You can access the edit points dialog one of several ways:

1. double click the object
2. right click the object and select edit points from the context sensitive menu
3. use the edit button on the toolbar
4. choose edit points from the edit menu

Once you are in edit mode, you will see the object's anchor points indicated by small circles.  A hollow circle indicates that the point is unselected, a filled circle indicates that the point is selected.

To select an anchor point, you can click on it with the mouse.  To select several anchor points, hold the shift key down as you click on several points.  You may also select multiple points by dragging a selection marquee around them with the mouse.

Once a point or several points are selected, you can move them by clicking on one of the selected points and dragging with the mouse.  To move selected points using the keyboard, place your mouse over one of the selected points, then hold the space bar down as you use the arrow keys to move the points. You will see the objects outline change as you move the points.

An object's edge has just enough anchor points to retain its original shape.  If you remove even one point, the shape changes. A simple shape such as a line has only two anchor points. More complicated shapes, such as text that has been converted curves, can have hundreds of points.

Point editing is available for all objects that are defined internally as vector-based curves. Performing point editing on a shape such as a circle or CoolShape automatically converts the object to a curve. After an object is converted to a curve, it can no longer be edited as its original object type.

The edit points dialog appears when you are in edit mode.  The buttons on the edit points dialog are from left to right:

---| Top row |---

1. Edit Points - If you drag an anchor point connected to a straight edge, the straightness of the edge is maintained.
2. Edit Curves - If you drag an anchor point connected to a curved edge, the curve is maintained.
3. Smooth - A smoothed anchor point is connected to curved edges.
4. Unsmooth - An unsmoothed anchor point is connected to one or more straight edges.

Anchor points are defined as smoothed or unsmoothed, depending upon whether the edges connected to the point are straight or curved.  Use Smooth and Unsmooth to convert anchor points to smoothed and unsmoothed points.

---| Bottom Row |---

1. Add point
2. Delete Point - You can add new or delete existing anchor points to help in editing. Use Add Point and Delete Point to add and delete points.
3. Slice - The Slice tool severs the line of an object. Slicing opens a closed object and creates two endpoints where the slice occurs. You can cut one line at a time. You can slice an object's line specifically at an anchor point. After you slice the line, the single anchor point becomes two anchor points that you can move separately.
4. Join - You can join two endpoints on an open object using Join  on the Edit Points dialog box.

Curve editing (also known as curve reshaping) lets you edit an object by dragging its Bézier control points. Bézier control points are special points produced by defining the shape of an edge as a Bézier curve. When you edit an edge by moving a control point, you change the shape of the edge, but not the location of its anchor points.

Curve editing always creates curved edges. The more you drag a control point, the more you curve an edge.

Curve editing is available for all objects defined internally as vector-based curves. Performing curve editing on a shape such as a circle automatically converts the object to a curve. After an object is converted to a curve, it can no longer be edited as an object type.

Take some time to practice curve editing. It is a skill that is worth learning if you plan to draw and edit curved objects.

Try starting with a star or other shape and experiment with node editing.  You can also achieve some interesting effects with text by converting it to curves and editing the points.