Description of the Functions of HyperStudio Tools

This is a diagram of the "Tools" menu. This menu can be dragged down onto the screen where access can quickly be gained to it while you are developing a project. The "Colors" menu can be dragged down in the same way.

1. The finger pointer in the upper left corner must be used to activate a

button and to activate a text box. To change from one tool to another, just

click on the tool you want. A quick way to change between the finger and

the arrow is to hold down the shift key while you tap the tab key.

2. The arrow is used for editing as shown in the Editing section above.

3. The other four tools in the top six are used for specialized editing of

buttons, text boxes, and graphics. However, the arrow seems to work for

all these objects, and so the other four tools are not usually needed..

4. The dashed rectangle and the dashed ellipse are used for selecting

objects. When either of these two tools is selected, the symbol that

responds to the mouse movements is a plus sign. Place the plus sign in

the upper left corner of the area you want to select. Holding the clicker

down, drag to the lower right corner of the area you want to select, and

then release the clicker.

5. Use the lasso if you want to select a figure without any of the background.

The lasso will work for Clip Art, but not for graphics.

6. The fourth row consists of a paint brush, a can of spray paint, and a can of

paint which can be used to fill an enclosed figure with color.

7. The fifth row consists of an eraser, a line drawing tool, and a pencil for

freehand drawing or writing.

a. Remember that the eraser does its work by coloring objects the same

color as the background.

b. If you want to use the line drawing tool to draw a line that is perfectly

horizontal or perfectly vertical, hold the shift key down while you draw.

8. The sixth row consists of atool to draw a rectangle, a tool to draw an

ellipse, and a tool to draw a "rectangle" with rounded corners.

a. If you want to draw a square, hold the shift key down while you use the

tool for drawing a rectangle.

b. If you want to draw a circle, hold the shift key down while you use the

tool for drawing an ellipse.

9. The left side of the bottom row is the "T" tool you can use to place text on

parts of the screen other than a text box. This is a useful tool for designing

title pages and for labeling objects. After you click on the "T" tool, you click

on the screen wherever you like, and that is where the text will begin. If

you have more than one line of text you must use the return key because

this tool does not cause the text to "wrap around" as a word processor does.

10. The middle tool on the bottom row is a magnifying glass. After you click

on this tool, you click on the object you wish to magnify. You can click

three times, but on the fourth click, the object goes back to its original size.

You can also magnify an object by going to the "Options" menu and

dragging down to "Magnify." Neither of these methods, however, will

work on a graphic object.

11. The tool on the right side of the bottom row is a "dropper" used to pick up

color from one part of the screen and "drop" it at another part to color the

interior of a closed figure.