Text Box Problem in Microsoft Word 2003

[MS]

I recently upgraded to Office 2003. The other day I had a strange problem
every time I tried to insert a text box in a document.

I clicked "Insert", "Textbox". I expected, as in previous versions, to see
the cross-hair pointers, with which I could manually draw in a text box.
Instead, A very large full-page box appeared on the screen, pushing my
document to the next page, with toolbars for drawing, etc. This happened
several times, although I had definitely clicked on "Insert Text Box".

I clicked "cancel", when I saw that, which brought me back to my document,
and usually, lo and behold, after clicking "cancel", the cross-hair pointer
was there with which I could draw a text box.

What was going on? Why this strange result from the command "Insert Text
Box"?

-----------------------

While I'm at it, an unrelated question regarding text boxes (all versions of
Word). The default text box has lines around it, which can be changed in
"Text Box Properties" (the type of line can be changed, or it can be changed
to "No Line"). My question is: Is there a way to change the default text box
to "no line"? (So that text boxes by default will not have a line around it,
although of course it could be changed individually in "Text Box
Properties"?)

 

[Greg Maxey]

MS,

It is the drawing canvass. Your settings in
Tools>Options>General>Automatically create drawing canvass when inserting
autoshapes is the cause of this behaviour. Uncheck that feature.

The drawing canvass can be useful and if you need to use it, click
Insert>Picture>New Drawing.

 

[Jay Freedman]

Greg Maxey answered the first question in your post, about the drawing
canvas. I'll take the second question...

While I'm at it, an unrelated question regarding text boxes (all versions of
Word). The default text box has lines around it, which can be changed in
"Text Box Properties" (the type of line can be changed, or it can be changed
to "No Line"). My question is: Is there a way to change the default text box
to "no line"? (So that text boxes by default will not have a line around it,
although of course it could be changed individually in "Text Box
Properties"?)

Text boxes in Word are just one of many kinds of drawing objects.
Because of that, the default line and fill properties of text boxes
are the same as those of other drawing objects.

You can set the properties -- for example, no line, and no fill -- for
any text box or other drawing object, then click the Draw button on
the Drawing toolbar and click Set AutoShape Defaults. That will make
the settings for that object stick as the defaults for all future text
boxes and drawing objects, until you change it again.

Whether you want to do this depends on which you use more, text boxes
or other kinds of drawing objects, since you probably don't often want
a drawing object with no line and no fill.

 

[MS]

Thanks a lot, both Greg and Jay!

 

[MS]

I tried this. It works for the current document. After I create a text box,
set the formatting to "no line" (no border), then click on "Set AutoShape
Defaults" in the Drawing toolbar, when I create another Text Box in the same
document, it defaults to "no line".

However, when I start a new document, and create a Text Box in it, it again
defaults to having the line. The default just seems to last for that
document, and not act as a permanent (until changed, of course) default.

Did I do something wrong?

 

[MS]

While we're on the subject of text boxes, one other question regarding them:

Under "Tools", "Customize", "Keyboard", I tried to create a keyboard
shortcut for inserting a text box.

However, I could not find that command, so that I could create a keyboard
shortcut to it. I would highlight the category "Insert", then look at the
commands for which one could create a keyboard shortcut, and there are many
commands there that do not even appear in the "Insert" menu, but there is no
(unless I missed it) "Insert Text Box". There is something like
"InsertHTMLTextBox". I tried that, and it was something completely
different. Also, a command called "InsertOCXTextBox". It was also something
completely different.

Is it not possible to create a keyboard shortcut to insert a normal text
box, the command that is in the "Insert" menu?

 

[TF]

Nope. You were not told an important step. To make this a permanent default,
you need to open Normal.Dot, change the Text Box, delete everything off the
page and Save the changes when you close.



: I tried this. It works for the current document. After I create a text
box,
: set the formatting to "no line" (no border), then click on "Set AutoShape
: Defaults" in the Drawing toolbar, when I create another Text Box in the
same
: document, it defaults to "no line".
:
: However, when I start a new document, and create a Text Box in it, it
again
: defaults to having the line. The default just seems to last for that
: document, and not act as a permanent (until changed, of course) default.
:
: Did I do something wrong?
:
:
: : > Greg Maxey answered the first question in your post, about the drawing
: > canvas. I'll take the second question...
: >
: > >While I'm at it, an unrelated question regarding text boxes (all
versions
: of
: > >Word). The default text box has lines around it, which can be changed
in
: > >"Text Box Properties" (the type of line can be changed, or it can be
: changed
: > >to "No Line"). My question is: Is there a way to change the default
text
: box
: > >to "no line"? (So that text boxes by default will not have a line
around
: it,
: > >although of course it could be changed individually in "Text Box
: > >Properties"?)
: > >
: >
: > Text boxes in Word are just one of many kinds of drawing objects.
: > Because of that, the default line and fill properties of text boxes
: > are the same as those of other drawing objects.
: >
: > You can set the properties -- for example, no line, and no fill -- for
: > any text box or other drawing object, then click the Draw button on
: > the Drawing toolbar and click Set AutoShape Defaults. That will make
: > the settings for that object stick as the defaults for all future text
: > boxes and drawing objects, until you change it again.
: >
: > Whether you want to do this depends on which you use more, text boxes
: > or other kinds of drawing objects, since you probably don't often want
: > a drawing object with no line and no fill.
: >
: > --
: > Regards,
: > Jay Freedman
: > Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word
:
:

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The reason there's no keyboard shortcut is that the Insert | Textbox command
doesn't actually do anything except change the mouse pointer to a + and wait
for you to draw the text box to the desired size. You could record a macro
of inserting a text box and assign a keyboard shortcut to that, but it would
be much more satisfactory to save a "standard" text box as an AutoText entry
and assign a keyboard shortcut to that (or use AutoComplete to insert it).

 

[MS]

Not more satisfactory to me, because there is not one standard textbox size,
that I want them all to be. I wish to be able to draw it manually each time,
although as I mentioned, I'd prefer the default to be with no border.

I don't see why if it's a command on the menu, one cannot create a keyboard
shortcut to it (I wasn't discussing whether there is a pre-existing shortcut
to it, but whether one can create one), although there are other commands
available to create shortcuts for, that don't even appear on any menu.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Okay, there *is* a built-in keyboard shortcut: Alt+I, X.

 

[MS]

Okay, there *is* a built-in keyboard shortcut: Alt+I, X.

Well, I guess you could call that a type of keyboard shortcut--but that's a
little different, no? Alt+I to open the insert menu, and then x to choose
insert text box.

A two part "shortcut", involving opening a menu, then choosing a selection
from the menu, is rather different from pressing a simultaneous keyboard
combination, Ctrl-Shift-T for example, creating a text box in one stroke. I
think that's usually what's meant by "keyboard shortcut", including the
çreate keyboard shortcut dialog under "customize".

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Alt+I, X is not much different from Ctrl+', e to insert é. A keyboard
shortcut is a way of accessing commands and functions from the keyboard
rather than using the mouse. You are unwilling to accept that there are some
functions to which it is not possible to assign a user-defined keyboard
shortcut; there are, however, built-in keyboard shortcuts for all menu
items.

 

[MS]

Alt+I, X is not much different from Ctrl+', e to insert é. A keyboard
shortcut is a way of accessing commands and functions from the keyboard
rather than using the mouse. You are unwilling to accept that there are some
functions to which it is not possible to assign a user-defined keyboard
shortcut; there are, however, built-in keyboard shortcuts for all menu
items.

Yes, there is a difference in convenience between two steps of keyboard
presses to access a menu item, and using a keyboard simultaneous combination
to execute a command in one step.

Unwilling to accept? Well, that seems to be the case (that one cannot create
a keyboard shortcut to "insert text box", so I guess I "accept" it. I am
surprised by it however, as there are so many commands (some quite obscure,
many that don't appear on any menu or toolbar icon) for which one can create
keyboard shortcuts, but not a common menu command like "insert text box".

I would guess that it was an oversight by the software developers (hopefully
corrected in the next update), not that someone thought "there is already a
built-in keyboard shortcut for that command with alt+I followed by x, so no
need to be able to create a shortcut for it". (If that were the case, one
would not be able to create a one-step shortcut for any item that appears on
a menu. Most menu items are on the list of commands for which one can create
such shortcuts.)

 

[Beth Melton]

Okay so you may need wait one hundredth of a second (if that long)
after pressing Alt + I before pressing the x. But I'm sure you have
your reasons...

The key here is you don't insert a text box - you draw a text box.

Go to Tools/Customize, click Keyboard and under All Commands find
"DrawTextBox" and assign whatever keyboard shortcut you prefer to use.
--

Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for
assistance by email can not be acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP

Word FAQ: http://mvps.org/word
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