Custom Line Styles

Line style sets hold related line styles in order to make them easier to find when choosing a line style for a markup. Line style sets can be exported, much like Hatch Patterns or Tool Sets, and shared on a network drive or imported by another Revu user.

Line styles and line style sets are managed with the Manage Line Style Sets dialog box. This procedure creates a blank PDF and a line markup in order to access it, but it's just one of many ways to get to it, including from the Properties tab of an existing line or shape markup, or from the Line Style toolbar.

To create a new line style set:

1. Create a blank PDF.
2. Create a line markup anywhere on the PDF.
3. Right-click the line markup and select Properties. The Properties tab appears.

4. On the Properties tab, select Manage from the Style menu.

   

   The Manage Line Style Sets dialog box appears.

   

5. Click Add. The Add Line Style Set dialog box appears.

   

6. Select New.
7. Enter a name for the line style set in the Title field. As you enter the name, the line style set's file name is automatically populated in the Location field.
8. To change the default save location of this line style set, click and select the desired local or network folder.
9. To save the location of this line style set relative to your current Profile, select Relative Path. To save the full path instead, uncheck this box. For more information about choosing between Relative or Full Paths, see Understanding Relative vs Full Paths.

10. Click OK. The Edit Line Style Set dialog box appears.

    

11. At this point, you can add line styles to the line style set if desired. See Creating a New Line Style in an Existing Set below (skip ahead to step 6). Otherwise, click OK.
12. Discard the PDF created for this procedure.

Line styles define the appearance of lines used in most line and shape markups as well as many others. Revu comes with several different line styles, but if desired, you can create a variety of custom styles to suit nearly any need.

Line styles and line style sets are managed with the Manage Line Style Sets dialog box. This procedure creates a blank PDF and a line markup in order to access it, but it's just one of many ways to get to it, including from the Properties tab of an existing line or shape markup, or from the Line Style toolbar.

To create a new line style:

1. Create a blank PDF.
2. Create a line markup anywhere on the PDF.
3. Right-click the line markup and select Properties. The Properties tab appears.

4. On the Properties tab, select Manage from the Style menu.

   

   The Manage Line Style Sets dialog box appears.

   

5. Select the desired line style set and click Modify. Note that the Standard line style set cannot be modified. The Edit Line Style Set dialog box appears.

   

6. Click Add. The Add Line Style dialog box appears.

   

7. Enter a name for the line style in the Name field and click OK. The Line Style Editor appears.

   

8. The line style being created is previewed in the Properties section of the editor. Review it as you add or change line elements.
9. Determine the number of lines you want in this line style. By default, the line style starts with one. To add another, click to left of the Lines list. To remove a line, select it and click .
10. To control a line's position, select it from the Lines list and adjust the Offset setting. By default, the first line at 0.0 (the middle). The offset range is -10.0 to 10.0.

11. By default, lines are straight and unbroken. This can be changed by adding line components.

    To add components:

    1. Select the desired line from the Lines list and click to left of the Components list. The Add Component dialog box appears.

       

    2. Select a component from the Type menu. The following types are available:
       • Dash: A visible line segment (the width is adjustable)
       • Space: A gap in the line (the width is adjustable)
       • Dot: A round element in the line (no options)
       • Text: Supported as a segment in a line (for example, -----GAS-----GAS-----GAS-----)
         • Options include: (Text, Font, Font Size, Font Style, and option to Show Text Upright)
         • Width is automatically determined based on Font and Font Size
       • Vector: An editor appears when a vector element is chosen.
         • Vector settings:
           • Padding: This determines how much of a space to have on either side of the vector
           • Scale: The scale of the symbol can be changed with respect to the line
           • Fill: If there are closed shapes in the symbol, if this option is selected they will be filled
           • Snapping Options (Grid/Content)
         • The following tools are available to create the symbols:
           • Line: Simple line with Start and Endpoints
           • Arc: Similar to our Arc tool, the arc is circular in nature, the start, endpoint, and bounding square can be adjusted
           • Circle
    3. Click OK. The component is added to the line. Make the desired adjustments, as available.
    4. Some components are meant to work together. For example, a dashed line is created by combining a Dash component and a Space component on the same line and adjusting the width of each until the desired look is achieved.  Repeat this process to add more components to the line as needed to create the desired appearance.

12. To force this line style to automatically scale with its line width property when it is used, select Scale with Line Thickness.
13. If desired, enter a brief description of this line style in the Description field.
14. Click OK to dismiss each of the dialog boxes. The new line style is ready for use.
15. Discard the PDF created for this procedure.

Existing custom line styles can be modified to meet current needs. Changing a line style has no effect on markups that have already been created using the line style.

Line styles and line style sets are managed with the Manage Line Style Sets dialog box. This procedure creates a blank PDF and a line markup in order to access it, but it's just one of many ways to get to it, including from the Properties tab of an existing line or shape markup, or from the Line Style toolbar.

To modify a line style:

1. Create a blank PDF.
2. Create a line markup anywhere on the PDF.
3. Right-click the line markup and select Properties. The Properties tab appears.

4. On the Properties tab, select Manage from the Style menu.

   

   The Manage Line Style Sets dialog box appears.

   

5. Select the line style set that contains the desired line style and click Modify. Note that the Standard line style set cannot be modified. The Edit Line Style Set dialog box appears.

   

6. Select the desired line style and click Modify. The Line Style Editor appears.

   

7. Modify the lines and components, as desired. See Creating a New Line Style in an Existing Set for an overview of what each setting does.
8. Click OK to dismiss each of the dialog boxes.
9. Discard the PDF created for this procedure.

Line style sets can be imported and exported, much like Hatch Patterns or Tool Sets. Imported line style sets are copies of existing line style sets intended for the use of the local user only. If the local user makes any changes to the line style set, nobody else is affected by the change. To access a shared line style set (one that is used by multiple users across a network), see Sharing a Line Style Set.

Line styles and line style sets are managed with the Manage Line Style Sets dialog box. This procedure creates a blank PDF and a line markup in order to access it, but it's just one of many ways to get to it, including from the Properties tab of an existing line or shape markup, or from the Line Style toolbar.

To import or export a line style set:

1. Create a blank PDF.
2. Create a line markup anywhere on the PDF.
3. Right-click the line markup and select Properties. The Properties tab appears.

4. On the Properties tab, select Manage from the Style menu.

   

   The Manage Line Style Sets dialog box appears.

   

5. To import a line style set, click Import, then select the desired .blx file and click Open. The selected line style set is automatically imported.

   Note: Double-clicking a .blx file in Explorer will also automatically import it.

6. To export a line style set, select it and click Export, then select a folder into which to save it and click Save.
7. Click OK.
8. Discard the PDF created for this procedure.

Shared line style sets are used my multiple Revu users collaboratively. The line style set remains in its original location and can be accessed by several users at once. If the line style set is changed (for example, if new line styles are added or existing line styles are modified), each user is affected by those changes. Users attempting to modify shared line style sets are subject to normal folder permissions on the shared file.

Line styles and line style sets are managed with the Manage Line Style Sets dialog box. This procedure creates a blank PDF and a line markup in order to access it, but it's just one of many ways to get to it, including from the Properties tab of an existing line or shape markup, or from the Line Style toolbar.

To add a shared line style set:

1. Create a blank PDF.
2. Create a line markup anywhere on the PDF.
3. Right-click the line markup and select Properties. The Properties tab appears.

4. On the Properties tab, select Manage from the Style menu.

   

   The Manage Line Style Sets dialog box appears.

   

5. Click Add. The Add Line Style Set dialog box appears.

   

6. Select Existing.
7. If you know the path to the shared line style set, enter it in the Location field. Otherwise, click to navigate to it.

8. To save the location of the shared line style set relative to your current Profile, select Relative Path. To save the full path instead, uncheck this box. For more information about choosing between Relative or Full Paths, see Understanding Relative vs Full Paths.

9. Click OK to dismiss each of the dialog boxes.
10. Discard the PDF created for this procedure.