Chapter 7. Tools for Selecting

While it may seem obvious, before you can work with objects on a page, you have to select them. While QuarkXPress has the Item and Content tools for selecting and PageMaker has the Pointer tool, InDesign uses three tools: The Selection tool, the Direct Selection tool, and the Type tool. Selecting objects in InDesign is one of the most frustrating tasks for someone used to the way XPress or PageMaker does it.

The Selection tool (press V) selects an entire object; you can also use it to move or resize a frame or path (see Figure 7-1). The Direct Selection tool (press A) selects or edits part of an object, such as a single point on a path or a graphic frame’s content. At first glance it appears that the Selection tool ...

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