tennis4you Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Is there a way to turn off the box it makes you create before placing text? I would ideally like to click the "A" button for text and then start typing. I was hoping that AutoCAD could automatically generate the shape around the text on it's own instead of me having to create it first. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana W Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Is there a way to turn off the box it makes you create before placing text? I would ideally like to click the "A" button for text and then start typing. I was hoping that AutoCAD could automatically generate the shape around the text on it's own instead of me having to create it first. Thanks! The "Box" tells AutoCAD where the text is going more than anything else. When placing mtext, you are esentially inserting a block. You can't write text without picking a spot any more than you could draw a line in mid air and then place it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldon Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Is single line text still around nowadays? _dtext instead of _mtext. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana W Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Is single line text still around nowadays? _dtext instead of _mtext. It's there in 2009 LT. But, that asks even more than "Where's it going?" It want's a starting point, a text height, and rotation angle. Seems it is going in the opposite direction from what the OP wants to do. The only way I know of to place text from mid-air into a drawing is copy/paste from another source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbroada Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 certainly around in 2008 - I still use it more often than MTEXT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_O'neill Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I haven't used dtext since I discovered mtext years ago. Don't know why they even kept dtext in after they figured out how to make mtext work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldon Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 It's there in 2009 LT. But, that asks even more than "Where's it going?" It want's a starting point, a text height, and rotation angle. Seems it is going in the opposite direction from what the OP wants to do. After the initial pick point, then a few right clicks sorts all that out, and it will put the text on the same layer as the previous text, and not necessarily on the current layer. Give the OP all the information, and they can make an informed decision. You wouldn't want to think for them, would you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana W Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 After the initial pick point, then a few right clicks sorts all that out, and it will put the text on the same layer as the previous text, and not necessarily on the current layer. Give the OP all the information, and they can make an informed decision. You wouldn't want to think for them, would you I didn't know that either. Haven't used single line text since, well, a while ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldon Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 One still can't get around the need to pick a point where the text should begin. Perhaps the OP should lobby AutoCAD for installing thought transference. Personally I can't see the OP's objection to picking a point where the text should be. How else can the text be positioned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_O'neill Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 The only reason I could see for this is if you're writing a script or lisp or something and wish to suppress the dialog box popping up and stopping the script. Either way, the software will have to know where you want the text to be in the drawing. If you are placing text over and over again in the same place, you could add a period or an x or any text character at the spots where the text should live in your template. Then all you'd have to do is double click the character and type over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nestly Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 One still can't get around the need to pick a point where the text should begin. Perhaps the OP should lobby AutoCAD for installing thought transference. Personally I can't see the OP's objection to picking a point where the text should be. How else can the text be positioned? The OP never suggested they wanted to avoid picking a starting point for the text, they simply would prefer that AutoCAD create the bounding box after the text is entered, rather than the user guessing how big the bounding box should be before typing the text. That's not an unreasonable request, and it's one of my annoyances with MTEXT as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_O'neill Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 The OP never suggested they wanted to avoid picking a starting point for the text, they simply would prefer that AutoCAD create the bounding box after the text is entered, rather than the user guessing how big the bounding box should be before typing the text. That's not an unreasonable request, and it's one of my annoyances with MTEXT as well. The idea behind multiline text (mtext) was to create paragraph style text in a known amount of room, like construction notes in a column on a lead sheet. You pick the top left corner and the bottom right corner and type away. You see immediately if it's going to fit, giving you the opportunity to change justification, fonts or sizes as necessary. The bounding box is pointless if you don't want to pick it's corners first. The entire page can be one text entity that can be copied, moved, edited or resized as needed quickly and easily. If you don't want to pick the corners first, dtext is the answer. Pick a spot to start, accept or change height and rotation as needed and type away. When you get to the end of the line, hit enter and it starts another line. The problem with this approach is that each line is a separate entity and this style of text is harder to manipulate if it needs changed (other than replacing the words with other words). Autodesk used to have a thing they called a "wish list" for users to make suggestions. I don't know the criteria for getting an idea included in upcoming releases, but think up a name for it, describe how you want it to work and suggest it. Couldn't hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nestly Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 It's not like it would be tough to do, MLEADERS are just leaders and MTEXT grouped together and the bounding box is defined by the size of the text/paragraph, not the other way around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana W Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Autodesk used to have a thing they called a "wish list" for users to make suggestions. I don't know the criteria for getting an idea included in upcoming releases' date=' but think up a name for it, describe how you want it to work and suggest it. Couldn't hurt.[/quote'] AutoDesk site search results for Wish list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Organic Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Mtext is defiantly the way to go, I do not use Dtext at all. Dtext still exists in though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_O'neill Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 It's not like it would be tough to do, MLEADERS are just leaders and MTEXT grouped together and the bounding box is defined by the size of the text/paragraph, not the other way around. Hey, there's an idea. Perhaps we could get them to update dtext with this functionality. It almost does that anyway. I like that idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_O'neill Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 AutoDesk site search results for Wish list There ya go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana W Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 There ya go! I think I will ask them to just get the bugs out of what we have already. Not sure I am ready for "What's new in AutoCAD 2013" just yet. Hey!! just a minute. I almost forgot about the Rapture. Wasn't that supposed to over by now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nestly Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Hey' date=' there's an idea. Perhaps we could get them to update dtext with this functionality. It almost does that anyway. I like that idea.[/quote'] ...or they could just make the MTEXT bounding box fit the MTEXT like it does with MTEXT attached to a MLEADER.... lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_O'neill Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 I think I will ask them to just get the bugs out of what we have already. Not sure I am ready for "What's new in AutoCAD 2013" just yet. Hey!! just a minute. I almost forgot about the Rapture. Wasn't that supposed to over by now? Yeah, apparently there was some miscommunication between God and Mr. Camping....again. Same thing happened in '94. Dang it, still gotta mail the car payment Monday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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