Word 2000

Introduction

By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to:

• Create a Text Box
• Move and Resize a Text Box

Working With Text Boxes

Certain kinds of information are best displayed using text boxes. If you create newsletters, flyers, reports, announcements, school projects, or other types of publications, you will use Word's text box feature.

Concentrate on your writing before you worry about pasting your text in a text box. Remember, content first, design issues second.

To Create a Text Box:

• Choose Insert Text Box.
• The mouse pointer becomes a crosshair .
• Place your insertion point where you want your text box.
• Left click and drag the text box until it is the appropriate size. Release the left mouse button when ready.

To Insert Text into the Text Box:

• Click once inside the text box.
• The box is selected and a blinking insertion point appears inside the box.
• Begin typing.
• Format text (change font, font size, style, etc) in the usual manner. (Select text first, make changes later.)

Moving and Resizing Text Boxes

To Resize a Text Box:

• Click once on one of the box's borders.
• The box is now highlighted. Sizing handles (small squares) appear. + Hover the mouse pointer over the sizing handle (small squares) until it turns into a diagonally pointing arrow.
• Click and drag the sizing handle until the box is the desired size.

To Move a Text Box:

• Click once on the text box's border.
• Hover your mouse pointer over the border until it becomes a crosshair with arrows.
  
• Using this crosshair, click and drag the box until it is in the desired location.

Using the Format Text Dialog Box

The methods for creating and moving a text box are somewhat inexact. Using the Format Text Box dialog box, you can specify colors and lines, size, layout, and textbox.

To Use the Format Text Box Dialog Box:

• Double click on a text box border. The Format Text Box dialog box appears.
• You have several tabs to choose from:
  • Color and Lines: Fill text box with color, define borders
  • Size: Define size
  • Layout: Text wrap and alignment
  • Textbox: Internal margins

Did You Know?

You can access the Text box feature from the Drawing toolbar.

• Choose ViewToolbarsDrawing. The Drawing toolbar appears.
• Click the Text box button . Don't confuse this button with the Rectangle button. You cannot insert text using the Rectangle button.