This is probably something simple, I'm sure, but I haven't located it in VSD yet. I need to apply an outline around a box from the shapes pallet, but I only see a way to fill it. Where is the outline?

Thanks
Amy

It seems like the easiest way to do this is to create a shape with the fill color of your border, and then place a smaller shape on top of it which fits within the first shape and has the fill color you desire for the shape itself. So basically, the bottom shape is the border of the shape on top.

Thanks for your response! I'd thought about that, but wondered if there was a way to apply an outline. Maybe there isn't. I guess if the results are the same then it doesn't really matter. Thanks for taking time to answer my question.

I have been having a related issue.

I wish to have a thin "frame" around some pieces of text. The two ways of doing it as I can see is to:

a) use the frame shape tool
b) layer two square shapes with one slightly smaller than the other.

The problem with the first method is that the lines of the frame are too thick.

The second would work except for the fact that I wish to have a MouseOver effect (the border changing colour). VSD does not seem to allow a mouseover effect object to have another object intersecting with it.

Would anybody happen to have a cunning plan to get around this?

Many thanks in advance

Try importing images that have the colors you want instead of using VSD shapes?

Hi Amy,

The answer to this question is: use the 'effects' option for this. Select the object you want to be 'framed', choose effects, mark 'shadow' (unmark all other options). Then choose 'both' as 'style' and pick your desired color for the border/frame. The 'offset' defines the thickness of the border/frame (1% is one pixel, 2% is also one pixel...), set 'softness' to zero and 'opacity' to whatever you like. Doing it this way also solves the mouse over problem mentioned by James Little... The boxed/framed object can be made double for a mouse-over. If you want to apply this to text, just fill a graphic object with some text ('button text')!

You can do this with the text INSIDE text objects too, but first you have to mark 'allow advanced text' for the text object. VSD transforms the text object into a graphic object this way, allowing all graphic possibilities of VSD to be applied to the text inside text objects. BTW, changing a text object into a graphic object by 'allowing advanced text' solves another problem too: text sometimes overflowing or not formatting right.... And now you can use ALL fonts you have installed on your PC!

But use 'allowing advanced text' only when needed: search engines (Google and the Coffeecup search software) can't 'spider' your text no more, 'cause it IS no text anymore...

John