Measure Commands

The Measure commands enable you to measure distances and areas of objects in PDF documents. The measure commands are especially useful when you need to know the distances or areas associated with objects in a form or computer-aided design (CAD) drawing, or when you want to measure certain areas of a document before sending to a professional printer. The measure commands are available to Reader users only if the PDF creator enables measuring functionality.

When you use a measure command, the command dialog box displays the measurements of the line segments you draw.

Measure the Distance

• Choose Comment > Measure > Distance. 

• While measuring the distance, you can specify whether to show the default leader on both side of the measurement points or not in Measuring Preferences. Click the first point, move the pointer to the second point, and click again. If you choose to use the default leader, move your mouse to determine the leader length, and then click on the document again to finish measuring. The measurements will appear on the page.

    Notes: 

   1. When measuring, you can hold down SHIFT to snap the two points horizontally, vertically, or diagonally (in 45 degrees). 

   2. You can also choose to complete or cancel measurement by right-clicking and choosing options from the context menu.

By default, when you select the measuring tool, the Format panel appears on the right of the document pane, which allow you to calibrate the scale ratio, snap measurement, export measurement markup, etc. (Tip: The Format panel can be hidden by clicking on anywhere along its left border. Foxit PDF Reader will remember the display status of the Format panel and keep it as it is until you re-adjust it manually. To re-display the Format panel after it has been hidden or closed, please click on its left border again, or click the More icon  on the floating toolbar of an existing measurement markup.)

• If your PDF file includes embedded scale ratio, you can measure distance/perimeter/area using the embedded scale ratio. Before that, you need to select the Use Scale and Units From Document (When present) option in File > Preferences > Measuring. Then all the following measuring will use the embedded scale ratio. To calibrate the scale ratio for your document for an accurate result, choose either method of the following:

  Ø   With the Use Scale and Units From Document (When present) option selected:

  1) Select the Calibrate button in the Scale Ratio group and then click the two points of the line whose actual length has already been known. (Tips: When drawing, you can hold down SHIFT to snap the two points horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. You can also click Snap to Paths  in the Snap group to capture the path in the page.)

  2) When the second point is selected, the Calibration dialog box pops up.

  3) Type the actual length that the line represents and choose the appropriate unit, which will set a new scale ratio.

  4) (Optional) If you already have the correct scale ratio, directly define the measurement value and choose the appropriate unit in the Scale Ratio group.

  5) Then in the Scale Ratio group or the pop-up Calibration dialog box, click Store Scale in Page to apply the new scale ratio to the current page, or click Apply to All Pages to apply it to all pages (Or click the  / icon in the Scale Ratio group to apply the new scale ratio to the current page or all pages). The new scale ratio will be embedded into the page or all pages respectively, replacing the original embedded scale ratio.

  6) As the scale ratio is embedded into the document, the measurements in the document change accordingly.

  Ø   With the Use Scale and Units From Document (When present) option unselected, directly define a custom scale ratio in the Scale Ratio group, or click the Calibrate buttonin the Scale Ratio group to define a new scale ratio. The defined scale ratio will only be applied to the current page. 

• By default, the measurement results, measurement markups, and rulers will be shown in Foxit PDF Reader. To hide this information, please uncheck the relevant option(s) under the Setting group.

  Ø  Show result information: shows the measurement results (including current measurement, delta values, and scale ratio) on a small panel in Foxit PDF Reader.

  Ø  Measurement markup: shows the line you draw as a comment. When this option is checked, you can add a label to measurement markups either by using the one specified in measuring preferences or inputting a new one in the Add Label box. The label for Distance markup will be shown in the distance measurement line, while the label for Perimeter and Area markups will be shown in their pop-up notes. When you put the pointer over the measurement markups with the Hand command selected, you can also view the measurement result and label.

  Ø  Rulers: shows the rulers on the page. 

• Snap: While measuring objects, you can choose any of the options to snap to a particular point along an object for more accurate measurements.

Ø  Snap to Endpoints : snap the measurement to the endpoint of a line.

Ø  Snap to Midpoints : snap the measurement to the midpoint of a line.

Ø  Snap to Paths : snap the measurement to the nearest point on the path.

Ø  Snap to Intersections: snap the measurement to the intersection point of two paths.

•  Choose Export to Excel button in the Export group to save all the measurement information in your PDF to a CSV file. 

Work on the Measurement Markup

After you complete the measurement, you are able to do further operations; such as move, resize, flip, and even work on it the way you work on comments.

Move the Measurement Markup

• With the Hand command or Select Annotation command selected, click the measurement markup you want to move.

• Place the cursor over the object when the pointer changes into  , hold and drag the mouse to move it to the intended place.

Change the Length and Orientation of the Line Segment

• With the Hand command or Select Annotation command selected, choose one of the resize corners , and you will see the pointer change into  .

• Hold and drag the mouse to change the length and orientation of the line segment.

Flip the Measurement and Annotation

You can reverse measurement and annotation of the object you draw.

                      Before flipping                                                                After flipping

To flip the measurement and annotation of the object, do the following:

• Select the Hand command or Select Annotation command.

•  Right-click the object you draw > select Flip.

Add, edit, move, or delete the measurement label

Measurement labels will be added and shown in the measurement markups as you specified in Measuring Preferences or as what you set while adding a measurement markup. If a measurement markup does not contain a label, you can easily add a label to it with Foxit PDF Reader. For existing labels, you can also edit, move, or delete them. Steps are as follow:

•  Select the Hand command or the Select Annotation command.

•  To add a label to a measurement markup without label: right-click the measurement markup > select Add Label > input the label > click OK. 

•  To edit an existing label: right-click the measurement markup > select Edit Label > input the label as desired > click OK. 

•  (For distance measurement markup only) To move the label as well as the measurement result shown on the distance measurement markup: click on the text shown on the markup to activate the text cursor > drag the label directly to a desired position.

•  To delete a label: right click the measurement markup > select Delete Label.

Work on Measurement Markups as Comments

The measurement markups can also be used as comments. You can set the status, open popup notes, delete them, reply to the markups, change the properties, and set the current properties as default.

Note: To show measurement markup and the measurement results, right-click on the object you draw, and choose Properties > Appearance > then check Show text in line.

Change the appearance of measurement markups

Foxit PDF Reader provides multiple ways to change the appearance of measurement markups. When you select a measurement markup, a toolbar will float above the measurement markup for you to quickly change the line color. You can also go to the Format panel and Properties dialog box to specify more advanced settings. If you change the appearance through the Format panel, Foxit PDF Reader will save the properties and apply them to any new measurement markups as well. If you change the appearance via the Properties dialog box and do not check Set Current Properties as Default option in the dialog, Foxit PDF Reader will only apply the properties to your currently selected markup.

1. Change the appearance through the Format panel

• Select the Hand command or Select Annotation command.

• Click the measurement markup that you want to change the appearance. 

  Tip: By default, when you select the measurement markup, the Format panel will be displayed automatically on the right of the document pane. The Format panel can be hidden by clicking on anywhere along its left border. Foxit PDF Reader will remember the display status of Format panel and keep it as it is until you re-adjust it manually. To re-display the Format panel after it has been hidden or closed, please click on its left border again, or click the More icon on the floating toolbar of an existing measurement markup.

• Do any of the following as needed in the Format panel:

Ø  Change the line color: Select one of the preset colors in the Shape Style group, or click the Line Color button and then choose a desired color from the color palette.

Ø  Change the opacity: Click the Opacity button , and then drag the slider to change the opacity.

Ø  Set the fill color: Click the Fill Color button , then choose a desired color from the color palette.

Ø  Change the line width: In the Line Width field   , input a value in the box, or select a desired value from the drop-down list. 

Ø  Change the dash type: Click the Dash Type button, and then select a dash type as needed.

Ø  Change the shape for the start/end of the line: Select a desired shape in the Start of line or End of line group.

2. Change the appearance via Properties dialog box

• Select the Hand command or Select Annotation command.

• Right click the measurement markup that you want to set the appearance, and then select Properties from the context menu. 

• In the Properties dialog box, do any of the following, and then click Close:

Ø  Click the Appearance tab to change options such as the color, opacity and type of border used. The type of the measurement command selected determines which options are available.

Ø  Click the General tab to change the author’s name and subject of the comment. Under the General tab, you can also see the creation/modification time of the measurement markup.

Ø  Click the Review History tab to see the history of changes people have made to the status of a measurement markup during a review. 

Ø  Check Locked at the bottom of the Properties dialog box to prevent the measurement markup from being altered or deleted.

Ø  Check Set Current Properties as Default at the bottom of the Properties dialog box to set the current properties as the default for measurement markups. 

Arrange the measurement markups

You can arrange the measurement markups by any of the methods below.

Arrange the measurement markups from the floating toolbar

When you select two or more measurement markups, you will find a toolbar with Arrange/Alignment/Distribute buttons floating right above the markups. Click the corresponding buttons directly to arrange, align, or distribute the selected measurement markups. For more information about the buttons, please refer to “Arrange the measurement markups through the Format panel”.   

Arrange the measurement markups through the Format panel

• Select the Hand command or Select Annotation command.

• Click the measurement markup that you want to arrange.

  Tip: By default, when you select the measurement markup, the Format panel will be displayed automatically on the right of the document pane. The Format panel can be hidden by clicking anywhere along its left border. Foxit PDF Reader will remember the display status of Format panel and keep it as it is until you re-adjust it manually. To re-display the Format panel after it has been hidden or closed, please click on its left border again, or click the More icon on the floating toolbar of an existing measurement markup.

•  To center the measurement markups:

Ø  Select the measurement markup to be centered.

Ø  (If needed) Press Ctrl (or Shift) and click the measurement markups to select multiple measurement markups.

Ø  Click the Vertically icon, Horizontally icon, or Both iconin the Arrange group to center the objects vertically, horizontally, or both on the page.

• To align the measurement markups:
  

           Ø  Select two or more measurement markups that you want to align.

Ø  Click the Left icon, Right icon, or Vertically iconin the Alignment group to align a column of measurement markups.

Ø  Click the Top icon, Bottom icon, or Horizontally iconin the Alignment group to align a row of measurement markups.

Note: When you select the measurement markups, the solid border handles will show up for the anchor markup, which is the last measurement markup you selected. The selected measurement markups will be lined up with the edges of the anchor measurement markup.

•  To distribute the measurement markups:

  Ø  Select three or more measurement markups you want to distribute.

  Ø  Click the Vertically iconor Horizontally iconin the Distribute group. 

Arrange the measurement markups via the context menu

• Select the Hand command or Select Annotation command.

• Right click the measurement markups, and then do one of the following:

Ø  Choose Align > Left/Right/Vertically to align a column of measurement markups, or Align > Top/Bottom/Horizontally to align a row of measurement markups. The Align options are available when you select two or more objects.

Ø  Choose Center > Vertically/Horizontally/Both to center the measurement markup(s) on a page.

Ø  Choose Distribute > Vertically/Horizontally to distribute them. This function is available when you select three or more objects.

Note: When you right click one of the selected measurement markups, the solid border handles will show up, indicating that it is the anchor markup. The selected measurement markups will be lined up with the edges of the anchor measurement markup.