MTEXT Flow

[shack]

Howdy! Does anyone know if MTEXT can be made to flow from column to column. Presently, within ACAD, I am using a long single column of auto-numbered (using bullets and numbers) to generate a list of general requirements for a project and then using MVIEW windows as a means of cropping the long column to appear as a numberd list that flows from upper left down to lower right. So, this:

1. text
2. text
3. text
4. text
5. text
6. text
7. text

becomes this:

1. text 5. text
2. text 6. text
3. text 7. text
4. text

I love the bullets and numbering feature offered in ACAD AD but cannot figure out how to create columns as required to fit this long column of text on the vertical dimension afforded by my sheet size.

I am running ACAD Architectural Desktop 2006 Full version

THX

[Alan Cullen]

Select the mtext and move the grips around. As you move the grips around the way the text is positioned inside them changes....

[shack]

Thanks for the feedback. That would work ok (and i've used on occasion) but some of the notes are very lengthy and the desire for columns (to prevent extensively long horizontal lines of text) is limiting me to 4"-6" columns, which means I still cannot fit the numbered list on the page without breaking it using mview windows. I oversimplified the problem with my quick "text" sample in the original post to this thread.

Any suggestions?
Thanks.

[Alan Cullen]

Sorry, Shack...

I don't use mtext, and I have never used Architectural Desktop 2006, and being a Civil bloke I'm not sure what your are trying to do.....

Maybe someone else.......

[CarlB]

You could use 2 different mtext objects, one with the first half of your notes, the rest of the notes in the second mtext object, then place them side by side...?

I thought I heard the word processing features have increased in 2006 or 2007 that allows use of columns, don't know.

[shack]

I thought that would work too but since I am using the bullets and numbering feature of ACAD Architectural Desktop it restarts numbering at the top of the new mtext object. ACAD hasn't figured out how to permit one to start the numbering at a user-defined number. This means that no matter what I do the text will default to:

Column 1 Column 2
1.0 text note 1 1.0 text note 5
2.0 text note 2 2.0 text note 6
3.0 text note 3 3.0 text note 7

but needs to be:

Column 1 Column 2
1.0 text note 1 4.0 text note 4
2.0 text note 2 5.0 text note 5
3.0 text note 3 6.0 text note 6

I'm banging my head against the wall because I feel like I am so close, but ACAD just seems to be a feature or two away from helping me.

[badcowboy]

starting at different numbers is relatively easy. Just click after the number and then hit backspace, type in your new starting number, go to the end of the line/paragraph and hit return.

All the numbers will auto renumber in that mtext box.

IE:

1. teth asd asdf
2. sadfasdfsadf

Click before teth
hit backspace
type in new number
click after asdf
hit return

You should get:

10. teth asd asdf
11.
12. sadfasdfsadf

Simply click on after 11. and hit backspace twice and you will have renumbered the mtext.