textbox properties

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Fri, 06/06/2014 - 08:33 pm

I have a really simple problem: I create a textbox and I simply cannot change the background color, fill mode, Line. It doesn't make a difference what I choose there. But I can change the font/font color.
Is this a bug? I have Igor Pro 6.3.4.1 running on Win7.
Thanks!
Please post more details on what you're doing and what you mean by "what I choose there".

--Jim Prouty
Software Engineer, WaveMetrics, Inc.

June 6, 2014 at 11:35 pm - Permalink

So I create a graph and choose the text tool from the tool box and write some text into the graph. Then I rightclick on it and change its properties, e.g. font type. Whatever settings I use in the following sections have no effect on the textbox at all:
Line Thickness/Color/Dash; Fill Mode/Color; Fore/Back Color. E.g. I choose black background color - nothing changes, textbox looks like fresh...out of the box. It never really bothered me but now I need it.
What I would like to have is a textbox that is in the front position with a solid fill and overlaying all traces behind it.
Quite a simple thing, but when using google I seem to be the only one with that problem.
Thanks

June 7, 2014 at 12:31 am - Permalink

Aardvark wrote:
So I create a graph and choose the text tool from the tool box and write some text into the graph. Then I rightclick on it and change its properties, e.g. font type. Whatever settings I use in the following sections have no effect on the textbox at all:
Line Thickness/Color/Dash; Fill Mode/Color; Fore/Back Color.


Most of the submenus do not apply to text drawing elements - they apply to shapes like rectangles, circles and polygons. Font and Text Color do apply. If you double-click the text drawing element to display the Modify Text dialog, you will see which settings apply.

You might be better off using an annotation rather than a text drawing element. Execute this for details:
DisplayHelpTopic "Annotations"

June 7, 2014 at 06:45 am - Permalink

Hm ok, thanks good to know. Well annotations are one thing but I have a lot of features in my graph which I would like to point out occasionally. A filled textbox which can be set to the front thus overlapping everything behind for readability reasons would come in very handy. I'll just put a filled rectangle behind it for now... very nifty :-)
Thanks!

June 12, 2014 at 01:15 pm - Permalink

Aardvark wrote:
Hm ok, thanks good to know. Well annotations are one thing but I have a lot of features in my graph which I would like to point out occasionally. A filled textbox which can be set to the front thus overlapping everything behind for readability reasons would come in very handy. I'll just put a filled rectangle behind it for now... very nifty :-)
Thanks!


Are you aware that Igor can draw above and below using different drawing layers?

DisplayHelpTopic "Drawing Layers"

Graphics.ihf Help File wrote:
Layers allow you to control the front-to-back layering of drawing objects relative to other window components. For example, if you want to demarcate a region of interest in a graph, you can draw a shaded rectangle into a layer behind the graph traces. If you drew the same rectangle into a layer above the traces then the traces would be covered up.



--Jim Prouty
Software Engineer, WaveMetrics, Inc.

June 12, 2014 at 02:59 pm - Permalink