Text

Text is the recommended shape for simple text, and it doubles as a graphic element:

• For plain words it is the quickest shape there is: double-click on empty board and start typing. The whole text shares one typography: one typeface, size, color, and outline. For mixed formatting inside one block, use rich text.
• As a graphic element its letters take a fill, an outline, filters, and masks like any other shape, and it can be converted into paths to edit the letter outlines point by point, or into an image.
• Width: it either grows with what you type or wraps at a width you set.

Creating a text shape

There are three ways to create a text.

Using a selection tool and a double-click

The quickest way to write on the board, with no tool to pick.

• Operation: with a selection tool active, double-click on empty board, type the text, then click on empty board to finish.
• Result: the text starts at that point and grows as you type.
• Tip: a text left empty is removed when you finish, so a stray double-click costs nothing.

Using the Text tool and a click

A text that grows as you type, placed with the Text tool.

• Operation:
  1. Pick Text in the Tools panel.
  2. Click where the text should go.
  3. Type the text, then click on empty board to finish.
• Result: the text starts at that point and grows as you type. The selection tool is active again.

Using the Text tool and a drag

A text that wraps at a width you set from the start.

• Operation:
  1. Pick Text in the Tools panel.
  2. Drag to set the maximum width the text will occupy.
  3. Type the text, then click on empty board to finish.
• Result: the text wraps onto a new line whenever it reaches the width you dragged, so it never grows wider than that. The selection tool is active again.
• Tip: the width can be changed later with the side handles. See Sizing.

Editing the text

Changes the words of an existing text.

• Operation:
  1. Start editing. How depends on whether the text is already selected:
     • If the text is selected, click it again, or click Enter edit mode in the Actions panel.
     • If the text is not selected, double-click it.
  2. Type.
  3. Click on empty board to finish.
• Result: the text keeps what you typed. Trailing spaces are trimmed, and a text emptied completely is removed.

Evaluating math expressions

While editing, type an expression and then = to write its result after it: 12*3 = 36. See Math expressions for how the expression is found and what you can write.

Sizing

The handles around a selected text do two different things.

• Side handles set the maximum width the text occupies. The text wraps onto a new line whenever it reaches that width, and from then on it keeps the width instead of growing with what you type.
• Corner, top, and bottom handles scale the whole text, letters and outline together, as if you changed its Font size. Scaling is always proportional.

Double-click a side handle to narrow a fixed-width text to its words.

Attributes

A selected text shows these sections of the Attributes panel. The three text sections apply their values to the whole text, and they also set the defaults for the next text you create.

Selection info

The attributes that affect the shape as a whole.

• X: the horizontal position of the shape's pivot. Inside a frame, it's measured from the frame.
• Y: the vertical position of the pivot, also measured from the frame inside one. Which way it grows depends on the Y axis direction in the UI settings.
• W: the width of the shape.
• H: the height of the shape.
• Rotation: the angle around the pivot.
• Opacity: the transparency of the whole shape, stroke and fill included.
• Proportional: scales the stroke width, dashes, hatching, and tiles along with the shape, so a resized shape keeps its look.
• Info: opens a block with figures about the text.
  • Total characters: how many characters the text has, spaces included.
  • Word count: how many words it has.
  • Read time: an estimate of how long it takes to read, at the text read speed of the board.
  • Max line length (approx chars): roughly how many characters fit on one line at the current width.

Text Style

The typeface, size, and layout of the text.

Font style and family

• Font style: the family of typefaces to choose from.
  • Sans Serif: plain letterforms without finishing strokes.
  • Serif: letterforms with finishing strokes, as in print.
  • Handwriting: letterforms that look written by hand.
  • Mono: every character takes the same width, as in code.
  • Display: decorative typefaces for titles.
• Font family: the typeface, within the chosen style.

Font variant

• Font variant: the weight or slant of that typeface.

Font size

• Font size: the size of the text.

Letter spacing

• Letter spacing: for text on a path, the extra space between characters along the path.
• Line height: the space between lines.
• Horizontal alignment: where the lines sit across the box.
  • Align left
  • Align center
  • Align right

Text Fill

The color of the letters and its opacity.

• Text fill style: whether the characters are filled. The style decides which of the controls below appear.
  • No fill: the characters are hollow.
  • Solid fill: the characters are filled with one flat color.

Text fill color

Shown with solid text fill.

• Text fill color: the color of the characters.

Text fill opacity

Shown with solid text fill.

• Text fill opacity: the transparency of that color.

Text Outline

The outline drawn around the letters.

• Text stroke style: whether the characters have an outline. The style decides which of the controls below appear.
  • No stroke: no outline.
  • Solid stroke: a continuous outline.
• For solid strokes only:
  • Text stroke color: the color of the outline.
  • Text stroke opacity: the transparency of the outline.
  • Text stroke width: the thickness of the outline.
  • Over Fill: draws the outline over the fill instead of behind it, so it covers part of each character. Texts, arrows, and geometry shapes have it, while the text has a fill.

Filter

A chain of SVG filter primitives applied to how the shape is drawn. See Filters.

Mask

A text can be masked, and it can be the mask of other shapes in both mask types. See Masks.

Actions

Besides the actions every shape has, covered in What every shape shares, a text offers these in the Actions panel.

Convert to rich text

Turns the text into a rich text block, for mixed formatting inside it.

• Operation: click Convert to rich text.
• Result: a rich text shape with the same text, read as Markdown, and the same font, color, line height, masks, and filters, in a box slightly larger than the text. The text outline is dropped, since rich text has none.

Convert to path shape

Turns the letters into paths you can reshape point by point.

• Operation: click Convert to path shape.
• Result: one path per letter, grouped together, ready for point editing. The paths take the text fill and text outline as their fill and stroke. The words can no longer be edited as text.
• Tip: the conversion needs the font outlines, so it takes a moment while they load.

Convert to freehand shape

Turns the letters into freehand shapes made of points.

• Operation: click Convert to freehand shape.
• Result: the same as converting to a path, with each letter sampled into points as a freehand shape. Letters with several contours use a group of freehand shapes and masks to preserve holes and separate parts.

Convert to Image

Replaces the text with an image that looks the same but draws faster, to keep a board with many shapes light. The text can no longer be edited.

• Operation: click Convert to Image. If the text has a Text Animation or a Text Sequence, a dialog warns that it will be lost, and you confirm with Convert.
• Result: an SVG image in place of the text that looks the same, fill and outline included, and stays sharp at any zoom. The words can no longer be edited or restyled as text. Move, rotate, scale, resize, and fade animations move to the image, and text animations are removed.
• Tip: use it to lock a finished title.

Animating text

Two animation blocks are made for text: Text Animation reveals the text as if typed, by character, word, line, or paragraph, and Text Sequence shows a timed series of texts in the same shape. Both are set up in the Timeline panel.

To move, fade, or scale a text one character or word at a time, turn on Stagger text in its Position, Opacity, or Scale block.