Rectangle
Click the Home | Draw | Area | Rectangle command to create a rectangle or square in the document.
Rectangle Properties
Rectangles contain two types of properties: line properties and fill properties. You can change these properties in the Property Manager.
Drawing a Rectangle
To draw a rectangle:
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Select the Home | Draw | Area | Rectangle command to enter drawing mode and begin drawing a rectangle.
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Press and hold the left mouse button at one corner of the rectangle.
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Drag the pointer to the opposite corner of the rectangle. The size of the rectangle appears in the status bar as it is drawn.
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Release the left mouse button when the rectangle is the preferred size and shape.
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Press the ESC key, click the Rectangle command, or click another command to exit drawing mode.
Drawing a Square
To draw a square, hold down the CTRL key while dragging the mouse to draw a square rather than a rectangle.
Drawing Tips
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Line and fill properties are set through the Property Manager.
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Line and fill default properties are set through the File | Options command.
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You can draw a rectangle out from the center rather than corner to corner by holding down the SHIFT key while dragging the mouse.
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You can draw a square out from the center rather than corner to corner by holding down the CTRL and SHIFT key while dragging the mouse.
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The plot window auto-scrolls to keep the cursor in the plot window when drawing a rectangle.
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Drawing mode is persistent for each individual plot document. You can switch to other documents or applications, and rectangle drawing mode will still be enabled when you return to the plot document. Other plot documents may have a different draw tool or the select tool enabled.