Expert: Kevin Stohlmeyer - 8/21/2009

Question
Hi!

I have a black line with a certain width drawn with the line tool. I add some text to be attached to the line. This works fine, BUT when I´m finished with the text tool, the original line disappears and all that remains is a path where the original line was. I cannot get the line back. I the thought that I could draw a new line, but no no, now the line tool just create a path with zero width and the "stroke width" options in the control palette is greyed out. In other words, adding a text to a line created by the line tool makes the line tool unusable. What am I doing wrong?

And a second question of less importance, when adding text to a line that is tilted to, let´s say 70 degrees from a horisontal line, how do I do to position a short text on the left side of the upper half of the line? When I pass the mid point of the line, the text jumps to the right side of the line.

Best regards

Fredrik

Answer
Hi Fredrik,

Your line tool is not unstable, rather it is the method that you are creating your text.

When you click on the line with your text tool, you are creating what we call "Text on a Path". This eliminates the line and uses the existing path to create a contour for the text. Eg. if you were to create a curve, the text would flow along the curve. This always removes the stroke along a path and does not allow you to add one back in.  

Then, when you use your line tool it adopts the last setting used, which in this case was no stroke.

To solve this, create your text away from the line first, then move it to where you need it to be. Then select both objects using the selection tool and group them (Object>Group).

The reason your text is wrapping is because your line is either too short or your text is too long to fit in the space you are providing.


Thanks

Kevin