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Text is in outline


Mason2152

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1340396561_error1.thumb.png.7ef523ee8aa252d2a8f77bfa1c1ef742.png

Hi, I cannot figure out how to fix this. It doesn't matter what font I use, or text size. Unstyled text is always in this weird outline style and extended beyond the text box. I cannot figure out what I did or how to get it back.

If I select a pre-loaded style like Dimension 12pt everything is fine and I can alter size and font with no problem, but I can't make my own styles without this issue.

Haven't been able to find any posts with this problem yet, any ideas?

Thanks,

Christopher 

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Hi, @Mason2152 

 

When I open the file it is shown as an older version, and watermarked (no prob), but I don't know which  version.  So, for me to translate back please indicate in a post or, better, create a signature in your forum account settings.

 

When this file first opened, I got a dialog to map the text (your font not available on my system). So it converted your text to Arial. It started as Swis721 BlkOul BT. This is an outline text.  In my v2019, the text block OIP shows the options enabled for Shadow and Outline, hence the dbl outline in attached image.

 

If I uncheck the options, the text displays as normal filled text.

 

The v2019 file has only None and Dimension classes (same in your original?).  The text is assigned to None class and None class text is assigned to Unstyled.  So, at least in v2019, the mapped text is behaving as it should.

 

Might be file problem. Something to try:

Quit vwx. Then restart vwx. Open a new file (not from a template, just a blank file set for unstyled text). Create a text block in Arial or other common font with solid fill.  If works, then make a new text block in Arial and convert to your Swis721 outline font.  Then convert back. If things are working as expected, then the original file or that text block must be corrupt.

 

Meanwhile, I hope others will open and test the file in your native version with your font.

 

-B

 

 

OutlineText.png

Text Map Dialog.png

Edited by Benson Shaw
restart
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@Mason2152,

   You're welcome. Were you able to fix it with the Text Menu, or did you use the  script? Just curious.

 

@Kevin McAllister,

   Without the "Plain Text" checkbox in the OIP, there is no way to clear all TextStyle settings (like the hidden ones on the PC) in the OIP like you can when you use the TEXT menu above. The OIP and the TEXT menu items should be consistent. You can get there from here, but you have to use multiple UI items to do so. Not good.

 

Raymond

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee
20 hours ago, Kevin McAllister said:

I'm surprised that the options don't show as greyed out if they're not available on a PC. @Jim Wilson do you know why that is? Hidden options are not that easy to troubleshoot....


This option is controlled per-character on PC, so you can't apply super/subscript to a whole text object, but if you edit the text object and select all or some of the characters, you can use those formatting options. I suspect this is because super/sub display is generally relative to normal text.

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Hi @Jim Wilson,

   I think Kevin is referring to the Outline and Shadow options that are available on the Mac but not on the PC. They don't show in the OIP of PC. If a user gets a file that was edited on the Mac, these attributes could be set but wouldn't show in the PC's OIP. This adds a lot of confusion files edited on both platforms. 

 

   I was planning on writing a VE for this this morning. Would you rather have me enter a bug instead? 

 

Raymond

Edited by MullinRJ
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OH misunderstood, apologies. Yes then it would be a feature request to add Shadow and Outline as text effects on Windows. Looks like on Mac they're supported by the OS's font handling system but on Windows it isn't included by default and has to be added per-app (Word will allow it, but Notepad wont, as an example).

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Since I'm getting a bunch of thumbs-up on this last post, I'm posting a copy of the Vectorworks Enhancement (VE) request I entered yesterday. Please feel free to comment on anything I missed. Anything relevant, I'll add it to my request.

Thanks,

Raymond

 

————————————————————————————

VE-99490: Make UI consistent on MAC and WIN for Text objects [Raymond Mullin]
Description:
With a text object selected, the OIP on Windows does not show checkboxes for the Outline or Shadow style attributes. Outline and Shadow are attributes that can be assigned on the Mac, but not on the PC. 

A problem exists where a text object can have the Outline or Shadow attributes applied on the Mac and then saved. The same file opened on a Windows version of VW will not indicate in the OIP these attributes are assigned, even though they still are. Searches for Plain Text will not find these objects. The Windows platform will attempt to show outlined text, but the user will be confused how to clear this effect since the OIP is missing these two attributes. 

Solution, the Outline and Shadow attributes should be added to the OIP on Windows. Even if they always remain gray they would indicate when these attributes are set so users can be informed and act accordingly. I assume the Text>Font Style menu on Windows is also missing these two attributes, but I cannot check now. If so, it too should be updated. 

ADDITIONALLY, the "Plain Text" attribute that is present in the "TEXT>FONT STYLE" menu should be added to the OIP so users can clear all Font Style attributes with one click, including the inaccessible Outline and Shadow settings on Windows versions. This will benefit Windows users more than Mac users, but it will make the OIP consistent with the TEXT menu and across platforms. 

Please see this recent thread on the Forum that initiated this VE:   (>THIS THREAD<)

 

Graphic of UI  elements involved. (Christopher, I hope you don't mind me using your OIP screen shot.)

788437837_TextUIinconsistencies.thumb.png.8cfdffe64298cd7ca410380e387124e8.png

 

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I would like to mention that I am a windows user and I ended up with this problem due to some voodoo key strokes I used. I did not open a file from a Mac. So there is some way for a windows user to do this to themselves. The problem would have been figured out much sooner had those boxes been visible even if grayed out. Thanks to Raymond for saving me from insanity.

C

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Christopher,

   If you ever do figure out how to do this manually, please post back. I'd love to know how it can be done, too. 

 

   On either platform, you can set these attributes with a script similar to the one I posted earlier that clears them.

e.g.,

DSelectAll;

TextFace( [ Shadow, Outline ] );   { sets the Outline and Shadow text styles }

 

   It is also possible to cut and paste text between documents that has one or both TextStyle flags set, but that would not affect the application setting, only the object's. However, the EyeDropper tool has a checkbox that "could" transfer those hidden attributes to be part of the text creation default settings. It's a long shot that you would fall into this rabbit hole, but not impossible.

 

1338522178_EyedropperSettings.thumb.png.c1e62b59f426cdf2de53b8abaef42e1c.png

 

   Honestly, I think you did it some other way, but I have no idea at the moment how. Again, please post back if you ever figure out how you got there. 

 

All the best,

Raymond

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This totally just happened to me just now - I'm on PC and was editing a text box and accidentally did a key combo but can't recall which and I turned the fonts into outline, which I knew right away was available on Mac only - I experimented to see if it applied to other fonts that I tried and it did - I simply did an undo to get back to the regular filled font but for a moment there I was trying all sorts of key combos trying to activate outline again! 

 

If anyone knows, please post their response here - thanks!

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Hello @Janvin Lowe,

   There are several ways to convert text to outline. The most obvious is to select the "Outline" text attribute in the OIP, assuming it's available. Another way is to convert the text to poly lines with the menu item Text > Convert Text to Polylines. A third way is to use the Format Text dialog and select the Outline attribute or click its hotkey (Cmd/Ctrl-O) (MAC Only), but you also have to click OK. Lastly, a script can change the text to Outline or to Polylines. Scripts can exist in the document, or in the Plug-in library. A Menu Command Plug-in loaded in your workspace can set the text attribute to OUTLINE, and a Plug-in can have a hotkey. If you didn't put it there, this is unlikely.

 

   I just verified that text CAN show as outline in VW on a PC, but you have to access it via script. The OIP and Text menu items do not show the Outline option on a PC.

 

   It may be too late to ask, but once you had outlined text, was the object showing as Text in the OIP, or showing as a Group? Or if you didn't look at the OIP, did you still see the little "x" on the object indicating the Insertion Point? This would indicate that the Text object had the OUTLINE attribute assigned. If there was no "x" or the OIP said Group, then the text was converted to Polylines. 

 

   If you converted the text with a keystroke, check the menus under the TEXT menu for hotkeys that may be assigned to Convert Text to Polylines or Font Style > Outline. Unless you (or someone you know) edited your workspace, these menus typically do not have hotkeys, but you can add hotkeys to them with the Workspace Editor. Then check any custom menus you may have loaded for a plug-in that sets the text attribute to outline, and does it have a hotkey assigned? This is a long shot, but it is possible.

 

   If this ever happens again, before you hit Undo, check the Type of the selected object(s) in the OIP for Text or Group. After you Undo, look in the lower right of the VW window, as a message will display showing what action was undone. You can Redo (Cmd/Ctrl-Y) then Undo (Cmd/Ctrl-Z) to see the message again.

 

   I doubt this explains what happened, but if it ever happens again you should be able to track down the cause.

 

Raymond

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Response - the text was showing up as text - I even changed the font, the Boldness, the actual text itself so it was for sure Outline but on PC and not converted to Polygon which I am fully aware of - such a long lost ability (used to run VW on Mac) that I just thought how Windows OS handled fonts, that it wasn't capable to manipulating text in the same manner as MacOS.

 

I customized my workspace but never did so for the Outline attribute on MacOS or WinOS so it must be buried deep somewhere.

 

I'll definitely update this post if I ever come across it again - such a silly little feature that got me so excited haha!  And weird how someone else actually did the same!

 

J

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If I may ask those of you using MacOS, what is the letter to activate Outline in the menubar  approach - ie. Text > Font Style > Outline as in which letter of the word "Outline" is underlined such that you can press the corresponding key when going through the menubar approach.  This underlined letter may still be activated even though the "Outline" option does not exist in the menus for PC.

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19 hours ago, Janvin Lowe said:

If I may ask those of you using MacOS, what is the letter to activate Outline in the menubar  approach

 

Hello @Janvin Lowe,

   In the standard UI, there is no assigned hotkey for that menu item, nor for any other of the Text Styles (Bold, Italic, etc.) to the best of my knowledge. If you do find a hotkey combination that makes text Outline, I'd like to know what it is. I've not run into it before, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

 

   If you want the capability to make text objects Outline on the PC (or Mac) via a hotkey, add the three menu command plug-ins below to your workspace. In the Workspace Editor you can add them to one of your menus, or to a new Custom menu. You can then assign hotkeys to them. They can be found in the TEXT category in the Workspace Editor. These plug-ins were compiled in VW 2020. If anyone needs them in an earlier version, please write back.

 

   One shortcoming is that these scripts do not address individual character editing. It's all, or nothing, but the scripts are unlocked, so have at it.

 

 

Text PLAIN.vsm – Remove all Text Style formatting (Bold, Italic, etc.) from the selected text objects.

 

Text OUTLINE.vsm – Make all characters OUTLINE in the selected text objects. All other formatting is cleared first.

 

Toggle Text OUTLINE.vsm – Switch each character's Outline attribute (ON or OFF), on a character-by-character basis. Existing formatting will remain. Only the Outline attribute will change.

 

 

 Text PLAIN.vsm       Text OUTLINE.vsm      Toggle Text OUTLINE.vsm

 

 

HTH,

Raymond

Edited by MullinRJ
Correct the Help Text
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For VW 2018:

 

Text PLAIN.vsm      Text OUTLINE.vsm      Toggle Text OUTLINE .vsm

 

@Janvin Lowe, since I know you are using VW on a PC, would you please report back how these work for you? The only oddity I see is the text shifts right when it is converted to Outline, but it shifts back when it is reset to Plain. I'm curious if this is because my PC is still running Windows 7. Also report your OS.

 

Thank you,

Raymond

Edited by MullinRJ
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