Editing Single-Line Text
Two commands are of particular use for editing existing text: DDEDIT and PROPERTIES. DDEDIT is easier to use than PROPERTIES when all you want to do is change the text string. PROPERTIES is more powerful than DDEDIT in that it displays the new Properties dialog box, which enables you to change several properties of the selected text.
Using DDEDIT
From the Modify menu, choose Text to issue the DDEDIT command. Select the text object to be changed, and the Edit Text dialog box appears, displaying the selected text (see Figure 15.4).
Figure 15.4. The Edit Text dialog box.
Initially, the entire line of text is highlighted and will be replaced by whatever you type. If you want to edit a specific portion of the text, position the cursor at the desired point in the text and pick it. You can then use the Insert, Delete, and Backspace keys to add and delete characters.
If you want to replace a portion of the text displayed in the Edit Text dialog box, highlight the portion to be replaced, and then type the new text. The highlighted portion is replaced with the text you type.
Tip
With AutoCAD 2000i came the capability to double-click edit objects. Now if you double-click on a text object, it will open up in the appropriate editor—a handy thing to remember while you edit your text objects.
Using Properties
Choose Properties from the Standard toolbar or the Modify menu to launch the new Properties dialog box shown in Figure 15.5. The Properties dialog box allows you to change the text string, style, justification point, and various settings that control the appearance of the text object.
Figure 15.5. The new Properties dialog box.
See “Defining Text Styles” later in this chapter for a clearer explanation of the text settings you can change.
In the following exercise, you use DDEDIT and PROPERTIES to change some text in a drawing.
Exercise 15.2 Editing Single-Line Text with DDEDIT and PROPERTIES
1. |
Open the 15dwg02.dwg drawing from the accompanying CD. This is a site drawing set up in paper space with a model space scale of 1 drawing unit equal to 100 feet (1:100 scale). |
2. |
Choose Named Views from the View menu. Restore the view TITLE_BLOCK. |
3. |
From the Modify menu, select Object, then Text, choose Edit, and select the text “Bakersville Project.” Highlight “ville” and type field
. Click OK to make the change. Then press Enter to exit the DDEDIT command. |
4. |
Choose Properties from the Standard toolbar. This opens the Object Property Manager. Select the text “L100.” Change the Height property from 0.20 to 0.30, then press Enter to effect the height change. The text should look like that shown in Figure 15.6. Figure 15.6. The text is modified with the DDEDIT command and the new Properties dialog box.
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5. |
Close the Properties dialog box then exit the drawing without saving your changes. |
