Here are a few tips:

• The first option, Split Paths (a.k.a. Pfade teilen), works just like the Split command in Fireworks' Modify > Combine Paths menu. It reverses the effects of a previous Join Paths operation; that is, it takes a composite path and splits it into its component paths. (So to see any effect, you need to apply it to a Composite Path.) The Join Paths option is located just to the left of Split Paths within the Paths panel, so apply that option first, and then try the Split Paths option.
• The second option, Exclude Paths (a.k.a. Pfade ausschließen), works on simple paths and removes their overlapping areas. The trick here is that if you're applying it to a selection that includes a rectangle, you'll need to click twice: Once to convert the rectangle to a simple path, and then again to perform the path operation.

Rectangles are a special type of shape: They can be quickly resized by dragging on corner points, or rounded using the Properties inspector. However, they often need to be converted to simple paths (using the Modify > Ungroup command) to perform other vector operations. Similarly, if you attempted to apply Exclude Paths to a "grouped" selection of objects, you'd need to click on the Exclude Paths option more than once—the first click would serve to ungroup the objects.

I hope this helps. Incidentally, the Paths panel was created by developer Aaron Beall, who's created many other interesting and useful extensions for Fireworks:

http://fireworks.abeall.com/

To convert a rectangle to a path, you can choose Modify > Ungroup.

To use the Exclude Paths (Pfade ausschließen) option in the Paths panel—as in your graphic—select both rectangles and click twice on the Exclude Paths option: The first click will ungroup the rectangles, the second click will perform the "exclude paths" operation.

You don't need to do both of these things. The first suggestion is a general one, intended to help explain why you need to click twice on the Exclude Paths option when applying it to rectangles.

Two questions:

• Will it work if you try two circles instead of two rectangles?
• Does "Divide Paths" work? This is the option immediately to the left of Exclude Paths (Pfade ausschließen).

I'm just now noticing that Divide Paths doesn't work on rectangles but does work on circles (which are simple paths). These may be bugs that need to be submitted to Adobe or to the developer.

One more question: What version of Fireworks are you using (and what platform)?

Thanks for posting about this issue! I've taken a look at the "Combine Paths" operations in the Paths panel in both Fireworks CS6 and CS5 on my Mac, and noticed several bugs. Between you and I, here's a summary of what we've found:

Fireworks CS6, Version 12.0.0.236, WIN, 7, 64 Bit, SP 1

Exclude Paths - Does not work.

Fireworks CS6, Version 12.0.0.236, Mac OS 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard)

Divide Paths - No effect on rectangles.

Exclude Paths - Requires 2 clicks for rectangles - one to ungroup rectangles and another to apply path operation.

Fireworks CS5, Version 11.1.0.205, Mac OS 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard)

Divide Paths - Works like Exclude Paths.

Undo - Deletes previous unrelated non-path operation. For example:

1. Draw two ellipses.
2. Draw a rectangle.
3. Select two ellipses and apply Combine Paths operation.
4. Undo (Command-Z).
5. The rectangle disappears!

You can submit a bug report to Adobe about the "Exclude Paths" issue, and include the URL for this discussion within your report:

https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

In the meantime, I'm going to send an e-mail to the developer about these issues. I know that he's working on a fix for another problem with this panel and planning on releasing a fix at some point, so hopefully these issues can get fixed as well.

Again, thanks for being so persistent. It is challenging to understand your writing at times; however, the animated GIF was very helpful—and very well done. Have you tried composing your posts in your native language and then using something like Google Translate to convert it to English? I don't know if the results would be better; it's just an idea.

It's a good point that the commands handle rectangle primitives inconsistently. Some commands will automatically convert rectangle primitives to path, while others won't, and that can be confusing. I think the best solution would be to go through all the commands and make them all auto-convert rectangle primitives to paths, which would probably be the most intuitive behavior.

Aaron Beall

http://fireworks.abeall.com