Manipulating Graphics Objects

It's never too late to make changes to the object you've created. You can refer to Table 11.1 earlier in this hour for a list of the editing tools on the Drawing toolbar and explanations on how to use them. Remember, you must select an object before you can edit it.

You can move an object wherever you want in the worksheet. First you need to select the object, and then you can use the mouse to move the object to a new location. The images you place in the worksheet might need to be moved to a better position. Some images might be overlapping each other or hiding data in the worksheet. In these cases, you would want to move the objects to a different place on the worksheet.

In addition to the editing tools on the Drawing toolbar, commands on the Draw menu on the toolbar let you work with your drawing objects or with clip art images that have been inserted with the Insert, Picture, Clip Art or Insert, Picture, From File commands. These Flip commands let you flip an object left, right, up, or down. The Rotate commands enable you to rotate objects at an angle, so they appear slanted on the worksheet.

Excel lets you enlarge or reduce the size of an object. After you select an object, you can use its selection handles (circles) and the mouse to resize the object. When the pictures in your worksheet are in place, you can do one more improvement to make them picture-perfectyou can resize them.

Moving Objects

Moving an object in Excel is easy. But before you can move an object, you must select the object. Just click anywhere on the object to select it. Then point to the object and drag it to the new location.

In the upcoming To Do exercise, you move the objects you drew on Sheet3 earlier in this hour. You also move the WordArt object to a new location on the worksheet.

To Do: Move an Object

1. Click the rectangle shape to select it. You should see selection handles surrounding the rectangle, as shown in Figure 11.12. The mouse pointer changes to a four-headed arrow.

   Figure 11.12. Selecting an object to move it.

   

2. Drag the rectangle to cell I10. You have now moved an object.

3. Click the WordArt text to select it. The selection handles should appear on all sides of the piece of art. When you point to the WordArt text and a four-headed arrow appears, you're ready to move the object.

4. Drag the WordArt object so that it's below the cloud and to the left of the rectangle. You have now moved another object.

5. Click any cell to deselect the WordArt object.

   

   If you moved the object to the wrong location, click it and drag it to another part of the worksheet.

   
   

Resizing Objects

After you insert an object and place it where you want in the worksheet, you can stretch or shrink the object to improve its appearance. Making an object shorter, taller, wider, or narrower can make a difference in how the object looks in proportion to other objects and your data on the worksheet.

You resize an object by pointing to a selection handle. When you see a double arrow, drag the handle until the object is the size you want.

In the upcoming To Do exercise, you're going to resize an object you drew earlier in this hour on the Sheet3 sheet.

To Do: Resize an Object

1. Click the rectangle to select it. The selection handles on the rectangle's border pop out.

2. Point to the right-middle handle until you see a double arrow, as shown in Figure 11.13. The double arrow means that you can drag the handle in either direction to resize the object. In this case, you can drag the object to the right to enlarge it or drag to the left to shrink it.

   Figure 11.13. You can resize an object by dragging the double-arrow mouse pointer.

   

3. Click and drag the right-middle handle one column to the right to make the rectangle wider.

4. Click and drag the bottom-middle handle two rows down to make the rectangle taller.

5. Click and drag the lower-right corner handle two rows down and one column to the right to make the rectangle taller and wider at the same time.

6. Click outside of the rectangle object to deselect it.

   

   If you resized the object and didn't get the right results, just click the object and size the object again. To size an object proportionally, hold down Shift as you drag a corner handle.

   
   

Rotating Objects

The fastest and easiest way to rotate an object is to drag the green rotation handle that appears at the top of a selected clip left or right.

Another way to rotate an object is to use Excel's Free Rotate tool on the Drawing toolbar. To rotate an object, click the Free Rotate tool and drag the round handles in the direction in which you want to rotate the object. Click anywhere in the worksheet to turn off the rotate option.

Another way to rotate an object is to use the Flip or Rotate command on the Draw menu. Then you can pick the type of rotation you want from the Rotate menu.

The next To Do exercise teaches you how to add an arrow to the end of the line object and rotate the object with the Flip or Rotate command on the Draw menu.

To Do: Rotate an Object

1. Click the line object to select it.

2. Click the Arrow Style button on the Drawing toolbar. Then select Arrow Style 5. Excel adds an arrowhead to the line that points to the right.

3. Click the arrow object to select it.

4. Click the Draw button on the Drawing toolbar. The Draw menu pops up.

5. Click the Rotate or Flip command. The Rotate commands appear on the menu, as shown in Figure 11.14.

   Figure 11.14. The Rotate options on the Rotate or Flip menu.

   

6. Choose Rotate Right 90. The object is rotated 90 degrees, and now it points down. The top portion of the arrow is hidden.

7. Drag the arrowhead down a few cells so that the entire arrow shows.

8. Click outside of the object to make the selection handles disappear.

   

   If the shape is rotated too much or too little, click it to select it and then choose a different Rotate option. Or click the Free Rotate tool on the Drawing toolbar to rotate the object an exact amount. Or click the Undo button on the Standard toolbar.

   
   

Flipping Objects

The Draw menu on the Drawing toolbar has the Rotate or Flip command that you use only with Drawing objects. This special command controls the orientation of the selected object and can be used to create mirror images.

Working with the Sheet3 worksheet, the To Do exercise shows you how to use the AutoShapes command to create a block arrow that points left. Then you flip the arrow so that it points right.

To Do: Flip an Object

1. Click the AutoShapes button on the Drawing toolbar. Choose Block Arrows and click the Left Arrow shape. The mouse pointer changes to a crosshair when you move it over the worksheet.

2. Move the crosshair over cell D14. This cell is where you want the object to begin.

3. Click and drag your crosshair from the left edge of cell D14 to the right edge of F17. This cell is where the object ends. Release the mouse button. Now you've drawn an arrow object that is horizontal on the worksheet and pointing left. The arrowhead is in cell D14. Now flip the arrow to point right.

4. With the arrow object selected, click the Draw button on the Drawing toolbar. The Draw menu pops up.

5. Click the Rotate or Flip command. A menu of rotate and flip choices appear, as shown in Figure 11.15.

   Figure 11.15. The Rotate or Flip command on the Draw menu can help you position items on your worksheets.

   

6. Choose Flip Horizontal. The arrowhead points right now.

7. Click outside of the line object to make the selection handles disappear.