AlignSizeSpaceRow GMS For CorelDRAW

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Installation, Setup and Usage Document

by Thomas Kuhn vb_whiz01@hotmail.com

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Table of Contents What Is a GMS?...................................................................................................................................................... 3

Applicability ........................................................................................................................................................... 3

Purpose of Functions............................................................................................................................................... 3

Installation of the GMS Module ............................................................................................................................. 5

AlignSizeSpaceRow Function ................................................................................................................................ 9

Export_Clipart Function ....................................................................................................................................... 10

MakeThumbnail Function..................................................................................................................................... 11

ImportAI Function ................................................................................................................................................ 12

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What Is a GMS? - A GMS is a Global Module Script, a module added to Corel which adds

additional functionality to Corel. Since it is a GLOBAL module, once installing the GMS module, it is available to the user in any existing (or new) CorelDRAW file opened or created.

Applicability - This module should work with any version of CorelDRAW that utilizes VBA for it’s

macro programming language. I developed it in Corel X4 and currently use it in Corel X5, but it should be backwards compatible to at least V12 (if not earlier). I have not been able to verify, but I have heard that the student/educational version of Corel does not expose the Macros option (under the Tools menu) to the user. If this is the case, you will not be able to install and use these functions with a student/educational version of Corel.

Purpose of Functions AlignSizeSpaceRow - I manage my clipart by keeping a copy of like-topic items in a single file. For example I have a separate Clipart-Babies.cdr, Clipart-Birds.cdr, Clipart-Fish.cdr, Clipart-Mammals.cdr, Clipart-Holidays.cdr, etc; This helps save space since 20 individual files take more storage space on a hard drive than one file with the same 20 images. It also help locate specific pieces of clipart by keeping all like-themed images in the same file. Since all the images are vector and can be scaled infinitely up or down without loss of quality, I scale the individual clipart pieces down to thumbnail size and put all like-themed pieces together in the same file. When I need to use one, I copy the individual piece of clipart to a separate file, scale it to the size needed and print/cut from that. This function takes a selection of entities and resizes them to 1” high or maximum of 1-1/2” wide, whichever is greater, aligns them horizontally, and spaces them evenly on a standard 8-1/2x11” page, with 0.25” side margins and 0.2” spacing between rows (provides up to 9 rows per page). Vertical position of the row is determined by the vertical position of left-most entity selected, it places the row at the standard row interval closest to that position. Takes a selected item(s) or group(s) and sizes them uniformly and spaces them evenly across the current page in the CorelDRAW file, providing uniformity of images and maximization of storage space in the Corel File. Export_Clipart - Automates the process of making a copy of a selected item for sharing on internet forums. Graphics are normally shared in an AI V3 format due to the fact that almost any vector graphics package can import and export that format. This function will take a selected item/group, prompt the user for a filename, and will automatically export an AI file of that item only to your desktop, and make a corresponding JPG image with the same name for display with the AI file on the forum, one-click does it all. If you are exporting a series of clipart images with sequential counter numbers (ie. Dog-01, Dog-02, Dog-03) it will sense that and automatically prompt you with the correct next sequence number. Make_Thumbnail - This function takes a selected item/group, prompts the user for a name, and then creates a thumbnail image (300x300 pixels) of that item only, with a translucent red "SAMPLE" across the front of the image for use in the Clipart catalog function of my Items Inventory and Catalog program. It also checks the image repository to ensure that name does not already exist, and suggests filenames automatically for subsequent exports. For example,

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if you are making thumbnails of 5 new "Dog" images, and your first use of the function is filename "German_Shepard-001", when you use the function the next time (in the same Corel session), it will suggest "German_Shepard-002" for a filename. ImportAI - Provides the ability to batch import an entire directory (folder) of AI files into the current CorelDRAW document, each AI file as a separate group, and performs the AlignSizeSpaceRow function on the files imported to organize the imports.

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Installation of the GMS Module 1. Unzip the downloaded file and copy the file “AlignSizeSpaceRow.gms” into the following folder:

C:/Program Files/Corel/[Corel Version]/Draw/GMS 2. Where “[Corel Version]” is the name of the current version of Corel you have installed. For

example, my path is: C:\Program Files\Corel\CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5\Draw\GMS

3. Open CorelDRAW with a blank document. 4. Select the “Tools” menu option and the “Customization” option from the Tools menu pulldown. 5. Select the “Commands” option from the outline tree on the left, and then select “Macros” from

the Commands combo box in the center-top of the form. The ListBox below the Macros ComboBox will show a list of available macros.

6. The contents of that list will depend upon what you’ve already installed on your system. If you copied the GMS file into the correct location, you should see 4 entries listed as follows:

VBWhiz_Code. AlignSizeSpaceRow VBWhiz_Code. Export_Clipart VBWhiz_Code. MakeThumbnail VBWhiz_Code ImportAI

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7. Select the macro/function you wish to install, then click on the “Appearance” tab on the right

side of the dialog box. You can change the displayed name or “Caption” of the function there, and can select the “Import” ComboBox and assign a more meaningful icon for the macro if

desired. I used the icon to represent the Align Size Space function, and the icon to represent the Export Clipart function. You can use whatever you wish;

8. Click OK to save the changes. That will close the Dialog Box. Go back and select “Tools” and “Customization” options again to open the box back up. Select the Commands option again and set the ComboBox to Macros as before.

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9. Click on the macro command (in this case Export Clipart) and drag it to the drawing surface and let go of the mouse button. A new toolbar will be created with that icon in it.

10. Repeat the process for any other macro/functions to be installed, dragging them into the same toolbar created the first time.

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11. After you close the Customization dialog box, you may modify the way the macro/function is displayed in the toolbar by Right-Clicking on the icon and selecting “Customize” and “Toolbar Option” from the pop-up menu. I set mine to display “Caption Below Image”.

12. Next, drag the new “floating” toolbar up into the top CorelDRAW menu/toolbar and dock it in that bar. When docked, the frame for the individual toolbar is not displayed and it looks like part of the normal menu. Mine is set like this:

13. You should be able to close CorelDRAW and start it up again and the new toolbar should be displayed again. It should then be available to you in any document you create or edit.

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AlignSizeSpaceRow Function 1. Used to organize and format clipart libraries for best page use and uniformity. A sample of the

results of the AlignSizeSpaceRow function is below:

Before Processing After Processing

2. In the Before image, you can see that 10 individual flower images are selected. The After

image show the results of the function. Note that all items are moved to fit within the CorelDRAW file border with a 0.25" margin left and right side, and equal spacing between the images. Also note that the vertical height of the row is the same as the beginning height of the left-most item.

3. Locate/position the top left corner of the left-most image to be aligned to the approximate vertical position that you want the finished row to reside.

4. Select item(s)/group(s) to be aligned-sized and spaced evenly in a row, and click on the icon to initiate the function.

5. Items will be automatically aligned sized and spaced across a row, with the vertical location of the row in reference to the page in determined from the left-most item selected.

NOTE

If more items are selected than will fit across a row (leaving a space between items) the function will stop and you will be prompted to that too many items are selected and suggest selecting fewer items. If more than 10 items are selected, you will be informed of that fact and asked to verify processing before continuing. This is done because you might have an image that you are including in the selection that is multiple entities but has NOT been grouped. If you continue processing without grouping that image, each individual entity would be sized and spaced as an individual image (not desired results). Items and rows can be re-processed as many times as desired without problem. If you want to re-arrange items in the row after processing, or add an additional item to a row, drag the item to a position between two existing images in the row, reselect all images in the row and process again.

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Export_Clipart Function 1. Takes a selected single item or single group, and exports a copy of that item to a JPG file

(86dpi, maximum of 700 pixels in greatest dimension) for display and a V7 Adobe Illustrator file (sized to 7” in greatest dimension) with the same name. I use the pair of files to upload/share clipart with the forum. The JPG is used to let the user see what the file looks like, the AI for them to import. Items are saved on the Desktop for ease of location.

2. Select a single item/group and then click on the icon to initiate the function. You will be prompted for a filename. After entering the filename the clipart image will be saved on your desktop for inclusion in the clipart thumbnail library.

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MakeThumbnail Function 1. This function will probably not be of benefit to other users, but I will document anyway. I save

a small JPG thumbnail image (300x300 pixels) of each piece of clipart with a red watermark saying “SAMPLE” on a 45-degree angle over the image. This thumbnail is used in an electronic catalog I have to manage my clipart and a web based catalog display. The watermark is an attempt at keeping others from copying the images easily. This function resizes a copy of the selected item to fit inside a 3.5” square box, centers it in the box, creates the red “SAMPLE” watermark over it, exports a 300x300 pixel JPG of that item and then deletes all temporary files.

2. Select a single item/group in your CorelDRAW file, and then select the icon to initiate the function. You will be prompted for a filename. After entering the filename, an AI file and a corresponding JPG file with the same name will be saved to your desktop for uploading and sharing on the CES forum.

NOTE

The first time you execute this function, you will be prompted with a Folder Browser dialog box to browse to the folder where you will be storing your

library of thumbnails in. This location will be written in an INI file and used from that point on.

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ImportAI Function This function automates the process of importing AI files from other sources into a single CorelDRAW file as individual clipart objects. The function displays a standard Windows Folder Browser dialog box and asks you to browse to a folder containing AI files to import. Once the folder is selected, it automatically imports each AI file into the current Corel file, and performs the following functions:

1. Ungroups the object(s). 2. Converts the object(s) into a single item (ie. a donut with a hole instead of a white circle in front

of a black circle), assigning a black fill and no line color/width, and then imports the next AI file. 3. Automatically calls the Align/Size/Space/Row function with imported AI files to automatically

size and space the imported images uniformly and evenly in rows.