Deleting Edges
Selected points are easy to delete. Simply press the Delete key or use the Edit, Clear menu and they are deleted. Edges, however, work differently. To delete a path between two points without deleting the points, you can use the Delete Edges tool (D). Figure 12.2 shows an example of this. By clicking the edge forming the lion’s back with the Delete Edges tool, only the edge between the two points is deleted.
If the edge you click on is connected to an endpoint, then the endpoint is also deleted, and if you click on the edge of a shape, then the shape’s fill is deleted and the path is changed to an open path.
An alternative to deleting the edge is to hide the edge with the Hide Edge tool (H). This tool is located in the Fill section of the Tools palette. It simply removes the stroke from the edge so it isn’t rendered. Shapes with hidden edges keep their fill color. Hiding edges is covered later in this chapter.