PowerPoint.Advanced.Presentation.Techniques [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Selecting a Text Box

This topic might seem like a no-brainer on the surface. Just click it, right? Well, almost. There are two "selected" states that a text box can be in. One is that the box itself is selected, and the other is that the insertion point is within the box. There is a subtle difference, but it's evident when issuing certain commands. For example, if the insertion point is in the text box and you press Delete, PowerPoint deletes the single character to the right of the insertion point, but if the entire text box is selected and you press Delete, it deletes the entire text box.

To select the entire text box, click its border. You can tell it's selected because the border will consist of dots, as shown in Figure 5-2.

Figure 5-2: When the text box itself is selected, the border consists of dots.

To move the insertion point within the text box, click inside the text box. You can tell the insertion point is there because you'll see it flashing inside (obviously!) but also because the box's border will consist of diagonal lines, as shown in Figure 5-3.

Figure 5-3: When the insertion point is in the text box, the border consists of diagonal lines.

In the rest of the chapter, when I say "Select the text box," I mean the first way, so that the box itself is selected, the border is dotted, and the insertion point is not flashing within it. For most of these activities coming up, it does not make any difference, but in a few cases it does.