18 replies to this topic

[AndyM]

I am trying to work out the kinks in the workflow of ArcGIS gdb annotation to Illustrator CS4.

My question is: how can I select a vertex of a text path and move it? I can do this for a simple path, but when I try to select and drag a node on the text path I just end up moving the entire text-on-path object. Or, if the vertex is at the end of the line, it coincides with the edge of the bounding box so the text object gets resized.

I'm an old FreeHand user, so I hope I'm missing something obvious here.

[David Medeiros]

I am trying to work out the kinks in the workflow of ArcGIS gdb annotation to Illustrator CS4.

My question is: how can I select a vertex of a text path and move it? I can do this for a simple path, but when I try to select and drag a node on the text path I just end up moving the entire text-on-path object. Or, if the vertex is at the end of the line, it coincides with the edge of the bounding box so the text object gets resized.

I'm an old FreeHand user, so I hope I'm missing something obvious here.

In Illustrator you should be able to use the Direct Selection tool (white arrow instead of black arrow) to select type path nodes and re-size or move the line.

You might also try turning the bounding box display off to help with accidentally grabbing it.

HTH

dave

[AndyM]

Well that's embarrassing. I was struggling with that for over an hour, and right after posting this I accidentally figured it out.

I was selecting the object first and trying to pick up the vertex witht he Direct Selection tool. The trick seems to be to find the vertex before selecting the object, by hovering over the vertex and watching for the cursor to change. Then clicking on the spot selects the vertex. (This gets a lot easier in wireframe view.)

(wanders off grumbling about how much easier FreeHand was....)

[David Medeiros]

Well that's embarrassing. I was struggling with that for over an hour, and right after posting this I accidentally figured it out.

I was selecting the object first and trying to pick up the vertex witht he Direct Selection tool. The trick seems to be to find the vertex before selecting the object, by hovering over the vertex and watching for the cursor to change. Then clicking on the spot selects the vertex. (This gets a lot easier in wireframe view.)

(wanders off grumbling about how much easier FreeHand was....)

Ah yes, thats an irritating glitch. I seem have some similar work flow issue where even though I am working in the Direct Select tool I constantly have to deselect a path before going back to work on it (usually after unlocking it or something).

[Charles Syrett]

(wanders off grumbling about how much easier FreeHand was....)

....which is why yours truly still uses FreeHand!

Charles Syrett
Map Graphics
http://www.mapgraphics.com

[AndyM]

Thanks Dave -- our messages crossed.

And thanks for the clue about the bounding box. I had myself convinced it couldn't be turned off, was poking around the Preferences, but with your prompt I found it (under View -- duh).

[oldtoby]

Freehand Rulez!!!! Illustrator droolz!!

[Kathi]

I was selecting the object first and trying to pick up the vertex witht he Direct Selection tool. The trick seems to be to find the vertex before selecting the object, by hovering over the vertex and watching for the cursor to change. Then clicking on the spot selects the vertex. (This gets a lot easier in wireframe view.)

(wanders off grumbling about how much easier FreeHand was....)

Ah yes, thats an irritating glitch. I seem have some similar work flow issue where even though I am working in the Direct Select tool I constantly have to deselect a path before going back to work on it (usually after unlocking it or something).

With the direct selection tool, you can select a path (which will then show all its vertices with filled squares), then click again on the vertex you want to select. Now all the other vertices should change to open squares, and you can move just the one selected vertex. Not sure if this works for text paths, but it certainly does for simple paths.
HTH.

[Jimbo]

(wanders off grumbling about how much easier FreeHand was....)

....which is why yours truly still uses FreeHand!

Charles Syrett
Map Graphics
http://www.mapgraphics.com

[joke]Which is why there is no more Freehand in production. To make life more complicated for legacy cartographers[/joke]

[Charles Syrett]

....or, to use Dave Barnes' term, "archaeophytes". Actually, Adobe doesn't need to bother making life complicated for any cartos; after all, it's a tiny sub-market of their overall market.

Charles Syrett
Map Graphics
http://www.mapgraphics.com

[joke]Which is why there is no more Freehand in production. To make life more complicated for legacy cartographers[/joke]

[oldtoby]

, Adobe doesn't need to bother making life complicated for any cartos; after all, it's a tiny sub-market of their overall market.

And now ESRI is making my life hard by removing the ArcInfo Toolset from Version 10.

Oh well... just have to keep v9.3 and FH for a few more years.

[AndyM]

, Adobe doesn't need to bother making life complicated for any cartos; after all, it's a tiny sub-market of their overall market.

And now ESRI is making my life hard by removing the ArcInfo Toolset from Version 10.

(panic rising) So .... what do you mean by "ArcInfo Toolset" ?

[oldtoby]

, Adobe doesn't need to bother making life complicated for any cartos; after all, it's a tiny sub-market of their overall market.

And now ESRI is making my life hard by removing the ArcInfo Toolset from Version 10.

(panic rising) So .... what do you mean by "ArcInfo Toolset" ?

ooo yikes!! I hpe yer not thinking of the arctoolbox area of ArcGIS. i have to apologize, i mean the Arcinfo Workstation, and specifically the Arctools section.(i was typing faster than my brain could go)

link -->a better explanation of what im talking about than i could ever actually give

Arcinfo Workstation is important for me cause its the only way i know how to get shapefile labels into a format that i can import into Freehand.

[AndyM]

I know this is a bit of a tangent, but since the original poster is an old geezer it's still kinda related ...

If we are talking about the command-line, ArcInfo workstation (I couldn't access the link) then this is what my local ESRI support is saying:

"ArcInfo Workstation is available at version 10, so you can continue to work with workstation at 10. However this is the last release and no newer versions of ArcInfo Workstation will be released from here on."

So we can relax for a few more years.

[frax]

I have ArcInfo Workstation in my ArcGIS 10 install... the version number lists as 10.0 (but it has barely gotten any revision since v7 or something...)