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Macros, tips, and templates for Corel® WordPerfect® for Windows®
© Copyright 1996-2008 by Barry MacDonnell. All Rights Reserved.

TEXTBOX - Create "rounded" and "overline/underline" text boxes around words or phrases

Download TEXTBOX.ZIP (v1.0-v1.01; 10/06/07; 16,604 bytes)

Compatible with WordPerfect 8-X3+

Downloading, Documentation, Modifications, and Support

Contains two macros:

TextBox.wcm (v.01)

A macro that creates a box with rounded corners around document text, like this: If text was selected before playing the macro, the box is placed at the current insertion point in the document. If no text was selected, a dialog pops up to allow you to enter text manually, and the resulting box "floats" on the page so that it can be moved (dragged) to the desired position. While WordPerfect has a feature to enclose paragraphs and pages with border lines, this macro allows you to "box" fewer text characters -- such as a word or phrase -- and with one that has rounded corners. (If you simply select some text and click Insert, Text Box -- or click the Text Box toolbar icon -- the selection will be inserted automatically in a text box, but it will not have the rounded corners that this macro gives you without making some manual adjustments.) You also can use it to place floating box labels in a document with connecting lines (thereby creating "callouts"; also see the tip on drawing arrows on the Tips page). You can make minor modifications to the box in the redlined area of the macro's code, such as border style, spacing between the border and text, and the degree of corner rounding. See the instructions at the top of the code. TEXTBOX.WCM complements WP's shipping macro, REVERSE.WCM (which produces rectangular boxes with white text on a black background). It is fully annotated so that you can adjust default values. (Also see LETRBOX.)

TextBox2.wcm (v1.0)

A macro that creates a text box with a thin top and bottom border (just the two horizontal "lines": no side borders) around previously selected text. The box has minimum inside and outside dimensions, so you can play it on words in a line of text. While WP has a feature to enclose paragraphs and pages (Format, Paragraph [or Page], Border/Fill), this macro allows you to "box" fewer text characters -- even a single character. INSTRUCTIONS: Select some text on the page and play the macro. NOTES: The resulting boxed text will be attached at the current insertion point as a character. This will keep the text at the same place on the same line. (Graphics can be attached to a Character, Paragraph, or Page.) Text box attributes and absolute positioning can be edited later (right-click on the box). They also can be moved to another position. To move a text box assigned as a character, you can cut (Edit > Cut) the box from the document and paste it (with Edit > Paste) to another location. However, if you want to drag it you will need to change its position first: Right-click it to bring up the context menu. Select Position, then "Attach box to...Page". You will now be able to drag the box using the Windows four-headed drag arrow symbol. (Or, choose Position from the context menu to set a specific position and attachment type.) You may be able to use a different border or different spacing between the borders and the inside and outside areas. See the redlined code in the macro.