Text Frame Alignment & Inset & Wrap

[Esaeo]

Really need the ability to vertically align the content of a text frame to TOP/MIDDLE/BOTTOM/JUSTIFY relative to the frame.

Really need the ability to inset text from the frame, not just paragraph insets but an entire internal buffer/padding.

Really need the exact opposite of inset, and that's text wrap, a buffer on the outside of the frame to push other text away (this is also true for graphic frames).

[Seneca]

22 minutes ago, Esaeo said:

Really need the ability to vertically align the content of a text frame

Vertically aligning text in a frame:

Text > Vertical Alignment

 

Text Frame Padding:

View > Studio > Text Frame and check out Insets

 

Text Wrap:

Text > Text Wrap check out all options there.

[walt.farrell]

View > Studio > Text Frame

Then, for vertical alignment, use the Vertical Alignment set of properties. For insets, use the Insets set of properties.

(See below the image for more.)

 

Publisher also has text wrap. For example, in this image I have placed a shape over a text frame, and told Publisher to wrap the text around the shape. There are a number of options, and you can also edit the shape of the wrap itself. There's an Affinity tutorial that covers some of the wrapping abilities.

[Esaeo]

Wow, I was not seeing this anywhere when I was looking.  I opened all panels, etc.  The only alignment that I could find forced the whole text frame to the page's top/middle/bottom, and the wrap did not stand out either.  I guess having all panels open was too much clutter for me to weed through.

And often when I cannot find a feature I right-click for the context menu, and non-of these appeared; no vertical alignment, no wrap option, no text frame properties for inset...  And insets/frame properties were not under the Text main menu item, where one would think such controls would be available.

I feel stupid for missing these, but I think it points out that ensuring you context menu and main truly offers all applicable functions.  They shouldn't be buried only within a panel tucked under Studio.

[Seneca]

1 hour ago, Esaeo said:

but I think it points out that ensuring you context menu and main truly offers all applicable functions.

Contextual menus should definitely be improved upon. That what they there are for.

Early days.

[walt.farrell]

5 hours ago, Seneca said:

Contextual menus should definitely be improved upon. That what they there are for.

I agree. However, there's a conflict that Serif may need to resolve, somehow.

Consider that with the Text Frame, you have two possible context menus that could be of interest. Currently you get the context menu for the text within the frame, but perhaps the settings of interest to you would be on a context menu for the frame itself. How to show both, or how to enable the user to easily indicate which to show (and, also, to even realize that there are two different context menus possible)?

[Eugene Tyson]

When inserting text into a custom shape - the text frame has a align to center - but it doesn't actually align it optically centered.

Would it be possible to include Alignment options for "Optical" - and also x-height, cap height, fixed, leading etc.? 

 

 

[walt.farrell]

Good suggestion, @Eugene Tyson, but probably deserves its own topic so it doesn't get lost in the discussion here.

[Eugene Tyson]

I made my own topic - nobody replied.

[walt.farrell]

2 minutes ago, Eugene Tyson said:

I made my own topic - nobody replied.

Serif staff do not necessarily reply to topics in the Suggestions forums, unless they have something meaningful to say.But Serif reads them all, and notes them for future reference.

Others (us normal users) may comment or not. I, for example, usually won't comment except to offer a workaround or point out a function that already exists.

In any case, you only posted that 3 hours ago. If it's going to be noticed and commented upon for its technical merits, it's more likely to happen in its own topic.

[Eugene Tyson]

2 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Serif staff do not necessarily reply to topics in the Suggestions forums, unless they have something meaningful to say.But Serif reads them all, and notes them for future reference.

Others (us normal users) may comment or not. I, for example, usually won't comment except to offer a workaround or point out a function that already exists.

In any case, you only posted that 3 hours ago. If it's going to be noticed and commented upon for its technical merits, it's more likely to happen in its own topic.

Yeh definitely - had many a post not responded to at all and had to bump after a few days.

Just want to get the idea seen, as it's important to a good workflow to have the tools that react as expected.