Hi Shirley,
Hmmm. I'd think that the default may have been turned off in Word 2007 in part because folks didn't understand what to do with the
drawing canvas (and MS didn't explain it well <g>) and also that the new graphics engine in Word 2007 eliminated some of the needs
for it (i.e. you can use connectors between shapes in Word 2007 without a canvas). 'Hated' is a rather strong word that seems to get
frequently get tossed about for software features
Word 2007, to preserve backwards compatibiility with some features, only implemented part of the new graphics engine (one of the
reasons that Powerpoint has a new "WordArt" set and Word does not <g>). With that came the problem of not being able to combine old
engined graphics with the control wrapped graphics from the new engine ones.
If you save the document as Word 97-2003 document then the graphics all behave like the old ones for the purposes of grouping,
annotating if you prefer not to use the Canvas. You can also keep the .docx format and add the 'dissasemble picture' choice to the
quick access toolbar and apply it to an inserted picture to have it behave as a previous version graphic for purposes of grouping.
Once your items are grouped use Office Button=>Convert to go back to Word 2007 behavior when adding additional graphics.
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Although I understand the use of the Drawing Canvas, the fact that that
option is OFF by default in 2007 reflects that most people hated the Drawing
Canvas automatically appearing when we wanted to do simple things.
The simple thing one of my users wanted to do was select a picture and a
rectangle drawn to surround the picture and simply move them both at the same
time in the same direction. That was simple before using the Shift key to
select multiple objects. As noted by others, you can no longer select a
drawing object and a picture object. Bad move, Microsoft!
--
Certified Office Specialist
Technical Education Coordinator
Cook Children's Health Care System >>
--
Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP
*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*