Newbie Question About Color

[AJ]

I've created, let's say a box, with four lines. I'd like the inside of the
box (everything contained inside the lines) to be a certain color. Fill...
doesn't appear to do what I'd like. Seems like a painfully easy task.
Nonetheless, I can't figure out how.

- Visio Pro 2002

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

AJ

 

[David Parker]

You have created 4 lines which look like a box, but are actually just 4
lines

Use the Draw Rectangle tool, or draw your shapes with the line tool but
ensure that you draw a contiguous line, ending back exactly where you
started.
You can teel i you have succeeded in this, because the shape automatically
fills itself.

You can also add vertices, remove vertices, or change straight line segments
to arcs, by using the Pencil tool.

 

[AJ]

I'll try this. Thank you.

You have created 4 lines which look like a box, but are actually just 4
lines

Use the Draw Rectangle tool, or draw your shapes with the line tool but
ensure that you draw a contiguous line, ending back exactly where you
started.
You can teel i you have succeeded in this, because the shape automatically
fills itself.

You can also add vertices, remove vertices, or change straight line segments
to arcs, by using the Pencil tool.

 

[AJ]

Yep. That works. What's exceptionally disappointing is that I spent several
days creating a large site map, using the Line and Arc tools. Although most
of my shapes "snap" together to form enclosed objects, I suppose this is not
enough. Lesson learned.

Thanks.

 

[Mark Nelson [MS]]

You may not have to redraw everything. Select the lines that make up your
rectangle. Go to Shape > Operations > Join. This consolidates all the
geometry together and should create fillable regions if the lines formed a
closed shape.

 

[Pemo]

You may not have to redraw everything. Select the lines that make up your
rectangle. Go to Shape > Operations > Join. This consolidates all the
geometry together and should create fillable regions IF THE LINES FORMED A

CLOSED SHAPE.

(my caps)

This is the key point. The lines must actually meet at the corners
(vertices), otherwise the "joined" object will still be open and unfillable.

Play with it - particularly drawing lines with "snap to handle" enabled.
One of the first exercises I have my students carry out is to draw
mathematically precise regular polygons using separate lines, and then
join/fill them.

Pemo

 

[AJ]

Yep. That seems to work fine. So, instead of "redrawing" all of my shapes, I
simply need to make sure each of the ends snap together.

Thanks!