Copyright © 1985-2024 GrasshopperLLC

<< Common Questions	Why...? >>
Top: Documentation Library	Up: Common Questions

How do I...?

Choose the ''Text'' tool and click on a blank area of the page. If you click on another text block or a text frame, the insertion point will be placed in that object rather than creating a new text block. You can click on top of non-text objects to create a text block. The text block will initially have no width. You can begin typing immediately to enter text. Press Return to end each line.

To create frames: Choose ''Create Text Frames'' from the ''Layout'' menu to display the ''Create Text Frames'' dialog box. Enter the number of columns, the gutter space between them, their margins, the pages they should be created on, and whether frames should be linked from page to page. Click ''OK''.

  
To draw a frame: Choose the ''Column'' tool and drag the mouse from the start to the end of the frame. Release the mouse to end the frame.

Select the ''Link'' button from the ''Toolbar'' or choose ''Link Text Frames'' from the ''Layout'' menu. Click on the text frame from which to flow text and then click on the text frame to link to. Continue clicking on frames in the order to link them. Click a second time or choose another tool to end text linking.

 
Choose the ''Text'' tool and click in the text frame to unlink. Select the ''Unlink'' button from the toolbar or choose ''Unlink Text Frames'' from the ''Layout'' menu.

To break links in only one direction, hold down a Shift key while choosing ''Unlink Text Frames''. This will open a dialog box from which you can choose the direction in which to break links.

To place the insertion point in a text frame or existing text block, choose the ''Text'' tool and position the mouse cursor over it at the desired point and click the mouse button.

To place the insertion point in a new text block, choose the ''Text'' tool and position the mouse cursor over a blank portion of the page. Click the mouse button to start the new text block.

There are two ways to move the insertion point:

• Position the insertion point with the mouse.
  
• Move the insertion point with the arrow keys.

To move one character left or right, press the Left or Right Arrow keys. To move up or down one line, press the Up or Down Arrow keys. If you hold down a modifier key such as Command, Option or Control when you press an Arrow key, the insertion point will move a greater amount.

Refer to the Keyboard Shortcuts section for more information on how to move the insertion point.

If you type text in a text frame, PageStream will automatically wrap the text when you reach the right margin. Press the Return key only when you want to end a paragraph.

If you type text in a text block, you must press the Return key when you want to end a line. Text blocks lack a right margin so PageStream cannot wrap the text for you.

PageStream allows you to enter characters other than those shown on your keyboard. Every operating system includes a utility to locate special characters:

• AmigaOS: KeyShow in the Tools drawer.
  
• MacOS: Key Caps in the Control Panels.
  
• Windows: Character Map in the Accessories directory.

Choose ''Character'' from the ''Insert'' submenu in the ''Type'' menu to display the ''Insert Character'' dialog box. This allows you to visually select any character from any font.

You can erase characters anywhere in your text by positioning the insertion point in it and pressing the Delete or Forward Delete keys. The Delete key erases the character to the left of the insertion point. The Forward Delete key erases the character to the right of the insertion point.

If the insertion point is at the beginning of a paragraph, pressing the Delete key will erase the paragraph mark at the end of the previous paragraph, joining the two paragraphs together. Similarly, if the insertion point is at the end of a paragraph, pressing the Forward Delete key will erase the end of paragraph, joining the two paragraphs together.

To import text, place the insertion point in a text frame and choose ''Insert Text'' from the ''File'' menu. Select a text file from the ''Insert Text'' file selector. Click ''Open''. The ''Insert Text'' dialog box will appear. Select the desired options and click ''Insert''.

To change one attribute for selected text: Select the text to change with the ''Text'' tool. Choose the appropriate ''Type'' menu command or ''Edit palette'' equivalent.

To change multiple attributes for selected text: Select the text to change with the ''Text'' tool. Choose ''Attributes'' from the ''Type'' menu to display the ''Attributes'' dialog box. Change the text attributes and click ''OK''.

To change attributes for the next text you enter: Place the insertion point with the ''Text'' tool and choose the appropriate ''Type'' menu command or ''Edit palette'' equivalent.

 
Type the text you wish to format as a hanging indent. Select it with the ''Text'' tool and click the ''Hanging Indent'' button in the ''Toolbar''.

Hanging indents are created by setting the ''First indent'' and ''Left indent'' values. The ''Left indent'' value is positive and the ''First indent'' value is negative. The ''Hanging Indent'' button does this for you automatically by indenting to the next tab stop.

 
The easiest way to create nested indents is with the ''Increase Indent'' and ''Decrease Indent'' buttons. These buttons allow you to change the ''Left indent'' value by the width of a tab stop.

Use the ''Increase Indent'' and ''Decrease Indent'' buttons in conjunction with the ''Hanging Indent'' button to create nested hanging indents.

Tab stops can be created for any block of text. You can set them before you start typing a new paragraph, or you can select paragraph and apply tabs to it.

To set tab stops, choose ''Tabs'' from the ''Type'' menu. You may wish to align the ''Tab'' dialog box's ruler with the text frame. Click on the ruler to create a tab stop. You can move tab stops with the mouse, or enter new values numerically. Select the tab alignment. To fill the space before the tab with another character, enter a fill character such as a period. This will create a dot leader.

Once you have set the tabs, pressing the tab key will move the insertion point to the next tab stop. If there is not another tab stop, the insertion point will move in multiples of the default tab spacing.

You can left and right align text on the same line by using a right indent tab. Enter the left aligned text first, then hold down Shift and press Tab. The text that follows the right indent tab will be right aligned.

  
Select the text to copy with the ''Text'' tool. Choose ''Copy'' from the ''Edit'' menu to copy the text to the clipboard without affecting the text, or choose ''Cut'' to remove the text. Choose ''Paste'' to paste a copy of the text at the insertion point. You may also click on the corresponding ''Toolbar'' button to do these clipboard operations.

Select the ''Eyedropper'' tool. Hold down Shift and click on the text whose formatting you want to copy. Release the Shift key and click on the text you want to copy the formatting to. All text attributes will be copied to this text.

You can continue clicking to copy the formatting to other text, or you can Shift click to copy other formatting attributes.

Text can be warped inside of shapes if you own the ''TextFX'' extension which is sold separately.

''TextFX'' allows you to warp text inside of preset shapes by clicking an icon representing the shape, and to warp text inside of shapes that you draw. You can also set type on a curved path with ''TextFX'' and convert text to editable paths.

Text can be set on curves if you own the ''TextFX'' extension which is sold separately.

''TextFX'' allows you to set text on preset curves by clicking an icon representing the curve, and to set text on curves that you draw. You can also warp text in shapes with ''TextFX'' and convert text to editable paths.

 

How do I...?  Sub-Section  url:PGSuser/questions3#anchor346924
  created:2006-04-15 22:18:06   last updated:2006-08-04 16:55:55
  Copyright © 1985-2024 GrasshopperLLC. All Rights Reserved.

User Contributed Comments For How do I...?	sign in to add a comment
There are no user contributed comments for this page.

<< Common Questions	Why...? >>
Top: Documentation Library	Up: Common Questions
	Documentation Library-PageStream User Documentation--Text---Common Questions----How do I...?