Using Lil' Vector: The Shape Management Window

screenshot of the shape management window
The Shape Management Window

Overview

The Shape Management Window is fairly straightforward - it exists to help you work with all of the shapes making up your image.

On the left side of the window is a list of every shape you've created, while the right hand side of the window is a set of buttons that can be used to manipulate the list. You can also use the Main Window's menu to handle most of these actions, so use whichever ones are the most comfortable for you.

Features and Controls

The shapes in your image are always drawn in a specific order, as if they are distinct layers. The list on this window reflects this, as the higher up a shape is in the list, the higher up it will appear in the image. You can move the selected shape up or down the list using the buttons labeled "Move Up" and "Move Down".

The "Add" and "Rename" buttons allow you to create a new shape or change the name assigned to the selected shape. Remember that no two shapes may share the same name. You can also trigger the prompt to rename a shape by double clicking on its name in the list.

A very helpful button on this window is the "Clone" button. This will create a duplicate of the currently selected shape, which is a very useful way of drawing many similar parts of an image. The new shape will automatically be named "Copy of ___", so you may want to rename it soon after creating it.

As you might expect, the "Delete" button will remove a shape from your image. Be careful using this: there is no way to restore the deleted shape!

Some additional options are available when multiple shapes are selected. To select multiple shapes, hold CTRL or SHIFT while you click on their names. This allows you to join their respective paths (see Cutting Holes in Shapes for more on that) or to Delete them all. Neither action can be undone at present.

A final option is only available when a shape contains more than one path (ie, it has a hole). This option is to Break the shape up into its different pieces, with each piece being turned into a new shape.

Other Features

While useful, the Shape Management Window might end up getting in the way on smaller screens. Should this be an issue, you can hide it by clicking on the X in the upper right corner of the window. To show it again, select the "Shape Manager" option in the Windows menu.