Polylength Measurement

1. Click Polylength on the Measurements tab.
2. Click the end points of the first line segment.
3. Click the end point of the next line segment. Repeat this process to create as many line segments as desired.
   • Note that, if the Show Segment Values is enabled on the Properties tab, a cumulative length measurement is shown (in addition to the length measurement of the segment itself) when there are multiple segments in the markup.

4. To "close" the shape, click on the starting point of the first line segment.

   Note: Even though their start and end points can touch, Polylength measurements are always considered open shapes and will behave as such. For a closed-shape measurement, see Area Measurement.

5. To complete the shape without "closing" it, do one of the following:
   • Press C or ENTER on the keyboard.
   • Double-click when placing the last point.

Tips:

• Hold down SHIFT to draw lines that are at horizontal, vertical, or 45° angles.

Select a markup to reveal its control handles. Each handle controls a different aspect of the markup's size and orientation.

To rotate the markup, click and drag the orange handle outside the markup (when the markup is first placed, it will be at the top). By default, the markup is rotated in increments of 15°; to rotate in increments of 1°, hold down SHIFT while dragging.

To move the entire markup together, click and drag a part of it other than the control handles.

To move only the caption, click and drag it while holding down SHIFT. To return the caption to its default position, right-click it and select Reset Caption Position. To move multiple captions at the same time, SHIFT-click them, then click and drag one of the selected captions while holding down SHIFT. Note that, if multiple captions in a Polylength measurement are moved, right-clicking one and selecting Reset Caption Position will reset the positions of them all.

To rotate the caption, click and drag the orange handle directly over it. By default, the markup is rotated in increments of 15°; to rotate in increments of 1°, hold down SHIFT while dragging.To return a rotated caption to its original position, right-click it and select Reset Caption Position. Note that only the cumulative length caption can be rotated; while the length captions of the segments cannot be rotated, they can be adjusted to align on the segment or horizontally in the Appearance Properties.

• To rotate the caption 180°, right-click the markup and select Flip Text.

See Editing Markups for more information.

The appearance of the Polylength measurement is configurable, including its line and fill color, line width and style, opacity, and font characteristics for the caption.

To change the appearance of a Polylength measurement, select it and click the Properties tab.Go to View > Tabs > Properties or press ALT+P to show the Properties tab if it is hidden.

Appearance Properties

Color: Sets the line color.

Fill Color: Controls the fill color of the endpoints.

Highlight: Makes the fill color and line transparent so underlying content shows through.

Opacity: Sets opacity level of the line and endpoints, from 0 (invisible) to 100 (opaque).

Line Width: Sets the line thickness in points.

Style: Determines the pattern of the line segment.

Start and End: Controls the appearance of the endpoints for each side of the line. The diagram below shows samples of each type of endpoint.

Each endpoint has an associated Scale that determines the size of the endpoint in relation to the Line Width. By default, it is set to Auto and will automatically adjust as the Line Width is changed.

Show Segment Values: Select to show the segment lengths on the markup. Select an alignment for these captions:

• Align to Segment: When selected, segment length captions will follow the segment line when it is rotated.
• Align Horizontally: When selected, segment length captions will always be horizontal, regardless of the markup's rotation.

Show Caption: Select to include caption text on the markup. Click Edit to choose which measurements to include.

Font: Sets the font used for the selected text. Available fonts are divided into three regions:

• The first region shows all fonts used in the currently selected text element.
• The second region lists the standard PDF fonts that are supported by all PDF viewers. These fonts do not need to be embedded in the PDF when used, thereby cutting down on file size.
• The third shows all other available fonts. When used, these fonts need to be embedded in the PDF.

Note: If you attempt to embed a font for which the viewing and editing permissions do not allow formatting, Vu will display a message indicating the font will not be embedded in the PDF.

Font parameters are retained in the PDF such that even if the original font is not embedded or on the viewer's workstation, a suitable representation of the font will be substituted.

Font Size: Sets the size of the font. While the list shows sizes ranging from 2 to 72, font sizes between 1 to 144 points are supported; just enter the desired size manually. Also, values with up to one digit after the decimal point can be used.

Text Color: Sets the color of text.

Font Style: These settings control the formatting of the text. Options include Bold, Italic, Underline, and Strikethrough. Generally, any combination of these styles can be applied to format the text.