Selection Tool Shortcuts
There are two selection tools that you can access via the Tools panel, or by using the keyboard shortcut (in parenthesis):
Selection tool ( ) (V)
Direction Selection tool ( ) (A)
Select All CTRL+A
Select None CTRL+SHIFT+A
Creating Objects Using the Expression Blend Drawing Tools
You don’t have to have an Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop file in order to use graphics in your Silverlight Project; you can create shapes using the drawing tools directly in Expression Blend. In this part of the module, you will discover how to create shapes and apply attributes to them, as well as how to use the Pen tool for custom paths. You will go beyond the introduction that you had in the video snippet, so that you can experiment with more tools and features in Expression Blend.
Overview of Drawing Tools for Shapes
You can use the shape tools in Expression Blend to make simple rectangles, ellipses and lines. Using the Brushes pane in the Properties panel you can then edit the fill and stroke. In the next section, you will create a rectangle with rounded corners and fill it with a gradient. You will then relocate the object in the Objects and Timeline panel in order to place the new shape behind your HexShape canvas.
Aids to Help You Create More Precisely
To help build a more precise project, you can opt to turn on the snap grid. If you do not see some of the options described below, choose Window > Reset Current Workspace.
Start with an existing file. Choose File > Open Project/Solution. Browse to open the project file named beehive that is located in the beehive folder in the module02_assets folder, and double-click to open .
Click the Show snap grid button in the lower left of the Expression Blend workspace. A grid appears.
Use gridlines to help you be more precise.
In this example, you will keep the grid settings at their default, but keep in mind that you can change the grids in the Options dialog box by choosing Tools > Options, then choose Artboard.
Click LayoutRoot in the Objects and Timeline panel to make sure it is the active layout container. Tip: It is a good habit to activate the container in which you want an object to be in before you draw the object. If you forget to do this you can click and drag the object to the correct layout container at anytime.
Now that you have a grid, click and hold down on the Rectangle tool in the Tools panel. Note that any of the tools that have a triangle in the lower right corner have additional tools that are hidden. In this case, you can see that the Ellipse and Line tools are the hidden tools behind the Rectangle tool. You will be using the Rectangle tool.
Note: The (M) following the Rectangle tool is the quick key that you can also use to select this shape tool. You would simply press M to switch to the Rectangle tool, L to select the Ellipse tool and, \ (back slash) to select the Line tool.
With the Rectangle tool selected, hold down the Alt key, then click and drag from the approximate center of the LayoutRoot canvas. It does not have to be exact, as the position can be changed later.
Note that by holding down the Alt key, you are creating this shape from the center, rather than from the upper left. Click and drag until the values in the handles indicate that the rectangle is approximately 400 pixels high and 638 pixels wide. Again, this does not have to be exact.
Tip: If you do not see the measurement values as you drag press F9, or choose View Object > Show Handles.
If necessary, reposition or resize the rectangle by choosing the Selection tool and drag to resize from one of the corner boxes.
Press Ctrl+S to save your project, or choose File > Save. Keep the project open for the next section.
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