method of exchanging vector graphics (i.e. drawings composed of objects) among Windows programs. Windows can draw a metafile with a single command, so any Windows program can easily display a metafile.

Metafiles can also be scaled up or down in size with virtually no loss of image quality. This is what makes metafiles superior to bitmap graphics (i.e. images composed of dots) and why high-quality clipart is usually distributed as metafiles.

There are actually two kinds of metafiles used by Windows systems today. A Windows metafile (WMF file) is a 16-bit file that can be used with Windows 3, Windows 95 and Windows NT. An enhanced metafile (EMF file) is a 32-bit version of a WMF file that can only be used by 32-bit operating systems such as Windows 95 and Windows NT. An enhanced metafile can contain a much wider range of commands than a regular Windows metafile. Windows 3 programs cannot read or write EMF files.

The generic name for a metafile is a picture. The generic name for what most programs edit is a document. In this guide, we use the terms metafile, picture and document interchangeably.


What Types of Files Can Metafile Companion Edit?

Metafile Companion can edit the following kinds of files:

•	Windows metafiles (WMF files)

•	Enhanced metafiles (EMF files)

•	Clipboard files (CLP files) that contain metafiles

In addition, Metafile Companion can edit metafiles directly from the Windows Clipboard. Since most modern Windows programs can copy a selection to the Clipboard as a metafile, almost anything you can cut and paste can be edited by Metafile Companion. For more information, see How to Work with the Clipboard.

More:

What Types of Files Can't Metafile Companion Edit?


What Types of Files Can't Metafile Companion Edit?

Windows metafiles and enhanced metafiles can contain a rich set of commands - most of which are not used by clipart today. Metafile Companion supports the subset of metafile commands that is used by the majority of clipart vendors. The drawing objects supported include Line, Polyline, Polypolyline, Polygon, Polypolygon, Rectangle, Ellipse and Text. Commands that are not supported are filtered out.

For example, Metafile Companion does not support the pie wedge command. This is not a problem because no one uses the pie wedge command! Even graphing programs use the more flexible polygon command to draw pie wedges. And we support the polygon command very well.

Metafile Companion ignores bitmaps and all bitmap-oriented operations. We recommend you use Paintbrush or another paint program to edit bitmaps.

Metafile Companion cannot edit Clipboard files (CLP files) unless they contain a metafile inside them.

For more information on how to be warned about unhandled metafile commands, see General and Ignored Metafile Records Dialog Box.


Installing the Program

Metafile Companion follows the standard Windows conventions for installation. To install Metafile Companion place Disk 1 in your disk drive and run the program named INSTALL.EXE (or SETUP.EXE) on Disk 1. Follow the instructions to complete the installation. In most cases you can simply keep pressing Enter to complete the installation.

The program installs itself in a single directory - usually C:\Program Files\Companion Software\Metafile Companion.

The program automatically registers itself with the system registry and shell. This way you can double-click on WMF and EMF files to edit them with Metafile Companion.

The program can be easily uninstalled. For more information, see How to Uninstall the Program.


Starting the Program

Metafile Companion follows the standard Windows conventions for starting the program. It can be started in a number of ways depending on what version of Windows you are using and what you are trying to do:

To Start the Program...	See...
Using Windows 95 / NT 4	How to Start the Program from the Desktop (Windows 95 / NT 4).
Using Windows NT 3.51	How to Start the Program from the Program Manager (Windows NT 3.51).
And edit a specific file	How to Open an Existing Metafile.
And create a new file from the Windows Desktop	How to Create a New Metafile with the Desktop New Command (Windows 95 / NT 4).
And insert a metafile into an OLE container program	How to Insert a New Metafile from Inside an OLE Container Document.
More:

A Note About Windows NT 3.51 Versus Windows 95 / NT 4


A Note About Windows NT 3.51 Versus Windows 95 / NT 4

Windows NT 3.51 has a much different user interface from Windows 95 and Windows NT 4. Most of Metafile Companion works the same regardless of which version of Windows you are using. However, there are some cosmetic differences when running any program on Windows 95 or Windows NT 4 versus Windows NT 3.51. Throughout this guide, most illustrations are taken from Windows 95.

Whenever a procedure or dialog box is significantly different for Windows 95 / NT 4 versus Windows NT 3.51, both procedures or dialog boxes are presented and the annotation "(Windows 95 / NT 4)" or "(Windows NT 3.51)" is added as appropriate.


Getting Help

If you have a problem or question using Metafile Companion, there are a variety of ways to get help. For more information, see How to Get Help.


Application Window

The application window is the window that contains all of the elements of Metafile Companion including the title bar, menu bar, toolbars, status bar and document window.

The application window (Windows 95 / NT 4)


Title Bar

The title bar is located along the top of a window. The application window title bar contains the name of the document and application.

The title bar (Windows 95 / NT 4)

The application window title bar contains the following elements (from left to right in the illustration above):

•	Application Control-menu button

•	Name of the document

•	Name of the application

•	Minimize button

•	Maximize / Restore button

•	Close button (Windows 95 / NT 4)

To move a window, drag the title bar. You can also move dialog boxes and floating toolbars by dragging their title bars.


Menu Bar

The menu bar allows mouse and keyboard users to issue commands to edit the document. Keyboard users can hold down the Alt key while pressing the underlined letters in the menu items to quickly issue commands.

The menu bar

The Metafile Companion menu bar contains the following items:

Item	Common Uses
File	Open, save and print files
Edit	Cut, copy and paste objects
View	Zoom in and out, grid
Select	Select objects for editing
Format	Change the style of selected objects
Tools	Choose a tool to select or add objects
Help	Get help about using the product


The Application Window - Toolbars
Toolbars

Toolbars provide a quick way to enter commands with the mouse. They also provide feedback about the properties of the currently selected objects.

Toolbars in Metafile Companion automatically "wrap" so that they are always visible regardless of the size of the application window.

More:

Toolbar Modes

Docking Bars

Standard Toolbar

Zoom Toolbar

Text Toolbar

Draw Toolbar

Format Toolbar

Polygon Toolbar

Color Toolbar

Fill Toolbar

Line Toolbar

Grid Toolbar


Toolbar Modes

Toolbars can have either of two display modes: floating or docked.

More:

Floating

Docked


Floating

In its floating mode, a toolbar has a thin title bar and can appear anywhere on your display. A floating toolbar is always on top of all other windows. You can modify its size or position when it is floating.

A floating toolbar

For more information, see How to Float or Dock Toolbars.


Docked

In its docked mode, a toolbar is fixed to a dock along any of the four borders of the application window. You cannot modify its size when it is docked.

A docked toolbar

For more information, see How to Float or Dock Toolbars.


Docking Bars

Docking bars are windows along the left, right, top and bottom edges of application window. One or more toolbars can be "docked" to a docking bar by dragging the toolbar on top of the docking bar. If no toolbars are docked along a particular edge, then the docking bar for that edge is hidden.

The top docking bar


Standard Toolbar

The Standard toolbar contains the most commonly used File, Edit and Help commands.

The Standard toolbar

More:

Print Direct Button


Print Direct Button

The Print Direct button [image] prints the picture to the current printer without displaying the Print dialog box.


Zoom Toolbar

The Zoom toolbar contains the most commonly used View zoom commands. It also displays the current zoom percentage (where 100% means Actual Size).

The Zoom toolbar

More:

Custom Zoom Control


Custom Zoom Control

The Custom Zoom control on the Zoom toolbar displays the current zoom percentage (where 100% means Actual Size).

The Custom Zoom control

You can change the current zoom percentage by typing a number in this box or by selecting a percentage from the drop-down list. If "Page" is selected in the Custom Zoom control, the document window always displays the entire page regardless of the size of the application window.

You can quickly Zoom In, Zoom Out and Zoom Full Page using the other buttons on the Zoom toolbar.

Note: The current zoom percentage is also used when printing the picture. For more information, see Print.


Text Toolbar

The Text toolbar lets you see and edit the Text attributes of the current selection.

The Text toolbar

If the current selection does not use Text attributes, the Text toolbar is disabled.

If the current selection contains different Text attributes (e.g. bold and regular text), then the attribute that is different will be displayed with a mixed-value appearance (e.g. the Bold button turns light gray meaning some text is bold and some is not). You can then select a new attribute to be applied to the entire selection.

If no objects are selected, the Text attributes reflect the style to be used when new text is added.

More:

Face Name Control

Point Size Control

Bold

Italic

Underline

Align Left, Center, Align Right


Face Name Control

The Face Name control on the Text toolbar lets you see and edit the Font Face Name of the current selection. Change the Face Name to apply a new Face Name to all the currently selected text.

The Face Name control

If the current selection contains different Face Names, then the Face Name control will be empty. You can then select a new Face Name to be applied to the entire selection.

If there are no objects selected, the Face Name control reflects the Face Name to be used when new text is added.

The Font Face Name can also be accessed through the Text property page. For more information, see Text.


Point Size Control

The Point Size control on the Text toolbar lets you see and edit the Font Point Size of the current selection. Change the Point Size to apply a new Point Size to all the currently selected text.

The Point Size control

If the current selection contains different Point Sizes, then the Point Size control will be empty. You can then enter a new Point Size to be applied to the entire selection.

If there are no objects selected, the Point Size control reflects the Point Size to be used when new text is added.

A point is 1/72 of an inch.

The Font Point Size can also be accessed through the Text property page. For more information, see Text.

The Font Point Size can change when resizing a collection of objects. For more information, see Position.


Bold

The Bold button on the Text toolbar lets you see and edit the Bold state of the current selection. Pressing the Bold button toggles between bold and normal text.

If the current selection contains different Bold states, then the Bold button will turn a light gray color. You can then select a new Bold state to be applied to the entire selection.

If there are no objects selected, the Bold button reflects the Bold state to be used when new text is added.

The Bold property can also be accessed through the Text property page. For more information, see Text.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+B


Italic

The Italic button on the Text toolbar lets you see and edit the Italic state of the current selection. Pressing the Italic button toggles between italic and normal text.

If the current selection contains different Italic states, then the Italic button will turn a light gray color. You can then select a new Italic state to be applied to the entire selection.

If there are no objects selected, the Italic button reflects the Italic state to be used when new text is added.

The Italic property can also be accessed through the Text property page. For more information, see Text.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+I


Underline

The Underline button on the Text toolbar lets you see and edit the Underline state of the current selection. Pressing the Underline button toggles between underlined and normal text.

If the current selection contains different Underline states, then the Underline button will turn a light gray color. You can then select a new Underline state to be applied to the entire selection.

If there are no objects selected, the Underline button reflects the Underline state to be used when new text is added.

The Underline property can also be accessed through the Text property page. For more information, see Text.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+U


Align Left, Center, Align Right

The Alignment buttons on the Text toolbar let you see and edit the Alignment state of the current selection.

Text is aligned about an imaginary "text reference point". If you added text with the mouse, the text reference point is where you clicked the mouse to add the text.

Press the Align Left button to align the left side of the text with the text reference point. Press the Center button to align the center of the text with the text reference point. Press the Align Right button to align the right side of the text with the text reference point.

The Align Left, Center and Align Right buttons

If the current selection contains different Alignment states, then no Alignment button will be selected. You can then select a new Alignment (Left, Center or Right) to be applied to the entire selection.

If there are no objects selected, the Alignment buttons reflects the Alignment state to be used when new text is added.

The Text Alignment property can also be accessed through the Text property page. For more information, see Text.


Draw Toolbar

The Draw toolbar contains the most commonly used Tools commands used for drawing and selecting objects: Selection, Line, Polyline, Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon and Text. For more information, see Tools.

The Draw toolbar


Format Toolbar

The Format toolbar contains the Format commands that are not included on any other toolbar. For more information, see Bring to Front, Send to Back, Left to Right, Top to Bottom, Trim Picture,  Transparent and Opaque.

The Format toolbar


Polygon Toolbar

The Polygon toolbar contains the Format commands that are used for editing polygons and polylines. For more information, see Edit Points, Point and Sub-polygon.

The Polygon toolbar


Color Toolbar

The Color toolbar lets you change the line, fill, text and background colors of the current selection.

The Color toolbar

More:

Color Mode Buttons

Color Palette Buttons

Custom Color Button

Color Dialog Box


Color Mode Buttons

The Color Mode buttons lets you choose what aspect of the current selection the Color Palette buttons will reflect.

The Color Mode buttons
Line, Fill, Text and Background

In Windows, there are four colors that can control how an object is drawn. Not all objects use all four colors.

Type of Color	Where It Is Used
Line	Lines, Polylines, and edges of Rectangles, Ellipses and Polygons
Fill	Interior of Rectangles, Ellipses and Polygons
Text	Text and monochrome bitmap fills
Background	Opaque text, dashed lines, hatch fills
So, for example, to change the line color of some selected objects first make sure the Line Color Mode button is depressed, then press a Color Palette button to apply a new line color.


Color Palette Buttons

The Color Palette buttons let you see and edit the color of the current selection in conjunction with the current Color Mode.

The Color Palette buttons

To change the color of some selected objects, first make sure the proper Color Mode button is depressed, then press a Color Palette button to apply a new color.

If the color you want is not in the current Color Palette but is in the picture somewhere, select an object with the desired color and it will appear in the Color Palette (make sure the proper Color Mode button is selected).

If the color you want is not in the current Color Palette nor in the current picture, press the Custom Color button to select a custom color.

The Color property can also be accessed through the various property pages. For more information, see Properties.


Custom Color Button

The Custom Color button lets you apply a custom color to the current selection in conjunction with the current Color Mode.

The Custom Color button

To change the color of some selected objects to a custom color not in the color palette, first make sure the proper Color Mode button is depressed, then press the Custom Color button. The standard Windows Color dialog box will appear. Choose a color and press OK to complete the process.

The Color property can also be accessed through the various property pages. For more information, see Properties.


Color Dialog Box

Metafile Companion uses the standard Windows Color dialog box.

The Color dialog box

The Color dialog box lets you select a color to be used. You may choose a basic color or mix your own color.

If you add Custom Colors to the Color dialog box, they will be available for as long as Metafile Companion is running. However, they are not remembered once you exit the program.

Note: If your current Windows video driver only supports 16 or 256 colors, Windows may use "dithered" colors for solid area fills and wide, patterned lines but use a different "solid" color for other things like text and thin lines even though the Red, Green and Blue values shown in the Color dialog box are the same. This is normal behavior for the screen. However, most color output devices such as digital cameras and color printers do not have this limitation and will use color consistently for all objects.


Fill Toolbar

The Fill toolbar lets you see and edit the Fill Pattern of the current selection.

If the current selection does not use Fill Patterns, the Fill toolbar is disabled.

If the current selection contains different Fill Patterns (e.g. solid and hollow fill), then no Fill Pattern button will be selected. You can then select a new Fill Pattern which will be applied to the entire selection.

If there are no objects in the current selection, the Fill Pattern toolbar shows the Fill Patterns to be used when new filled objects are added.

The Fill property can also be accessed through the Fill property page. For more information, see Fill.

The Fill toolbar

More:

Fill Pattern Palette Buttons


Fill Pattern Palette Buttons

Press a Fill Pattern Palette button to change the fill pattern of the current selection.

Windows offers eight standard fill patterns - solid, empty and six hatch patterns. These are represented by the first eight buttons. The last two buttons are reserved for bitmap fill patterns, described below.

The Fill Pattern Palette buttons

Bitmap Fill Patterns

Windows does allow pictures to use bitmap fill patterns. However, these aren't used very often because they don't print well. The last two Fill Pattern Palette buttons are reserved for bitmap fills. However, they are disabled unless your picture already uses bitmap fill patterns.

Monochrome bitmap fills are special because their color is determined by the current Text and Background color - not the current Fill color.


Line Toolbar

The Line toolbar lets you see and edit the Line attributes of the current selection.

If the current selection does not use Line attributes, the Line toolbar is disabled.

If the current selection contains different Line attributes (e.g. solid and dashed lines), then the attribute that is different will be displayed with a mixed-value appearance (e.g. no line style button is selected). You can then select a new attribute which will be applied to the entire selection.

If there are no objects in the current selection, the Line attributes reflect the style of line to be used when new objects are added.

The Line properties can also be accessed through the Line property page. For more information, see Line.

The Line toolbar

More:

Line Pattern Palette Buttons

Line Width Control


Line Pattern Palette Buttons

Press a Line Pattern button to change the line pattern for the current selection.

The Line Pattern Palette buttons

The last Line Pattern is always "gray". When you select this line pattern, no line is drawn. Be careful, because this can make some objects "disappear".

The Line Pattern property can also be accessed through the Line property page. For more information, see Line.

Note: Windows 95 does not support drawing wide, patterned lines; Windows NT does. Windows 95 draws wide, patterned lines as thin, patterned lines.


Line Width Control

The Line Width control displays the line width for the current selection in picture units. You can increase or decrease the Line Width using the up or down arrows on the right side of the control or you can type in a number and press Enter.

The Line Width control

Since most pictures are drawn at a much higher resolution than the screen, increasing the line width by one picture unit might not make any change on the screen. However, if you keep increasing the width, eventually you will see a change.

The Line Width property can also be accessed through the Line property page. For more information, see Line.

The Line Width can change when resizing a collection of objects. For more information, see Position.

Note: Windows 95 does not support drawing wide, patterned lines; Windows NT does. Windows 95 draws wide, patterned lines as thin, patterned lines.


Grid Toolbar

The Grid toolbar lets you turn on and off the grid and the "snap to grid" feature.

The Grid Settings dialog box can be used to control all the grid features. For more information, see Grid Settings.

The Grid toolbar


The Application Window - Status Bar
Status Bar

The status bar is displayed at the bottom of the Metafile Companion window.

To display or hide the status bar or individual information areas, right-click the status bar or use the View, Status menu.

The status bar with various areas labeled

The various areas of the status bar are described below:

Message Area

The Message area of the status bar describes commands as you navigate through menus or pause over toolbar buttons.

Coordinate Area

The Coordinate area of the status bar displays the current cursor position in picture units, inches or centimeters. The Coordinate display can be turned off or on. For more information, see Coordinate.

Size Area

The Size area displays the size of the current selection or object being added in picture units, inches or centimeters. The Size display can be turned off or on. For more information, see Size.

Selection Area

The Selection area displays the number of objects currently selected. If a single object is selected, the type of object is displayed. The Selection display can be turned off or on. For more information, see Selection.

Size Grip

The size grip can be used to resize the application window.

Note: The size grip is not available when the application is maximized.


Document Window

The document window is where you draw and edit a picture.

For more information, see How to Add Objects and How to Edit Objects.

More:

Scroll Bars

Embedded Object Resize Bar


Scroll Bars

The scroll bars are displayed at the right and bottom edges of the document window if the entire picture does not fit on the screen. The scroll boxes inside the scroll bars indicate your vertical and horizontal location in the picture. You can use the mouse to scroll to other parts of the picture.

The scroll bars disappear if the View, Full Page mode is selected or if they are not needed at the current zoom percentage.


Embedded Object Resize Bar

When a Metafile Companion picture embedded in an OLE container document is activated the Embedded Object Resize Bar surrounds the object. The Resize Bar can be used to move or resize the object if the container supports these actions.

A Metafile Companion picture surrounded by an Embedded Object Resize Bar


How to Start the Program

How to Start the Program from the Desktop (Windows 95 / NT 4)

How to Start the Program from the Program Manager (Windows NT 3.51)


How to Start the Program from the Desktop (Windows 95 / NT 4)

To start Metafile Companion from the Desktop (Windows 95 / NT 4):

1.	Click on the Start button.

2.	Click on Programs, Metafile Companion.


How to Start the Program from the Program Manager (Windows NT 3.51)

To start Metafile Companion from the Program Manager (Windows NT 3.51):

1.	If the Metafile Companion group is not open, open it by double-clicking its icon or selecting Metafile Companion from the Window menu.

2.	Double-click on the Metafile Companion icon in the Metafile Companion group.


How to Open an Existing Metafile

How to Open a Metafile from the Explorer (Windows 95 / NT 4)

How to Open a Metafile from the File Manager (Windows NT 3.51)

How to Open a Metafile from Metafile Companion


How to Open a Metafile from the Explorer (Windows 95 / NT 4)

To open a metafile from the Explorer (Windows 95 / NT 4):

1.	Double-click the metafile name or document icon. Metafile Companion will automatically start up and open that file.

The Windows Metafile (WMF) document icon

The Enhanced Metafile (EMF) document icon

Metafile Companion also supports "drag and drop". You can open a metafile by dragging its document icon from Explorer and dropping it onto a running copy of Metafile Companion.

Metafile Companion is registered with Windows to open files with the .WMF and .EMF extensions.

Once you have opened the file, you can add, select, edit and delete objects. For more information, see How to Add Objects, How to Select Objects, How to Edit Objects, and How to Delete Objects.


How to Open a Metafile from the File Manager (Windows NT 3.51)

To open a metafile from File Manager (Windows NT 3.51):

1.	Double-click the metafile name. Metafile Companion will automatically start up and open that file.

Metafile Companion also supports "drag and drop". You can open a metafile by dragging its file name from File Manager and dropping it onto a running copy of Metafile Companion.

Metafile Companion is registered with Windows to open files with the .WMF and .EMF extensions.

Once you have opened the file, you can add, select, edit and delete objects. For more information, see How to Add Objects, How to Select Objects, How to Edit Objects, and How to Delete Objects.


How to Open a Metafile from Metafile Companion

To open a metafile from Metafile Companion:

1.	Press the Open button [image] on the Standard toolbar. The standard Windows Open dialog box will appear.

2.	If you know the complete filename, type it in. Otherwise use the Open dialog box controls to find the file, then highlight its name.

3.	Press Open to open the metafile.

Once you have opened the file, you can add, select, edit and delete objects. For more information, see How to Add Objects, How to Select Objects, How to Edit Objects, and How to Delete Objects.


How to Create a New Metafile

How to Create a New Metafile from Metafile Companion

How to Create a New Metafile with the Desktop New Command (Windows 95 / NT 4)

How to Insert a New Metafile from Inside an OLE Container Document


How to Create a New Metafile from Metafile Companion

To create a new metafile from Metafile Companion:

1.	Press the New button [image] on the Standard toolbar.

If the current metafile has not been saved, you will be asked if you want to save it. Press Yes to save it, No to discard it or Cancel to continue editing the current metafile.

Once you have a new metafile, you can begin adding objects. For more information, see How to Add Objects.


How to Create a New Metafile with the Desktop New Command (Windows 95 / NT 4)

To create a new metafile directly on the Desktop (Windows 95 / NT 4):

1.	Click the right mouse button on an empty area of the desktop.

2.	Select New, Windows Metafile. A new metafile will be created.

3.	Type a new name for the metafile and press Enter.

Double-click on the new document icon to begin adding objects. For more information, see How to Add Objects.


How to Insert a New Metafile from Inside an OLE Container Document

To insert a new metafile from inside an OLE container document (i.e. from some other OLE container program such as Microsoft Word):

1.	Make sure the OLE container document is visible.

2.	Select Insert, Object or Edit, Insert Object.

3.	Choose Metafile Companion Picture and select OK.

Once you have a new metafile, you can begin adding objects. For more information, see How to Add Objects.

When you are done the metafile will be saved with the OLE container document.


How to Add Objects

How to Add a Line

How to Add a Polyline

How to Add a Rectangle

How to Add an Ellipse

How to Add a Polygon

How to Add Text


How to Add a Line

To add a line:

1.	Select the Line tool [image].

2.	Press the left mouse button on the start of the line.

3.	Drag the mouse to the end of the line.

4.	Release the left mouse button.

Once you have added a line, you may want to edit it. For more information, see How to Edit Objects.


How to Add a Polyline

To add a polyline from individual points:

1.	Select the Polyline tool [image].

2.	Move the mouse to a point.

3.	Click the left mouse button to add the point.

4.	Repeat steps 2-3 as needed.

5.	Press Enter to stop adding points.

To add a polyline as one continuous line:

1.	Select the Polyline tool [image].

2.	Press the left mouse button on the first point.

3.	Hold the left button down until the Pencil cursor [image] appears.

4.	Drag the mouse to draw the continuous line.

5.	Release the left mouse button.

6.	Press Enter to stop adding points.

You can use some special keys when adding polylines. For more information, see How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts for Adding Polygons.

Once you have added a polyline, you may want to edit it. For more information, see How to Edit Objects and How to Edit Polygons.


How to Add a Rectangle

To add a rectangle:

1.	Select the Rectangle tool [image].

2.	Press the left mouse button on one corner of the rectangle.

3.	Drag the mouse to the opposite corner of the rectangle.

4.	Release the left mouse button.

Once you have added a rectangle, you may want to edit it. For more information, see How to Edit Objects.

Note: To add a square, add a rectangle with its height equal to its width as indicated by the Size area of the Status Bar. For more information, see Status Bar. Or you can use the Snap to Grid feature. For more information, see Snap to Grid.


How to Add an Ellipse

To add an ellipse:

1.	Select the Ellipse tool [image].

2.	Press the left mouse button to start the ellipse.

3.	Drag the mouse to size the ellipse.

4.	Release the left mouse button.

Once you have added an ellipse, you may want to edit it. For more information, see How to Edit Objects.

Note: To add a circle, add an ellipse with its height equal to its width as indicated by the Size area of the Status Bar. For more information, see Status Bar. Or you can use the Snap to Grid feature. For more information, see Snap to Grid.


How to Add a Polygon

To add a polygon from individual points:

1.	Select the Polygon tool [image].

2.	Move the mouse to a point.

3.	Click the left mouse button to add the point.

4.	Repeat steps 2-3 as needed.

5.	Press Enter to stop adding points.

To add a polygon as one continuous line:

1.	Select the Polygon tool [image].

2.	Press the left mouse button on the first point.

3.	Hold the left button down until the Pencil cursor [image] appears.

4.	Drag the mouse to draw the continuous line.

5.	Release the left mouse button.

6.	Press Enter to stop adding points.

You can use some special keys when adding polygons. For more information, see How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts for Adding Polygons.

Once you have added a polygon, you may want to edit it. For more information, see How to Edit Objects and How to Edit Polygons.


How to Add Text

To add text:

1.	Select the Text tool [image].

2.	Click the left mouse button where the text is to be added. The Text dialog box will appear.

3.	Type in your text and press Enter.

For more information, see Text Dialog Box.

Once you have added text, you may want to edit it. For more information, see How to Edit Objects and How to Edit Text.

For more information about changing Text properties such as color and font, see How to Change Object Properties.


How to Select Objects

How to Select a Single Object

How to Select a Group of Objects

How to Add or Remove Objects from a Selection

How to Select Similar Objects


How to Select a Single Object

To select a single object:

1.	Choose the Selection tool [image] from the Draw toolbar.

2.	With the tip of the arrow on or near the object, click on the object.

Note: The Line, Rectangle and Circle tools in the Draw toolbar will also allow you to select objects by clicking on them. However, the Polyline, Polygon and Text tools will not.

To add more objects to the selection, see How to Add or Remove Objects from a Selection.


How to Select a Group of Objects

To select a group of objects (all in one area):

1.	Choose the Selection tool [image] from the Draw toolbar.

2.	Press the left mouse button.

3.	Drag a box around all the objects in the group.

4.	Release the left mouse button.

Note: You cannot begin a group select inside a currently selected object. If necessary, use the Select, None command before doing a group select.

See also How to Add or Remove Objects from a Selection.


How to Add or Remove Objects from a Selection

To add or remove objects from a selection:

1.	Choose the Selection tool [image] from the Draw toolbar.

2.	Hold down the Shift key and click on the object you want to add or remove.


How to Select Similar Objects

To select all objects similar to some base object:

1.	Select a "base" object.

2.	Choose Select, Similar.

3.	Check or uncheck any filters you want.

4.	Select OK.

If you leave all the filters checked, then only objects that are nearly identical to the base object are selected. Uncheck filters if matching that property doesn't matter to you.

For example, to select all objects with the same fill color as some base object:

1.	Select a "base" object.

2.	Choose Select, Similar.

3.	Press Uncheck All Filters, then check the Fill Color filter.

4.	Select OK.


How to Edit Objects

To edit objects in a metafile (once it is open in Metafile Companion):

1.	Choose the Selection tool [image] from the Draw toolbar.

2.	Select the objects to modify.

3.	Apply new styles with the various toolbars or through the Format menu.

4.	Repeat steps 2-3 as needed.

For more information, see How to Select Objects and Toolbars.

More:

How to Change Object Properties

How to Flip Objects

How to Move Objects

How to Copy Objects

How to Resize Objects

How to Edit Text

How to Edit Polygons


How to Change Object Properties

To change the properties of selected objects:

1.	Right-click on the selected objects and choose Properties from the pop-up menu. The Properties sheet will be displayed.

2.	Select the Property page you want to change by clicking on the named tab for that property (e.g. Position, Line, Fill, Text, etc.).

3.	Change the property settings.

4.	Select OK.

Many object properties are directly accessible from the Metafile Companion toolbars. For more information, see Toolbars.

For help selecting objects, see How to Select Objects.


How to Flip Objects

To flip one or more objects:

1.	Select the objects.

2.	Click on the Flip Left To Right button [image] or the Flip Top to Bottom button [image] (or choose Left to Right, Top to Bottom or Both from the Format, Flip menu).

For help selecting objects, see How to Select Objects.

For a note about flipping text, see Flip.


How to Move Objects

To move one or more objects with the mouse:

1.	Select the objects.

2.	Move the mouse cursor near the objects to be moved until the Move cursor [image] appears.

3.	Drag the objects to their new position.

For help selecting objects, see How to Select Objects.


How to Copy Objects

To copy one or more objects with the mouse:

1.	Select the objects.

2.	Hold down the Ctrl key.

3.	Move the mouse cursor near the objects to be moved until the Copy cursor [image] appears.

4.	Drag the objects to copy them to their new position.

5.	Release the Ctrl key.

For help selecting objects, see How to Select Objects.


How to Resize Objects

To resize one or more objects with the mouse:

1.	Select the objects.

2.	Move the mouse cursor to one of the eight solid sizing handles around the selection until a Sizing cursor ( [image], [image], [image] or [image] ) appears.

3.	Drag the sizing handle in or out to resize the selected objects.

Dragging a corner handle lets you change both the width and height of the object. Dragging a side handle only changes the object's size in one dimension.

For help selecting objects, see How to Select Objects.

When more than one object is selected, resizing the selection also can change the Line Width and Font Point Size. For more information, see Position.

Text objects are sized specially as described below.

More:

How to Resize Text

How to Resize the Picture to Fit All Objects


How to Resize Text

To resize a single text object:

1.	Select the text

2.	Use the up and down arrows on the Point Size control to increase or decrease the text point size.

The Point Size control

When more than one object is selected, resizing the selection also can resize the Point Size. For more information, see Position.

Note: If either the Draw Opaque Rectangle or the Clip to Rectangle option is checked in the Advanced Text Options dialog box, then the Text object sizing handles size the Opaque/Clipping rectangle not the text. If neither option is checked, the Text object sizing handles are disabled. For more information, see Advanced Text Options Dialog Box.


How to Resize the Picture to Fit All Objects

To resize the entire picture to just enclose the objects it contains:

1. Press the Trim Picture button [image] or choose the Trim Picture command from the Format menu.

For more information, see Trim Picture.


How to Edit Text

To edit text:

1.	Select the Selection tool [image].

2.	Double-click on the text or select the text and press Edit, Open. The Text dialog box will appear.

3.	Edit the text.

4.	Press OK.

For more information, see Text Dialog Box.

For help selecting objects, see How to Select Objects.

For more information about changing Text properties such as color and font, see How to Change Object Properties.


How to Edit Polygons

How to Edit the Points of a Polygon

How to Insert or Delete Sub-polygons


How to Edit the Points of a Polygon

To edit the points of a polygon:

1.	Select the polygon.

2.	Press the Edit Points toolbar button [image]. Small rectangular handles will be drawn at each vertex point of the polygon.

3.	Click on a point handle to select it. The currently selected point is indicated by a solid filled handle. All the other points have hollow handles.

4.	With a point selected you can:

•	move it by dragging it with the mouse to another location,

•	copy it by holding down the Ctrl key while dragging it to another location,

•	delete it by pressing the Delete Point button [image] or the Delete key, or

•	insert another point at the currently selected point by pressing the Insert Point button [image] or the Insert key.

5.	When you are done, press the Edit Points button [image] again to leave Edit Points mode.

Note: Since a polygon must have at least three points, the Delete Point command is disabled when a polygon only has three points.

You can use some special keys when editing polygons. For more information, see How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts for Editing Polygons.

For help selecting objects, see How to Select Objects.


How to Insert or Delete Sub-polygons

To insert or delete sub-polygons in a polygon:

1.	Select the polygon.

2.	Press the Edit Points toolbar button [image]. Small rectangular handles will be drawn at each vertex point of the polygon.

3.	Click on any point handle in a sub-polygon to select it. The currently selected point is indicated by a solid filled handle. All the other points have hollow handles.

4.	With a point in a sub-polygon selected you can:

•	delete the current sub-polygon by pressing the Delete Sub-polygon button [image] or the Ctrl+Shift+Delete key or

•	insert another sub-polygon inside the current sub-polygon by pressing the Insert Sub-polygon button [image] or the Ctrl+Shift+Insert key.

5.	When you are done, press the Edit Points button [image] again to leave Edit Points mode.

Note: Since a polygon must have at least one sub-polygon, the Delete Sub-polygon command is disabled when a polygon only has one sub-polygon.

For help selecting objects, see How to Select Objects.


How to Delete Objects

To delete objects:

1.	Select the objects.

2.	Press the Delete key or select Edit, Delete.

For help selecting objects, see How to Select Objects.

For help restoring deleted objects, see How to Undo Changes.


How to Undo Changes

To undo any editing changes you may have made, you can:

•	press the Undo button [image],

•	press the Undo shortcut key Ctrl+Z,

•	or select Edit, Undo from the menu.

For more information, see Undo and Redo.


How to Save a Metafile

To save a metafile:

1.	Press the Save button [image] on the Standard toolbar.

2.	If the file already has a name, it will be saved immediately.
Otherwise, the standard Windows Save As dialog box will appear and you can type in a name and press OK. For more information, see Save As.

Note: Metafile Companion will not let you "accidentally" forget to save a metafile. Even if you try to open another metafile or exit the program, Metafile Companion will remind you to save your work.


How to Exit the Program

To exit the program:

1.	Click the Close button [image] (Windows 95 / NT 4) or double-click the Control menu box (Windows NT 3.51) [image] on the title bar or select File, Exit from the menu.

2.	If the picture you have been working on has not been saved, you will be asked if you want to save it before exiting. Press Yes to save your picture, No to abandon your picture and exit, or Cancel to go back to your picture without exiting Metafile Companion. For more information about saving files, see How to Save a Metafile.

Note: Metafile Companion will not let you "accidentally" forget to save a metafile. Even if you exit the program, Metafile Companion will remind you to save your work.


How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts

Many commands have shortcuts that can be entered directly from the keyboard. For example, you can press Ctrl+P to issue the File, Print command. See the description of a particular command to see if it has a keyboard shortcut. Keyboard shortcuts are also displayed next to the command name in the various menus.

There are some special keys that can be used by Metafile Companion to simulate mouse actions whenever you are adding or editing objects in the document window:

Key	Action
Arrow keys	same as moving the mouse
Spacebar	same as clicking the left mouse button
Enter	same as double-clicking the left mouse button
More:

How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts for Adding Polygons

How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts for Editing Polygons


How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts for Adding Polygons

In addition to the usual command shortcut keys, there are some special keys you can use when adding polygons and polylines:

Key	Action
Arrow keys	same as moving the mouse
Spacebar	same as clicking the left mouse button - adds a point
Enter	same as double-clicking the left mouse button - stops adding points
Backspace	deletes the last point you just added
Esc	abandons (deletes) the entire polygon you are adding


How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts for Editing Polygons

In addition to the usual command shortcut keys, there are some special keys you can use when editing polygons and polylines:

Key	Action
Arrow keys	selects the next (or previous) point
Enter	same as double-clicking the left mouse button - stops editing points
Delete	deletes the current point and moves to the next point
Backspace	deletes the current point and moves to the previous point
Esc	abandons all editing changes, reverts back to the original polygon


How to Manage Toolbars

How to Float or Dock Toolbars

How to Resize Floating Toolbars

How to Show or Hide Toolbars


How to Float or Dock Toolbars

For more general information about floating and docked toolbars, see Toolbar Modes.

More:

How to Move a Toolbar From a Dock

How to Dock a Floating Toolbar

How to Quickly Dock or Float Toolbars

How to Move a Floating Toolbar Over a Dock Area


How to Move a Toolbar From a Dock

To move a toolbar from a dock:

1.	Position the mouse pointer in a blank area in the toolbar (not on a button or control).

2.	Drag the toolbar away from the dock, and move it to the desired position, either on the desktop or in another dock.


How to Dock a Floating Toolbar

To dock a floating toolbar:

1.	Position the mouse pointer over the toolbar title bar or in a blank area in the toolbar.

2.	Drag the toolbar to any of the four window borders of the application window.

3.	When the mouse pointer reaches the boundary of the docking area, the toolbar window assumes a shape appropriate for the docking location. Along the top and bottom borders, it becomes a single horizontal row of buttons; along the sides, it becomes a single vertical row.

Note: Some toolbars cannot be docked on all borders. The Text, Zoom and Line toolbars can only be docked on top or bottom borders.


How to Quickly Dock or Float Toolbars

To quickly dock or float toolbars:

•	Position the mouse pointer in a blank area in the toolbar, or in the title bar of a floating toolbar, and double-click.

•	If you double-click a toolbar in a toolbar dock, it moves to its previous floating position.

•	If you double-click the title bar of a floating toolbar, it moves to the last toolbar dock on which it was displayed. If the toolbar has not been docked before, it moves to a new row in the toolbar dock below the menu bar.


How to Move a Floating Toolbar Over a Dock Area

To move a floating toolbar over a dock area:

1.	Position the mouse pointer in a blank area of the toolbar or in its title bar.

2.	Hold down the Ctrl key and drag the toolbar over any dock area of the application window. The toolbar moves into position over the dock, but remains a floating toolbar.


How to Resize Floating Toolbars

You can resize some floating toolbars. The toolbar changes the row and column arrangement to accommodate whatever new orientation you give the toolbar window. The window takes the least amount of space necessary to display all its buttons, in whatever orientation you give it.

To resize a floating toolbar:

1.	Move the mouse pointer over the toolbar window border. The mouse pointer turns into a two-headed arrow.

2.	Drag the border to resize the window.

Note: You cannot change the size or orientation of docked toolbars, only some floating toolbars. You cannot change the size of the Text, Zoom or Line toolbars even when they are floating.


How to Show or Hide Toolbars

To show or hide a toolbar using the main menu:

1.	Select View, Toolbars. The Toolbars menu appears.

2.	Check or uncheck the toolbar you want to show or hide.

To show or hide a toolbar using the mouse:

1.	Right click a toolbar. The Toolbars menu appears.

2.	Check or uncheck the toolbar you want to show or hide.

To hide a floating toolbar:

1.	Click the Close button on the corner of the window.


How to Work with the Clipboard

How to Copy Selected Objects to Another Program

How to Copy the Entire Picture to Another Program

How to Edit a Picture Embedded in Another Program's Document

How to Combine Metafiles on a Page


How to Copy Selected Objects to Another Program

To copy selected objects to another program:

1.	Select the objects you want to copy.

2.	Press the Copy button [image] or Edit, Copy or Ctrl+C.

3.	Switch to the other program.

4.	Position your cursor in the other document if necessary.

5.	Select Edit, Paste or press Ctrl+V to paste the objects.

For more information, see How to Select Objects.

Note: Some very simple programs (such as Windows Notepad) do not support pasting metafiles from the Clipboard, so they will not work as described above.


How to Copy the Entire Picture to Another Program

To copy the entire picture to another program:

1.	Press Ctrl+A or Select, All to select all the objects.

Note: You can also copy the entire picture by deselecting all objects with Ctrl+Shift+A, or Select, None or clicking the Selection tool in an empty area of the picture.

2.	Press the Copy button [image] or Edit, Copy or Ctrl+C.

3.	Switch to the other program.

4.	Position your cursor in the other document if necessary.

5.	Select Edit, Paste or press Ctrl+V to paste the picture.

Note: Some very simple programs (such as Windows Notepad) do not support pasting metafiles from the Clipboard, so they will not work as described above.

Note: If the program you are pasting to supports OLE, it will probably paste the picture as an embedded OLE object. Then you can double-click on the picture to edit it directly from the other application.


How to Edit a Picture Embedded in Another Program's Document

To edit a picture embedded in another program's document:

1.	With the other program's document visible, select the picture you want to edit.

2.	Select Edit, Copy or press Ctrl+C.

3.	Start up Metafile Companion.
If you have already started Metafile Companion, make sure the picture is empty. Use the File, New command if necessary.

4.	Press the Paste button [image] or Edit, Paste or press Ctrl+V to paste the objects.

5.	Edit the picture.
For more information, see How to Edit Objects.

6.	Copy the updated picture to the Clipboard by pressing Ctrl+A then Ctrl+C.

7.	Switch back to the other program. The original picture should still be selected.

8.	Select Edit, Paste or press Ctrl+V to paste the updated picture - replacing the original picture.
Note: Some programs may not delete the original picture, in which case you should delete it yourself before performing this step.

When you are done, you can close Metafile Companion without saving the picture you edited. It is already copied to the other program's document.

Note: Some very simple programs (such as Windows Notepad) do not support copying metafiles to the Clipboard, so they will not work as described above.


How to Combine Metafiles on a Page

To combine metafiles on a page:

1.	Start up one copy of Metafile Companion. This will be called the Source window.

2.	Start up another copy of Metafile Companion. This will be called the Destination window.

3.	Switch to the Source window.

4.	Open a metafile.

5.	Press the Copy button [image].

6.	Switch to the Destination window.

7.	Press the Paste button [image].

8.	Move or resize the pasted objects as desired.

9.	Repeat steps 3-8 as desired.

For more information, see How to Start the Program, How to Open an Existing Metafile and How to Edit Objects.

More:

How to Keep a Specific Destination Page Size When Combining Metafiles


How to Keep a Specific Destination Page Size When Combining Metafiles

Usually an empty picture is resized to match the first metafile pasted to it. To keep a specific destination page size when combining metafiles:

1.	Set the Picture size of the empty Destination window before pasting any metafiles by clicking on Edit, Properties, Picture.

2.	Add a "dummy" object such as a line.

3.	Paste the first metafile. The size of the destination page will not change to match the first pasted metafile because the picture is not empty.

4.	Delete the "dummy" object.

5.	Paste the remaining metafiles.

For more information about setting the Picture size, see Picture.


How to Get Help

How to Get Context Sensitive Help

How to Use "What's This?" Help

How to Search for Help

How to Get Technical Support


How to Get Context Sensitive Help

To get context sensitive help from anywhere in the program:

1.	Press F1

This is most useful when you are in a dialog box and want to find out what all the options do.

See also How to Use "What's This?" Help and How to Search for Help.


How to Use "What's This?" Help

To use the "What's This?" help mode:

1.	Press the "What's This?" button [image]. Metafile Companion will change the cursor to the Help mode cursor [image].

2.	Click on any part of the application to see what it does.

This is great for learning about toolbar buttons, controls and menu items.

See also How to Get Context Sensitive Help and How to Search for Help.


How to Search for Help

To search for help on a particular topic:

1.	Press the Help Topics button [image] or Help, Help Topics. The Help Topics dialog box will appear.

2.	Click on the Find tab.
If the Find Setup Wizard appears, click on Next and Finish.

3.	Type the word(s) you want to find.

4.	Select some matching words to narrow your search.

5.	Click a topic, then click Display.

You can also browse through the Contents or Index for help on a particular subject. For more information, see Help Topics Dialog Box.

See also How to Get Context Sensitive Help and How to Use "What's This?" Help.


How to Get Technical Support

To get technical support using Metafile Companion:

1.	Click on Help, About Metafile Companion.

2.	Click on Support to find the best way to get technical support.


How to Uninstall the Program

How to Uninstall the Program (Windows 95 / NT 4)

How to Uninstall the Program (Windows NT 3.51)


How to Uninstall the Program (Windows 95 / NT 4)

To uninstall Metafile Companion (Windows 95 / NT 4):

1.	Click on Start, Settings, Control Panel.

2.	Double-click on Add/Remove Programs.

3.	Click on Metafile Companion and Add/Remove.

4.	Click on Yes to confirm the removal.

5.	Click on OK when the uninstall is complete.

Note: Uninstall only deletes files that were originally installed as part of Metafile Companion. If the uninstall program says that it was unable to remove all items, it is probably because there are files you saved in the Metafile Companion directory. You can move these files somewhere else or simply delete the entire directory if you do not want them.


How to Uninstall the Program (Windows NT 3.51)

To uninstall Metafile Companion (Windows NT 3.51):

1.	Go to the Program Manager.

2.	Make sure the Metafile Companion group is open.

3.	Double-click on the Uninstall Metafile Companion icon.

4.	Click on Yes to confirm the removal.

5.	Click on OK when the uninstall is complete.

Note: Uninstall only deletes files that were originally installed as part of Metafile Companion. If the uninstall program says that it was unable to remove all items, it is probably because there are files you saved in the Metafile Companion directory. You can move these files somewhere else or simply delete the entire directory if you do not want them.


File

The File menu commands are described below.

More:

New

Open

Save

Save As

Update

Save Copy As

Print

Print Preview

Send

Most Recently Used Files

Exit


New

Use this command to create a new metafile in Metafile Companion.

You can open an existing document with the Open command. For more information, see Open.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+N


Commands - File - Open
Open

Use this command to open an existing metafile. Metafile Companion displays the Open dialog box so you can choose a metafile to open.

Metafile Companion can open both "regular" Windows metafiles (WMF files) and enhanced metafiles (EMF files). Metafile Companion can also open Clipboard files (CLP files) that contain metafiles.

You can create new metafiles with the New command. For more information, see New.

You can paste metafiles copied from other applications with the Paste command. For more information, see Paste.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+O

More:

Open Dialog Box (Windows 95 / NT 4)

Open Dialog Box (Windows NT 3.51)


Open Dialog Box (Windows 95 / NT 4)

Metafile Companion uses the standard Windows Open dialog box. (Windows NT 3.51 users, please see Open Dialog Box (Windows NT 3.51).)

The Open dialog box (Windows 95 / NT 4)

The following options allow you to specify which file to open:

File Name

Type or select the filename you want to open. The box above the File Name field lists files with the extension you select in the Files of Type box.

Files of Type

Select the type of file you want to open:

•	All Metafiles (*.wmf;*.emf;*.clp)

•	Windows Metafiles (*.wmf)

•	Enhanced Metafiles (*.emf)

•	Clipboard Files (*.clp)

•	All Files (*.*)

Metafile Companion remembers the last type you used and sets it as the default type when you open this dialog box again.

Look In

Select the drive and folder for the file that you want to open.

Metafile Companion remembers the last drive and folder you used and sets them as the default location when you open this dialog box again.


Open Dialog Box (Windows NT 3.51)

Metafile Companion uses the standard Windows Open dialog box.

The Open dialog box (Windows NT 3.51)

The following options allow you to specify which file to open:

File Name

Type or select the filename you want to open. This box lists files with the extension you select in the List Files of Type box.

List Files of Type

Select the type of file you want to open:

•	All Metafiles (*.wmf;*.emf;*.clp)

•	Windows Metafiles (*.wmf)

•	Enhanced Metafiles (*.emf)

•	Clipboard Files (*.clp)

•	All Files (*.*)

Metafile Companion remembers the last type you used and sets it as the default type when you open this dialog box again.

Drives

Select the drive for the file that you want to open.

Metafile Companion remembers the last drive you used and sets it as the default drive when you open this dialog box again.

Directories

Select the directory for the file that you want to open.

Metafile Companion remembers the last directory you used and sets it as the default directory when you open this dialog box again.

Network

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


Save

Use this command to save the metafile under its current name and directory. When you save a document for the first time, Metafile Companion displays the Save As dialog box so you can name your document. If you want to change the name and directory of an existing document before you save it, choose the Save As command. For more information, see Save As.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+S


Save As

Use this command to save and name the active metafile. Metafile Companion displays the Save As dialog box so you can name your document.

To save a document with its existing name and directory, use the Save command. For more information, see Save.

More:

Save As Dialog Box (Windows 95 / NT 4)

Save As Dialog Box (Windows NT 3.51)


Save As Dialog Box (Windows 95 / NT 4)

Metafile Companion uses the standard Windows Save As dialog box. (Windows NT 3.51 users, please see Save As Dialog Box (Windows NT 3.51).)

The Save As dialog box (Windows 95 / NT 4)

The following options allow you to specify the name and location of the file you're about to save:

Save In

Select the drive and folder in which you want to store the document.

Metafile Companion remembers the last drive and folder you used and sets them as the default location when you open this dialog box again.

File Name

Type a new filename to save a document with a different name. Metafile Companion adds the extension you specify in the Save As Type box.

Save as Type

Select the type of file you want to save:

•	Windows Metafiles (*.wmf)

•	Enhanced Metafiles (*.emf)

Metafile Companion usually saves pictures in the Windows metafile (WMF) format since this is more widely supported than the newer enhanced metafile (EMF) format. However, you can also save pictures in the enhanced metafile (EMF) format for use by newer applications that support it.


Save As Dialog Box (Windows NT 3.51)

Metafile Companion uses the standard Windows Save As dialog box.

The Save As dialog box (Windows NT 3.51)

The following options allow you to specify the name and location of the file you're about to save:

File Name

Type a new filename to save a document with a different name. Metafile Companion adds the extension you specify in the Save File As Type box. This box lists files with the extension you select in the Save File As Type box.

Save File as Type

Select the type of file you want to save:

•	Windows Metafiles (*.wmf)

•	Enhanced Metafiles (*.emf)

Metafile Companion usually saves pictures in the Windows metafile (WMF) format since this is more widely supported than the newer enhanced metafile (EMF) format. However, you can also save pictures in the enhanced metafile (EMF) format for use by newer applications that support it.

Drives

Select the drive for the file that you want to open.

Metafile Companion remembers the last drive you used and sets it as the default drive when you open this dialog box again.

Directories

Select the directory for the file that you want to open.

Metafile Companion remembers the last directory you used and sets it as the default directory when you open this dialog box again.

Network

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


Update

Use this command to update an OLE container with the current version of the metafile.


Save Copy As

Use this command to make a copy on disk of the current OLE embedded metafile.


Print

Use this command to print a metafile. This command displays the Print dialog box where you may specify the number of copies, the destination printer and other printer properties.

The current View zoom percentage is also used to print out the picture. So if the zoom percentage is set to Full Page, the picture will print out full page regardless of its actual size. If the zoom percentage is set to 100%, the picture will print out at its actual size. You can use zoom percentages less than 100% to reduce the picture size or percentages greater than 100% to enlarge it. We suggest you print at the Full Page setting. For more information about the various View zoom commands, see View.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:	 (Print Direct)

Keyboard:	Ctrl+P

Note: The toolbar shortcut bypasses the Print dialog by sending a Print Direct command. For more information, see Print Direct Button.

More:

Print Dialog Box

Print Progress Dialog Box


Print Dialog Box

Metafile Companion uses the standard Windows Print dialog box.

The Print dialog box

The following options allow you to specify how the document should be printed:

Printer

This area shows the current printer information. You can change printers by selecting a new Name.

Properties

Displays a Printer Properties dialog box. You can change the printer properties (including whether to print in Landscape or Portrait Orientation) from this dialog box.

Print Range

This setting does not apply to Metafile Companion.

Copies

Specify the number of copies you want to print.


Print Progress Dialog Box

The Print Progress (Printing) dialog box is shown while the program sends output to the printer.

To abort printing, choose Cancel.


Print Preview

Use this command to display the active document as it would appear when printed. When you choose this command, the main window will be replaced with a print preview window in which the metafile is displayed in its printed format. The Print Preview toolbar offers you options to zoom in and out and print the page.

More:

Print Preview Toolbar


Print Preview Toolbar

The Print Preview toolbar offers you the following options:

Print

Bring up the Print dialog box to print the current picture.

Next Page

Not used by Metafile Companion.

Prev Page

Not used by Metafile Companion.

One Page / Two Page

Not used by Metafile Companion.

Zoom In

Take a closer look at the printed page.

Zoom Out

Take a larger look at the printed page.

Close

Return from print preview to the editing window.


Send

Use this command to send the metafile through electronic mail. This command presents a mail window with the current document attached to it. You may then fill out the To: field, Subject: field, etc., and add text to the body of the message if you wish. When you are finished you may click the "Send" button to send the message.

Note: The Send command is only available if mail support (MAPI) is present on your system.


Most Recently Used Files

Use the numbers and filenames listed at the bottom of the File menu to open the last four documents you saved. Choose the number that corresponds with the document you want to open.

Metafile Companion can automatically open the most recently used file on startup. For more information, see General.


Exit

Use this command to end your Metafile Companion session. Metafile Companion prompts you to save your current picture if necessary.

Shortcuts

Keyboard:	Alt+F4


Edit

The Edit menu commands are described below.

More:

Undo

Redo

Cut

Copy

Paste

Delete

Open

Properties


Undo

Use this command to reverse the last editing action, if possible.

If you issue the File New or Open commands, the undo buffer is cleared.

Metafile Companion has a limit to the number of undo states that are saved. Use the General page of the Tools Options property sheet to change the number of undo states that are saved. For more information, see General.

If you want to restore the last editing action, press Redo immediately after pressing Undo. It you make any editing changes after an Undo, Redo will not be available.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+Z


Redo

Use the Redo command to "undo an undo". You must press Redo immediately after pressing Undo if you want to restore the last editing action. It you make any editing changes after an Undo, Redo will not be available.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+Y


Cut

Use this command to remove the currently selected objects from the metafile and put them on the clipboard. This command is unavailable if there are no objects currently selected.

Cutting objects to the clipboard replaces the contents previously stored there.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+X


Copy

Use this command to copy the currently selected objects onto the clipboard. This command is unavailable if there are no objects currently selected.

Copying objects to the clipboard replaces the contents previously stored there.

If no objects are selected and you issue the Copy command, the entire metafile is copied to the clipboard.

For more advanced uses of the Copy command, see How to Work with the Clipboard.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+C


Paste

Use this command to insert a copy of a clipboard metafile on top of the current Metafile Companion metafile. This command is unavailable if the clipboard is empty or if no metafile is on the clipboard.

If the current Metafile Companion metafile is empty, Metafile Companion will automatically resize the current metafile to match the size of the clipboard metafile when it is pasted.

If there is already one or more objects in the current Metafile Companion metafile, its size will not be changed when a clipboard metafile is pasted.

The objects pasted on top of the current metafile become the currently selected objects. This makes it easy to move or resize them immediately after a Paste command.

For more advanced uses of the Paste command, see How to Work with the Clipboard.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+V


Commands - Edit - Delete
Delete

Deletes the current selection from the metafile. You can press Undo if you delete something by mistake. For more information, see Undo.

Shortcuts

Keyboard:	Delete


Commands - Edit - Open
Open

Use the Edit, Open command to open a complex object for more detailed editing. This command is disabled if the currently selected object does not support editing.

The Open command works on the following objects:

Object	What Open Allows You To Do
Text	Edit text and clipping options
Polyline	Move, insert and delete points
Polygon	Move, insert and delete points and sub-polygons
Shortcuts

Mouse:	Double-click on an object


Properties

Use this command to edit the properties of the current selection and picture. A property sheet dialog box with the appropriate property pages for the current selection is displayed.

If no objects are selected, use the Properties command to set the default properties for new objects.

Many of the properties are available directly from the Metafile Companion toolbars.

Shortcuts

Keyboard:	Alt+Enter

Mouse:	Right click on selected objects and choose Properties from the pop-up menu

The individual property pages are described below.

More:

Position

Line

Fill

Text

Other

Picture


Commands - Properties - Position
Position

The Position property page

The Position property page lets you adjust the size and placement of the current selection. All objects have the Position property.

You can also change the position of a selection directly with the mouse. For more information, see How to Move Objects and How to Resize Objects.

Offset Horizontally, Offset Vertically

Use the Offset Horizontally and Offset Vertically settings to move the selection around. Positive offsets move the selection to the right and down. Negative offsets move the selection to the left and up.

You can estimate the size of offset you need by looking at the Coordinate and Size areas of the status bar. For more information, see Status Bar.

You can also move objects directly with the mouse. For more information, see How to Move Objects.

Scale Horizontally, Scale Vertically

Use the Scale Horizontally and Scale Vertically settings to change the size of the selection as a percentage of the current size. So, for example, a value of 100% maintains the current size, 50% shrinks the selection in half and 200% doubles the size.

If more than one object is currently selected, scaling the selection vertically will also scale the Font Point Size and Line Width accordingly. Scaling a single object does not change its Font Point Size or Line Width.

You can also scale objects directly with the mouse. For more information, see How to Resize Objects.


Commands - Properties - Line
Line

The Line property page

The Line property page lets you see and edit the Line style of the current selection. All objects except Text have the Line property.

Style

The Style control lets you choose one of the six pre-defined Windows line styles.

Width

The Width control lets you set the line width in picture units.

The line width of a selection may also change if the selection is resized. For more information, see Position.

Note: Windows 95 does not support drawing wide, patterned lines; Windows NT does. On Windows 95 wide, patterned lines are drawn as thin, patterned lines.

Color

The Color button displays the standard Windows Color dialog box. Select a color and press OK.

For more information, see Color Dialog Box.

Sample

The Sample area displays a sample of the current Line style so you can see the effects of any changes you make.


Commands - Properties - Fill
Fill

The Fill property page

The Fill property page lets you see and edit the Fill style of the current selection. Only the Rectangle, Ellipse and Polygon objects have the Fill property.

Pattern

The Pattern control lets you choose one eight standard Windows fill patterns. Also included are two optional bitmap pattern choices that only work if your picture already contains bitmap fills.

Color

The Color button displays the standard Windows Color dialog box. Select a color and press OK.

For more information, see Color Dialog Box.

Sample

The Sample area displays a sample of the current Fill style so you can see the effects of any changes you make.


Commands - Properties - Text
Text

The Text property page

The Text property page lets you see and edit the Text style of the current selection. Only Text objects have the Text property.

Font

The Font button displays the standard Windows Font dialog box. Select new font attributes and press OK.

For more information, see Font Dialog Box (Windows 95 / NT 4) or Font Dialog Box (Windows NT 3.51).

The Font Point Size of a selection may also change if the selection is resized. For more information, see Position.

Color

The Color button displays the standard Windows Color dialog box. Select a color and press OK.

For more information, see Color Dialog Box.

Align

Choose Left, Center or Right to change the text alignment.

Rotation

Text can be rotated to any angle. Enter a rotation value in degrees.

Sample

The Sample area displays a sample of the current Text style so you can see the effects of any changes you make.


Commands - Properties - Other
Other

The Other property page

The Other property page lets you see and edit some miscellaneous Other styles of the current selection. All objects have the Other property but not all objects use its values.

Text and Bitmap Fill Color

The Text and Bitmap Fill Color button displays the standard Windows Color dialog box. For more information, see Color Dialog Box.

The Text and Bitmap Fill Color is usually used by text objects. This same property can also be accessed from the Color button on the Text property page. However, monochrome bitmap fills use the Text and Bitmap Fill Color as the foreground color and the Background Color (described below) as the background color.

Background Color

The Background Color button displays the standard Windows Color dialog box. For more information, see Color Dialog Box.

The Background Color value is only used for:

•	objects with a monochrome bitmap fill, or

•	text with the Opaque option checked in the Text dialog box, or

•	objects with an Opaque Background Mode and

♦	a hatch fill pattern, or

♦	a thin, non-solid line pattern, or

♦	text.

Background Mode

The Background Mode controls whether certain objects appear transparent or opaque. Opaque objects fill their background area with the current Background Color.

The Background Mode value is only used for objects with:

•	a hatch fill pattern, or

•	a thin, non-solid line pattern, or

•	text.

Note: Text objects also have an independent Opaque property accessible from the Text dialog box. For more information, see Text Dialog Box.


Picture

The Picture property page

The Picture property page lets you see and edit the properties of the entire picture (not the current selection).

Width, Height

Change the width and height to change the actual size of the entire picture. All the objects in the picture are resized as well. The units of the width and height values are controlled by the Units setting described below.

You can also automatically resize the picture to just fit the objects it contains. For more information, see Trim Picture.

Units

Changing the Units setting makes a corresponding change in the Picture Width and Height values. Units can be set to Picture Units, Inches or Centimeters. This setting also controls what units are displayed in the Coordinate and Size areas of the status bar.

Metafile Companion remembers the last Units setting you used and sets it as the default when you open this dialog box again.

Resize Objects With Picture

Usually the Resize Objects With Picture option is checked meaning that if the entire picture is resized so are all the objects it contains. However, there are times when you want to change the size of the overall picture without changing the size of the objects. For example, you may want to increase or decrease the "white space" or margin around all the objects without changing the objects themselves. In this case make sure that Resize Objects With Picture is not checked.

You can also automatically resize the picture to just fit the objects it contains. For more information, see Trim Picture.


View

Zoom In

Zoom Out

Actual Size

Custom Zoom

Full Page

Redraw

Display Grid

Snap to Grid

Grid Settings

Toolbars

Status


Zoom In

Use the Zoom In command to magnify the current view by 50%. You will see less of the picture but more detail.

If any objects are selected, the selection is centered in the zoomed view.

Note: The current zoom percentage is also used when printing the picture. For more information, see Print.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+PgUp


Zoom Out

Use the Zoom Out command to decrease the zoom percentage by 50%. You will see more of the picture but less detail.

If any objects are selected, the selection is centered in the zoomed view.

Note: The current zoom percentage is also used when printing the picture. For more information, see Print.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+PgDn


Actual Size

Use the Actual Size command to set the zoom percentage to 100%. You will see the picture at its actual size.

Note: On most displays, Windows magnifies "actual size" images to make them more readable. Therefore, the size on the screen may be larger than that of the printed output.

Note: The current zoom percentage is also used when printing the picture. For more information, see Print.


Custom Zoom

Use the Custom Zoom command to set a specific zoom percentage (where 100% equals actual size).

The Custom Zoom dialog box

Note: The range of valid zoom percentages depends on the range of picture units used by the picture.

Note: The current zoom percentage is also used when printing the picture. For more information, see Print.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Full Page

Use the Full Page command to have Metafile Companion automatically calculate the zoom percentage that would display the entire picture, regardless of the size of the application window.

If you select the Full Page command when Metafile Companion is already in Full Page mode, the program switches to Custom Zoom mode at the current zoom percentage.

Note: The Full Page setting is also used when printing the picture. For more information, see Print.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Redraw

Use the Redraw command to redraw the current picture.

Note: Under ordinary use, you should not have to use the Redraw command. However, some systems need to "clean up" the screen after editing objects at a high zoom percentage.

Shortcuts

Keyboard:	Ctrl+R


Display Grid

Use the Display Grid command to turn on or off the drawing grid. For more information about the drawing grid, see Grid Settings.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Snap to Grid

Use the Snap to Grid command to turn on or off the "snap to grid" feature. For more information about the "snap to grid" feature, see Grid Settings.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Grid Settings

Use the Grid Settings command to display the Grid Settings dialog box where you can control all aspects of the drawing grid.

The Grid Settings dialog box

The drawing grid is an "imaginary" array of dots or lines on your drawing. The grid is not part of your picture and will not print out or be saved with your picture.

Type

The grid can be drawn as dots on top of your picture or as lines underneath your picture (like graph paper). If you choose the Lines option, the Color button is enabled to allow you to choose a color for the grid lines.

Origin

The origin of the grid is usually set to 0, 0. However you can change this to offset the grid if you like. The range of numbers you can enter depends on the Units setting, described below.

Spacing

The grid spacing controls how far apart the grid dots are drawn. The greater the spacing, the farther apart the dots are and therefore the fewer there are on the page. The range of numbers you can enter depends on the Units setting, described below.

Units

The Units setting controls the display of values in the Origin and Spacing fields as well as the Coordinate and Size areas of the status bar. Units may be set to Picture Units, Inches or Centimeters.

Display Grid

Use Display Grid to turn on or off the drawing grid. This can also be done with the Display Grid button on the Grid toolbar or via the Display Grid command in the View menu.

Snap to Grid

Use Snap to Grid to turn on or off the "snap to grid" feature. When "Snap to Grid" is checked all subsequent drawing will be "snapped" to the nearest grid point. This is a great aid for drawing straight lines, perfect squares and circles etc. Also when objects are resized or moved they are also snapped to the nearest grid point. The Snap to Grid feature can also be controlled by the Snap to Grid button on the Grid toolbar or via the Snap to Grid command in the View menu.

Color

When Type is set to Lines, you can press the Color button to change the color of the grid lines. We recommend that you pick a light color such as light gray so it doesn't overpower your picture.


Commands - View - Toolbars
Toolbars

The Toolbars menu lets you show or hide the various toolbars available in Metafile Companion.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Right-click on any toolbar

More:

Color

Draw

Fill

Grid

Line

Polygon

Format

Standard

Text

Zoom


Color

Use this command to show or hide the Color toolbar. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the toolbar is displayed. For more information, see Color Toolbar.


Draw

Use this command to show or hide the Draw toolbar. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the toolbar is displayed. For more information, see Draw Toolbar.


Commands - Toolbars - Fill
Fill

Use this command to show or hide the Fill toolbar. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the toolbar is displayed. For more information, see Fill Toolbar.


Grid

Use this command to show or hide the Grid toolbar. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the toolbar is displayed. For more information, see Grid Toolbar.


Commands - Toolbars - Line
Line

Use this command to show or hide the Line toolbar. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the toolbar is displayed. For more information, see Line Toolbar.


Commands - Toolbars - Polygon
Polygon

Use this command to show or hide the Polygon toolbar. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the toolbar is displayed. For more information, see Polygon Toolbar.


Commands - Toolbars - Format
Format

Use this command to show or hide the Format toolbar. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the toolbar is displayed. For more information, see Format Toolbar.


Standard

Use this command to show or hide the Standard toolbar. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the toolbar is displayed. For more information, see Standard Toolbar.


Commands - Toolbars - Text
Text

Use this command to show or hide the Text toolbar. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the toolbar is displayed. For more information, see Text Toolbar.


Zoom

Use this command to show or hide the Zoom toolbar. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the toolbar is displayed. For more information, see Zoom Toolbar.


Status

The Status menu lets you show or hide the status bar and the various information areas in the status bar.

Note: The Status menu is not available when Metafile Companion is activated as an OLE in-place object.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Right-click on the status bar

More:

Status Bar

Coordinate

Size

Selection


Commands - Status - Status Bar
Status Bar

Use this command to show or hide the status bar. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the status bar is displayed.

Note: This command is not available when Metafile Companion is activated as an OLE in-place object.

For more information about the status bar and its components, see Status Bar.


Coordinate

Use this command to show or hide the Coordinate area of the status bar. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Coordinate area is displayed.

Note: This command is not available when Metafile Companion is activated as an OLE in-place object.

For more information about the status bar and its components, see Status Bar.


Commands - Status - Size
Size

Use this command to show or hide the Size area of the status bar. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Size area is displayed.

Note: This command is not available when Metafile Companion is activated as an OLE in-place object.

For more information about the status bar and its components, see Status Bar.


Commands - Status - Selection
Selection

Use this command to show or hide the Selection area of the status bar. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Selection area is displayed.

Note: This command is not available when Metafile Companion is activated as an OLE in-place object.

For more information about the status bar and its components, see Status Bar.


Select

All

None

Next

Previous

Similar


All

Use this command to select all the objects in the picture.

Shortcuts

Keyboard:	Ctrl+A


None

Use this command to deselect any selected objects. This can be useful when you want to draw a new object on top of some selected objects.

Shortcuts

Keyboard:	Ctrl+Shift+A

Mouse:	Click the Selection tool in an empty area of the picture


Commands - Select - Next
Next

Use this command to change the selection to the next object after the current selection. If no object is selected, this command selects the first object in the picture.

Shortcuts

Keyboard:	F3


Commands - Select - Previous
Previous

Use this command to change the selection to the previous object before the current selection. If no object is selected, this command selects the last object in the picture.

Shortcuts

Keyboard:	Shift+F3


Similar

Use this command to select all the objects that are similar to the current selection in some way. Choosing this command brings up the Select Similar dialog box.

The Select Similar command provides a quick and powerful way to do things like:

•	Select all objects filled in red (to change them to blue).

•	Select all text that uses a 10 point Arial font (to make them a little larger).

•	Select all rectangles (to copy them and create a shadow effect).

For more instructions on how to use the Select Similar command, see How to Select Similar Objects.

More:

Select Similar Dialog Box


Select Similar Dialog Box

The Select Similar dialog box helps you select all the objects in the picture that are similar to the current selection. The filters you check determine which properties of an object must match the current selection for that object to be added to the selection.

For more instructions on how to use the Select Similar dialog box, see How to Select Similar Objects.

The Select Similar dialog box

Filters

Initially all the filter options are checked. Uncheck filters to make the filter less restrictive.

If no options are checked, then no filters are applied, so all objects are selected.

If the current selection has mixed values for a certain property, then the corresponding filter is disabled.

Uncheck All Filters

Press the Uncheck All Filters button to quickly uncheck all the filters. This makes it easy to select just one or two filters if desired.


Commands - Format
Format

Line

Fill

Text

Position

Other

Bring to Front

Send to Back

Flip

Trim Picture

Transparent

Opaque

Edit Points

Point

Sub-polygon


Commands - Format - Line
Line

Use this command to go directly to the Line property page.

For more information, see Line.


Commands - Format - Fill
Fill

Use this command to go directly to the Fill property page.

For more information, see Fill.


Commands - Format - Text
Text

Use this command to go directly to the Text property page.

For more information, see Text.

More:

Font Dialog Box (Windows 95 / NT 4)

Font Dialog Box (Windows NT 3.51)


Font Dialog Box (Windows 95 / NT 4)

Metafile Companion uses the standard Windows Font dialog box. (Windows NT 3.51 users, please see Font Dialog Box (Windows NT 3.51).)

The Font dialog box (Windows 95 / NT 4)

The following options allow you to change the style of the current font:

Font

Selects the Face Name for the font.

Font Style

Selects the Style of the font - Bold, Italic, etc.

Size

Selects the Point Size of the font.

Effects

Selects special effects such as Strikeout and Underline.

Script

Selects from the available language scripts for the specified font.

Sample

Displays a sample of the font you have selected.

Note: The sample does not take into account the color or rotation of the font, nor does it account for the current zoom percentage. Samples are always displayed "actual size".

Note: If more than one object is selected, some of the items in the dialog box may be displayed with a mixed-value appearance.


Font Dialog Box (Windows NT 3.51)

Metafile Companion uses the standard Windows Font dialog box.

The Font dialog box (Windows NT 3.51)

The following options allow you to change the style of the current font:

Font

Selects the Face Name for the font.

Font Style

Selects the Style of the font - Bold, Italic, etc.

Size

Selects the Point Size of the font.

Effects

Selects special effects such as Strikeout and Underline.

Sample

Displays a sample of the font you have selected.

Note: The sample does not take into account the color or rotation of the font, nor does it account for the current zoom percentage. Samples are always displayed "actual size".

Note: If more than one object is selected, some of the items in the dialog box may be displayed with a mixed-value appearance.


Commands - Format - Position
Position

Use this command to go directly to the Position property page.

For more information, see Position.


Commands - Format - Other
Other

Use this command to go directly to the Other property page.

For more information, see Other.


Bring to Front

Use this command to bring the currently selected objects in front of all other objects.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Send to Back

Use this command to send the currently selected objects in back of all other objects.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Flip

Note: Windows cannot display flipped text. If you flip a collection of objects that contains text, the text will be positioned where the flipped text should appear, but it will not be flipped. Also, flipping such a collection twice may not restore the text to its original position.

More:

Left to Right

Top to Bottom

Both


Left to Right

Use this command to flip the currently selected objects left to right (i.e. horizontally).

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Top to Bottom

Use this command to flip the currently selected objects top to bottom (i.e. vertically).

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Both

Use this command to flip the currently selected objects both left to right and top to bottom (i.e. both horizontally and vertically).


Trim Picture

Use this command to resize the picture to the smallest size that encloses all the objects in the picture. This removes any extra white space or margin around the objects. Metafile Companion actually leaves a 1% margin around all the objects so they are not accidentally clipped if the picture is used by another program.

If there are objects that fall off the page, Metafile Companion will increase the picture size to include those objects.

You can also change the picture size "manually". For more information, see Picture.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Transparent

Use this command to make background areas of the selected objects transparent.

This command changes the Background Mode of an object's Other property page. For more information, see Other.

This command also affects text with the Draw Opaque Rectangle option turned on. For more information, see Advanced Text Options Dialog Box.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Opaque

Use this command to make background areas of the selected objects opaque.

This command changes the Background Mode of an object's Other property page. For more information, see Other.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Edit Points

Use this command to edit the individual points of a selected polygon or polyline.

The Edit Points command toggles the Edit Points mode off and on.

The Edit Points mode must be on to enable the Point and Sub-Polygon commands.

For more information, see How to Edit Polygons.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Mouse:	Double-click on a polygon or polyline


Point

Next

Previous

Insert

Delete


Commands - Point - Next
Next

Use this command to move the currently selected point to the next point in the polygon or polyline.

This command is only available when the Edit Points mode is turned on.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Right Arrow


Commands - Point - Previous
Previous

Use this command to move the currently selected point to the previous point in the polygon.

This command is only available when the Edit Points mode is turned on.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Left Arrow


Commands - Point - Insert
Insert

Use this command to insert a new point after the currently selected point.

This command is only available when the Edit Points mode is turned on.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Insert


Commands - Point - Delete
Delete

Use this command to delete the currently selected point.

This command is only available when the Edit Points mode is turned on and there are more than three (3) points in the polygon or more than two (2) points in the polyline.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Delete


Sub-polygon

Next

Previous

Insert

Delete


Commands - Sub-polygon - Next
Next

Use this command to move the currently selected point to the first point in the next sub-polygon in the polygon or polyline.

This command is only available when the Edit Points mode is turned on and there are two or more sub-polygons in the polygon or polyline.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+Shift+Right Arrow


Commands - Sub-polygon - Previous
Previous

Use this command to move the currently selected point to the last point in the previous sub-polygon in the polygon or polyline.

This command is only available when the Edit Points mode is turned on and there are two or more sub-polygons in the polygon or polyline.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+Shift+Left Arrow


Commands - Sub-polygon - Insert
Insert

Use this command to insert a new sub-polygon inside the currently selected sub-polygon.

This command is only available when the Edit Points mode is turned on.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+Shift+Insert


Commands - Sub-polygon - Delete
Delete

Use this command to delete the currently selected sub-polygon.

This command is only available when the Edit Points mode is turned on and there is more than one (1) sub-polygon in the polygon or polyline.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Ctrl+Shift+Delete


Tools

Selection

Line

Polyline

Rectangle

Ellipse

Polygon

Text

Options


Commands - Tools - Selection
Selection

Use this command to choose the Selection tool.

The selection tool can be used to select and unselect individual objects or groups of objects.

For more information, see How to Select Objects.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Commands - Tools - Line
Line

Use this command to choose the Line tool.

The Line tool can draw a simple line between two points.

To draw lines with more than two points, see Polyline.

For more information, see How to Add a Line.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Polyline

Use this command to choose the Polyline tool.

The Polyline tool can draw a complex lines of two or more points.

To draw simple lines with just two points, see Line.

For more information, see How to Add a Polyline.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Rectangle

Use this command to choose the Rectangle tool.

The Rectangle tool can draw a simple rectangle between two points.

For more information, see How to Add a Rectangle.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Ellipse

Use this command to choose the Ellipse tool.

The Ellipse tool can draw an ellipse or circle.

For more information, see How to Add an Ellipse.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Commands - Tools - Polygon
Polygon

Use this command to choose the Polygon tool.

The Polygon tool can draw simple polygons and complex polygons with holes and islands (sub-polygons).

For more information, see How to Add a Polygon.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Commands - Tools - Text
Text

Use this command to choose the Text tool.

The Text tool can draw a simple line of text at a point. When you add text, the Text dialog box appears.

For more information, see How to Add Text.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

More:

Text Dialog Box

Advanced Text Options Dialog Box


Text Dialog Box

The Text dialog box is where you can add or edit text.

The Text dialog box

Text

Add or edit your text here. You can also cut, copy and paste text from the Text box using the standard Windows shortcut keys (Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V).

Advanced Options

Use this button to access the Advanced Text Options dialog box. Most users should not change these options.


Advanced Text Options Dialog Box

Windows metafiles store some other special options along with the actual text string. The Advanced Text Options dialog box (accessed from the Text dialog box) is where advanced users can control these special options.

The Advanced Text Options dialog box

Note: If either the Clip to Rectangle or Draw Opaque Rectangle option is checked in the Advanced Text Options dialog box, then the Text object sizing handles size the Opaque/Clipping rectangle not the text. If neither option is checked, the Text object sizing handles are disabled.

Clip to Rectangle

Usually this option is unchecked. Check this option to enable a clipping rectangle to be applied to the text. You can resize the Text Opaque/Clipping rectangle by selecting the Text, then dragging the sizing handles.

Draw Opaque Rectangle

Usually this option is unchecked. Check this option to draw an opaque background rectangle before drawing the text. You can resize the Text Opaque/Clipping rectangle by selecting the Text, then dragging the sizing handles.

The Draw Opaque Rectangle option controls a different (but similar) property from the Background Mode property in the Other property page. The Transparent and Opaque commands in the Format menu control the Background Mode property. However, the Transparent command also turns the Draw Opaque Rectangle option off for any text in the current selection. Advanced users can turn the Draw Opaque Rectangle option back on from the Advanced Text Options dialog box.

Size Rectangle to Fit Text

This option is ignored unless Clip to Rectangle or Draw Opaque Rectangle is checked.

Usually this option is checked. When checked, Metafile Companion recalculates the Opaque/Clipping rectangle to match the actual size of the text.

Uncheck this option if you want to maintain a specific Opaque/Clipping rectangle.


Options

The Options property sheet contains pages of options that affect the Metafile Companion application. These options have no effect on the current metafile.

More:

General

Ignored Metafile Records Dialog Box

Toolbars


General

The General property page contains options that affect the general operation of Metafile Companion.

The General Options property page

Display Program Information on Startup

Check this option to see the Metafile Companion version, serial number and copyright notice while the program is starting. Uncheck this option if you don't want to see this information each time the program is run.

Open Most Recently Used File on Startup

Check this option to have Metafile Companion automatically open the first file in the Most Recently Used File list on startup. This lets you edit the last file you were working on each time you start the program.

Display Ignored Metafile Record Warnings

Usually this option is unchecked. Check this option to have Metafile Companion display an Ignored Metafile Record dialog box if it encounters commands it doesn't process.

For more information, see What Types of Files Can't Metafile Companion Edit? and Ignored Metafile Records Dialog Box.

Ignore Text Character Spacing Tables

Each piece of text read from a metafile may have a custom character spacing table attached to it although it is not required. If there is no character spacing table attached, Windows uses the standard spacing for the font.

Unfortunately, Windows automatically attaches a custom character spacing table to all text that is saved as an EMF file or read from a WMF file. This causes less than optimal character spacing on the screen when the file is reopened, although the printed output is fine. To avoid this problem, the Ignore Text Character Spacing Tables option is usually checked. This gives you the best looking text most of the time.

You may want to uncheck this option if you are pasting text from another program (such as a word processor or desktop publishing program) and the character spacing does not seem right in Metafile Companion.

There is no way to adjust individual character spacing within Metafile Companion. Also, if any font property changes that would invalidate the current custom character spacing table (e.g. Face Name, Point Size, Bold or Italic), the custom character spacing table is deleted and the standard spacing is used.

Maximum Number of Undos

This setting controls the maximum number of undos that can be performed. You can increase this number to allow more undos or decrease it to allow fewer undos. You can also set this number to zero (0) to completely disable Undo.

Changing the Maximum Number of Undos setting does not appreciably change the amount of memory required to run Metafile Companion. However, each undo that is saved takes up a block of memory related to the size of the current metafile. Therefore, increasing the Maximum Number of Undos will use up more memory after a large number of editing changes since more Undo states are saved.

Drag

Use this setting to control how objects are redrawn when you move, copy or edit them.

Set Drag to Actual Objects get the most WYSIWYG display. However, the redraw speed is slower than Object Outlines.

Set Drag to Object Outlines to get the fastest redraw speed. However, the display is not updated until the move, copy or edit is completed.

This setting has no effect on the actual metafile.


Ignored Metafile Records Dialog Box

The Ignored Metafile Records dialog box is displayed whenever Display Ignored Metafile Record Warnings option is turned on and Metafile Companion encounters a metafile record that it does not use. Often, you can ignore these warnings because they refer to commands that have no effect on what is actually displayed. However, if you suspect that Metafile Companion is not displaying a particular metafile correctly, this dialog box may give some good clues as to what is wrong.

The Ignored Metafile Records dialog box

For more information, see What Types of Files Can't Metafile Companion Edit?. For more information about the Display Ignored Metafile Record Warnings option, see General.


Commands - Options - Toolbars
Toolbars

The Toolbars property page contains options that affect how toolbars are displayed and how they behave in Metafile Companion.

The Toolbars Options property page

Large Buttons

Check this option to see toolbars with large buttons. If the large buttons take up too much room, uncheck this option.

Auto-wrap Toolbars

When this option is checked, Metafile Companion repositions toolbars so they are always visible (if possible) regardless of the size of the application window.

Uncheck this option if you don't want Metafile Companion to automatically reposition the toolbars.

Note: The Auto-wrap Toolbars option is unavailable when Metafile Companion is activated as an OLE in-place server.


Help

Help Topics

What's This?

About Metafile Companion


Help Topics

Choose this command to display the Help Topics dialog box.

For more information, see How to Search for Help.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	F1 (Context sensitive help)

More:

Help Topics Dialog Box


Help Topics Dialog Box

Metafile Companion uses the standard Windows Help Topics dialog box. You can browse through the Contents page, look up a topic in the Index or search the entire help file with the Find page.

For more information about using this dialog box, see your Windows manual and How to Search for Help.

The Help Topics dialog box


What's This?

Choose this command to temporarily switch to "What's This?" help mode. Once in this mode, you can click the help mode cursor [image] on any item in the application window and get specific help about that item.

For more information, see Application Window and How to Use "What's This?" Help.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keyboard:	Shift+F1


About Metafile Companion

The About Metafile Companion dialog box displays the following information:

•	Full product name and version

•	Copyright notice

•	Serial number

•	Buttons for access to support and other information

For more information, see How to Get Technical Support.


System

Restore

Move

Size

Minimize

Maximize

Close

Switch To (Windows NT 3.51)


Restore

Use this command to return the application to its size and position before you chose the Maximize or Minimize command.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Click the Restore button ( [image] or [image] ) on the title bar.


Move

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow [image] so you can move the application with the arrow keys.

Note: This command is unavailable if you maximize the application.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Drag the application's title bar


Commands - System - Size
Size

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow [image] so you can size the application with the arrow keys.

Note: This command is unavailable if you maximize the application.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Drag the size bars at the corners or edges of the window.


Minimize

Use this command to reduce the Metafile Companion window to an icon.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Click the Minimize button ( [image] or [image] ) on the title bar.


Maximize

Use this command to enlarge the Metafile Companion window to fill the available space.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Click the Maximize button ( [image] or [image] ) on the title bar or double-click the title bar.

Note: When a window is maximized, the Maximize button changes to the Restore button. For more information, see Restore.


Close

Use this command to close the application.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Click the Close button [image] (Windows 95 / NT 4) or double-click the Control menu box [image] (Windows NT 3.51) on the title bar

Keyboard:	Alt+F4


Switch To (Windows NT 3.51)

Use this command to display a list of all open applications. Use this "Task List" to switch to or close an application on the list.

Shortcuts

Keyboard:	Ctrl+Esc


No Help Available

No help is available for this message box.


Glossary of Terms

DLL

Drag

EMF

Enhanced Metafile

MAPI

Mixed-value Appearance

OLE

Picture Units

Sub-polygon

Windows Metafile

WMF

WYSIWYG


DLL

Dynamic Link Library. A library of software that can be shared by one or more programs.


Drag

Press the mouse button, move the mouse, then release the button. Usually the left mouse button is used to drag objects.


EMF

Enhanced metafile


Enhanced Metafile

A 32-bit metafile that can only be used by 32-bit operating systems such as Windows 95 and Windows NT. It cannot be used by Windows 3. An Enhanced metafile can contain a much wider range of commands than a regular Windows metafile. Commonly referred to as an EMF file.


MAPI

Microsoft Messaging Application Programming Interface.

MAPI is a set of functions that mail-enabled and mail-aware applications use to create, manipulate, transfer, and store mail messages.


Mixed-value Appearance

The appearance of a property control that reflects a set of objects with different values for that property.

For example, if the current selection contains some objects filled with blue and some objects filled with red, any Fill Color property control will be displayed with a mixed-value appearance.

The following table describes the mixed-value appearance of common controls:

Control	Mixed-value Appearance
Check box	Checkerboard pattern in interior of box
Option button	No option selected
List	No item selected
Edit box	Empty


OLE

Object Linking and Embedding. A Microsoft technology that allows one application's document to be placed inside another application's document.


Picture Units

The units used internally by the metafile. The size of one picture unit depends on the application that created the metafile. Picture units in a metafile are similar to pixel units in a bitmap file.


Sub-polygon

A simple polygon. A single Metafile Companion polygon may be composed of one or more disjoint sub-polygons.

For example, in Metafile Companion, a single donut-shaped object is one polygon comprised of two sub-polygons - one for the outer edge, one for the inner edge.


Windows Metafile

A 16-bit metafile that can be used by Windows 3, Windows 95 and Windows NT. Commonly referred to as a WMF file. Compare to an enhanced metafile.


WMF

Windows metafile


WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get