Draw Guide 7.3

Appendix B,
Toolbars

Copyright

This document is Copyright © 2022 by the LibreOffice Documentation Team. Contributors are listed below. This document maybe distributed and/or modify it under the terms of either the GNU General Public License (https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html), version 3 or later, or the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), version 4.0 or later.

All trademarks within this guide belong to their legitimate owners.

Contributors

To this edition

Peter Schofield

Kees Kriek

To previous editions

Peter Schofield

Dave Barton

Jean Hollis Weber

Feedback

Please direct any comments or suggestions about this document to the Documentation Team’s mailing list: documentation@global.libreoffice.org

Note

Everything sent to a mailing list, including email addresses and any other personal information that is written in the message, is publicly archived and cannot be deleted.

Publication date and software version

Published May 2022. Based on LibreOffice 7.3 Community.
Other versions of LibreOffice may differ in appearance and functionality.

Using LibreOffice on macOS

Some keystrokes and menu items are different on macOS from those used in Windows and Linux. The table below gives some common substitutions for the instructions in this document. For a detailed list, see the application Help.

Windows or Linux	macOS equivalent	Effect
Tools > Options on Menu bar	LibreOffice > Preferences on Menu bar	Access to setup options
Right-click	Ctrl+click and/or right-click depending on computer setup	Opens a context menu
Ctrl or Control	⌘ and/or Cmd or Command	Used with other keys
Alt	⌥ and/or Alt or Option	Used with other keys
F11	⌘+T	Open the Styles deck in the Sidebar

Introduction

Draw provides several toolbars to help in creating drawings. Each toolbar has a default set of tools and the option to add additional tools.

Note

The icons displayed in the Draw toolbars illustrated in this appendix may differ from what is displayed on a computer screen. Toolbar icons depend on the computer operating system being used and how LibreOffice has been set up. For more information on customizing LibreOffice and the toolbars, see the Getting Started Guide.

Using toolbars

Displaying toolbars

To display and make a toolbar active, go to View > Toolbars on the Menu bar. A submenu opens with an alphabetical list of toolbars available for creating drawings in LibreOffice Draw. Click on a toolbar name to display it and make it active. Active toolbars are indicated by highlighting or a check mark next to the name.

Draw toolbars available

Note

Some toolbars, although selected in View > Toolbars on the Menu bar, will not display until an object of the correct type is selected in a drawing. For example, the Image toolbar only displays when an image is selected.

Closing toolbars

To close a toolbar, use one of the following methods:

• Go to View > Toolbars on the Menu bar and deselect the toolbar.

• Right-click on a tool on a toolbar and select Close Toolbar from the context menu.

• Click on the X in the right corner of the title bar of a floating toolbar.

Moving toolbars

Docked toolbars

By default, some toolbars are docked into position in the Draw main window. For example, the Standard toolbar is docked at the top of the main window. Docked toolbars can be undocked and moved to a new docked position on the main window or left as a floating toolbar. Before moving a toolbar, the toolbar must be unlocked.

1. Move the cursor over the small vertical handle at the left end of the toolbar as shown in Figure 1. The cursor changes to a moving cursor for the computer system and setup.

2. Click and drag the toolbar to a new location. This can be a new docked position or a floating toolbar. A hashed border appears around the toolbar indicating the toolbar position as it is dragged.

3. Release the cursor when the required position is reached.

Note

If the small vertical bar is not visible at the left end of a docked toolbar, then the toolbar is locked into position. A docked toolbar must be unlocked before it can be moved to a new position in the Draw main window. See “Locking toolbars” on page 1 for more information.

Floating toolbars

To move a floating toolbar, click on its title bar and drag it to a new floating location. Release the cursor when the toolbar is in the required position. A floating toolbar does not have to be positioned on the Draw main window for it to function.

Floating sub-toolbars

Some tools on a toolbar have a triangle ▼ to the right of the tool indicating that more tools are available on a sub-toolbar, for example Basic Shapes on the Drawing toolbar. Sub-toolbars can be turned into floating toolbars and moved into a new position as follows:

1. Move the cursor over the horizontal handle at the top of the toolbar, as shown in Figure 2. The cursor changes to the moving cursor used for the computer system and setup.

2. Click and drag the toolbar to a new location to create a floating sub-toolbar.

3. Release the cursor when the required position is reached.

4. To close the floating sub-toolbar, right-click on the triangle ▼ in the sub-toolbar title bar and select Close Toolbar from the context menu.

Docking a floating toolbar

To dock a floating toolbar, use one of the following methods:

• Click on the title bar and drag it to the top, bottom, left side, or right side of the main window. When the toolbar reaches a docking position, a hashed border appears at the docked position. Release the cursor and the toolbar is docked.

• Right-click on the toolbar and select Dock Toolbar from the context menu. The toolbar moves into a docked position. If the position is not suitable, move the toolbar to a new docked position.

• To dock all floating toolbars that are active, right-click on the toolbar and select Dock All Toolbars from the context menu.

Locking toolbars

Docked toolbars

When a toolbar has been docked into position on the Draw main window, the toolbar can also be locked into position preventing the toolbar from becoming a floating toolbar.

• To lock a toolbar into a docked position, right-click in a blank area on the toolbar and select Lock Toolbar Position in the context menu. A check mark appears against this option indicating the toolbar is now locked.

• To unlock a toolbar, right-click in a blank area on the toolbar and click on Lock Toolbar Position in the context menu. The check mark next to this option disappears indicating the toolbar is now unlocked. A small vertical or horizontal bar appears at the left end or top of the toolbar indicating that the toolbar is unlocked. This bar is also is used to move the toolbar.

Note

Some toolbars cannot be docked or locked into position. This is indicated by the options Dock Toolbar and/or Lock Toolbar Position being grayed out, making the options unavailable.

Locking sub-toolbars

To prevent sub-toolbars from becoming floating sub-toolbars, sub-toolbars have to be locked as follows:

1. Save the drawing that is open in Draw.

2. Go to View > Toolbars on the Menu bar and select Lock Toolbars from the context menu.

3. Select Restart Now in the Restart LibreOffice dialog that opens to activate the Lock Toolbars option.

4. To unlock sub-toolbars so they can become floating sub-toolbars, repeat Steps 1 thru 3. The Lock Toolbars option is an on/off switch.

Note

Using the Lock Toolbars option affects all sub-toolbars available in LibreOffice modules.

Editing toolbars

When LibreOffice is installed on a computer, it includes a set of toolbars suitable for each LibreOffice component. Each toolbar has a default set of visible tools. Tools can be added or deleted, and toolbars can be customized.

Adding tools

1. Right-click in a blank area on a toolbar, or click on the triangle ▼ on the right of the toolbar title bar.

2. Select Visible Buttons from the context menu to display a list of available tools.

3. Click on the tool required and the tool appears in the toolbar. The list of available tools closes automatically. A highlight or check mark next to the tool indicates that the tool is already installed on the toolbar.

Note

When adding tools using Visible Buttons, the tool is added to the toolbar at the same position as the tool appears in the Visible Buttons list. That is, the top tool in Visible Buttons appears at the left end of the toolbar and the bottom tool appears at the right end of the toolbar. Tool positions cannot be changed using Visible Buttons.

Deleting tools

1. Right-click in a blank area on a toolbar, or click on the triangle ▼ on the right of the toolbar title bar.

2. Select Visible Buttons from the context menu to display a list of available tools.

3. Click on the tool no longer required and the tool is removed from the toolbar. The highlight or check mark next to the tool is also removed. The list of available tools closes automatically.

Customizing toolbars

Extra tools and commands that are not available in Visible Buttons can be added to a toolbar using customization (View > Toolbars > Customize on the Menu bar). Customization also allows the creation of new toolbars if a specific set of tools are required for a specific task. For information on customizing toolbars, see the Getting Started Guide.

Toolbars

Note

The available tools listed for each toolbar below are all available for installation on a toolbar when Visible Buttons is opened in the context menu for each toolbar. The tools already installed on a toolbar are indicated in Visible Buttons either by the tool icon being highlighted or by a check mark. This install indication depends on computer setup and computer operating system being used.

Note

On some toolbars, the icons have a triangle ▼ to the right of an icon. Click on this triangle to open further options that are available for use.

Note

Some of the tools in the toolbars also have the option of using a keyboard shortcut instead of clicking on the tool. For a full list of keyboard shortcuts that are available in Draw, see Appendix A, Keyboard Shortcuts.

3D-Objects

The 3D-Objects toolbar (Figure 3) provides tools to create 3D objects in a slide. It is activated by going to View > Toolbars > 3D-Objects on the Menu bar. Alternatively, click on the triangle ▼ next to the 3D-Objects icon displayed on the Drawing toolbar to open a submenu giving access to the available 3D objects.

Available tools from left to right

3D-Settings

The 3D-Settings toolbar (Figure 4) and its tools only become active when an object has been converted to 3D using the tool Toggle Extrusion and the converted object is then selected.

Available tools from left to right

The following tools on this toolbar have a triangle ▼ on the right of the icon. Click on this triangle to open a drop-down menu giving access to various options as follows:

• Depth –– 3D extrusion depth – 0cm; 1cm; 2.5cm; 5cm; 10cm; Infinity; Custom. The measurement unit depends on the settings in Tools > Options > LibreOffice Draw > General (macOS LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice Draw > General).

• Direction –– 3D extrusion direction and type – Parallel; Perspective.

• Lighting –– lighting direction and lighting level of 3D extrusion – Bright; Normal; Dim.

• Surface –– surface type of 3D extrusion – Wire Frame; Matt; Plastic; Metal.

• 3D Color –– color of 3D extrusion. Select a color from one of the available color palettes.

Align Objects

The Align Objects toolbar (Figure 5) provides tools for aligning several objects in a drawing to improve the visual impact of a drawing.

Available tools from left to right

Comments

The Comments toolbar (Figure 6) provides tool for adding, deletion, and navigation of comments in a drawing. To use comments, it is recommended to add the name and initials of all users in Tools > Options > LibreOffice > User Data (macOS LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice > User Data) so that comments can be easily identified.

Available tools from left to right

Distribute Selection

The Distribute Selection toolbar (Figure 7) provides tools to distribute three or more selected objects evenly along the horizontal axis or vertical axis. Also, the spacing between objects can be evenly distributed.

Available tools from left to right

Drawing

The Drawing toolbar (Figure 8) provides the majority of the tools normally used to create graphic objects in a drawing. By default, this toolbar is normally docked on the left side of the Workspace.

Available tools from left to right

Some tool shapes on the Drawing toolbar change depending on the last tool that had previously been selected and used.

• Click on the triangle ▼ to the right of a tool to open a pop-up toolbar. Select the required shape to add to a drawing.

• To create a sub-toolbar, click and drag at the top of the pop-up toolbar to an empty area on the main window. The sub-toolbars for each object type and the various shapes available are shown Figures 9 to 18.

Edit Points

The Edit Points toolbar (Figure 19) provides tools for editing the points of a curve or an object that has been converted to a curve. The toolbar only becomes active when an object is selected and one of the following methods is used to open the toolbar:

• Click on Edit Points on the Drawing or Standard toolbar.

• Use the keyboard shortcut F8.

Available tools from left to right

Find

The Find toolbar (Figure 20) opens by default in the bottom left corner of the Draw main window. This toolbar is normally docked at the bottom left of the Draw main window above the Status bar. However, it can be undocked and made into a floating toolbar.

Available tools from left to right

Fontwork

The Fontwork toolbar (Figure 21) is used to create graphical text objects in a drawing and provide the tools for editing the graphical text object. This toolbar only becomes active when a Fontwork graphical text object in the drawing has been selected.

Available tools from left to right

Some tools on the Fontwork toolbar have a triangle ▼ to the right of the tool. Click on the triangle to open a pop-up toolbar or drop-down option list.

• Fontwork Shape –– select the required shape for the Fontwork graphical text object from the options available.

• Fontwork Alignment –– select the paragraph alignment from the options available.

• Fontwork Character Spacing –– select the required character spacing from the options available.

Form Controls

The Form Controls toolbar (Figure 22) provides the tools required to create an interactive form. This allows controls to be added to a form in a text, drawing, spreadsheet, presentation, or HTML document (for example a button that opens another drawing or document).

Available tools from left to right

Form Design

The Form Design toolbar (Figure 23) opens a form in Design Mode so that it can be edited. Controls of the form cannot be activated or its contents edited when in Design Mode. However, the position and size of the controls can be changed, other properties edited, and added or deleted controls in Design Mode.

Available tools from left to right

Form Navigation

The Form Navigation toolbar (Figure 24) provides tools to edit a database table or control the data view. The toolbar is normally displayed at the bottom of a document that contains fields that are linked to a database. This toolbar is only active when forms are connected to a database; an inactivate toolbar is shown in Figure 24.

The Form Navigation toolbar also allows movement within records as well as inserting and deleting records. If data is saved in a form, the changes are transferred to the database. This toolbar also provides tools providing sort, filter, and search functions for data records.

Available tools from left to right

Glue Points

The Glue Points toolbar (Figure 25) provides tools to insert a glue point or modify the properties of a glue point. A glue point is a point where a connector is attached to an object. By default, LibreOffice automatically places a glue point at the center of each side of the bounding rectangle for every object created.

Available tools from left to right

Image

The Image toolbar (Figure 26) provides tools to edit, modify, align, reposition and resize images. The toolbar only becomes active and available when an image is selected in a drawing. The Image toolbar automatically replaces the Line and Filling toolbar when it becomes active.

Available tools from left to right

Insert

The Insert toolbar (Figure 27) provides tools to insert different types of objects into a drawing.

Available tools from left to right

Legacy Circles and Ovals

The Legacy Circles and Ovals toolbar (Figure 28) provides tools to insert different types of circles and ovals into a drawing.

Available tools from left to right

Legacy Rectangles

The Legacy Rectangles toolbar (Figure 29) provides tools to insert different types of rectangles and squares into a drawing.

Available tools from left to right

Line and Filling

The Line and Filling toolbar (Figure 30) provides tools and drop-down lists for editing lines, arrows, and object borders. The tools available vary depending on the type of object selected for editing.

Available tools from left to right

Master View

The Master View toolbar (Figure 31) provides tools to create a new master page, rename a master page, delete a master page, and close master view. This toolbar is only active when Draw is in master view.

Available tools from left to right

Media Playback

The Media Playback toolbar (Figure 32) provides the standard tools required to insert, view, play, and listen to audio and video files. The toolbar only becomes active when an audio or video file is selected. Draw supports many different media formats depending on the computer operating system being used.

Available tools from left to right

Options

The Options toolbar (Figure 33) provides tools for editing various settings for newly created drawings, for example how objects snap to the grid when being moved or resized.

Available tools from left to right

Redaction

The Redaction toolbar (Figure 34) is used to block portions of a drawing protecting sensitive information and helps enterprises and organizations to comply with regulations on confidentiality or privacy.

When a redacted drawing is exported to a new drawing, any redacted portions are removed from the new drawing and replaced by redaction blocks of pixels. This prevents any attempt to restore or copy the original contents. A redacted drawing is often exported to PDF for publication or sharing.

Available tools from left to right

Standard

The Standard toolbar (Figure 35) is common to all LibreOffice components and provides the most common tools when creating and editing documents using LibreOffice. The Standard toolbar differs between LibreOffice components to allow for different toolsets used in creating the different types of documents.

Available tools from left to right

Standard (Viewing Mode)

The Standard (Viewing Mode) toolbar (Figure 36) provides tools to save, edit, and distribute a drawing.

Available tools from left to right

Table

The Table toolbar (Figure 37) provides tools and options to edit and format a table placed in a drawing. This toolbar only becomes active when a table is selected.

Available tools from left to right

Text Formatting

The Text Formatting toolbar (Figure 38) provides tools for formatting text and alignment commands. This toolbar becomes active when text in a text box or graphic object has been selected and it automatically replaces the Line and Filling toolbar.

Available tools from left to right

Transformations

The Transformations toolbar (Figure 39) provides tools to modify the shape, orientation, or fill of selected objects.

Available tools from left to right

Zoom

The Zoom toolbar (Figure 40) provides tools to reduce or enlarge the screen display of the current drawing.

Available tools from left to right

Contents

• Copyright

• Contributors

• Feedback

• Publication date and software version

• Using LibreOffice on macOS

• Introduction

• Using toolbars

• Displaying toolbars

• Closing toolbars

• Moving toolbars

• Docked toolbars

• Floating toolbars

• Floating sub-toolbars

• Docking a floating toolbar

• Locking toolbars

• Docked toolbars

• Locking sub-toolbars

• Editing toolbars

• Adding tools

• Deleting tools

• Customizing toolbars

• Toolbars

• 3D-Objects

• 3D-Settings

• Align Objects

• Comments

• Distribute Selection

• Drawing

• Edit Points

• Find

• Fontwork

• Form Controls

• Form Design

• Form Navigation

• Glue Points

• Image

• Insert

• Legacy Circles and Ovals

• Legacy Rectangles

• Line and Filling

• Master View

• Media Playback

• Options

• Redaction

• Standard

• Standard (Viewing Mode)

• Table

• Text Formatting

• Transformations

• Zoom