The eternal text on a path strikes again..

[BatteriesInc]

Argh.  Created 3 x 120º segments (yes, to form a circle, thank you ) that were to hold text.  I then spent the next half hour fighting the evil "text on a path" demons again, so eventually I gave up and created three plain circles so *I* was in control instead of whatever creation method was at the heart of a shape.

 

Is there no way to tell a text on a text path to ignore the previous history of the shape that created the path (read: being flipped, rotated, mirrored, turned inside out and covered in bees - ANYTHING) and offer some options to solely make the TEXT flip, go into mirror mode, write backwards or upside down?  As in controlling the actual component you are working instead of a hard and mostly invisible dependency on the characteristics and previous life of the underlying shape that created the path?  

 

I think adding that control to the text part would IMHO rather massively reduce the pain of text on a path.  The present approach basically forbids the use of any normal shape manipulations such as flipping and mirroring because you end up paying dearly for that later when you convert it to a text path.  You cannot flip or mirror the text on its own as you end up flipping the shape with it, which you then have to undo the effects of.  Moving control to where it belongs ought to help.

FFS_not_again.afdesign

[Alfred]

6 minutes ago, BatteriesInc said:

Is there no way to tell a text on a text path to ignore the previous history of the shape that created the path (read: being flipped, rotated, mirrored, turned inside out and covered in bees - ANYTHING)

 

I'm afraid I can't help with the bees  but if you 'add' the flipped/rotated shape to a smaller shape contained within it (or 'intersect' with a larger shape which contains it) then the resultant shape will look correct and will be neither flipped nor rotated.

 

[BatteriesInc]

As I see light bending around me I think I've gone into dense mode again - would you care to take me through this step by step?

 

Or better, I'm going to stop for the evening.  I'll probably get this tomorrow morning when there is again blood in my caffeine - thanks already.

 

That said (being the stubborn type), I still think that text on a path needs a lot of help.  These hidden dependencies on underlying facets only make sense in one particular way of working, but otherwise they get in the way.  Call me picky, but I like controls and dependencies where I can see them.

 

While I'm at it, is there is a simple way to turn text upside down in a shape?  I reckon that would take care of 50% of my battles :).

 

Cheers, Binc

 

(PS: re. the "covered in bees", I was listening to Eddie Izzard at the time ).

[Alfred]

2 hours ago, BatteriesInc said:

 

(PS: re. the "covered in bees", I was listening to Eddie Izzard at the time ).

 

Ah, that would explain it!

 

Back on topic, take a look at the thread below.

 

 

 

[BatteriesInc]

I'm baaack (sorry, real life got in the way).  I'll give it a shot, but that whole proposed sequence of events only supports my position that this feature needs some attention..  At this rate I may have to get a real designer to get things done