Text Options dialog

Use this dialog to change default text and text caption attributes. Access this dialog from the Options menu.

Default settings for text and caption text attributes such as font, style, size, and line spacing are provided when Scantron DesignExpert software is installed. You can change all of these attributes can be changed, as needed, for individual text and caption text elements on your form. In addition, You can also change the defaults to suit your needs. See Text Options dialog for specifics on changing these defaults.

View details about default text settings

Text Attribute	Text Type	Default Setting at Installation	Where to Modify the Default Setting
Alignment	Text	Left	Modify Paragraph dialog
Baseline Shift	Text	None	Modify Paragraph dialog
Color	Text, Caption Text	Black	Font dialog, Modify Text Box dialog
Color	Caption Text	Black	Modify Caption Text dialog
Font	Text, Caption Text	Arial	Font dialog
Font style	Text, Caption Text	Regular	Font dialog
Horizontal Alignment	Caption Text	Center	Modify Caption Text dialog
Line Spacing - After Paragraphs	Text	Zero	Modify Paragraph dialog
Line Spacing - Between Lines	Text	Equals OMR response spacing: 5, 6, or 8 per inch	Modify Paragraph dialog
Margins From Bottom From Left From Right From Top	Text	0.0 points	Modify Text Box dialog
Margins - Margins	Caption Text	0.0 points	Modify Caption Text dialog
Margins - Show margins	Caption Text	Unchecked	Modify Caption Text dialog
Overprint	Caption Text	Checked	Modify Caption Text dialog
Overprint	Text	Checked	Modify Text Box dialog
Paragraph Indentation From Left From Right First Line Following Lines	Text	Zero	Modify Paragraph dialog
Rotation - Baseline	Caption Text	Zero Degrees	Modify Caption Text dialog
Rotation - Character	Caption Text	Zero Degrees	Modify Caption Text dialog
Screen	Text, Caption Text	100%	Font dialog, Modify Text Box dialog
Screen	Caption Text	100%	Modify Caption Text dialog
Show margins	Text	Unchecked	Modify Text Box dialog
Size	Text, Caption Text	10 pt.	Font dialog
Spacing - Inter -word	Caption Text	100%	Modify Caption Text dialog
Spacing - Inter-character	Caption Text	100%	Modify Caption Text dialog
Tabs - Alignment	Text	Left	Modify Paragraph dialog
Tabs - Tab Position	Text	None	Modify Paragraph dialog
Tabs - Units	Text	Equals OMR response spacing - 5, 6, or 8 per inch	Modify Paragraph dialog
Underline	Text, Caption Text	Unchecked	Font dialog
Vertical Alignment	Caption Text	Center	Modify Caption Text dialog

What's the difference between text and caption text?

There are two different text tools in Scantron DesignExpert software: Text and Caption Text. Both text tools create text fields but each has unique features that you can use for different purposes in your form design.

Text	Caption Text
Text is used for long text passages such as instructions or survey questions. It has the following controls and features: alignment automatic word wrap color selection and screen percentage text box margins line spacing baseline shift indents tabs font style and size attributes styles can be defined and applied to paragraphs formatted text import from Rich Text Format (.rtf) files and unformatted text import from text (.txt) files text files can be imported into a text box text can be added to the shape library text can be merge printed with variable text from a database file merged text can be formatted as to font, style, color, and so forth via text style control tags in the database file text can be formatted for compatibility with the ScanTools Plus RealTime Character Recognition option	Caption text is used for short text passages such as form titles and the captions on hand print fill areas. Captions are always a single line of text with a maximum of 4,096 characters. All characters of a caption must be the same color and have the same font characteristics. Caption text has properties not available with paragraph text, they are: baseline and character rotation inter-character spacing inter-word spacing horizontal and vertical alignment caption text can be added to the shape library caption text can be defined as a placeholder for variable text to be merge printed from a database file caption text can be defined as a placeholder for a serial number to be printed on your document caption text can be defined as a placeholder for a record number to be printed on your document caption text can be defined as a bar code for variable text merge printing, serial numbering, or record numbering. caption text can be formatted for compatibility with the ScanTools Plus RealTime Character Recognition option

Text

Caption Text

Text is used for long text passages such as instructions or survey questions. It has the following controls and features:

alignment
automatic word wrap
color selection and screen percentage
text box margins
line spacing
baseline shift
indents
tabs
font style and size attributes
styles can be defined and applied to paragraphs
formatted text import from Rich Text Format (.rtf) files and unformatted text import from text (.txt) files
text files can be imported into a text box
text can be added to the shape library
text can be merge printed with variable text from a database file
merged text can be formatted as to font, style, color, and so forth via text style control tags in the database file
text can be formatted for compatibility with the ScanTools Plus RealTime Character Recognition option

Caption text is used for short text passages such as form titles and the captions on hand print fill areas. Captions are always a single line of text with a maximum of 4,096 characters. All characters of a caption must be the same color and have the same font characteristics. Caption text has properties not available with paragraph text, they are:

baseline and character rotation
inter-character spacing
inter-word spacing
horizontal and vertical alignment
caption text can be added to the shape library
caption text can be defined as a placeholder for variable text to be merge printed from a database file
caption text can be defined as a placeholder for a serial number to be printed on your document
caption text can be defined as a placeholder for a record number to be printed on your document
caption text can be defined as a bar code for variable text merge printing, serial numbering, or record numbering.
caption text can be formatted for compatibility with the ScanTools Plus RealTime Character Recognition option

Features common to both text types include:

Font dialog
Spell checking
The Text Tool bar
Document fonts dialog
Missing fonts dialog

What's on the screen?

The Text Options dialog includes the following tabs:

Text Box tab

Select default settings for text boxes.

Use this element…	…to…
Auto-Expand the Text Box Downward When Entering Text	Set how the text box handles additional characters. Check the box to automatically resize in length (NOT width) as you enter more text. This is the default setting. Clear the box to prevent additional characters from being entered. As you enter more text characters to exceed the length of the text box, the program beeps and does not let you continue. If you want to enter more text, you must stop editing, resize the text box, and continue editing text. CAUTION:The text box will not auto-expand if you are merge printing text from a database. You must make sure that the text box is large enough to fit the largest amount of text you expect to merge from your database. If the box is too small, the text that doesn’t fit will be truncated.
Show Selected Text When Text Dialogs Are Open	Set how selected text appears when you are editing text options. Check this box to highlight any text currently selected while a text dialog is active. This lets you see what text the current dialog action will affect. Clear this box to leave selected text unhighlighted while a text dialog is active. This is the default setting.
Show White Space Characters in Text	Set whether Scantron DesignExpert shows special characters in the text editing area to indicate tabs, paragraphs, and spaces. Check this box to display symbols for text control characters. Clear this box to hide symbols for text control characters. This is the default setting.

Use this element…

…to…

Auto-Expand the Text Box Downward When Entering Text

Set how the text box handles additional characters.

Check the box to automatically resize in length (NOT width) as you enter more text. This is the default setting.

Clear the box to prevent additional characters from being entered. As you enter more text characters to exceed the length of the text box, the program beeps and does not let you continue. If you want to enter more text, you must stop editing, resize the text box, and continue editing text.

CAUTION:The text box will not auto-expand if you are merge printing text from a database. You must make sure that the text box is large enough to fit the largest amount of text you expect to merge from your database. If the box is too small, the text that doesn’t fit will be truncated.

Show Selected Text When Text Dialogs Are Open

Set how selected text appears when you are editing text options.

Check this box to highlight any text currently selected while a text dialog is active. This lets you see what text the current dialog action will affect.

Clear this box to leave selected text unhighlighted while a text dialog is active. This is the default setting.

Show White Space Characters in Text

Set whether Scantron DesignExpert shows special characters in the text editing area to indicate tabs, paragraphs, and spaces.

Check this box to display symbols for text control characters.

Clear this box to hide symbols for text control characters. This is the default setting.

Caption tab

Enter the default character string used whenever you create a new caption text box.

Use this element…	…to…
Initial Text	Enter the text characters you want to appear in new caption text boxes. Whatever you enter here will automatically appear in the Enter Caption Text dialog as the caption text for subsequent caption text boxes.