Dragging objects

The selection tools not only let you select objects, but move them freely around your page as well. Normally, you can select and move objects in one dragging action. However, if you disable the Quick (area) select option in the General panel of the Options dialog box, you must select one or more objects first (with one click or drag) and then move them with a second drag of the mouse.

You often don't have to click exactly on the path to drag the object. If the object has a fill of any type, you can click anywhere on the fill color or pattern to drag the whole shape. If the object has a wide stroke that extends past the boundaries of the shape, you can click and drag on that, too.

Tip: Hold down the SHIFT key while dragging to constrain the movement vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Normally, the diagonal angle is either 90- or 45-degrees, but it depends on the Rotation steps value in the Units and Grids panel of the Options dialog box . Also, note that if you hold down the ALT key while dragging, the selected object is duplicated rather than moved.