text is cut off

Feb 09, 2013

Ok so here is a new one. For some reason now the text in my text boxes is being cut off even though the text box is set to resize shape to fit text and I have not adjusted the margins.

I am using arial 14pt and there is nothing else on the screen that could be blocking the text and my preview size is set to 100%.

This is really slowing me down so if anyone has any tips or suggestions I'm open to hear them.

33 Replies
Sam Carter

On a related note, I have had to repeatedly scan my .story file to get text to stay inside an image used as a background behind the text. Once fit, days later, it doesn't fit any longer.  

I want the text size to be 16 point for readability.  Autofit will reduce the text size as needed, so I resort to expanding the box to accommodate the text.

I don't know why the text spills out of the box, but it does.  Maybe the text box shrinks, or the background image grows, but for whatever reason, the text spills out of the box.  Example image:The image above was just fine last time I looked.  Today, this image, and a couple of others are in need of resizing.  

It is unpredictable, unreliable, and costs time.

I'd file a bug report and upload the .story file, but I don't have a specific scenario to induce this bug.  It just appears when at random, sometimes days or weeks later.

Sam Carter

The font and font size don't change in my case.  I am guessing that the text box shrinks occasionally, causing the text to flow over to a new line.

I've seen other cases where the image behind the text appears to be smaller.

I suspect this is an anomaly associated with grouping text boxes and images together.  I'm going to add avoiding grouping to my list of workarounds.

Geert De Rycke

Hi Sam,

Nope there's no way of doing this, even saying that this is the default shape...

I have been caught a few times, I have kind of a library SL where all developed objects are stored for later use. When I copy them from my library into my course, all formatting is gone or changed.

I also have a checklist, one of the items is change the chape's default to 'do not autofit... this exercise consume a lot of time...

Cheers

Geert

Rebecca Fleisch Cordeiro

Geert De Rycke said:

Hi Sam,

When SL came out and after upgrade1, the default behaviour for textboxes was to resize shape to fit text. After the second upgrade 'december 2012)' this changed to shrink text on overflow. This might explain why in your case the text size changed


Hi Geert and everyone,

Now I'm confused. I have this update: 2.1212.1412

When I right-click on a newly inserted TEXT BOX on a new SL file, select Format Shape, and click "Text Box" in the left pane (the Format Shape dialog box), my autofit is set to "Resize shape to fix text"

If I do the same for a newly inserted SHAPE, again a brand new SL file, my autofit is set to  Do not autofit

Do I not have the latest update?

Appreciate your replies. Getting caught up after 2 days of power outages (New England Blizzard of 2013) and indoor temps of 46 degrees! Brrr!

Rebecca Fleisch Cordeiro

Hi Sam,

Wish that it were so, re discovering a way to set defaults.

I don't see any revision number in that window - can you tell me where I'd find that? I've also right-clicked on the Storyline.exe file and what I see is:

File version 1.2.1212.1412

Product version 1.2.1212.1412

Date modified 12/14/2012 1:38 p.m.

When I click the "check for updates button", the prompt says there are no updates at this time.

Rebecca Fleisch Cordeiro

OK, so, wait. Now that we know revisions are all the same, and Sam and I are seeing the same default for new text boxes when inserting new slides, i.e., reset shape to fix text, IS this the new default or are some of us for some odd reason having a different experience? I'm referring to Geert's note above:

Geert De Rycke said:

When SL came out and after upgrade1, the default behaviour for textboxes was to resize shape to fit text. After the second upgrade 'december 2012)' this changed to shrink text on overflow. This might explain why in your case the text size changed

Also, though, when I go into the Slide Master and click on MOST of the text (both title and body text) placeholders, the Autofit option is set to "Shrink text on overflow", as Geert has suggested

The one difference I've found so far (in the Slide Master): If I select the Question and Question with Media layouts and click on the title text boxes, they are set to "resize shape to fix text."

I'm a little perplexed now. Any explanations by Articulate for:

  • Why the titles placeholders on the two Question layouts are different than the other title placeholders, and even different from the body text placeholders on the Question layouts themselves
  • Why inserting a new text box on a slide doesn't adhere to the body text setup in the master?
  • And, when will we be able to set global defaults for this sort of thing
Rebecca Fleisch Cordeiro

Hi Geert,

Interesting. And I'm hoping Articulate staff, or anyone who understands the behavior, will answer the questions I posed above, and have copied/pasted here regarding text boxes in Master:

...when I go into the Slide Master and click on MOST of the text (both title and body text) placeholders, the Autofit option is set to "Shrink text on overflow", as Geert has suggested

The one difference I've found so far (in the Slide Master): If I select the Question and Question with Media layouts and click on the title text boxes, they are set to "resize shape to fix text."

I'm a little perplexed now. Any explanations by Articulate for:

  • Why the titles placeholders on the two Question layouts are different than the other title placeholders, and even different from the body text placeholders on the Question layouts themselves
  • Why inserting a new text box on a slide doesn't adhere to the body text setup in the master?
  • And, when will we be able to set global defaults for this sort of thing

This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.