Rectangular border around ojbects

[dennis999]

I want to place a border around a bunch of varied stuff

If i use a rectangle and send to back it looks OK but it gets in the way of editing the objects in front of it

is there an easy way to make a rectangular outline consisting of just lines (ie which is sort of 'hollow')

drawing lines is too painful and not easily resizable like a rectangle

 

[RegistrationMark]

are you saying a rectangle filled with "None" and stroked with some color, AND sent to the back interferes with your editing of objects on top?
I've never heard of that before.
I'd guess if you make a layer beneath the objects you want to edit, and put your rectangles on that layer, you could then lock the layer and work on the stuff you need to edit.
Mark

 

[jmgalvin]

AS Registration Mark said, you can create the rectangles on a new layer - below the other layers.

You can also move the rectangle to the back and then lock it from the Object menu/lock/selection. The stuff above it remains editable.

Using OSX 10.3.9 on a G4

 

[dennis999]

thanks
looks like i will need to learn about using layers, i am pretty much a newbie

 

[dennis999]

RegistrationMark,
i am having trouble getting off first base here
i come from a CAD background and all of the terminology and methods are very different and seem quite foreign to me for what seems like a simple operation

when you say:
"are you saying a rectangle filled with "None" and stroked with some color, AND sent to the back interferes with your editing of objects on top?"

i think i see how to set the fill to 'none' but that makes the border disappear, when i set the stroke to black, the fill is no longer 'none'
how do you separate the functions ?
actually i don't see 'fill', i see 'swatch', is that the same thing ?

thanks for you help

BTW
my 'intuitive' expectation about how to modify the settings for a simple object like this would be to select it, right click on it and then have all of the applicable options available for direct editing

 

[jmgalvin]

In illustrator, lines around objects are referred to as stroke.

First: go to Window menu and select swatches and stroke so they're open as well as the tools window.

Draw a box or any other shape (pther shapes are availabe via click holding on the rectangle tool).

Near the bottom of the tool window you see to big boxes with curved arrow to the upper right. That's fill and stroke color. Stroke shows just the border. Fill is completely filled. Click on any swatch and you'll see that the foremost of the 2 boxes on the tools window shows the color you clicked. If you click on the rearward box it will come forward and you can click another swatch to watche that fill.

On the stroke window select the thickness of the linw you want to outline the box. This window also efffect the thicknaee os any straight line you draw. It also effects the thickness of stroke around any letters if you choose to stroke text. Increments, inches, points, etc are controlled via Preferences/Units.



Using OSX 10.3.9 on a G4

 

[RegistrationMark]

Yes, what jmgalvin said, and you can also use the COLOR palette to edit your strokes and fills.
Mark