Formatting Text Elements

How to:

You may format individual text elements or style entire strings of text in Document Composer. The formatting options are available from the Formatting toolbar.

You may format individual pieces of text by using the Bold, Italic, Underline, Superscript, and Font Style options. If the entire text element is selected, Font Style and Alignment options are available.

Note: These text formatting options are only available in Document Composer when PDF is set as the Compound document output format.


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Procedure: How to Apply Various Formatting in a Text Element

You may apply various formatting and style options to words and individual text characters within the text element.

  1. From Document Composer, add a text element to the page.

    Select Text from the Insert menu.

    or

    Select the text button from the Components toolbar.

    The cursor changes into a crosshair.

  2. Click and drag the crosshair to create the text element on the page and adjust it to the size you want. Double-click, or highlight and single-click the text element, to go into edit mode.
  3. Type text in the text element.

    Note: Line breaks can be set by using the Enter key when typing text in a text element.

  4. To format the text, highlight part of the text within the text element.

    The Formatting toolbar is activated.

  5. Select Bold, Italic, Underline, Superscript, or Font Style from the Formatting toolbar.

    Note: You can also access the formatting options from the context menu, as shown in the following image.

  6. The Font Style option opens the Font dialog box where you can change the type, style, color, size, and effect of the font.

    Tip: You may also access the Font Style dialog box from the Font ellipsis button of the Styling Font field in the Properties window.

  7. Click OK to close the Font dialog box.

    The font options are applied to the text selected.


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Procedure: How to Insert a Bulleted List or Numbered List Into a Text Element

To insert a bulleted list or numbered list into a text element:

  1. Insert a text element into the layout and type text on different lines, as shown in the following image.

  2. Highlight and right-click the text.

    The context menu opens.

  3. Select Bullets and then either Disc, Circle, or Square if you want a bulleted list. Select Numbering and then either Numbers, Lowercase Letters, Uppercase Letters, Small Roman numerals, or Large Roman numerals if you want a numbered list. Both options are shown in the following image.

    For example, the following image shows each item of text on a different line with a bullet next to it.

    Note:

    • Alternatively, you can select a bullet type before typing text to begin the list. Press the Enter key to begin the next item in the list on a separate line.
    • To change the bullet or number list type of an existing list, place your cursor on the list level you want to change and reselect a bullet or number list type. Selecting None will remove the bullets or numbers for that level and move any nested lists up one level. In order to switch between bullets and numbers, you must first remove the current list option by selecting None and then applying the list option you want.


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Procedure: How to Insert Nested Lists Into a Text Element

To insert a nested list into a text element:

  1. Insert a text element into the layout and create a list, as shown in the following image.

  2. Place your cursor after a list item.
  3. Right-click and select Nested List and then select a bulleted or numbered list option.

    A list is started within the current list, allowing you to enter text on that list level, as shown in the following image.

    Note: Pressing the Tab key while your cursor is on the same line as a list item will move that item one level down, resulting in a nested list. The bullet or number type selected is the next list type in the context menu. For example, if you have a bulleted list that uses the disc bullet type, pressing tab to move an item down one level will cause that nested list to have the circle bullet type.

    You can continue to nest lists within other lists by using the same steps shown above.

    Note: You cannot skip a list level. For example, in order to insert a nested bulleted list or nested numbered list on a lower level, there must be a list one level up from it.


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Procedure: How to Apply Formatting to an Entire Text Element

You may apply formatting and style options to the entire text element in Document Composer.

Note: Any formatting and styling that you may have applied to individual text strings within the text element will remain unchanged. Changes made to the entire text element are only applied to the part of the text string that has not been formatted.

  1. Insert a text element into the layout and type text in the text element.
  2. Single-click the text box in the layout, as show in the image below.

    or

    Select the text element from the Properties window drop-down list, which appears as text(n).

  3. Select the Font ellipsis button from the Styling Font field in the Properties window.

    The Font dialog box opens.

  4. Select the type, style, color, size, and effect of the text element.

    Note: The default font is Trebuchet MS 10pt.

  5. Click OK to close the Font dialog box.

    The font options are applied to the text element.


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Procedure: How to Align Text Within the Text Element

You may apply alignment options to the text within the text element.

  1. Insert a text element into the layout and type text in the text element.
  2. Single-click the text box in the layout.

    or

    Select the text element from the Properties window drop-down list, which appears as text(n).

    The Alignment options on the Formatting toolbar are activated.

  3. Select Align Left, Align Center, Align Right, or Full Justification.

    Note: The default is set to Align Left.

The alignment format is applied to the text element.


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