Object-oriented global cursor tool

A system and method providing a cursor tool framework and tool server with support for multiple cursors on any given system, and supporting the selection of a cursor tool using a cursor. The framework and server facilitate the association of cursor tools to a cursor in a process-independent space such that tools can be used cross-process and cross-document. The framework also provides default functionality for communication among cursor tools and the canvas on which they are used. This high degree of interaction allows any cursor tool and any document to function together such that the cursor tool can be written without the participation of the document developer.