Straight Line

The Straight Line shape is useful for a number of purposes. Examples are to measure the straight-line distances between obstacles, to designate the handler area on a gambler's course, and to use as an arrow to point to something on the course.

The Straight Line shape can be used to measure the straight-line distance between two obstacles. If you instead want to estimate the distance of the curve between two obstacles, along which a dog travels, use the Dog Path shape instead. For more information, see Dog Path.

To show start and/or finish lines, use the Start/Finish Line shape instead of the Straight Line shape. For more information, see Start/Finish Line.

When a Straight Line shape is initially drawn or is "bent" such that an end of the line is on the edge of an obstacle, the Straight Line shape will attach itself to the obstacle. If the obstacle is subsequently moved or rotated, the Straight Line shape will automatically adjust itself so that its end remains on the edge of the obstacle. This feature is useful when using the Straight Line shape to measure the straight-line distance between two obstacles. This feature is disabled if the "Horizontal or vertical only" property is selected.

When used to designate the handler area on a gambler's course, the recommended convention is to use the "dotted" line style, with no arrow heads.

Unlike most shapes, Straight Line shapes are created with a click-and-drag mouse operation, instead of just a click. For more information, see Creating Shapes.

You can change the shape of a Straight Line shape after it has been created, by "bending" it. For more information, see Bending Shapes.

Because the Straight Line shape is bendable, you need to use the Shift or Ctrl key to rotate a Straight Line shape by itself. For more information, see Rotating Shapes.

See also: Dog Path, Start/Finish Line, Creating Shapes, Bending Shapes, Rotating Shapes