The developers at Meadows Publishing Solutions have created a set of XTensions™ for QuarkXPress™ which will change the way you work with QuarkXPress forever. We call them the Grabbers, and each one uses the incredibly simple "marquee" method of text and element selection. Forget about drag-selecting the old-fashioned way — just click one of our tools and "grab" the text you wish to change.

To use a Grabber tool, select it from the QuarkXPress tool palette and drag a marquee around the page area you wish to modify. Release the mouse and the Grabber dialog box appears. Fill in the dialog and click "OK." The Grabber applies the specified changes automatically.

We have Grabber XTensions for changing character attributes and tab settings, performing mathematical calculations, and enhancing the cut, copy and paste features! We also offer our "Grabber Bundle" which includes the Text, Tab and Copy Grabber XTensions bundled together for one low price!
And every Grabber provides built-in "Undo/Redo" capability so you simply can't make a mistake.

Text Grabber™

The Text Grabber™ XTensions™ module to QuarkXPress™ provides a unique way for the QuarkXPress operator to select and modify text. Rather than drag-selecting text the old-fashioned way, the Text Grabber tool lets you Marquee a complete page area instead. This selection method lets you choose exactly which text you wish to change, spanning multiple text boxes if necessary.

Great for Tables

Text Grabber is incredibly easy to use. Simply select the Text Grabber tool from the QuarkXPress tool palette, and drag the marquee around any page area you wish to modify. The selected area remains marqueed for easy reference, and the operator is presented with a dialog similar to the XPress Character... dialog.

Change Text Attributes or Load Style Sheets

Any changes entered into the Text Grabber dialog will be applied to all text within the marqueed area, regardless of which boxes contain the text. Change any text attribute you want: font, size, color--even the track amount, scale or baseline shift. You can even load the text attributes associated with your favorite style sheet.

Supports Undo/Redo

Use the Apply button to preview your changes, and hit OK when you are satisfied with the result. If you make a mistake, the Grabber Undo/Redo feature will put you right back where you started. Text Grabber is perfect for quickly changing complete columns within tabular composition.

Tab Grabber™

The Tab Grabber™ XTensions™ module to QuarkXPress™ allows you to select and modify tab settings without the need to edit Quark™ style sheets or change tab settings one at a time. Forget about drag-selecting your tabs the old-fashioned way--just use the unique new Tab Grabber Marquee tool and "grab" what you need to change. This selection method lets you choose exactly which text and tab settings you wish to work with and like all of our Grabber XTensions, the Tab Grabber is incredibly easy to use.

Just Drag a Marquee

To use Tab Grabber, simply select the Tab Grabber tool from the QuarkXPress tool palette, and drag the Marquee around any page area you wish to change.

Nudge Tabs, Change Alignment or Fill Character

Once you have selected the area to work with, you will be presented with the Tab Grabber dialog which appears similar to the XPress Tabs... dialog. Enter a specific "nudge" amount, or use the "nudge arrows" to position your tabs visually! You can also change the tab alignment and fill character if you wish.

Preview your Changes

Select the "Apply" button to preview your changes, and click OK when you are satisfied with the result. And don't worry if you make a mistake because all of the Grabbers provide complete Undo/Redo capability by pressing Cmd-Option-Z. Best of all, the selection area can span multiple text boxes making it the ideal tool for those last minute changes.

Copy Grabber™

If you have ever wished that you could Cut, Copy and Paste an entire column of tabular copy in two easy steps, then the Copy Grabber™ XTensions™ module to QuarkXPress™ is ideal for you. Copy Grabber is just one in the Meadows line of Grabber XTensions, which use the incredibly effective Marquee method of text and element selection.

Cut, Copy or Paste Text...Vertically!

To use Copy Grabber, click on the Copy Grabber tool in the QuarkXPress tool palette and drag a marquee around the page area you wish to modify. When you release the mouse, the dialog box appears allowing you to Cut or Copy all of the text within the marquee area. Click the desired button, or use the shortcut keys to complete your selection.

Remove a Column

In an instant you can remove a column of text and copy it to the special Copy Grabber clipboard. And with our Smart Tabs feature, Copy Grabber eliminates the majority of cleanup work such as removing extra tab characters at the end of a line, or inserting a tab character if you need one.

Paste an Entire Column

You can also paste a complete column of text just like you can with many sophisticated word processing systems. To paste the column, position the I-beam where you want the column to be inserted and hit Command-Option-V. It will automatically insert and position your text column like magic, adding or removing tab characters where necessary.

With Copy Grabber, working with tables has never been easier! This XTensions module is perfect for annual reports, catalog work, or any other type of work involving tabular composition.

Math Grabber™

The Math Grabber™ XTensions™ module to QuarkXPress™ allows you to perform mathematical calculations on numerical text appearing anywhere in a QuarkXPress document. Like all of the Grabbers, Math Grabber uses our unique Marquee method of text selection which makes working with tabular material (such as price charts or financial tables) incredibly fast and easy.

Change Columns of Prices Automatically

For example, assume you need to decrease all prices in a column by 15%. To do so, just click on the Math Grabber tool, drag a marquee around the price column you wish to change, enter the discount and click OK. Math Grabber scans the selected area, calculates the new amounts, and inserts the resulting values automatically.

Specify Precision / Works with Different Currencies

And Math Grabber is flexible, allowing you to specify the exact precision of each calculation, or to automatically determine the correct precision by looking at the existing text. It lets you create "separator sets" which can be recalled and applied at any time. This feature can be very useful, especially when you are working with mixed currency formats in the same document. And like all of our other Grabbers, Undo/Redo is fully supported.

If you need more complete price control, check out our AutoPrice™ XTension.

Current Compatibility:
Mac: 6, 7, 8