Section 4. Introducing the Toolbox

#4. Introducing the Toolbox

Ninety-nine percent of the time you're working, you will have the toolbox open so you can create and modify the objects that make up your pages. You'll reach for the toolbox frequently to switch tools, so you'll want to position it and configure it in a way that's convenient for you.

Positioning the Toolbox

If the toolbox isn't displayed onscreen, choose Window > Tools. To configure and position the toolbox:

• Drag the title bar (the gray bar) at the top or left side of the toolbox to reposition it.

• Double-click the title bar to switch from a double column of tools to a single column or to a single row (Figure 4a).

  Figure 4a. Double-click the toolbox's title bar to change its configuration from double column to single column to single row.

  

You can also configure the toolbox by choosing an option from the Floating Tools Palette menu in the General panel in the Preferences dialog box. The options are Single Column, Double Column, and Single Row.

Identifying Tools

The toolbox is divided into sections outlined by light gray bars. From top to bottom, the sections are selection tools, drawing and type tools, transformation tools, and modification/navigation tools. If you move the pointer over a tool, a Tool Tip displays the name of the tool and its keyboard shortcut (Figure 4b).

Figure 4b. Point at each tool with the mouse to display a Tool Tip, which tells you the name of the tool and its keyboard shortcut.

If Tool Tips are not displaying, choose Normal or Fast from the Tool Tips menu in the General panel in the Preferences dialog box.

Selecting Tools

To select a tool, move the pointer over it and click it. To use a tool that's hidden in a pop-out menu (indicated by a small triangle next to the tool's icon), click and hold on the tool. When the pop-out menu displays, select another tool (Figure 4c). The hidden tool replaces the original tool in the toolbox.

Figure 4c. To display and select hidden tools, click and hold on a tool's icon.

Setting Tool Preferences

Some of the object creation tools have preferences that control how they work in the active document. To modify a tool's preferences, double-click the tool and make changes in the dialog box that displays. For example, double-clicking the Type on a Path tool displays the Type on a Path Options dialog box.

To quickly switch tools, you can press the keyboard shortcut shown in each tool's Tool Tip. For example, you can press "P" to select the Pen tool or "H" to select the Hand tool. (If the text cursor is flashing, you cannot use the single-letter shortcuts.)

Some of the options in the toolbox are actually buttons. For example, the butterfly at the top takes you directly to the Adobe Web site, and the buttons at the bottom toggle between Normal and Preview modes.