!ClipDraw

v1.04

This application enables you to clip a rectangular section from a drawfile.

Method of use.
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1.  Click on your target drawfile to load it into a draw window.

2.  Doubleclick on !ClipDraw to put it onto the iconbar.

3.  Select the rectangle tool from the !Draw toolbar.

4.  From the Style menu select Line colour and click on red.

5.  Draw your red rectangle around the area you wish to clip.

6.  Resave the drawfile OR drag the file in the Savebox directly to the !ClipDraw icon on the iconbar then go to instruction 8.

7.  Drag your modified drawfile to the clipdraw icon on the iconbar.

8.  A Savebox appears, either drag the drawfile icon to a directory window or click on OK.

9.  The clipped drawfile will appear in the directory window with an additional v on the end of the name to minimise overwriting errors.

N.B.  If you make modifications to your original drawfile AFTER drawing the red rectangle, !Clipdraw will not accept the file unless you bring the red rectangle to the top by selecting it and using Shift/CTRL/F.

The output file is grouped by default, to leave ungrouped click on "Group" on the iconbar menu.
Fill information is stored with each line by default which can be read from the style menu in !Draw, as this can give peculiar effects with curved lines there is an option on the iconbar menu to save lines as unfilled.
The output file includes all the information, including fills, on any object whose bounding box lies totally within the red box by default. To cancel this option click on "Include fill" on the iconbar menu.
Text objects will be clipped to include only those letters completely within the box. This option when cancelled means any text object which partially is inside the box will be preservrd entirely.

Limitations.
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1.Text Objects.
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If any part of a text object is within the vertical boundaries of the red rectangle then only the letters completely inside the box will be included in the clipped drawfile. If the top or bottom of a text object is included then the letters will be included.

2. Path objects.
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Straight lines and curves are clipped to the boundaries of the red rectangle.
Joined paths are treated as several single paths and are clipped to the boundaries of the red rectangle.
Path colours, patterns and widths are preserved.
Fill colours although they are preserved in the definition of a path are not seen in the clipped drawfile unless the object is totally within the red box. Even if the program preserved all the joins that occurred within the red rectangle odd effects would be observed due to the way in which !Draw operates e.g. it is impossible to draw a filled green rectangle with only 2 blue edges as one object in !Draw. The only way around this problem is to treat a filled object as 2 objects and draw a filled object first with colourless thin edges then draw the edges that should be included later - maybe a later version of !ClipDraw?
Not all parameters of paths are dealt with, because I couldn't find out enough about them or find a drawfile generator which produced them and gave me examples to use. I would be pleased if people who get an error message because of this send me the file. Parameters not dealt with 01, 04, 07. I have treated 03 as for 02 because the little information I have doesn't distinguish between them. I have summarised all the information I have found or worked out on drawfiles into 3 pages in an Impression file which will be sent on request.

3. Sprite objects.
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Just the part of the sprite in the red rectangle is included in the clipped drawfile. This only applies to unrotated sprites, otherwise all of a rotated sprite will be included if any part is within the red rectangle.

4.Group objects.
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Appear as ungrouped in the clipped drawfile.

5. Text area objects.
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If any part of a text area object is within the red rectangle then the whole of the text area object will be included in the clipped drawfile.

6. Any other object.
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If any part of an object is within the red rectangle then the whole of the object will be included in the clipped drawfile.

 Derek Baron
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The application is freeware as long as it remains unaltered and includes all the files. If you find it useful and use it a lot then please send a donation to me which I will pass onto Take Heart my local charity which raises funds for the heart wards in Leeds hospitals.

Derek Baron
6 Riverside Crescent
Otley
W.Yorks
LS21 2RS
Derek.Baron@tesco.net
