Precision Rectangles for Draw
by Kell Gatherer

This application can be used to create a rectangle of precise size for importing into Draw or a DTP package.

It can often happen that you need a rectangle of a specific size, for example to define the size of an advertisement that must fit to a column width. Although it is possible to define the size of a box accurately using Draw, it is somewhat fiddly, and the rectangle dimensions will be defined from the centre of the enclosing line, not its outer perimeter.

Running the DrawBox application opens a window which permits you to enter the height and width of a box. When the relevant details have been entered, the Draw file icon in the window can be dragged to a Filer window to save the box as a Draw file, or it can be dragged straight into a Draw window.

Clicking on the 'Centimetres' icon steps through different measurement units that may be used: dimensions may be entered in centimetres, millimetres, inches, fractions of inches, points (1/72 of an inch) or pica ems (12 points). Quick adjustment may be made by clicking on the dimension arrows. Clicking on the rectangle selects a simple rectangle or one with curved corners.

In Draw, the thickness of the line may only be specified in points, but DrawBox also allows it to be entered in millimetres or fractions of an inch. There is another important difference: DrawBox takes the thickness of the line into consideration when creating the box, so that the outside dimension of the box will always be as specified, regardless of the line thickness.

 RISC User 1992
