[Dorothy M F]

In Word 2003, one can select a picture and a text box (or multiple pictures
and multiple text boxes) and group them (an extremely useful feature for
someone preparing materials in organic chemistry). I have been unable to do
this in Word 2007. I've tried boxing things with the select tool (text boxes
are selected but not the pictures) with and without the shift key or the
control key or the shift/control keys. Same with mouse clicking. It is a
trivial task in 2003; is this simply unavailable in 2007?

[Jay Freedman]

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:20:00 -0700, Dorothy M F
wrote:

In Word 2003, one can select a picture and a text box (or multiple pictures
and multiple text boxes) and group them (an extremely useful feature for
someone preparing materials in organic chemistry). I have been unable to do
this in Word 2007. I've tried boxing things with the select tool (text boxes
are selected but not the pictures) with and without the shift key or the
control key or the shift/control keys. Same with mouse clicking. It is a
trivial task in 2003; is this simply unavailable in 2007?

First insert a drawing canvas (at the bottom of the Insert Shapes
dropdown). Anything you put on the canvas can be grouped. After the
items are grouped, you can drag them off the canvas and delete the
canvas if you don't want it.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so all may benefit.

[Dorothy M F]

Thanks. That worked. I've played a bit with this now, so let me check the
protocols for this with you.
If you create a couple (or more) items (say a text box and a picture) within one drawing canvas, you can select and, if you wish, group all or some of the objects. Once they have been created in a drawing canvas, you can drag them from the drawing canvas and remove the drawing canvas and the objects are still selectable and group or ungroupable.
If you create an item in one drawing canvas and a second item in another drawing canvas, you cannot select both items while they are still in their original, separate drawing canvases. If, however, you drag them from the drawing canvases, they can both be selected at one time.
You cannot delete the drawing canvas before you drag out the objects; doing so deletes everything within the drawing canvas.
So it seems to me that the drawing canvas confers selectibility (I don't
think there is such a word...but I think it conveys what I mean) but also
bounds the selectibility. When the canvas is removed the selectibility
remains and the boundary is gone.
Thanks again for your help.
Dorothy

"Jay Freedman" wrote:

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:20:00 -0700, Dorothy M F
wrote:

In Word 2003, one can select a picture and a text box (or multiple pictures
and multiple text boxes) and group them (an extremely useful feature for
someone preparing materials in organic chemistry). I have been unable to do
this in Word 2007. I've tried boxing things with the select tool (text boxes
are selected but not the pictures) with and without the shift key or the
control key or the shift/control keys. Same with mouse clicking. It is a
trivial task in 2003; is this simply unavailable in 2007?

First insert a drawing canvas (at the bottom of the Insert Shapes
dropdown). Anything you put on the canvas can be grouped. After the
items are grouped, you can drag them off the canvas and delete the
canvas if you don't want it.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so all may benefit.

[Shirleyg]

Although I understand the use of the Drawing Canvas, the fact that that
option is OFF by default in 2007 reflects that most people hated the Drawing
Canvas automatically appearing when we wanted to do simple things.

The simple thing one of my users wanted to do was select a picture and a
rectangle drawn to surround the picture and simply move them both at the same
time in the same direction. That was simple before using the Shift key to
select multiple objects. As noted by others, you can no longer select a
drawing object and a picture object. Bad move, Microsoft!
--
Certified Office Specialist
Technical Education Coordinator
Cook Children's Health Care System


"Dorothy M F" wrote:

Thanks. That worked. I've played a bit with this now, so let me check the
protocols for this with you.
If you create a couple (or more) items (say a text box and a picture) within one drawing canvas, you can select and, if you wish, group all or some of the objects. Once they have been created in a drawing canvas, you can drag them from the drawing canvas and remove the drawing canvas and the objects are still selectable and group or ungroupable.
If you create an item in one drawing canvas and a second item in another drawing canvas, you cannot select both items while they are still in their original, separate drawing canvases. If, however, you drag them from the drawing canvases, they can both be selected at one time.
You cannot delete the drawing canvas before you drag out the objects; doing so deletes everything within the drawing canvas.
So it seems to me that the drawing canvas confers selectibility (I don't
think there is such a word...but I think it conveys what I mean) but also
bounds the selectibility. When the canvas is removed the selectibility
remains and the boundary is gone.
Thanks again for your help.
Dorothy

"Jay Freedman" wrote:

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:20:00 -0700, Dorothy M F
wrote:

In Word 2003, one can select a picture and a text box (or multiple pictures
and multiple text boxes) and group them (an extremely useful feature for
someone preparing materials in organic chemistry). I have been unable to do
this in Word 2007. I've tried boxing things with the select tool (text boxes
are selected but not the pictures) with and without the shift key or the
control key or the shift/control keys. Same with mouse clicking. It is a
trivial task in 2003; is this simply unavailable in 2007?

First insert a drawing canvas (at the bottom of the Insert Shapes
dropdown). Anything you put on the canvas can be grouped. After the
items are grouped, you can drag them off the canvas and delete the
canvas if you don't want it.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so all may benefit.

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi Shirley,


Hmmm. I'd think that the default may have been turned off in Word 2007 in part because folks didn't understand what to do with the
drawing canvas (and MS didn't explain it well g) and also that the new graphics engine in Word 2007 eliminated some of the needs
for it (i.e. you can use connectors between shapes in Word 2007 without a canvas). 'Hated' is a rather strong word that seems to get
frequently get tossed about for software features

Word 2007, to preserve backwards compatibiility with some features, only implemented part of the new graphics engine (one of the
reasons that Powerpoint has a new "WordArt" set and Word does not g). With that came the problem of not being able to combine old
engined graphics with the control wrapped graphics from the new engine ones.

If you save the document as Word 97-2003 document then the graphics all behave like the old ones for the purposes of grouping,
annotating if you prefer not to use the Canvas. You can also keep the .docx format and add the 'dissasemble picture' choice to the
quick access toolbar and apply it to an inserted picture to have it behave as a previous version graphic for purposes of grouping.

Once your items are grouped use Office Button=Convert to go back to Word 2007 behavior when adding additional graphics.

=================
"Shirleyg" wrote in message ...
Although I understand the use of the Drawing Canvas, the fact that that
option is OFF by default in 2007 reflects that most people hated the Drawing
Canvas automatically appearing when we wanted to do simple things.

The simple thing one of my users wanted to do was select a picture and a
rectangle drawn to surround the picture and simply move them both at the same
time in the same direction. That was simple before using the Shift key to
select multiple objects. As noted by others, you can no longer select a
drawing object and a picture object. Bad move, Microsoft!
--
Certified Office Specialist
Technical Education Coordinator
Cook Children's Health Care System
--

Bob Buckland ?:-)
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*