The toolbar in the Fireworks public beta has only a couple of additions, but one is the very nifty Measure tool in the Vector Shapes toolset (see Figure 6).
Unlike tool tips, which give a live, dynamic heads-up display of pixel placement, the Measure tool lets you leave a permanent (but always editable) marker for specific heights or widths—even diagonal measurements. This feature comes in handy for user interface designers, who need to supply exact dimensions to a programmer for an application. The Measure tool leaves behind a bright red line with very clear start and stop points, and the pixel dimension is displayed in large text (see Figure 7).
The Measure tool works in only one direction per use, so if you want to show width and height you'll need two iterations of the tool. To use it, select the tool, move the cursor into position on the canvas, and then click and drag. When you let go, the line appears.
If you have tool tips turned on, you also get live updates of the pixel dimension so you know when to let go of the mouse.