What is Rect Area Dims?
Rect Area Dims is a macro that measures the rectangular area occupied by one or more selected objects, and then creates a text label showing the width and height of that rectangular area.
Options are available for specifying the position where the text is created, many of the properties of the text (e.g.., font, font size), and some aspects of how dimensions are represented (e.g., units, number of decimal places).
When Use True Size of Objects is checked, the macro uses the "true size" of objects (including outline width, corner styles, line caps, etc.) rather than "wireframe" size when calculating the dimensions.
The macro can also create a bounding rectangle - optionally including a specified margin - to help show the content that was used to calculate the dimensions.
If multiple objects are selected, options are available to have the macro treat those objects individually (multiple rectangular areas) or "as a group" (just one rectangular area for all selected objects).
Options are available to specify the layers on which the text and rectangles are created. There is also an option to have each text/rectangle pair grouped together.
See Rect Area Dims in use:
Screenshots:
Using the macro.
Configure the settings as desired in the user form. Note that the userform has multiple pages.
Select objects.
Click the Create button.
On the Misc page, some tools are available to make it more convenient to delete text labels and/or bounding rectangles created by the macro.
Using the Comboboxes.
The boxes for numeric entry are comboboxes. The drop-down list for a combobox can contain values stored for convenient access. If a combobox is not locked, then when a value in thatcombobox is used by the macro, that value is added to the top of the list. If an existing value is used from the list, then that value is moved to the top of the list. Values can also be manually added to the list.
Ctrl+clicking on a combobox sets that combobox to its default value.
Right-clicking on a combobox brings up a menu of options for managing it.
These options may include:
Units of Distance.
For a combobox that represent a distance, values are applied by the macro in whatever units (inches, millimeters, etc.) are shown beside the combobox. Those units can be specified by the user through the right-click context menu.
If “Follow Horizontal Ruler Units” is chosen, then the units for the combobox are the same units that are in use in the document for the horizontal ruler. If those units are changed in the document, then the macro automatically changes the units in the combobox to match.
Although this documentation makes references to “the list” for the combobox, there is not necessarily only one list. The combobox maintains a separate list for any unit that is used in it. When units for the combobox are changed, then the list associated with those units is loaded. The number of decimal places, and also whether a list is locked or not, are things that are handled independently for each list.
A Video Describing and Demonstrating the Special Features of My ComboBoxes:
Subs in the Macro Manager.
Compatibility.
Rect Area Dims was put together in a CorelDRAW X7 environment, and should work in versions X7-2021.
OK, where's the macro?
Rect_Area_Dims_Current.zip (most recently updated 2022-02-10).
That includes the .GMS file.
What a beautiful work my noble! Congratulations, I'm glad to see you creating good things like this!