TEXT

Okay, as now we are ready with our Text Style, we can proceed to putting actual Text in our Assignment. We will do this with Draw – Text command. There are two types of options for putting the text and their names suggest – Single Line Text is preferable for one liner while Multiline Text should be preferred for multiple line or paragraph text entries. Although this is very generic categorization of these types, Mtext always has advantage over single line text in terms of flexibility, efficiency and appearance as it can be easily edited, formatted and rearranged.

Use single-line text (TEXT) to create one or more lines of text, ending each line when you press ENTER. Each text line is an independent object that you can relocate, reformat, or otherwise modify.

When you create single-line text, you assign a text style and set alignment. The text style sets the default characteristics of the text object. The alignment determines what part of the text character aligns with the insertion point. Use the TEXT command to enter the text in-place, or enter -text on the command line to enter the text on the command line.

You can insert a field in single-line text. A field is text that is set up to display data that might change. When the field is updated, the latest value of the field is displayed.

The text styles used for single-line text are the same as those used for multiline text. When you create text, you assign an existing style by entering its name at the Style prompt. If you need to apply formatting to individual words and characters, use multiline text instead of single-line text.

You can also compress single-line text to fit between points that you specify. This option stretches or squeezes the text to fill the designated space.

Align Single-Line Text

As you create text, you can align it. That is, you can justify it with one of the alignment options shown in the following illustrations. Left alignment is the default. To left-align text, do not enter an option at the Justify prompt.

You can create one or more paragraphs of multiline text (mtext) in the In-Place Text Editor (or an alternative text editor) or use prompts on the command line. You can also insert text from a file saved in ASCII or RTF format.

Before entering or importing text, you specify opposite corners of a text bounding box that defines the width of the paragraphs in the multiline text object. The length of the multiline text object depends on the amount of text, not the length of the bounding box. You can use grips to move or rotate a multiline text object.

The In-Place Text Editor displays the bounding box with a ruler at the top and the Text Formatting toolbar. The editor is transparent so that, as you create text, you can see whether the text overlaps other objects. To turn off transparency while you work, check Opaque Background on the Options menu. You can also make the background of the finished multiline text object opaque and set its color.

You can set tabs and indent text to control the appearance of paragraphs in the multiline text object.

You can also insert fields in multiline text. A field is text that is set up to display data that might change. When the field is updated, the latest value of the field is displayed.

Text Style

Most characteristics of the text are controlled by the text style, which sets the default font and other options, such as line spacing, justification, and color. You can use the current text style or select a new one. The STANDARD text style is the default.

Within the multiline text object, you can override the current text style by applying formatting such as underlining, boldface, and different fonts to individual characters. You can also create stacked text, such as fractions or geometric tolerances and insert special characters, including Unicode characters, for TrueType fonts.

Note – Not all SHX and TrueType text fonts support Unicode characters.

Text Properties

In the Properties palette, you can view and change the object properties of a multiline text object, including properties that apply specifically to text:

• Justification determines where text is inserted with respect to the bounding box and sets the direction of text flow as text is entered.
• Line space options control the amount of space between lines of text.
• Width defines the width of the bounding box and therefore controls where the text wraps to a new line.
• Background inserts an opaque background so that objects under the text are masked.
  

Exercise – Put the text in Assignment3 as shown in the picture. Try to use both Single Line Text and Multiline Text option to have the feel of their application and behavior.