text boxes keep repositioning on the page

[KateC]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

How can I keep text boxes and other shapes with text from repositioning themselves on the page? I suspect I don't have the right wrapping settings but can't seem to figure it out. I'd like to be able to position my objects myself, and have them remain there when I insert a new object or move an existing one.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Kate -

The first step on the road to success is to wrap your head around the fact
that there is no "page" to which you can attach the text boxes Objects
(one of which is a text box) in a Word document are attached to the *text*
(either In Line or Floating) so as the text reflows so goes the object
attached to it. See the following page along with the links at the bottom of
same... Especially the ones for the Draw Layer & Floating graphics:

http://word.mvps.org/Mac/PagesInWord.html

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[JE McGimpsey]

The first step on the road to success is to wrap your head around the fact
that there is no "page" to which you can attach the text boxes

Unless, of course, you're using Publishing Layout View...

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Kate:

1) Reveal the Drawing toolbar

2) Click the "Select Objects" button on the Drawing toolbar.

3) Drag diagonally to encase all of the objects you want to nail down.

4) Right-click within your selection

5) Choose "grouping" then "Group".

That won't prevent them moving, but it welds them into a block so that if
they move, everything will travel together.

Hope this helps

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

How can I keep text boxes and other shapes with text from repositioning
themselves on the page? I suspect I don't have the right wrapping settings but
can't seem to figure it out. I'd like to be able to position my objects
myself, and have them remain there when I insert a new object or move an
existing one.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

--

Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[CyberTaz]

Well, that "appears" to be true, but there you're using nothing *but* text
boxes, all of which are anchored to the same point on the "page"... As is
literally anything else. As long as you're willing to give up incidentals
such as footnotes, endnotes, captions, TOCs, cross-references, bookmarks
half your features for regular tables, ... Not to mention another slew of
considerations when you start nesting & overlapping those objects.

....Don't get me started, John

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Kate Corpus]

Thank you all very much for the helpful tips. I can forge ahead without wasting as much time on the ever shifting format!

Bob Jones - the link was very good, thanks. I'm using a table to keep my graphics/text in place for now.

J. E. - I'll look at Publishing Layout view to see if that's a good long term solution.

Regards,
Kate

 

[Brent Lang]

Using Publishing Layout view or not really depends on the sort of document you're trying to make. It sounds like it might fit for what you're trying to do. In case it doesn't though, I think the secret you're looking for is under the Format menu - Text box or shape or what have you - layout tab - advanced. In there you'll find options on how the object is positioned relative to some spot in the text of the document. As that spot moves around with the text, then the text box or whatever will move relative to it. You can set it to be "to the right of" page and "below" page rather than like column and paragraph. Of course if that magic spot in the text gets moved off the page, the text box will still move off that page too. Creating stuff in Publishing Layout view just tries to hide all this from you so you can just put stuff where you want it and it stays.

 

[nachi]

hi, First time mac user. I got office for mac, and I am wondering if you can dictate so word can write.
thanks beforehand

 

[CyberTaz]

Hello & Welcome -

What you are asking requires special Voice Recognition software & is not a
part of Word's features. Although there are a number of programs that add
voice recognition capability very few are as accurate as one might like -
and those which are reliably accurate are rather expensive. You might try
Google-ing for what might be available.

Also, you need to be clear on compatibility if you intend to obtain add-on
software - what works with Office 2004 may not work with Office 2008 & what
works on Intel Macs may not work on PPC Macs. You give no information at all
about what version of Office you're using , what version of OS X or what
type of Mac you have. It's always good practice to include those details
whenever you ask for assistance.

Additionally, this question has absolutely nothing to do with the topic of
the thread - "text boxes keep repositioning on the page". It should have
been submitted as a New question, not as a Reply to an unrelated issue.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Clive Huggan]

Welcome to the Mac, Nachi!

Your timing is good, because until about now there was no dictation software
on the Mac that was nearly good enough (unless you ran Dragon's Naturally
Speaking in Windows).

However, by all reports MacSpeech Dictate has changed that; it's a new
version entirely, built on Naturally Speaking's engine.

This is an extract from the Ars Technica site
(http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080117-serious-speech-dictation-make
s-its-mac-debut-at-macworld-08.html):

"If you're a Mac user and want to use speech dictation software, you either
have to use a PC (or a virtual machine) in order to use Dragon, or just
plain do without.

Until now. Well, sort of. A company called MacSpeech has offered a product
called iListen for the Mac since 2000, originally debuting for Mac OS 9 and
later making the transition to Mac OS X. But iListen had numerous
limitations, and no one serious about dictation even considered it an
alternative to the superior Windows competition. At Macworld 2008, MacSpeech
unveiled a new product that the company promises to change dictation on the
Mac forever..."

I see it also got the Macworld "Best of Show" award for 2008 --
http://www.macworld.com/article/131642/2008/01/bos.html

A friend of mine is buying it; I'll wait until I own an Intel-powered Mac,
which it needs.

Cheers,

Clive Huggan
Canberra, Australia
(My time zone is 5-11 hours different from the Americas and Europe, so my
follow-on responses to those regions can be delayed)
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