Hi there! I'm a really newbie with inkscape. I need to create a rectangle with an open side, but I cannot achieve it with the boolean operators.

What I need to do is something like this:

Can you help me explaining the steps that I need to perform?

Thank you

This is one of the many projects which there are several ways to achieve. Here's how I would do it.

1 -- Set up a grid (Document Properties > Grids tab) http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL ... pping-Grid
2 -- Set up Snapping to the grid (the manual hasn't been updated for the current snapping features, so I'll have to explain (for the millionth time - sure would be nice to have an updated manual)

The snapping control bar might either be hidden, along the top, or along the left side of the window. If hidden, click View menu > Show/Hide > Snap Control Bar. Engage these buttons and disengage all the rest:

1st button (Enable Snapping)
7th button (Enable snapping nodes, paths, handles)
10th button (Snap corner nodes)
11th button (Snap smooth nodes)
18th button (snap to grids)

3 -- Enable the Pen/Bezier tool and click at every place where there's a corner. If s napping is set up properly, you only need to click close to the grid intersections, and Inkscape will snap the nodes precisely to the intesections. Click once to start the path, click once for every node, and double-click to end the path.

4 -- Edit menu > Duplicate
5 -- Object menu > Rotate 90 degrees CW
6 -- Repeat #5
7 -- Drag the shape into place. It will snap nicely to the grid, if it's set up properly.

Let us know if you have any trouble. Good luck

You could also try a path effect for this (there is one specifically for this case):


How does this work?
- Create a square (rectangle tool: Ctrl + Mouse drag).
- Turn it by 45° (selection tool: Click once, click again, hold Ctrl, turn on handles)
- Duplicate it (Ctrl+D)
- Move to right (hold down Ctrl to limit movement to horizontal)
- Select both squares. Convert to Path (Ctrl+Shift+C). Combine (Ctrl+K) into a single path so the path effect can work.
- Open Path effects dialog: Path -> Path Effects ...
- Select 'Knot' path effect (click on the plus sign to add a new one).
- Done.

Or you do the boolean operations:

To cut a 'hole' into the border of a rectangle just put a second, smaller rectangle above the part you want to cut out. Then select both, and do Path -> Cut Path. The upper rectangle will vanish, while the lower rectangle now consists of two objects. Delete the part you do not need (e.g. the line). You will not see that it is a separate object until you drag on it with the mouse.

Thank you so much! It really worked and help me a lot