Aligning text on a path in Macromedia

Aligning text on a path

You can adjust the alignment and orientation of text on a path using the Object inspector.

Text flows in the direction of the path, from left to right (clockwise) or from right to left (counterclockwise). To reverse the direction of the text, you reverse the direction of the path.

To adjust alignment and orientation of text on a path:

1.      Choose Window > Inspectors > Object to display the Object inspector.

2.      For Top and Bottom, choose which part of the text aligns to the top and bottom of a closed path—None, Baseline, Ascent, or Descent.

3.      For orientation, choose an option to orient text to the path—Rotate around Path, Vertical, Skew Horizontal, or Skew Vertical.

Baseline (left), Ascent (center), and Descent (right) text alignments

 

4.      If a path is not visible onscreen, select Show Path in the Object inspector to make the path visible.

5.      For Inset, enter values in the Left and Right Inset text boxes to set the path's distance from the left and right margins.

To move text on a path a precise distance:

1.      Place an insertion point in the text or select the path with the Pointer tool.

2.      Choose Window > Inspectors > Object. In the Object inspector, enter a value in the Left or Right Inset text box.

Flowing text inside a path

You can make text flow inside any open or closed path. You can edit text that flows inside a path without removing it from the path, and you can transform text that flows inside a path as you would any other object.

You cannot flow text around a group, blend, or bitmap image, but you can draw a path around the object and flow text around the path.

To flow existing text inside a path and apply an inset:

1.      Do one of the following:

v  To flow text inside an existing path, use the Pointer tool to select both a text block and a closed path.

v  To flow text around a group, blend, or bitmap image, draw a path around it and select the path.

2.      Choose Text > Flow Inside Path, or click the Flow Inside Path button in the Text toolbar.

3.      To adjust the text's placement within the path, choose Window > Inspectors > Object to display the Object inspector. Enter values in the Inset text boxes to define the margins between the text and the path. If necessary, select Display Border to make the path visible.

            Adjusting text in a path with the Object inspector

 

When you select a path with text flowed inside it, a box is displayed below the path. A dot in the box indicates overflow text.

Detaching text from a path

To remove text to which you've applied the Attach to Path or Flow Inside Path command, you use the Detach from Path command.