Text Object Panel

Text Object Panel

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The 'Text' Panel shows properties for the current Text Object.

Note: You can only specify a single font, style and color for a Text Object. You cannot mix colors or styles in the one Text Object

Name
This is the name of the text object. It is also the name that appears in the Outline Panel. If no name is specified, the outline panel will display the actual text. A name must be specified if the text object is a Scripting Object.

Target
If set, allows the object to be treated as a script object. The target option is only displayed if the object is named.

Font Selection
You are able to choose the font for the current Text Object. Only TrueType and Postscript fonts can be used with SWiSH. The pull-down Menu lists all the TrueType and Postscript fonts installed on your computer. When the pull-down list is activated, a window appears next to the current selection showing you what the font looks like.

Font Size
Lets you choose the size of the font (in points) for the current Text Object. You may select the size from the drop-down list of preset sizes, or type the size into the available space.

Text Color button
Lets you select the color of the Text Object using the Color Selector. You may select both color and transparency value (alpha). The default text colour is black.

Use Device Fonts
Specifies that the Flash Player uses device fonts to display the text. Using device fonts means no fonts will be embedded into the Movie, instead the Flash Player will use the font on the local machine that is the closest match. Using device fonts can decrease the Movie size and increase readability for text under 10 points.

Bold and Italic Buttons
Lets you set the style of the text to plain, bold, italic or a combination of both. The default settings are for plain text.

Justification
Lets you set the text justification to left/top, right/bottom, centered or both sides. This only applies when you have multiple lines of text. The default setting is centered text. For a single line of text, the text always fills the bounding box.

Text Flow
Lets you select the direction of the text flow. The flow can only be deinfed for Static Text. The available directions are:

from left to right, top to bottom. This is the default setting.

from top to bottom, right to left.

from right to left, top to bottom.

from top to bottom, left to right.

Insert Character
Allows you to selected special characters to be inserted from the drop-down menu provided.

Text Type Selection
Text objects can be defined as one of three types:

·	Static: A standard text object.

·	Dynamic: A text object that can be altered by a script while the Movie is running.

·	Input: A text object that can be altered by the Movie viewer, typically used for input forms.

Hide Options/Dimensions/Formatting/Advanced
Displays the following text options dependant upon your selection:

·	Hide Options

Hides the dimensions, formatting and advanced text options.

·	Dimensions

Displays the following options for controlling your text fields dimensions:

Enable Margins and Indent

This option allows you to set Margins and an Ident for your text object. When selected you can set the following options:

Indent

Sets the amount to indent the first line of the Text Object.

Width

Sets the sizes of the right margin for the Text Object.

Auto-Size Height

When selected defines the height of the text field to be the size of the text. When unselected you can define the height of the text field using the Height/Lines selection.

Height/Lines

When Height is selected you can define the height of the text field to be a set number of pixels. When Lines is selected you can define the height of the text field to be a set number of lines.

·	Formatting

Displays the following formatting options:

Auto Kerning

When selected the Auto Kerning option uses the kerning settings in the font in use.

Render Text as HTML

Preserves HTML text formatting options such as size and hyperlinks for input and dynamic text fields. HTML text formatting can only be seen externally from SWiSHmax, for example using File | Test | In Player. The HTML tags <A>, , , , , , , and . The HTML attributes supported are LEFTMARGIN, RIGHTMARGIN, ALIGN, INDENT, and LEADING.

Wrap Text at Word Breaks

Wraps lines of text at the end of the text field, otherwise text is only wrapped at carriage returns.

Kerning

The Kerning control adjusts the horizontal distance between characters in a word. A negative number will move the characters closer together, while a positive number will move the characters further apart. A value of zero (the default setting) resets the kerning to the standard distances defined by the font.

Leading

The Leading control adjusts the vertical distance between lines in a multi-line Text Object. A negative number will move the lines closer together, while a positive number will move the lines further apart. A value of zero (the default setting) resets the leading to the standard distance defined by the font.

·	Advanced

Displays the following advanced text options:

Black Border with White Background

Shows the text field with a black border and a white background.

Text is Selectable

The user can select the text in the text field.

Password Text

The * character is displayed for each text character, useful for password input fields.

Multiline Text

Allows users to use the enter key for newlines when entering text in an input text field.

Use Parent Name as Text

Uses the name of the partent group/sprite/button/scene as the text. Useful for text in button states, as the text that appears in the button has the same name as the button.

Text window
The text window is the large window in the middle of the Panel, where text is entered and edited. New lines can be added by pressing the Enter key. Changes in the text window are updated in the Layout Panel as you type. If you have the Show Formatting option enabled (in Tools Preferences), then the text in the windows will be displayed in the font and color you have chosen. However, the font size remains unchanged so that the text does not become too large or small to be legible. The word "text" is the default setting.

A text object with Margins has additonal handles that allow adjustment of the Margin and text box size.

Advanced
The advanced text options are enabled or diabled dependant on the type of text object. Most fields are disabled for Static text,
some fields are disabled for Dynamic text and all fields are enabled for Input text.

Associate with variable

If the dynamic/input text field is a target, then setting this option lets you use a variable to access the text field contents, otherwise you need to use the ".text" property of the text field. If you do set this option, then the variable you specify MUST have a name different to the name of the text field itself. If the dynamic/input text field is NOT a target, then it is automatically associated with a variable of the same name (eg. for a simple text field called 'myfield' you would use the variable also called 'myfield' to access the text field contents via the scripting language. See Text Field Object for more information on scripting).

Input text

Options only available for input text:

Maximum characters : The maximum number of character that can be entered.

Characters for embedded fonts

Defines which characters will be emebedded in the Movie:

No embedded characters (use device font) : No characters embedded.

All characters (ASCII) : All character embedded.

Characters from these groups : A define set of characters will be embedded.

Upper case letters (A..Z ) : Embed all upper case letters

Lower case letters (a..z) : Embed all lower case letters

Digits (0..9) : Embed all digits

Punctuation : Embed all punctuation characters

These characters : The inputed set of characters will be emebedded ( Note: No spaces or commas are required between the character list)