DDTEXT

Text Entry and Preview

The text entry field is where you enter the text to insert. Click it and you will be able to enter new text or edit the current text in the field. The resulted image of the text using current text style will be displayed in the preview window below the text entry field.

The preview window is useful not only in showing the effect of the current text style used for the text creation, but also in justifying the use of the built-in feature text functions and symbols in the text. See the TEXT commands for a list of these functions and symbols.

Note that the entry field will initially contain a message string like "Click Here to Enter Text", which will disappear when you click the field to enter text. The same message string will also appear when you empty the text in the entry field.

You may cut all the text from the entry field to the clipboard by pressing <Ctrl/X> key and paste in the text from the clipboard by pressing <Ctrl/V> key. To enter these two control codes to the entry field, you have to press down the Scroll Lock key. An alternative way to enter control codes is to use the ALT-nnn sequence. The <Ctrl/X> can be entered by ALT-24 and <Ctrl/V>, ALT-22.

The [Toler.] Button

If you are going to create the tolerance string using DDTEXT, you may click this button. DDTEXT will internally invoke the text input handler TOLERSTR, the one called by the TOLERANCE command, to handle the text string input, which will help you constructing the tolerance expression using feature text functions.

The [Sample] Button

You may click this button to sample an existing text entity from the drawing to setup the current text style for the new text creation. You will be asked to pick up the text by the prompt:

Please select the text to copy style:

If there is no valid text entry in the text entry field, the text read from the sample text entity will also be duplicated in the entry field for your further editing.

Multiple Text Lines

If you are going to create multiple lines of text, you may place a check mark in the "Multiple text lines" option check box. DDTEXT will let you continue to enter texts for successive text line creation after the current text is created. Otherwise, DDTEXT will exit automatically when the current text is created.

Continue Text Line

You may choose to continue the text line from the next line to the Last Text or to a specific text entity. The Last Text is the text created previously or most recently. You may enable this function by checking on the "Continue from" option check box and select the desired option from the radio buttons after it in the same line.

Note that if you choose to continue text from the next line to a specific text entity, you will be asked to select the text to continue at text creation. Also, if this function is enabled, all the current style setting will become ineffective at text creation, since the text will be created using the same style informations read from the text to continue from.

Text Justification Groups

The text justification options are divided into two separated unnamed groups; one for the vertical options and the other, horizontal options. These options are provided in radio buttons. You may specify the required text justification by selecting the options from the corresponding radio buttons.

If the text justification is effective for the text to create, you will see a tiny circle in the preview window showing the relative position of the insertion point with respect to the text. This point is also called the alignment point of the text.

Note that if you choose to create the text by fitting or by continuing after the Last Text or an existing text entity, this text justification options will become ineffective.

Text Fitting

You may choose to create the text by fitting it

• Between two points, which will require you to designate the two points at text creation, or
• Along a specific line or arc entity, which will require you to pick up the alignment entity at text creation.

You may also choose to fit the text by

• Simple alignment, which fits the text between the fitting span by varying the text height, or
• Direct fitting, which fits the text by varying the text width while the text height is maintained as the specified, or
• Even-space fitting, which fits the text be adjusting the character space first without changing the text width as well as the text height.

You can make the choice by selecting the corresponding radio buttons from the Fit Text group. You can make your choice become effective by checking on the "Fit Text" option check box. Note that if this option is effective, the text justification options will become ineffective.

The [Style] Button

You may click this button to enter the DDSTYLE to setup the current text style for the text insertion. See DDSTYLE command reference for further details.

The "Height:" Field

This is a value entry field specifying the default height of the text to create. It corresponds the default text height of the current style setup by the DDSTYLE command.

Note that if the text is to be created via Align Fitting, the actual text height used will be calculated otherwise by text fitting. See TEXT command for more details.

The "Angle:" Field

This is a value entry field specifying the text angle in units of degrees. Note that if the text is created via fitting, the text angle will be calculated otherwise.

Creating the Text

After you have completed the text entry, the [Inserte, become effective. You may click this button to create the text entity. Depending on the way you have chosen to create the text, DDTEXT will close the dialogue and ask you to

• Designate an insert point of the text, or
• Designate two points to fit the text, or
• Select a line or arc entity to fit the text, or
• Select the text entity to continue from, or
• Do nothing further.

After the text is created, DDTEXT will resume the dialogue again for the next text to create if multiple text line option is enabled; otherwise, it exits.

Other Buttons

You may press the [Help] button to see the helping text. Press the [Quit] button to end DDTEXT immediately. Pressing <ESC> key also quits DDTEXT.