Drawing Lines

To draw a line, drag a line from the stencil on the left into your drawing.

You can also place the cursor on your drawing and type the letter L on the keyboard to draw a line.  This allows you to quickly place many lines into your drawing.

To move an entire line, drag the line at its center.  When you move the cursor over the center of a line, the entire line will be highlighted in green.

To move only the start or end points of a line, drag the line near its start or end point.  When you move the cursor over the start or end of a line, only the start or end will be highlighted in green.

If the Snap to Grid button [image] is depressed, the end points of a line will always jump to the nearest grid point in RFShape.  If it is not depressed, then you can place lines anywhere between the grid points.

To change the color, width, or style of a line, right-click on the line and select Line Properties.

To connect the end points of lines to other lines or curves, see Connecting Lines and Curves.

To make a closed and filled area out of lines or curves see Making a Closed Filled Path.

To select several lines, drag the mouse to draw a rectangle around them, or click on each one individually.  See Selection.

Draw your shape so it is centered on the cross that shows the center of the drawing. A dotted blue rectangle shows the boundary of your new shape.


Drawing Curves

To draw a curve, drag a curve from the stencil on the left into your drawing.

You can also place the cursor on your drawing and type the letter C on your keyboard to draw a curve.  This allows you to quickly place many curves into your drawing.

To move an entire curve, drag the curve at its center.  When you move the cursor over the center of a curve, the entire curve will be highlighted in green.

To move only the start or end points of a curve, drag the curve near its start or end point.  When you move the cursor over the start or end of a curve, only the start or end will be highlighted in green.

To adjust the control points of a curve, drag the red square control points to a new position.  The control points will be filled with green when the cursor is over them.

If the Snap to Grid button [image] is depressed, the end points and control points of a curve will always jump to the nearest grid point in RFShape.  If Snap to Grid is not depressed, then you can place curves anywhere between the grid points.

To change the color, width, or style of a curve, right-click on the curve and select Line Properties.

To connect the end points of curves to other lines or curves, see Connecting Lines and Curves.

To make a closed and filled area out of lines and curves see Making a Closed Filled Path.

To select several curves, drag the mouse to draw a rectangle around them, or click on each one individually.  See Selection.

Draw your shape so it is centered on the cross that shows the center of the drawing. A dotted blue rectangle shows the boundary of your new shape.

See also:

Drawing Arcs of a Circle


Drawing Circles

To draw a circle, drag a circle from the stencil on the left into your drawing.

You can also place the cursor on your drawing and type the letter O on the keyboard to draw a circle.  This allows you to quickly place many circles into your drawing.

To move a circle, drag the perimeter of the circle.  When you move the cursor over the perimeter of a circle, the perimeter will be highlighted in green.

To adjust the size of the circle, drag the dotted red square handle on the right side of the circle's perimeter.  When you move the cursor over the handle, it will be highlighted in green.

If the Snap to Grid button [image] is depressed, the center of a circle and the radius will jump to the nearest grid point in RFShape when modified.  If Snap to Grid is not depressed, then you can place a circle or the radius anywhere between the grid points.

To change the color, width, or style of the perimeter of a circle, right-click on the perimeter and select Line Properties.

To change the interior fill color or pattern of a circle, right-click on the perimeter of the circle and select Interior Fill.

Circles cannot be connected to lines or curves.  To draw an ellipse, use four curves, connect their end points and Make a Path.

To select several circles, drag the mouse to draw a rectangle around them, or click on each one individually.  See Selection.

Draw your shape so it is centered on the cross that shows the center of the drawing. A dotted blue rectangle shows the boundary of your new shape.

See also:

Drawing Arcs of a Circle


Connecting Points

1.	First draw the lines or curves so their end points are close together.  You can connect up to 8 objects together.  This example shows connecting a line to a curve.

2.	Place the cursor over the end of either object and right-click.  Select Connect Points.

3.	Now when you move the cursor over either end point, the end of both the line and curve will be highlighted.

The line and curve are now connected at that point.  Try moving the curve and line to see that the connection remains.  Try moving the connecting point.

To remove the connection, right-click on the connecting point and close Disconnect Points.

You connect points if you want to make sure that the lines or curves come together at exactly the same point, or if you are making a closed region to fill with a color.  See Making a Closed Filled Path.

See also:

Connecting RFShape Lines with RFFlow Lines


Selection

Single Selection - Green Highlight

When you move the cursor over an object, it will be highlighted in green.  If you are over the end of a line, only the end of the line will be highlighted in green.  If you are near the center, the entire line will be highlighted in green.  The green highlighting tells you which object you are over and whether you are over the end of an object or the middle.

Multiple Selection - Yellow Background

To select multiple objects, you can either click on each object or draw a rectangle around them.  To select a line, left-click on the middle of the line.  To select a curve, left-click on the middle of a curve.  To select a circle, left-click on the perimeter of the circle.  To draw a rectangle around some objects, simply drag the mouse diagonally across the objects.  The following shows the basic objects and what they look like when selected.

The selected objects have a yellow colored area behind them.  The first object selected is a slightly different shade of yellow than the other selected objects.

To unselect a selected object, simply left-click on it again.

To select all the objects in your drawing at once, click on the Select All button [image].  To unselect all the objects in your drawing, click on the Unselect button [image].

Once you have selected some objects you can move any of them and all the selected objects will move together.  If you right-click on a selected object and change its properties, then all the selected objects will have those new properties.  For example, you could select a number of objects, right-click on any one of them and select Delete.  Then all the selected objects will be deleted.  If you right-click on a group of selected objects and change the line color, all the selected objects will have that new line color.

If you are having trouble selecting shapes, zoom in so the shapes will be separated and easier to select.


Making a Closed Filled Path

Only create paths if you want to fill areas with a color or pattern.

1.	Draw the area using lines and curves.

2.	Connect all the points.  Right-click on each point where the lines and curves connect and select Connect Points.

3.	Click on the middle of each line or curve around the path so they are all selected.  Selection puts a yellow colored region behind the line or curve.

4.	Right-click on one of the selected objects and choose Make a Closed Path.

5.	Next the Properties Dialog Box will be displayed.  In this example, we chose a black line color and a solid blue interior color.

To select a path object, left-click on any line or curve in the path.  The entire path will have a yellow background.

To move a path object without modifying its size, left-click on any object in the path to select it and then drag it to a new position.  To change the properties of a path, right-click on any object in of the path.

Only create paths if you need to fill regions with color or fill regions with a hatched pattern.


Moving your Custom Shape into RFFlow

1.	After drawing your shape, click on the Unselect button [image] in RFShape to make sure nothing is selected.

2.	Then click on Edit, Copy to place the entire drawing on the Clipboard.

3.	Switch to RFFlow.

4.	To add the shape to a stencil, click on the Stencils button [image], double-click Clipboard Contents, and single-click Custom Shape [image].  Then drag the custom shape from the upper right corner of the Stencils and Shapes dialog box into the stencil on the left of the RFFlow screen.

5.	To add the shape to your chart without adding it to a stencil, just click on Edit, Paste in RFFlow.

If you want to move only part of your drawing into RFFlow, select only that part of your drawing you want to move and click on Edit, Copy in RFShape.  Then follow steps 3-5 above.

Once you have your custom shape in an RFFlow stencil, you can right-click on it and go to the Shape tab.  Here you can decide whether the Edit Text dialog box should be shown when the custom shape is clicked on in a stencil.  You can also add text to the custom shape and make it a fixed size.

See also:

Connecting RFShape Lines with RFFlow Lines


Moving Objects to the Front or Back

Suppose you drew a path object filled with blue and then a red circle.  The circle was drawn after the path object, so it appears on top.

But you want the blue path object to appear on top.  Right-click on the perimeter of the circle and select Level, Front/Back.  In the Level dialog box select position 2.  Then the red circle will be drawn behind the blue object.  The blue path object was on level 1.

Levels run from 1 through 8.  1 is in front and 8 is the furthest back.  Objects by default are placed on level 1.

See also the Level Dialog Box.


Deleting Objects

To delete a single line, curve, or circle, right-click on the object and select Delete.  If the object is part of a filled path, the entire path will be deleted.

To delete a group of objects, first select them.  You can select a group of objects by dragging the mouse to form a rectangle around them, or by left-clicking on them.  See Selection.

Once the objects are selected, right-click on any of them and select Delete.  All the selected objects will be deleted.


Copying Objects

To copy a single line, curve, or circle, right-click on the object and select Duplicate.  The copy of the object will show up to the lower right of the original object.  If the object is part of a filled path, the entire path will be duplicated.

To copy a group of objects, first select them.  You can select a group of objects by dragging the mouse to form a rectangle around them, or by left-clicking on them.  See Selection.

Once the objects are selected, right-click on any of them and select Duplicate.  All the selected objects will be duplicated.  Again, the copies will show up to the lower right of the originals.


Background Picture

Simple shapes can be drawn directly in RFShape.  With more complicated shapes, you may want to trace a picture.  The picture you are tracing has to be either on the Windows Clipboard or exist as a .bmp, .wmf, or .emf file.  Other file formats can be inserted into Microsoft Word and then copied to the Clipboard.

These pictures could be used directly in RFFlow, but bitmaps are large files and do not look good when sized.  The RFShape drawings are similar to metafiles and do size correctly and can be rotated.

Loading a Background Picture from a file

1.	Click on View in the main menu of RFShape.

2.	Click on Background Picture and then Load from File.

3.	In the Open dialog box, find the file you want to use as the background picture and click on the OK button.  The picture will be centered in the drawing area of RFShape.

Loading a Background Picture from the Clipboard

1.	First you have to get the picture onto the Windows Clipboard.  This can be done with a scanner or other software.  Microsoft Word can be used to insert a picture from a file and then the picture can be clicked on and copied to the Clipboard.

2.	Click on View in the main menu of RFShape.

3.	Click on Background Picture and Paste from Clipboard.  The picture will be shown centered in the drawing area.

Sizing a Background Picture

Once you have imported a picture, you may want to size it or move it.

1.	Click on View in the main menu and then Background Picture.

2.	Click on Size.

3.	In the Size and Position of Background Picture Dialog Box you can modify the width, height, and position of the background picture.  Originally the picture is centered on the drawing area.

To delete a background picture, click on View in the main menu of RFShape, Background Picture, and Delete.


Adding a Drawing to a Stencil

The RFShape program allows you to make a drawing and add it to a stencil.  Then it can be easily used over and over.  To add a drawing to a stencil, follow these steps:

1.	First draw the object or objects.  In this example I have drawn a triangle filled with blue.  To create filled objects see Making a Closed Filled Path.

2.	Select the object by clicking on one of its lines or by dragging the mouse to draw a rectangle around several objects.

3.	Right-click on the selected objects and choose Add to a Stencil.  You will be asked to name this new combination object.  The object will now show up at the bottom of the currently selected stencil.

4.	Now you can drag this combination shape from the stencil into your chart.  If you place the cursor over the new combination shape, the tooltip will display the name you gave it.

5.	If you want this stencil to be the stencil that opens when you first run RFShape, click on Stencils in the main menu and Make the Current Stencils the Default Stencils for new Drawings.

If you have a stencil in one .rfs file and want to add it to another drawing, see Moving Stencils between Files.


Line Properties

To change the color, width, or style of a line, right-click on the line and select Line Properties.  If the line is part of a filled path, all the lines in that path will be modified.  If the line is selected with a yellow background, then all the selected lines will have the new line properties.

If you draw a shape in RFShape and use the default line color, you will be able to select the line color in RFFlow.  However, if you select a line color in RFShape, you can't change the line color in RFFlow.

Line Properties Dialog Box

The Line Properties dialog box allows you to select a new line color by clicking on the [image] button.

You can change the line width by clicking on the Line width up-down control [image].

You can also select one of the line styles shown below:

Solid lines can have any line width.  Dotted, dashed, dash-dot, and dash-dot-dot lines require a line width of 0 or 1.

You can make a line perfectly vertical or horizontal by selecting either Horizontal or Vertical in the Straighten Line section. To use this feature you first must highlight the line. It cannot be selected. It has to be a line and not a curve or circle. After highlighting the line, you right-click the line and select Line Properties. A faster way to make lines either horizontal or vertical is to highlight the line and then press either the H key on the keyboard for horizontal or the V key on the keyboard for vertical. When a line is made horizontal, the right end of the line moves so it is horizontal with the left end. When a line is made vertical, the top most point moves so it is over the lower end of the line.


Interior Fill

To change the interior color or fill pattern of a circle, right-click on the perimeter of the circle and choose Interior Fill.

To change the interior color or fill pattern of a closed path, right-click on any line or curve in the path and select Interior Fill.

If you draw a shape in RFShape and use the default interior fill, you will be able to select the interior fill in RFFlow.  However, if you select an interior fill in RFShape, you can't change the interior fill in RFFlow.

Interior Fill Dialog Box

The Interior Fill dialog box allows you to select a fill color by clicking on the [image] button.

You can also select to have the object transparent, filled with a solid color or one of several hatch patterns.

Note that when using these fill patterns, the pattern does not rotate with the shape when it is moved into RFFlow. A fill of horizontal lines will remain horizontal even though the shape may be rotated in RFFlow.


Text

There are some RFShape stencils that contain individual letters and numbers.  These can be used to add text to your shape.  You can also add text to an object in RFFlow.  Your text will look better if it is added in RFFlow.  However, if you size the shape in RFFlow, you will have to edit the text and select a different font.  You can add text directly to the custom shape in RFFlow or create a combination shape in RFFlow consisting of custom shapes and text.  The text added in RFFlow is positioned relative to the center of the shape, so you may want to move the shape in RFShape knowing that the text will be centered on the cross.  In the shape below, we want to added the numbers for the minimum speed in RFFlow, so the center of the shape is near the bottom of the sign.  The text "MINIMUM SPEED" was added in RFShape using individual letters.

See also:

Spacing Around Text

Boundary of Drawing


Properties Dialog Box

The Properties Dialog Box includes tabs for Line, Interior Fill, and Level.

Click the Line tab to change the color, width, or style of the lines in this path.

Click the Interior Fill tab to change the color or pattern which fills the interior of the path.

Click the Level tab to place this path object in front of or behind other objects.


Level Dialog Box

This dialog box allows you to position shapes in front of or behind other shapes.  Shapes with a smaller level number are in front of those with a larger level number.

New shapes are assigned to level 1 by default.

For example, if you want shape A in front of shape B, then A should have a level number smaller than B.  Click the round button near the level number and click the OK button.

If two shapes are on the same level, the last one drawn, moved, or edited will be in front.

See also Moving Objects to Front or Back.


Size and Position of Background Picture

When you add a background picture to trace, the picture is centered on the drawing area and sized close to its original size.

This dialog box allows you to change the size of the picture and move the picture horizontally or vertically.  The units used are grid units.

You can also click on the Reset to Original Size button to switch back to the picture's original centered position and original size when imported.


Copying Stencils between Files

You can copy any stencil you created in an RFShape file and put that copy into another RFShape file.

1.	Click on Stencils in the main menu.

2.	Click on Add a Stencil from an RFShape (.rfs) File.

3.	Find the .rfs file which contains the stencil you want and click on the Open button.

4.	The file may contain more than one stencil, so you next select the stencil that you want and click on the OK button.

5.	The stencil will be added to your current stencils.


Undo/Redo

All commands in RFShape, except those dealing with importing a background picture can be undone and redone.

There are 5 levels of undo so you can undo the last 5 edits to a drawing.


Connecting RFShape Lines with RFFlow Lines

Often, shapes created in RFShape will be connected by lines in RFFlow. You want these lines to connect precisely in RFFlow with no gaps.  For example, the shape shown below will be connected by lines in RFFlow on the right and left.

You can be assured that the lines will connect correctly in RFFlow if you do the following:

With the Snap to Grid button [image] depressed (On), move the end of the line in RFShape so it touches the dotted blue boundary of the shape.

The dotted blue boundary always ends up on grid points in RFFlow.

In the example above, do this for the right end of the rightmost line. That makes sure the right end of the line will hit a grid point in the horizontal direction in RFFlow.  To assure the horizontal line hits a grid point in the vertical direction, the line must be centered and have the same vertical coordinate as the cross. The cross shows the center of the object.

The left end of the leftmost line in the shape drawn above should be adjusted so its left end touches the dotted blue boundary with Snap to Grid On.

The above method restricts you to connections at the midpoints of custom shapes or the 4 corners of the shape. The other way to make lines drawn in RFShape line up with lines drawn in RFFlow is to size the shape in RFFlow so it has the same number of grid points as it did in RFShape.  If you drew the object in RFShape in a 12 X 12 grid, then size it to 12 X 12 in RFFlow and the lines will fall on grid points.

See also:

Dotted Blue Boundary of a Custom Shape


Dotted Blue Boundary of a Custom Shape

Shapes drawn in RFShape should be centered in the drawing area.  A small cross shows the center of the drawing area.  As you draw more lines, a dotted blue rectangle will encompass your custom shape.  It is always centered in the drawing area.  When the shape is imported into RFFlow, the corners of this rectangle will lie on grid points in RFFlow.  You can force this dotted blue boundary to be a square by clicking on Tools, and Boundary of Drawing.

If you want to connect RFFlow lines to an RFShape, see: Connecting RFShape Lines with RFFlow Lines

If you don't want the edge of your shape to jump to the RFFlow grid, you should place an invisible line outside your shape.  An example of this is the sign below:

We don't want the edges of the sign jumping to RFFlow grid points because this will distort the appearance of the sign.  To avoid this, draw a line near the sign and then right-click on the line and in Line Properties select "Invisible Line."  Then the line will not show up but it moves the dotted blue boundary away from the shape.  Since the line is invisible, you can't see it.  If you forget where it is, click on the Select All button and it will be selected.


More Information about Using RFShape

To add text to your custom shape either in RFShape or in RFFlow, see the following:

Text

Spacing Around Text

Boundary of Drawing

If you are drawing a shape with lines that need to be connected to lines in RFFlow, see Connecting RFShape Lines with RFFlow Lines.

If you are drawing a shape and it is being distorted when moved into RFFlow, see the Dotted Blue Boundary.


Free Technical Support

There is no charge for technical support for RFShape. Technical support is available weekdays from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM Mountain Time. If you have any questions about RFShape or need assistance, please contact RFF Electronics by one of the methods listed below:

Telephone: 970-663-5767

Fax: 970-669-4889

E-mail: help@rff.com

RFF Electronics

1053 Banyan Court

Loveland CO 80538-2113

USA

Web site:  www.rff.com


Installing RFShape

RFShape is installed when RFFlow is installed.  See the RFFlow online help or the printed RFFlow User's Guide.


Running RFShape

To run RFShape, click on the Start button, Programs, and RFShape.


Exiting RFShape

When you are finished drawing a shape and have saved it, click on File in the main menu of RFShape and then click on Exit in the drop-down menu. This will close the RFShape program. You can also exit RFShape by single-clicking on the Close button [image] in the upper right hand corner of the RFShape window.


Using Online Help

There are three ways to access RFShape Online Help:

1.	Click on the Help item in the main menu and click on Help Topics.

2.	Click on a Help item at the bottom of each drop-down menu. This takes you to a list of topics for that drop-down menu.

3.	Click on a Help button in a dialog box. Information about the dialog box will be displayed.

The Help Topics dialog box has three tabs: Contents, Index, and Find.

Contents

When you click on the Contents tab you see the major topics covered in RFShape Online Help. This table of contents is organized like a user’s manual with major topics, subtopics, and articles you can read. If you just want to learn about RFShape, you could start at the top and read each article.

Index

Usually, you look for help with a specific question in mind. For example, you want to make some text bold and you are not sure how to do that. In this case, you would click on Help, Help Topics, and Index. The Index tab will list all the keywords of RFShape Online Help. When RFShape Help was written, keywords were added to each topic to help you find the information you need. You can type the first few letters of the word you are looking for, or you can scroll through the alphabetical list of keywords. Once you have found the word, click on the Display button at the bottom to read the information.

Find

If you cannot find the information you are looking for using the Index tab, then you can click on the Find tab. If this is the first time you’ve clicked the Find tab, follow the instructions on your screen to compile a word list of all the words in RFShape Online Help. Just follow the numbered steps.

1.	In box number 1, type the word you want to find. Words from RFShape Online Help that match what you typed will be listed in box number 2.

2.	Click on one of the words in box number 2. Topics containing information about the word you clicked on are listed in box number 3.

3.	Click on one of the topics in box number 3 and click on the Display button to read the information. The text of each topic found contains the word you looked for, even if the word is not in the topic title.

The difference between using the Index tab and the Find tab is that the Index tab searches through the keywords that were placed in each topic of RFShape Help while the Find tab searches through all the words. The Index search is faster and should be tried first.


RFShape Year 2000 Compliance

RFShape makes no use of dates and is therefore completely year 2000 compliant.


File Menu

New

Open

Close

Save

Save As

File Locations

Print

Print Setup

1  Last four files opened

2

3

4

Exit


New File
New

When you first run the RFShape program, you can immediately start drawing a new shape. There is no need to click on File and New.

If you have drawn one shape and want to keep it active and start a second shape, click on File in the main menu and New in the drop-down menu. A second instance of RFShape will run and you can draw another shape. Your first shape will still be loaded in the first instance of RFShape and you can click on the taskbar to switch to that instance. You will now have two shapes open, each in a separate instance of RFShape. RFShape runs a separate instance for each shape you are working on.  Switching between shapes is simple since you only have to click on the taskbar.

If you have drawn one shape and are finished with it, click on File and Close.  Then you can start drawing another shape in the same instance of RFShape.

File, New starts a new drawing in a new instance of RFShape.  File, Close closes the current file and clears the screen in the current instance of RFShape.

If you just want to clear the drawing area, click on File and Close.


Open

To open an existing file, click on File in the main menu and Open in the drop-down menu. Alternatively, you can click on the Open button [image] in the toolbar.

If you open one drawing and want to open another, you have to decide if you want both to run or the first one to close. If you want both to run, just click on File and Open and another instance of RFShape will run opening the second drawing. If you want to work on only one drawing at a time, click on File and Close before you click on File and Open. Then only one drawing will be open.

When you click on File and Open the Open dialog box will appear.

Open Dialog Box

In the Open dialog box, if you want to move up in the hierarchy of folders, click on the Up One Level [image] button. If you want to move down, click on the triangle pointing down on the right of the Look in: drop-down list.  The button and list allow you to move throughout your system looking for files. RFShape only opens .rfs files, so these are the only files displayed. Of course, the .rfs file extension will not appear if you have set up Windows to hide file extensions. Running Explorer and clicking on View and Options sets up showing or hiding file extensions.

Once you have found the file you want to open, click on it and then click on the Open button.


Close File
Close

When you are finished drawing a shape, click on File in the main menu and Close in the drop-down menu. You will be asked if you want to save the changes that you made to your drawing. You can either save the changes or discard them and not save them. If you choose to save the changes and the file is still untitled, you will be asked to supply a filename. The screen will then be cleared and RFShape will read the init.rfs file to load the default initial stencils and will reset some parameters to their default state. Now you can start drawing a new shape.


Save

To save an existing file, click on File in the main menu and Save in the drop-down menu. You could also click on the Save button [image] in the toolbar. The file will be saved with the name and location you previously set up in the Save As dialog box.

The Save command writes your file to the disk. Suppose you opened the file C:\Windows\Sample.rfs and then selected the Save command. The file Sample.rfs would be written to the Windows directory on drive C.

It is important to note that if you opened a file from drive B, when you save that file it will be written to drive B. To change the destination or filename, you need to select the Save As command.

Use the Save command to retain the filename and put the file back where it came from, and use the Save As command to change the name of the file or put it into a new location.

If you use the Save command for a file that does not yet exist, i.e. has not yet been named, a dialog box will be displayed asking you to name the file. This is the same dialog box used by the Save As command.

It is a good practice to periodically save your file to a disk in case there is a power failure.


Save As

The Save As command is used to save a new file that does not yet have a name, to rename a file, or to put the file into a different folder.

Click on File in the main menu and Save As in the drop-down menu.

The Save As dialog box will appear. If the folder displayed is the one you want, simply type the filename into the edit box to the right of the words File name:. If the folder shown is not where you want to save the file, click on [image] and select a different folder.

Once you have selected the folder, type the filename into the edit box to the right of the words File name:. You do not need to type the extension .rfs as it will automatically be added for you. The filename you type can be a long name and include spaces.

If a file of the same name already exists, you will be notified and asked if it should be overwritten.

Another way to use the Save As dialog box is to type the complete path and filename into the edit box to the right of the words File name:.

After typing in the new filename, click on the Save button.


File Locations

When you first run RFShape and click on File, Open an initial folder will be displayed.  This is where you keep your drawings.  You can change this folder to another folder by clicking on File, File Locations, and Drawings Folder. This does not apply to Windows 2000.  In Windows 2000, the folder shown is always the last folder you used, even if you exit RFShape and start it again.

When RFShape first runs, it loads the first stencils from a file named init.rfs.  RFShape searches for this file in the Initial Stencils Folder.


Print

To print your drawing, click on File in the main menu and then Print in the drop-down menu. The Print dialog box will appear.

The printer you will be using is listed after the word Name:. The port it is connected to is listed after the word Where:. Check to make sure that this is really the printer and port you want.

RFShape only prints a single page, so the selections for number of pages are ignored.

You can also select the number of copies and whether to print to a file or not. Printing multiple copies is only available if the printer driver supports it. Not all printer drivers support multiple copies, so the Number of copies item may be grayed and not selectable.

RFShape does not support the Collate feature.

After selecting the parameters you want, click on OK and your drawing will be printed.


Print Setup

If you are going to use the default printer or have already set up a printer, skip this section and go to the section entitled Print.

If you need to set up or select a printer, click on File in the main menu and then Print Setup in the drop-down menu. The Print Setup dialog box will appear.

The Print Setup dialog box allows you to select the default printer or any other printer installed in Windows. The list box to the right of the word Name: includes all the printers that are installed in Windows. Just click on the desired printer. If the printer is not in the list, then you will need to install it. To install a printer in Windows, click on the Start button, Settings, and Control Panel. Then double-click on Printers and Add Printers.

In the Print Setup dialog box, you can also choose portrait or landscape orientation, the paper size, and paper source. RFShape does not save these parameters with a file.

Some printers have additional options or features you can set up by clicking on the Properties button.


Drawings Folder

If you run RFShape and click on File and Open, RFShape will show the files in a folder called the drawings folder. It is the folder where your RFShape files (.rfs) are located. You can change this folder at any time by clicking on File, File Locations, and Drawings Folder. The Select the Drawings Folder dialog box appears and you can browse to select a new folder.

If you click on File, Open and select a RFShape file from some folder, then the next time you click on File, Open that folder will be displayed. RFShape only goes to the drawings folder on the first File, Open. After that RFShape displays the last folder from which you opened a drawing. Of course, you must have read and write privileges for any drawings folder that you specify.

This does not apply to Windows 2000.  In Windows 2000, the folder displayed is always the last folder used, even if you exit RFFlow and run it again.


Initial Stencils Folder

When RFShape first runs, it loads the initial stencils from the file init.rfs. The folder where init.rfs is located is set up when RFShape is installed. You can change it at any time by clicking on File, File Locations, and Initial Stencils Folder. The Select the Initial Stencils (init.rfs) Folder dialog box will appear. Click on the Browse button to select a new folder for init.rfs. You then have to arrange your stencils and click on Stencils and Make the Current Stencils the Default Stencils for New Drawings to actually create the init.rfs file in this folder.


Edit Menu

Undo

Redo

Cut

Copy

Paste

Select All

Unselect


Clipboard Cut

Clicking on Edit, Cut is similar to clicking on Edit, Copy except that after copying the objects to the Clipboard, any selected objects are deleted from the drawing.

If no objects are selected, then Edit, Copy is identical to Edit, Cut.


Clipboard Copy

If you want to copy the entire drawing to the Clipboard, click on the Unselect button [image] to make sure nothing is selected.  Then click on Edit, Copy.

If you want to copy part of a drawing to the Clipboard, first select the objects you want copied.  Either click on them individually or drag the mouse to draw a rectangle around them.  Then click on Edit, Copy.

The Copy command is useful for moving drawings from one .rfs file to another.  Open each .rfs file in a separate instance of RFShape and then use Edit, Copy and Edit, Paste to move the drawings.


Clipboard Paste

To paste objects from the Clipboard into your chart, click on Edit in the main menu and then Paste.

The pasted objects will be selected and will be located in the upper left corner of the drawing area. Drag them to their final position. You may have to click on Zoom out to see more of your drawing.

The Paste command is useful for moving drawings from one .rfs file to another.  Open each .rfs file in a separate instance of RFShape and then use Edit, Copy and Edit, Paste to move the drawings.


View Menu

Background Picture

Grids

Page Boundary

Ruler


Grids

To show the Grids dialog box, click on View in the main menu of RFShape and Grids.

Grid Lines

To show grid lines, make sure there is a check mark to the left of the words Show a grid of lines. You can adjust the spacing between the lines and the color of the lines.  You can also make your selection the default when RFShape runs. The grid lines can be printed.

Once you have set up the grid lines, you can easily turn the grid lines on or off by clicking on the Lines button [image].

Grid Points

To show a grid of points, make sure there is a check mark to the left of the words Show a grid of points. You can adjust the spacing between the points and the color of the points. You can also make your selection the default when RFShape runs. The grid points can be printed.

Once you have set up the grid points, you can easily turn the grid points on or off by clicking on the Points button

Snap to Grid

In the Grid dialog box, you can turn on or off the snap to grid feature by clicking next to the words Snap to Grid.  When snap to grid is on, the end of any edited lines or curves jump to the nearest grid point. The Snap to Grid button [image] allows you to easily turn this feature on or off.

Printed Grid Size

The Grid dialog box allows you to set up the size of the grid. This is the size of the grid in tenths of a millimeter when the drawing is printed. Since you can zoom in and out, the actual size on the screen will vary.

After an RFShape is moved into RFFlow, the size of the shape is determined by RFFlow.


Page Boundary

The Page Boundary dialog box is displayed by clicking on View in the main menu and Page Boundary.

This dialog box allows you to turn on or off the displaying of a red rectangle.  This red rectangle shows the maximum drawing area on the paper for the currently selected printer.

To change the orientation to landscape or portrait, click on File in the main menu and Print Setup.

RFShape only displays one page.

In this dialog box you can select to have the page boundary displayed as the default when RFShape first runs.


Ruler

To have a ruler displayed on the screen, click on View in the main menu and then Ruler in the drop-down menu. The Set Up a Ruler dialog box will appear. You can disable or enable the display of the ruler by clicking on the check box near the words Show the Ruler. You can select units of millimeters, centimeters, inches, or grid units and you can select the spacing between numbers.

The Reference group box refers to whether the ruler starts counting at the center of the drawing area or at the top left corner of the page.

Once the ruler has been set up, it can be enabled or disabled by clicking on the Ruler button [image] in a toolbar.

Whether to show a ruler and its parameters are saved in each file. If you want RFShape to start with these parameters already set up, select a ruler with the parameters you want and then click on Make these settings the default for new charts.


Stencils Menu

Add a New Empty Stencil

Add a Stencil from an RFShape (.rfs) File

Change the Number of Columns Displayed

Rename the Selected Stencil

Show the Stencil Window

Delete the Selected Stencil

Delete All Stencils

Make the Current Stencils the Default Stencils for New Drawings


Add a New Empty Stencil

To create a new empty stencil, click on Stencils in the main menu and Add a New Empty Stencil. A dialog box will appear and ask you to name your new stencil.  You can use up to 32 characters in the stencil name.  Click on the OK button and the stencil will be added.  The new stencil always has the basic line, curve, and circle shapes.


Change the Number of Columns Displayed

To change the number of columns of shapes displayed in the Stencil Window (the width of the Stencil Window), click on Stencils in the main menu and Change the Number of Columns Displayed. You can show from 1 to 8 columns.  The default is 3 columns.


Rename the Selected Stencil

To rename the currently selected stencil, click on Stencils in the main menu and Rename the Selected Stencil. A dialog box will be displayed that allows you to modify the stencil's name. The stencil name can be up to 32 characters in length.


Show the Stencil Window

To show or remove the stencil window, click on Stencils in the main menu and Show the Stencil Window.  When there is a check mark next to this item, the Stencil Window will be shown.  You can also press the F10 key on your keyboard to either show or remove the stencil window.


Delete the Selected Stencil

The delete the currently selected stencil, click on Stencils in the main menu and Delete the Selected Stencil.


Delete All Stencils

To delete all the stencils in your drawing, click on Stencils in the main menu and Delete All Stencils.  If you just want to temporarily hide the stencil window, click on Stencils and remove the check mark from Show Stencil Window.


Make Current Stencils the Default
Make the Current Stencils the Default Stencils for New Drawings

Once you have set up the stencils the way you want them, you can make these stencils the default stencils. The default stencils are loaded each time RFShape runs or when you click on File, Close. To do this, click on Stencils in the main menu and Make the Current Stencils the Default Stencils for New Drawings.

Now when RFShape opens, these stencils will be loaded.  They are stored in the file init.rfs.  See also Initial Stencils Folder.


Tools Menu

Boundary of Drawing

Center - This centers the entire drawing on the drawing area. It is important that the shape be centered in RFShape if you want it to size correctly when pasted into RFFlow.

Size Selected Shapes

Size Entire Drawing

Spacing Around Text


Size Entire Drawing

For shapes which are moved into RFFlow, the size of the shape in RFShape is not important, as the shape will be sized in RFFlow.

The physical size of a drawing in RFShape only becomes important if you print the drawing in RFShape.  To change the size of your drawing, click on Tools in the main menu and Size Entire Drawing.

Then select a smaller or larger grid size.  The grid can be changed in .1 millimeter increments.  Doubling the grid will double the physical size of your drawing.

See also: Size Selected Shapes


Zoom Menu

You can zoom in to see more details in your drawing by clicking on Zoom in the main menu and In.  You could also press the Ctrl key plus the M key on your keyboard.  M stands for magnify, since you will make the objects larger.  You could also click the Zoom In button

To zoom out, click the Zoom Out button [image], or click Zoom in the main menu and Out, or press Ctrl plus D on your keyboard.

To quickly zoom to a certain magnification, click Zoom on the main menu and then select one of the percentages ranging from 1000% to 2%.


Toolbar Buttons

 Open

 Save

 Undo

 Redo

 Select All

 Unselect

 Zoom In

 Zoom Out

 Points

 Lines

 Snap To Grid

 Ruler


Name of Combination Object

Each object in a stencil has a tooltip.  Enter the text you want to appear in the tooltip for this combination object and click the OK button.  You can use spaces and up to 32 characters.


Color Selection

Selecting a new line color or interior fill color brings up the same Color dialog box. You simply click on the color you want and click on the OK button. Make sure you click on the OK button or the Color dialog box will remain open.

You can create your own custom colors and shades of gray. Click on the Define Custom Colors button and the Color dialog box will expand. You can move the two cursors to make a custom color. Then click on the Add to Custom Colors button. In this way you can make up 16 colors in addition to the 48 basic colors. You can also type in the numbers directly if you know which numbers are needed for a specific color. The custom colors you make are saved in the registry so each time you run RFFlow they will still be present.

If you draw a shape in RFShape and use the default line color and interior color, you will be able to select the line color and interior color in RFFlow.  However, if you select a line color in RFShape, then you can't change the line color in RFFlow.  If you select an interior fill in RFShape, then you can't select an interior fill in RFFlow.


Select a Stencil
Select a Stencil Dialog Box

For a full discussion of moving Stencils from one RFShape file into the currently opened RFShape file, see Add a Stencil from an RFShape (.rfs) File.

The RFShape file that you selected may have one or more stencils in it. In this dialog box, you have to select which stencil you want. Click on the stencil in the list and click on the OK button.


Size Selected Shapes

To size a group of shapes, you must first select them. To select a single shape you can click on it. To select several shapes, drag the mouse to form a rectangle around the shapes. If you are having trouble selecting shapes, zoom in so the shapes will be separated and easier to select.

After you have selected the shapes you want to size, click on Tools in the main menu and Size Selected Shapes in the drop-down menu.

The dialog box which appears allows you to change the width or height of the selected shapes as a percent of their current dimensions.  If you have a check mark in Lock Aspect Ratio, then the width and height will display the same percentage change.  The changes are immediately shown on the main drawing.

If you draw your shape too large in RFShape, you may not be able to size it sufficiently small when it is imported into RFFlow.  If you can't make it small enough in RFFlow, then you need to use Size Selected Shapes and make them all smaller in RFShape.  Then move the shape into RFFlow again.

See also:

Size Selected Shapes Dialog Box

Size Entire Drawing


Size Selected Shapes Dialog Box

You can change the width and height of the selected shapes by selecting a percentage change.  The current width and height is displayed as 100%.

If you want the width and height to show the same percentage change, put a check mark in Lock Aspect Ratio. If this item has a check mark, then the width and height percentage numbers will always show the same number.

As you are changing the width or height, the selected shapes will be modified and redrawn on the main screen so you can see the affect of your changes. The shapes size about their collective center.

If you decide you don't want to change the size of the shapes, then click the Cancel button.


Short Cut Keys
Short Cut Keys, Keyboard Accelerators

Draw a Line:  Press L on keyboard

Draw a curve:  Press C on keyboard

Draw a circle:  Press O on keyboard

(These appear at the current cursor position)

Make Line Horizontal:  Highlight line and press H on keyboard

Make Line Vertical:  Highlight line and press V on keyboard

Copy to Clipboard:  Ctrl +C

Cut to Clipboard:  Ctrl +X

File New:  Ctrl +N

File Open:  Ctrl +O

File Save:  Ctrl +S

Paste from Clipboard:  Ctrl +V

Print:  Ctrl +P

Redo:  Ctrl +Y

Select All:  Ctrl +A

Show/Remove Stencils:  F10

Undo:  Ctrl +Z


Drawing Arcs of a Circle

To draw an arc or portion of a circle, first draw a circle in a color different from your line color.  If you are drawing with black lines, then use a red color to draw the circle.  Draw curves in each quadrant of the circle and position them directly over the circle.

Connect the ends of the curves.  You will need Snap to Grid turned off.  Each curve covers 1/4 of a circle.  After you have drawn your arc, delete the original circle.


Spacing Around Text

To get to this dialog box, click on Tools in the main menu of RFShape and Spacing Around Text in the drop-down menu.

If you are drawing a shape that you will add text to in RFFlow, this information is helpful.  If you will not be adding text to your shape in RFFlow, then this information can be skipped.

RFFlow sizes shapes as you enter text.  If you type text into an RFShape object, it will expand as the text is entered.  However, the initial object may be so small that the text does not fit inside the object.  For example, the shape below was created in RFShape with 0 extra spacing in both width and height and imported into RFFlow.

As we add text to the shape in RFFlow, it becomes larger, but it was so small to begin with, that the text goes outside the shape as shown below.

To correct this problem, we added a spacing of 6 grid units on all sides of the shape.  This adds 6 grid units to the left, right, top, and bottom making the shape size larger when text is added in RFFlow.  The results are shown below.

The amount of space needed depends on the shape and the amount of text you plan to enter, so you have to experiment.  The text will show up in the center of your custom shape. This is where the cross is in RFShape.

See also:

Boundary of Drawing

Text


Boundary of Drawing

This dialog box will be displayed if you click on Tools in the main menu of RFShape and Boundary of Drawing.

If you are going to create a custom shape in RFShape and then add text to it in RFFlow, you should let the boundary of the drawing be rectangular.  Remove the check mark.

If you are creating a custom shape in RFShape and will not be adding text to it in RFFlow, you can leave the check mark and the boundary of the drawing will always be square.  With a square bounding rectangle, the shape can be sized in RFFlow without distortion by keeping the height and width the same.

See also:

Spacing Around Text

Text