Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Resizing objects with the mouse
To resize an object, select it. Drag handles (small blue circles) appear at each corner and at the centers of each
edge. Drag a handle to resize the object, as shown in Figure 7.20. While you're changing the size, you see a
pop-up window with the object's dimensions. Guidelines also appear, as shown in the figure.
Labels, buttons, and editable text fields can be set to shrink text so it fits into the available area, with the Adjust
to Fit check box in the Attributes. But this is usually less useful than making an object wide enough to accom-
modate the largest possible label or message.
For a simple UI, you often drag the left edge of a text area object until the left guideline appears, and you drag
the right edge to the right guideline. This sets the width to the maximum available.
For a more complex UI, you have to trade off the dimensions and positions of the various items for maximum
clarity, keeping in mind that the UI may need to rotate to a different orientation. In extreme cases, you may
need to design separate UIs for different orientations or use code to move objects when the orientation changes.
NOTE
The left, right, top, and bottom guidelines indicate the edge of the usable area in the UI, as defined in Apple's Hu-
man Interface Guideline documents. While Apple likes to emphasize these documents, in practice they're sugges-
tions and not absolutes. As long as your UI is clear, intuitive, and aesthetically appealing, you can usually bend the
rules.
