By default, this tool is in Design mode. You draw the path by clicking successively. You can move control points by clicking on them and dragging them. Between control points are segments.

Numbers are steps to draw a two segments straight path.

Curved segments are easily built by dragging a segment or a new node. Blue arrows indicate curve. Two little handles appear that you can drag to bend the curve.

	Vihje
	To quickly close the curve, click on the initial control point. If you want to reposition the start node, hold Shift and click to deselect the end node, then move the start node. You can use the Selection from Path button or the Path to Selection button in the Paths dialog to convert the path to a Selection.

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	When you have two handles, they work symmetrically by default. Release the pressure on the mouse button to move handles individually. The Shift key will force the handles to be symmetrical again.

Several functions are available in Design mode:

Inserting a new node: When you press Ctrl and hover the mouse pointer over the existing path, the mouse pointer changes to the '+' sign. Clicking will create a new path node in the hovered point of the path.

Moving one or several nodes: On a node, the mouse pointer becomes a 4-arrows cross. You can click and drag it. You can select several nodes by Shift and click and move them by click and drag. Pressing Ctrl+Alt allows to move all the path, as a selection.

Modifying handles: You have to Edit a node first. A handle appears. Drag it to bend the curve. Pressing Shift toggles to symmetric handles.

Modify segment: When the mouse pointer moves over a segment, it turns to a 4-arrows cross. Click and drag it to bend the segment. As soon as you move it, handles appear at both ends of the segment. Pressing the Shift key toggles to symmetric handles.

Adding a new subpath: When you press Shift and hover the mouse pointer outside the existing path, the mouse pointer starts displaying a square. Clicking will start a subpath that isn't connected to other curves, but is considered a part of the path.

Edit performs functions which are not available in Design mode. With this mode, you can work only on the existing path. When the mouse pointer is not on the path, the pointer changes to a small crossed circle and you can not do any path editing.

Add a segment between two nodes: Click on a node at one end of the path to activate it. The pointer is like a union symbol. Click on an other node to link both nodes. This is useful when you have to link unclosed components.

Remove a segment from a path: While pressing Shift+Ctrl key combination, point to a segment. The mouse pointer turns to a "-" sign. Click to delete the segment.

Add a node to a path: point to a segment. Pointer turns to "+"". Click where you want to place the new control point.

Remove a node: While pressing Shift+Ctrl key combination, point to a node. Pointer turns to "-"". Click to delete the node.

Add a handle to a node: Point to a node. Pointer turns to small hand. Drag the node: handle appears. Pressing Shift toggles to symmetric handles.

Remove a handle from a node: While pressing Shift+Ctrl key combination, point to a handle. The pointer doesn't turn to the expected "-"" and remains a hand. Click to delete the handle.

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	There is no warning before removing a node, segment or a handle.

Move mode allows to move one or all components of a path. Simply click on the path and drag it.

If you have several components, only the selected one is moved. If you click and drag outside the path, all components are moved. Pressing the Shift key toggles between moving all components and selected components only.

If this is selected, you can choose what color is used to fill the path by pressing the color button.

If this is selected, a pattern will be used to fill the path. You choose another pattern by clicking the resource button or by typing the name of the pattern.

Enabling this setting allows you to remove or reduce the aliasing effect that can show up on borders.

For more information, see Anti-aliasing in the Glossary.

If this is selected, you can choose what color is used to stroke the path by pressing the color button.

If this is selected, a pattern will be used to stroke the path. You choose another pattern by clicking the resource button or by typing the name of the pattern.

This is distinct from the Dash pattern. If you select one of the two color options with no dash pattern, an unbroken line is drawn in the color set in the Toolbox. If you select Pattern with no dash pattern, an unbroken line is drawn with the pattern set in the Toolbox. If you select a line with a dash pattern, the color or pattern is still determined by the color or pattern set in the Toolbox. That is, if you have a marbled pattern set in the Toolbox, and select Pattern and dashed lines as Dash pattern, the dashes are drawn in the marbled pattern.

Enabling this setting allows you to remove or reduce the aliasing effect that can show up on borders.

Curved strokes or strokes drawn at an angle may look jagged or stair-stepped. The anti-aliasing option smooths them out.

For more information, see Anti-aliasing in the Glossary.

You can set the width of the stroke using the text box. The default unit is pixels, but you can choose another unit with the drop-down list button.

Choose the shape of the ends of an unclosed path, which can be Butt, Round or Square.

You can choose the shape of the path corners by clicking on Miter, Round or Bevel.

When two segments of a path come together, the mitering of the corner is determined by the Miter Limit. If the strokes were wide, and no mitering were done, there would be pointed ends sticking out at the corner. The Miter Limit setting determines how the gap, formed when the outer edges of the two lines are extended, will be filled. You can set it to a value between 0.0 and 100.0, by using the slider or the associated text box and its arrows.

Kuva 14.136. Example of miter limit

Left image: Limit=0. Right image: Limit=5.

On the pixel level, a dashed line is drawn as a series of tiny boxes. You can modify the pattern of these boxes. The black area with thin vertical lines represents the pixels of the dash. If you click on a black pixel, you remove it from the dash. If you click on a white pixel, you add it to the dash. The gray areas indicate how the pattern will be repeated when a dashed line is drawn.

Instead of making your own dash pattern, you can choose one from the drop-down box. This pattern will then be displayed in the Dash pattern area, so you can get an idea of how it will look.