Resize text frame to fit copy within

[Richard786]

I know there is a command to match  a frame’s dimensions to the object within it, but is there also a command to resize a text frame so it is only as deep as the text it contains?

I’ve looked but I can’t find one.

[dominik]

39 minutes ago, Richard786 said:

I know there is a command to match  a frame’s dimensions to the object within it, but is there also a command to resize a text frame so it is only as deep as the text it contains?

I’ve looked but I can’t find one.

Hi @Richard786,

try double clicking on the text frame's bottom border.

d.

[GarryP]

dominik, that doesn’t work for me on Windows, you need to double-click on the bottom adjustment handle.
Also, all that does is resize the height of the frame to the extent of the visible text rather than the whole of the text in the frame. In other words, it will not expand the height of the frame to handle all of the text if some text is not already visible.

[dominik]

4 hours ago, GarryP said:

dominik, that doesn’t work for me on Windows, you need to double-click on the bottom adjustment handle.

Hi @GarryP,

you are correct. My wording was a little unprecise. It is the bottom adjustment handle, the blue dot on top of which the mouse cursor turns into a double arrow.

 

4 hours ago, GarryP said:

Also, all that does is resize the height of the frame to the extent of the visible text rather than the whole of the text in the frame. In other words, it will not expand the height of the frame to handle all of the text if some text is not already visible.

Perhaps I misunderstood the OP's question. I read in 'it is only as deep as the text it contains' that he wants to shrink the text frame to the text's lenght. You are right, though, a double click does not expand a text frame. I am not sure if this would make sense in all situations, maybe only where overflowing text is not very long. Instead we can turn on preview of overflow text and then decide what to do with it. E.g. resize the text frame or link to an other one.

Let's see what @Richard786 thinks about it.

d.

 

 

[GarryP]

Yeah, Richard786’s original post was a little bit vague so I wasn’t sure what they wanted either.

As for the current way of doing things, I’m really not a big fan of this kind of ‘hidden’ feature where double-clicking an adjustment handle may have extra functionality or may not depending on the circumstances.
For example, double-clicking the bottom-centre handle will shrink the frame to accommodate the text visible within the frame by keeping the top of the frame where it is and changing the height of the frame accordingly. I only found this documented in one place in the Help in “Fitting text to frames”.
While double-clicking the top-centre handle will shrink the frame to accommodate the text visible within the frame by keeping the bottom of the frame where it is and changing the height of the frame accordingly. I can’t find this documented anywhere.
Also, double-clicking ether the left- or right-centre adjustment handle also may resize the text frame but I can’t figure out what criteria it uses to do the resize and I can’t find it documented anywhere.
Double-clicking on any of these handles after you have already double-clicked on it does nothing and yet there is no way for the user to know that it won’t do anything. An adjustment handle that will do something when double-clicked looks exactly like an adjustment handle that won’t do something when double-clicked. There’s no feedback to say what will happen or that something can happen in the first place.
See attached GIF for a demonstration of the above.

I think it would be better if there was an extra icon on the relevant boundary box line to give the user an idea of what could happen.
My attached image gives some idea of what I think might be useful. Note the two icons on the left-hand example where the frame can be shrunk and the one icon on the right-hand example where the frame can be expanded.
If the amount of text would mean that the frame, when expanded, would exceed the page extents then I don’t think the expand icon should be shown. That would stop people having a text frame that became massive when there’s lots of text.
I don’t know what the left-/right-centre double-click functionality does so I can’t say how they could work alternatively.

[dominik]

8 minutes ago, GarryP said:

Yeah, Richard786’s original post was a little bit vague so I wasn’t sure what they wanted either.

As for the current way of doing things, I’m really not a big fan of this kind of ‘hidden’ feature where double-clicking an adjustment handle may have extra functionality or may not depending on the circumstances.
For example, double-clicking the bottom-centre handle will shrink the frame to accommodate the text visible within the frame by keeping the top of the frame where it is and changing the height of the frame accordingly. I only found this documented in one place in the Help in “Fitting text to frames”.
While double-clicking the top-centre handle will shrink the frame to accommodate the text visible within the frame by keeping the bottom of the frame where it is and changing the height of the frame accordingly. I can’t find this documented anywhere.
Also, double-clicking ether the left- or right-centre adjustment handle also may resize the text frame but I can’t figure out what criteria it uses to do the resize and I can’t find it documented anywhere.
Double-clicking on any of these handles after you have already double-clicked on it does nothing and yet there is no way for the user to know that it won’t do anything. An adjustment handle that will do something when double-clicked looks exactly like an adjustment handle that won’t do something when double-clicked. There’s no feedback to say what will happen or that something can happen in the first place.
See attached GIF for a demonstration of the above.

I think it would be better if there was an extra icon on the relevant boundary box line to give the user an idea of what could happen.
My attached image gives some idea of what I think might be useful. Note the two icons on the left-hand example where the frame can be shrunk and the one icon on the right-hand example where the frame can be expanded.
If the amount of text would mean that the frame, when expanded, would exceed the page extents then I don’t think the expand icon should be shown. That would stop people having a text frame that became massive when there’s lots of text.
I don’t know what the left-/right-centre double-click functionality does so I can’t say how they could work alternatively.

These are - in my eyes - some valid points you make. Serif has proven to think about additional indicators (e.g. alignment handles) so maybe they want to pick up these ideas.

An explanation (and documentation) of the left and right double click behaviour would be helpful.

d.

[GarryP]

35 minutes ago, dominik said:

An explanation (and documentation) of the left and right double click behaviour would be helpful.

I've asked that specific question here:

Maybe we'll get a good answer.

In the meantime, it will be nice to see what Richard786 says about whether this does what is asked for.

[Tattybadger]

Hi - wonder if anyone can help.  I'm trying to shrink a text frame to fit text in Publisher.  In some of the text frames I'm using in the same doc, I double click the bottom centre adjustment hande and bingo, it works.  On others I cannot seemt o be able to do it and cannot figure out why.  Any ideas.  

[Tattybadger]

34 minutes ago, Tattybadger said:

Hi - wonder if anyone can help.  I'm trying to shrink a text frame to fit text in Publisher.  In some of the text frames I'm using in the same doc, I double click the bottom centre adjustment hande and bingo, it works.  On others I cannot seemt o be able to do it and cannot figure out why.  Any ideas.  

Figured it out - me being dozy!

[dominik]

37 minutes ago, Tattybadger said:

Figured it out - me being dozy!

Well, @Tattybadger, still worth giving you a welcome to the forum 🙂

d.

[Tattybadger]

1 hour ago, dominik said:

Well, @Tattybadger, still worth giving you a welcome to the forum 🙂

d.

Thanks Dominik - it was because I'd been fiddling with the leading on bullets and that had impacted the text box size.  Some great stuff on these forums and really handy.  And being quarantined is a great opportunity to learn new programmes!  Stay safe.

[dominik]

1 minute ago, Tattybadger said:

And being quarantined is a great opportunity to learn new programmes!  Stay safe.

Yes, that is what many of us do now. Learn and (hopefully) stay safe 😉

Thank you.
d.