Edit objects in Focus mode

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Focus mode enables you to isolate design elements, such as objects and bitmaps, within the context of your drawing. This facilitates the selection and editing of specific objects, including groups within groups, overlapping elements, and more. When you bring an object into focus, it is temporarily brought to the front of the stacking order. A transparent overlay covers all other design elements that cannot be edited or selected. You can adjust the opacity of the overlay.

An object group selected (left), an object within an object group selected (middle), and an object within an object group in Focus mode (right).

When you bring an object into focus, with the exception of an object group, it is placed in temporary container called a Focus group. The in-focus object appears with the name Focus Group in the Objects inspector.

When you activate Focus mode, a floating toolbar appears in the top-left corner of the drawing window displaying the focused object’s place in the hierarchy of the design. Using the breadcrumb controls on the floating toolbar, you can shift focus to other parts of the design without opening the Objects inspector.

When you exit Focus mode, all changes that you have made to objects or object groups are retained, and the object’s name and place in the design hierarchy are restored in the Objects inspector.

The Focus mode toolbar appears when you bring a design element into focus. It displays the position of the in-focus object within the design hierarchy, allows you to shift focus to other design elements, and lets you exit Focus mode.

You can focus on objects, grouped objects, PowerClip objects, symmetry groups, bitmaps, and more.

Some object types can’t be brought into Focus mode. Others can be brought into Focus mode, but with limited functionality.

Unsupported objects

 

Object type	Notes
Multiple objects (ungrouped)
Symbols in master symbol edit mode	Symbols not already in edit mode can be brought into focus. For more information about editing symbols, see To edit a symbol.
Rollover objects in edit mode	Rollover objects not already in edit mode can be brought into focus. Entire rollover objects can be brought into focus, but not individual rollover state objects. For more information about editing rollovers, see To modify an object’s rollover state.
Perspective groups or perspective drawing
Borders and grommets
Dimension lines	Dimension text can be brought into Focus mode.
Impact effects
Tables
Connector lines	Connector lines and objects attached to connector lines cannot be brought into Focus mode.

Limited support design elements

 

Object type	Notes
Text objects (artistic text, paragraph text, text on a path)	Text objects cannot be brought into Focus mode by double-clicking. Text objects on a path are brought into focus together. Once in Focus mode, you can select and edit the text and the path separately.
Lens objects	The object and lens are brought into focus together. Once in Focus mode, you can select and edit the object and the lens separately if the lens is frozen. When the lens is not frozen, only the shape of the lens can be edited.
Objects with effects applied by any Effects tool (Shadow tool , Contour tool , Blend tool , Distort tool , Envelope tool , Extrude tool , Block Shadow tool )	The object and the effect are brought into focus together. Once in Focus mode, you can select and edit the object and the effect separately.
Bitmaps with effects applied	The bitmap and effect are brought into focus together. Once in Focus mode, you can modify the bitmap and any changes to the bitmap are reflected in the effect.
PowerClip objects	PowerClip objects cannot be brought into Focus mode by double-clicking.

To bring an object into Focus mode

When Focus mode is active and you sample color from an object that is out-of-focus, the Color Eyedropper tool captures color values as if there were no overlay present.

When in Focus mode, any new object you create is automatically grouped with the object or object group in focus.

You can also bring an object into Focus mode by double-clicking it with the Pick tool or by Control-clicking it in the Objects inspector and clicking Bring into Focus.

You can disable the activation of Focus mode by double-clicking an object. For more information, see To disable double-click activation of Focus mode.

To shift focus

 

To	Do the following
Shift focus to another object	Click the name of the object on the Focus mode toolbar.
Shift focus to the object one level higher	Press Esc. If a single object or the top level of an object group is in focus, Focus mode is closed.

To exit Focus mode

You can also exit Focus mode by double-clicking anywhere in the drawing window off the object in focus, by clicking the Exit Focus Mode button on the floating toolbar, or by pressing Shift+Esc.

To adjust the visibility of inactive objects

To disable double-click activation of Focus mode

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