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Text Box

This object offers to enter up to 30,000 characters of text. Open the dialog of the text box to enter text.

Dialog options

Text

After closing the dialog the text entered is displayed using the font’s type, size and style as specified via the „Font“ button. The style can be changed using the attributes UNDERLINED, STRIKEOUT, BOLD, and ITALICS (see Table Object Attributes in the CadnaA-manual „Attributes, Variables, and Keywords“).

The following formatting commands apply:

Key Combination generates ...
CTRL+M new line
CTRL+I <TAB>
CTRL+H <BACKSPACE>
CTRL+J <RETURN>

Double Arrow (>>)

gives access to pre-defined text based on keywords (see Chapter 3 - Keywords in the CadnaA manual „Attributes, Variables and Keywords“).

Center Point

The center coordinates (m) define the location of the text frame.

Length/Width

frame size (length and width) in millimeters

Angle

rotation angle of the text box (in degrees)

Alignment Text

The options on the „Alignment“ dialog range enable to align the text in the box.

Frame

When active, the box will hide objects lying below it. If this option is inactive, no frame is drawn around the text, and objects that were hidden before will become visible.

Scale Dimensions

By selecting the „Scale Dimensions“ option on the edit dialog, the box and the text are scaled according to the current scale.

  • With this option being active, it is convenient to switch to the intended print-out scale before entering text for the first text box. Then select the font size and enter the text.
  • Next, you may select the scale being appropriate for the work on the screen. The selected settings are adopted for all further text boxes, until they get altered.

Otherwise:

\(\frac{Pkt_1*M_1}{M_2}=Pkt_2\)

with:

  • Pkt1 : font size set in the text box at scale M1
  • M1 : scale under which the font size was selected
  • Pkt2 : font size at a different scale M2 in the graphics
  • M2 : new scale chosen after inserting a text box

In order to globally edit the frame sizes, font sizes or fonts of all boxes, do this via the tables by selecting the Change Column command (see Changing Column Content).

Draw Line to Point xy

A line may connect the respective text box with the object (as an auxiliary polygon). This option of automatic generation of labels is useful (via the dialog Modify Objects or the context menu, action/command Generate Label), to prevent that objects are covered by the accompanying text boxes.

When dragging the text box to a different location via the mouse the connecting line is updated automatically. When transforming the text box (via dialog Modify Objects or via the context menu, action/command Transformation) the connecting line will be transformed automatically.

Visible at Evaluation Parameter No.

By these check boxes it can be specified at which evaluation parameters 1 to 4 (plus ground) the text box shall be displayed or not. By default, text boxes are displayed for all evaluation parameters LP1 .. LP4 and when selecting of the ground grid.

Appearance

The graphical appearance of the connection line is defined on the dialog Appearance (see Object Appearance) via the object „Auxiliary Polygon“. The connection line makes use of the settings defined for the first layer in the „Layer-Type“ list (with the option „Legacy Display“ active). By de-selecting the options „on Screen“ and „on Paper“, the settings apply to the connection lines only. The next or the remaining layer types are used for the global appearance of the auxiliary polygons.

The first layer type „Simple“ is used for the appearance of connecting lines at labels.

Text Boxes in 3D

As a special case, text boxes (and stations as well) may be displayed in the 3D-Special view.

Example

Path: Examples\ Graphic\ Text Boxes in 3D.cna

3D text boxes are displayed using a vertical white area with a line attached to the respective object or to the ground. In addition, the 3D text box is always oriented into the direction of view.

Text boxes with road names in 3D Special View

String Variables

The display of 3D text boxes is controlled via string variables on the Memo-Window dialog of each text frame (Note: There are no 3D options on the dialog of text boxes.). The following string variables available:

Variable Default value Comment
Display3D 0 Display3D=1 displays the object (if active)
DPI 0 font resolution, 0 will apply the actual scale-independent setting of the main window
ZOffset 20 height of the object‘s center point in meter above the ground
Scale3D 1 scaling factor of the object, available range [0.001;1000]