If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Arcane Question @ Text Boxes & "Frames"
After having created a text box, if you right click on the box, a
"Format Text Box" window appears among the drop-down choices. One of the tabs on this window is actually called "Text Box," and on this tab, there is a choice to "Convert to Frame." What does "Convert to Frame" actually achieve (aside from making the text box no longer editable--believe me, I tried)? What exactly *is* a "Frame," and why would a WORD user want to convert a Text Box to one? Another question: What in the world does "Maintain Aspect Ratio" mean when applied to a Text Box? WORD is so much more complex than most WORD users ever think! Thanks. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Arcane Question @ Text Boxes & "Frames"
Differences between textboxes and frames --
- Frames are part of the main story, so the content can appear in the TOC and outline. Textboxes are a separate story. - Textboxes can be linked to each other so text flows from one to the other. - Textboxes can be formatted in more sophisticated ways. A frame is just a fancy way to format a paragraph. 'Maintain apsect ratio' means that if you resize the object, the proportions of its size (ie width to height) remains the same. "Elmer" wrote in message oups.com... After having created a text box, if you right click on the box, a "Format Text Box" window appears among the drop-down choices. One of the tabs on this window is actually called "Text Box," and on this tab, there is a choice to "Convert to Frame." What does "Convert to Frame" actually achieve (aside from making the text box no longer editable--believe me, I tried)? What exactly *is* a "Frame," and why would a WORD user want to convert a Text Box to one? Another question: What in the world does "Maintain Aspect Ratio" mean when applied to a Text Box? WORD is so much more complex than most WORD users ever think! Thanks. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Arcane Question @ Text Boxes & "Frames"
To add to what Jezebel has said, frames are older than text boxes. When MS
introduced text boxes, they were expected to replace frames, and so Frame was removed from the Insert menu (if you use frames often, you'll want to put it back). As it turned out, however, text boxes do NOT replace frames for several important purposes. The times when you need a frame instead of a text box are specified in the Knowledge Base article "WD2000: General Information About Floating Objects" at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=268713. As Jezebel points out, the most important of these is for any text that you want Word to be able to "see" for purposes of a cross-reference, a table of contents, a table of figures, or an index. Which is why it is especially frustrating that, if you use Insert | Caption with a floating (wrapped) object selected, Word puts the caption in a text box (you'll need to either convert that to a frame or pull the text out, change the wrapping on the figure to In Line With Text, and insert both figure and caption in a single frame). Some differences between frames and text boxes: 1. The text in a text box is always in the Normal style (though you can change it to some other style after inserting the text box). Since a frame can be included in a paragraph style, you can use any style, and you can insert the frame just by applying the style; for one use of this, see http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/MarginalText.htm. 2. Both frames and text boxes have a border by default. To remove the border from a frame, you must use Format | Borders and Shading | None; to remove the border from a text box, you must use Format Text Box | Colors and Lines | No Line. If you want a border on a frame, you can have it on all or specified sides, and you can use different borders (different style, weight, color) on different sides; a text box border is all or nothing, a box. 3. Frames can be positioned almost as precisely as text boxes (relative to page, column, margin, paragraph), but their wrapping limited to None (inline) and Around (wrapped). Wrapping on text boxes can use any of the styles available for any AutoShape or drawing object (Behind Text, In Front of Text, Square, Tight, etc.). What this means in practical terms is that you need a text box if you want to layer text over a picture, but a frame is what you need for a figure and its caption, which you are not likely to want to put in front of or behind text but do want to keep together and make visible to the Table of Figures. 4. Text boxes, since they are in the drawing layer, are not visible in Normal view. Frames are, but their positioning is not; that is, if they are wrapped, they will still appear inline. -- Suzanne S. Barnhill Microsoft MVP (Word) Words into Type Fairhope, Alabama USA Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit. "Elmer" wrote in message oups.com... After having created a text box, if you right click on the box, a "Format Text Box" window appears among the drop-down choices. One of the tabs on this window is actually called "Text Box," and on this tab, there is a choice to "Convert to Frame." What does "Convert to Frame" actually achieve (aside from making the text box no longer editable--believe me, I tried)? What exactly *is* a "Frame," and why would a WORD user want to convert a Text Box to one? Another question: What in the world does "Maintain Aspect Ratio" mean when applied to a Text Box? WORD is so much more complex than most WORD users ever think! Thanks. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Arcane Question @ Text Boxes & "Frames"
Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote:
Which is why it is especially frustrating that, if you use Insert | Caption with a floating (wrapped) object selected, Word puts the caption in a text box (you'll need to either convert that to a frame or pull the text out, change the wrapping on the figure to In Line With Text, and insert both figure and caption in a single frame). While you (and Jezebel) have been invaluable in this mini-lesson, the above is so VERY recondite, I wonder if more than three people in the entire world, the author of WORD included, knows exactly what it means ! Some differences between frames and text boxes: 1. The text in a text box is always in the Normal style (though you can change it to some other style after inserting the text box). Since a frame can be included in a paragraph style, you can use any style, and you can insert the frame just by applying the style; for one use of this, see http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/MarginalText.htm. 2. Both frames and text boxes have a border by default. To remove the border from a frame, you must use Format | Borders and Shading | None; to remove the border from a text box, you must use Format Text Box | Colors and Lines | No Line. If you want a border on a frame, you can have it on all or specified sides, and you can use different borders (different style, weight, color) on different sides; a text box border is all or nothing, a box. Ah, now this is a difference my pea brain can "wrap itself" around. 3. Frames can be positioned almost as precisely as text boxes (relative to page, column, margin, paragraph), but their wrapping limited to None (inline) and Around (wrapped). Wrapping on text boxes can use any of the styles available for any AutoShape or drawing object (Behind Text, In Front of Text, Square, Tight, etc.). What this means in practical terms is that you need a text box if you want to layer text over a picture, but a frame is what you need for a figure and its caption, which you are not likely to want to put in front of or behind text but do want to keep together and make visible to the Table of Figures. Back to tumbleweeds here. By "wrapping" do you mean "word wrapping?" 4. Text boxes, since they are in the drawing layer, are not visible in Normal view. Frames are, but their positioning is not; that is, if they are wrapped, they will still appear inline. Tumbling along with 'dem tumbling tumbleweeds.... |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Arcane Question @ Text Boxes & "Frames"
Jezebel wrote:
Differences between textboxes and frames -- - Frames are part of the main story, so the content can appear in the TOC and outline. Textboxes are a separate story. - Textboxes can be linked to each other so text flows from one to the other. How does one bring this about, you Jezebel, you? - Textboxes can be formatted in more sophisticated ways. A frame is just a fancy way to format a paragraph. Then how are they different from, say, "Borders?" 'Maintain apsect ratio' means that if you resize the object, the proportions of its size (ie width to height) remains the same. Ah, thanks! |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Arcane Question @ Text Boxes & "Frames"
Elmer wrote:
Jezebel wrote: - Textboxes can be linked to each other so text flows from one to the other. How does one bring this about, you Jezebel, you? It might help if you actually read Word help on text boxes. - Textboxes can be formatted in more sophisticated ways. A frame is just a fancy way to format a paragraph. Then how are they different from, say, "Borders?" A border is a different concept and is essentially a decorative outline. Both text boxes and frames can be used with or without borders. -- Graham Mayor - Word MVP My web site www.gmayor.com Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Arcane Question @ Text Boxes & "Frames"
On 13 Aug 2006 04:42:28 -0700, "Elmer" wrote:
Jezebel wrote: Differences between textboxes and frames -- - Frames are part of the main story, so the content can appear in the TOC and outline. Textboxes are a separate story. - Textboxes can be linked to each other so text flows from one to the other. How does one bring this about, you Jezebel, you? Draw two or more text boxes (not necessarily on the same page). With the cursor in the first text box, click the Create Text Box Link button on the Text Box toolbar. The cursor changes to a small cup. Move the cursor to any other text box (not necessarily the next one), where the cursor cup changes to "pouring" position, and click. Now any text that overflows from the first box will go into the second one. You can continue to link more boxes into the series. This is useful for a newsletter or magazine layout, where stories continue somewhere other than onto the next page. - Textboxes can be formatted in more sophisticated ways. A frame is just a fancy way to format a paragraph. Then how are they different from, say, "Borders?" A frame is very much like a border, in that both of them are paragraph attributes that can be part of a paragraph style definition (whereas a text box can't be part of a style, although you can get a similar functionality by defining an AutoText entry that consists of a text box). The main difference is that they're controlled by different dialogs. -- Regards, Jay Freedman Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Arcane Question @ Text Boxes & "Frames"
On 13 Aug 2006 04:40:11 -0700, "Elmer" wrote:
Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote: Which is why it is especially frustrating that, if you use Insert | Caption with a floating (wrapped) object selected, Word puts the caption in a text box (you'll need to either convert that to a frame or pull the text out, change the wrapping on the figure to In Line With Text, and insert both figure and caption in a single frame). While you (and Jezebel) have been invaluable in this mini-lesson, the above is so VERY recondite, I wonder if more than three people in the entire world, the author of WORD included, knows exactly what it means ! It may be recondite, but it becomes painfully obvious when you make a document with lots of floating figures with captions, and you find that you can't make a Table of Figures to go with the Table of Contents. I can assure you that there are at least three dozen people who understand this, even if the Word developers don't. :-) Some differences between frames and text boxes: 1. The text in a text box is always in the Normal style (though you can change it to some other style after inserting the text box). Since a frame can be included in a paragraph style, you can use any style, and you can insert the frame just by applying the style; for one use of this, see http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/MarginalText.htm. 2. Both frames and text boxes have a border by default. To remove the border from a frame, you must use Format | Borders and Shading | None; to remove the border from a text box, you must use Format Text Box | Colors and Lines | No Line. If you want a border on a frame, you can have it on all or specified sides, and you can use different borders (different style, weight, color) on different sides; a text box border is all or nothing, a box. Ah, now this is a difference my pea brain can "wrap itself" around. 3. Frames can be positioned almost as precisely as text boxes (relative to page, column, margin, paragraph), but their wrapping limited to None (inline) and Around (wrapped). Wrapping on text boxes can use any of the styles available for any AutoShape or drawing object (Behind Text, In Front of Text, Square, Tight, etc.). What this means in practical terms is that you need a text box if you want to layer text over a picture, but a frame is what you need for a figure and its caption, which you are not likely to want to put in front of or behind text but do want to keep together and make visible to the Table of Figures. Back to tumbleweeds here. By "wrapping" do you mean "word wrapping?" No, this is what the dialogs call "text wrapping", meaning how frames or text boxes push regular text out of the way. In contrast, "word wrapping" refers to how text inside the box flows to the next line. (I didn't make up these terms, and they wouldn't have been my choice.) 4. Text boxes, since they are in the drawing layer, are not visible in Normal view. Frames are, but their positioning is not; that is, if they are wrapped, they will still appear inline. Tumbling along with 'dem tumbling tumbleweeds.... If you tumble long enough, you might pick up something useful! -- Regards, Jay Freedman Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit. |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Arcane Question @ Text Boxes & "Frames"
Back to tumbleweeds here. By "wrapping" do you mean "word wrapping?" Display the formatting dialog for a textbox (or any graphic object) -- on the Layout tab you'll see a set of options headed 'Wrapping style'. Is that enough guidance for you, or would you prefer a hammer and chisel to the cranium? |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Arcane Question @ Text Boxes & "Frames"
As Graham, Jezebel, and Jay have suggested in their various ways, it would
probably help you to understand what I've written if you would read Word's Help and familiarize yourself with its terminology. I can also suggest this MSKB article: "WD2000: General Information About Floating Objects" at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=268713. You might also see http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/DrwGrphcs/DrawLayer.htm In Word 97 and earlier, MS used the term "float[ing] over text" to describe objects in the drawing layer. When you inserted a picture, say, using Insert | Picture | From File, the "Float over text" check box was checked by default, and you had to clear it to insert the picture "inline." A "floating" picture by default had "square" wrapping; other options were Tight, Through, None, and Top and Bottom. You also had a choice of wrapping text to both sides, left, right, or "largest side." Word 2000 made significant changes in the way inserted/pasted pictures were handled. The default "wrapping style" became In Line With Text (previously called "inline"). An inline graphic is treated the same as text, that is, rather like a large font character. Usually you would want it in a paragraph by itself, with line spacing set to Auto; users come to grief inserting pictures into paragraphs with Exact line spacing (so that only a tiny slice of the bottom of the picture is displayed). The new inline default confused many veteran Word users, too; previously able to drag pictures freely around the page, they now found they could move pictures only where there was already text. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to change the wrapping. In Word 2000 and above, when you click on a graphic, the Picture toolbar is displayed. One of the buttons on the toolbar is Text Wrapping (dog icon); this opens a menu allowing you to change the wrapping of the object from In Line With Text to Square, Tight, Behind Text, In Front of Text, etc. -- Suzanne S. Barnhill Microsoft MVP (Word) Words into Type Fairhope, Alabama USA Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit. "Elmer" wrote in message ps.com... Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote: Which is why it is especially frustrating that, if you use Insert | Caption with a floating (wrapped) object selected, Word puts the caption in a text box (you'll need to either convert that to a frame or pull the text out, change the wrapping on the figure to In Line With Text, and insert both figure and caption in a single frame). While you (and Jezebel) have been invaluable in this mini-lesson, the above is so VERY recondite, I wonder if more than three people in the entire world, the author of WORD included, knows exactly what it means ! Some differences between frames and text boxes: 1. The text in a text box is always in the Normal style (though you can change it to some other style after inserting the text box). Since a frame can be included in a paragraph style, you can use any style, and you can insert the frame just by applying the style; for one use of this, see http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/MarginalText.htm. 2. Both frames and text boxes have a border by default. To remove the border from a frame, you must use Format | Borders and Shading | None; to remove the border from a text box, you must use Format Text Box | Colors and Lines | No Line. If you want a border on a frame, you can have it on all or specified sides, and you can use different borders (different style, weight, color) on different sides; a text box border is all or nothing, a box. Ah, now this is a difference my pea brain can "wrap itself" around. 3. Frames can be positioned almost as precisely as text boxes (relative to page, column, margin, paragraph), but their wrapping limited to None (inline) and Around (wrapped). Wrapping on text boxes can use any of the styles available for any AutoShape or drawing object (Behind Text, In Front of Text, Square, Tight, etc.). What this means in practical terms is that you need a text box if you want to layer text over a picture, but a frame is what you need for a figure and its caption, which you are not likely to want to put in front of or behind text but do want to keep together and make visible to the Table of Figures. Back to tumbleweeds here. By "wrapping" do you mean "word wrapping?" 4. Text boxes, since they are in the drawing layer, are not visible in Normal view. Frames are, but their positioning is not; that is, if they are wrapped, they will still appear inline. Tumbling along with 'dem tumbling tumbleweeds.... |
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|