Work with objects

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There are a variety of object types that you can use to increase and enhance a map’s visual information. You can add shapes and images to a map’s background, text boxes to give extra information, and swim lanes to flowcharts when there are several concurrent processes. You can also add relationships to show how topics are connected and boundaries to group topics and subtopics.

You can modify these objects to best suit the look of your map. Depending on the object type, you can adjust transparency, fill, outline, and layering. You can also lock and align objects, as well as control how they are layered.

 

    See also:

 

Select objects

Selecting multiple objects allows you to simultaneously apply formatting to them all, lock several objects, align and distribute them, and more.

Do one of the following:

Hold down Ctrl, and click the objects' edges. When selection handles appear around an object, it is selected. Or Hold down your left mouse button and drag over the objects. The object must be completely in the selection area to be selected. Or On the Insert tab, in the Objects group, click the Shapes pull down, and click Select All.

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Format objects

You can modify an object’s outline, fill, and transparency.

Format an object’s outline

You can format the color, weight, and pattern of outlines for shapes, swim lanes, boundaries, and relationships.

  1. Right-click the object that supports outline formatting, and click Format Object.

For boundaries, click Format Boundary, and for relationships, click Format Relationships.
You can modify the outline of multiple objects simultaneously by first selecting them.

  1. Do any of the following:

        Open the Color drop down menu, and choose a line color.

        Open the Weight drop down menu, and choose a line weight.

        Open the Pattern drop down menu, and choose a line pattern.

  1. Click Apply.

Format an object’s fill

You can format the fill color, weight, and pattern of outlines for circles, rectangles, swim lanes, and boundaries.

  1. Right-click an object that supports fill formatting, and click Format Object.

For boundaries, click Format Boundary.

  1. In the Fill area, open the Color drop down menu, and choose a fill color.

Read Note

Format an object’s transparency

You can adjust the transparency of rectangles, circles, images, swim lanes, and boundaries.

Do one of the following:

  1. Right-click an object that supports transparency, and click Format Object.

For boundaries, click Format Boundary.

  1. Set a transparency level in the Transparency box.

Read Hint

Read Note

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Resize objects

You can resize shapes, images, and swim lanes.

Do one of the following:

Right-click the object, click Format Object, type the desired number of pixels in the Height or Width boxes.

Or Click the object to display handles, and drag the handles.

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Layer objects

You can layer some types of objects, including shapes, images, swim lanes and text boxes, and control the stacking order of the objects.

You can place one object on top of another and reorder the stacking position.

Send an object back in the stacking order

Right-click an object, and do one of the following:

Bring an object forward in the stacking order

Right-click an object, and do one of the following:

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Lock objects

You can lock shapes, swim lanes, text boxes, and images in position on a map background, which prevents you from moving them.

Lock an object

Unlock an object

  1. On the Home tab or Insert tab, click the Map Index pull down, and click Elements.

  2. In the Map Index Elements pane, right-click the object, and click Unlock.

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Align and distribute objects

You can align two or more shapes, swim lanes, text boxes, and images with each other. The object that has selection handles is the object to which other selected objects are aligned.

You can also distribute three or more shapes, swim lanes, text boxes, and images, evenly spacing the center points of the objects along a horizontal or vertical axis.

Align objects

  1. Select two or more objects.

  2. Do one of the following:

On the Design tab, in the Object Format group, click the Align pull down, and select an alignment option.

Or

Right click, click Align, and select an alignment option.

 

Distribute objects

  1. Select three or more objects.

  2. Do one of the following:

On the Design tab, in the Object Format group, click the Align pull down, and select a distribution option.

Or

Right click, click Align, and select a distribution option.

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Format boundaries and relationships

When you select a boundary or a relationship, the formatting options on the Design tab are enabled, and you can use these to change the object's appearance. See Boundaries and Relationships for information on further modifying these objects.

Additional options are available when you right-click on the object, and then click Format Boundary or Format Relationship (or double-click, or select the object and press ALT+ENTER).

  1. Select the formatting options you want to use.

  2. To see how the boundary or relationship will look, click Apply.

  3. Click the Map Theme button if you wish to save these settings as formatting defaults for this map, or re-set the object's formatting to the default from the theme.

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