Formatting Individual Parts of Text Objects

You can format a text object as you would any other object, using the Formatting toolbar or Format Editor. When you select a text object and change the formatting, such as setting a color or font size , the entire text object takes on that format. This may be the behavior you want.

However, at other times you may want certain characters or words in a text object to take on different formatting than the rest of the text object. Even more prevalent is a situation in which you need to format individual database fields or special fields that reside inside a text object.

For example, when you insert the Print Date special field inside a text object, it takes on the default formatting from File Options, perhaps an mm/dd/yy format. If you select the text object and display the Format Editor, there is no Date tab in which to choose an alternate date format ”this is a text object you re formatting! Similarly, if you ve placed a number field inside a text object, you may want to change the formatting to show no decimal places or to add a currency symbol.

To accomplish these types of formatting tasks , you must format individual parts of the text object. This is actually quite simple. Start editing the text object by double-clicking it. You are then free to select individual characters or words by dragging over them with your mouse or by holding down the SHIFT key while using the cursor keys. You can then use the Format toolbar or Format Editor to change the formatting for just those selected characters.

To change the formatting of a database or special field inside a text object, edit the text object and then click the field you wish to format. You ll know you ve selected the field when it becomes highlighted inside the text object. You can then use the Format Editor (either from the Format menu or by right-clicking ”the number-formatting buttons on the Formatting toolbar won t work here) to change the formatting of the object.