Expert: Kevin Stohlmeyer - 4/16/2008

Question
QUESTION: i'm having a problem where the boundary box resize handles won't show up.  the box is there so it is definitely turned on and will work for a while, then stops.  restarting illustrator will resolve the problem for about an hour.  

so, for instance, you can have an image with the boundary box showing, mouse over to the corner of the box and the pointer will not change to the double arrows to allow you to drag and resize the shape.

ANSWER: Hi Wes,

Double check in your view menu to make sure that show bounding box is active, and not show edges. They appear similar but bounding box allows you to resize, while edges just shows handles, etc.

If this is not the case, I would check and run all updates from Adobe under the help menu. This was a problem years ago and Im not sure if the patch is available anymore.

Thanks

Kevin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Kevin,

Thanks for the quick reply! I checked the settings and they are correct.  I also checked for updates using "downloadables" under help, but did not see any. Is there a way I can be sure the program is fully updated?

Also, they seems to be spontaneous as our production artists can use the program without issue for a while, then suddenly it just stops working.  Is it possible they are using some key combo that switches to show edges?

Wesley

Answer
Unfortunately Wes, the bigger issue is your application is too far out of date and the downloadables are no longer available. Adobe has dropped support on all previous versions before CS3 (v.13). Another issue that is common is that your operating system software has been updated and there is a conflict with Illustrator that was not previously there.

As for the shortcuts, Ctrl+H (Windows) or Command+H (Mac OS) is the toggle between Hide Edges and Show Edges. Shift+Ctrl+B (Windows) or Shift+Command+B (Mac OS) is used to toggle between Hide Bounding Box and Show Bounding Box. However I doubt that everyone is using this keyboard command to cause the problems.

I checked Adobe.com's knowledgebase for any information that would apply to your issue and there is no known bug or error. My suggestion would be to look into upgrading your software.

Thanks

Kevin