Textbox wrong behavior (similar toheader/footer which is also wrong!)

[Olivier]

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

Hi, I noticed that I can't insert a proper textbox in to any new document (even existing ones). I have the same behavior in editing footers/headers, that is that as soon as I type text, the cursor returns to the first caracter. I've seen something on this forum suggesting to create a new user, but that's a no go for me, I have way to many things... anyone has an idea which plist file to destroy? to behave like a new user profile would be starting word2008?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Olivier]

BTW, even adding an empty textbox is tedious... I just can't. When selecting the Insert/Textbox command, I get the mouse cursor change for a few milliseconds, and then return back to the arrow pointing device. If I pre-select text before inserting the textbox, it does work by putting in the new textbox the underligned text.

 

[John McGhie]

Having clicked Insert>Textbox, the cursor turns to cross-hairs.

Drag those diagonally to create your text box.

Then click in it to type.

Does that help?

BTW, even adding an empty textbox is tedious... I just can't. When selecting
the Insert/Textbox command, I get the mouse cursor change for a few
milliseconds, and then return back to the arrow pointing device. If I
pre-select text before inserting the textbox, it does work by putting in the
new textbox the underligned text.

--

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]

 

[Olivier]

thanks for the quick reply! That's what it does (turn into a cross-hair) but within a few milliseconds (just the time I see it become a cross-hair), it comes back to an arrow pointer and I can't drag it to create a box...

 

[John McGhie]

Well, you may have some other application that is stealing focus?

You're not running Spaces, are you? That would do it.

Sorry: If you want a text box, you have to drag the cross-hairs

Cheers

thanks for the quick reply! That's what it does (turn into a cross-hair) but
within a few milliseconds (just the time I see it become a cross-hair), it
comes back to an arrow pointer and I can't drag it to create a box...

--

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]

Is your pointer outside the boundaries of the "page"? The tool is only
usable within the page edges so if the pointer isn't where the tool can be
used it will display as an arrow.

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

 

[Olivier]

well to click at "Insert Textbox", you have to point your pointer to the menu, right? and if the page is right under the menu, it is there, but otherwise... anyhow, it really does not behave like it should. There's most likely a bug but I just wonder if anyone else than me has this issue...
And I can't drag the crosshair as it dissapears before I can do anything with it.
thanks!

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Olivier;

well to click at "Insert Textbox", you have to point your pointer to the menu,
right? and if the page is right under the menu, it is there, but otherwise...

Well, your "if" is exactly that. The window could be resized & positioned in
such a way that it *doesn't* fall directly below the menu. You might also be
using the Insert Text Box tool from the Drawing Menu which could easily be
distanced from the doc window... And we haven't even taken into account that
more people than ever are using multiple displays which opens up a number of
other positioning possibilities. We don't ask questions simply because we're
trying to be impertinent

anyhow, it really does not behave like it should. There's most likely a bug
but I just wonder if anyone else than me has this issue...
And I can't drag the crosshair as it dissapears before I can do anything with
it.
thanks!

It's precisely because this isn't a known bug that I asked the question in
the first place. I saw no report of such behavior throughout the beta
testing of 2008, nor have there been any similar reports in the public group
since the release of the product. Whatever the cause it is local to your
installation & most likely attributable to some other software you have
installed or a hardware issue.

Try launching Word while holding the Shift key to see if the behavior
persists. That may provide further insight on the cause.

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

 

[Olivier]

Holding the "shift" key makes this work perfectly!... what does that indicate?

 

[Olivier]

maybe it only requires to change the normal.dot..?

 

[CyberTaz]

It suggests that you may have a problem with the Normal.dotm template or a
corrupt Preferences file. Follow the suggestions here:

http://word.mvps.org/mac/MacWordNormal.html

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

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

 

[Olivier]

Fixed with resettings the pref files. Many thanks Bob!

 

[Olivier]

that unfortunately lasts for a couple hours or a day in my case. I have to reset often the pref file for word.... com.microsoft.word I think, don't remember exactly.

 

[CyberTaz]

If your preferences are being corrupted on a regular basis it could be
indicative of a system problem. It might be a good idea to run Disk Utility
- Repair Disk in order to clean up your file system. You'll need to start up
from your OS X source DVD or another bootable device to actually have the
repairs made - otherwise you can only run Verify Disk which [IMHO] is a
waste of time. If errors are found run the utility a second time.

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