Requirement

Fireworks CS4 and higher

Article

1. Definitions

Text in a Fireworks document appears inside a text block (a rectangle with handles). Text blocks are either auto-sizing or fixed-width blocks. Auto-sizing is also called point text and fixed-width area text.

1. Point text or auto sizing = a text block that does not wrap based on a fixed width; if you select the text tool and simply click on the canvas, you get a point text object, because when you start typing it will just create one long line of text
2. Auto-sizing text block isn't really a block but just a line of text whose width is whatever length that line is. I typically use this when creating short button label, interface labels, short headlines that do not wrap to multiple lines, etc.



Figure 1: Definition

2. Scenario 1

When you write a text with the Text tool you get by default an auto-sizing (point text) text block (with an empty square in the top right corner.

To toggle between point and area text objects and retain the current text block width, double-click the text object type node (the empty/white node in the top right corner of the text object.)

3. Scenario 2

You can change a selected text block from auto sizing to fixed-width by resizing it: you drag a resize handle and the text block will switch to fixed-width.

4. More options

With Text in path where the block of text is bigger than the area of the path

1. To increase (multiple) text blocks width, select the text blocks, and then select Commands > Text > Set Width. The text block will switch automatically to fixed-width
2. To change fixed-width text blocks to auto-sizing, and vice versa, select the text blocks, and then select Commands > Text > Toggle Fixed Width.
5. The Text Box Alignement Bug

A bug was introduced with the switch to the Adobe Type Engine in Fireworks CS4 - when you switch between point and area text objects, the text shifts vertical position by 3 pixels and it knocks everything out of alignment. It is a very noticeable shift, and it is one of those bugs that makes Fireworks feel annoying (despite all of the other great Fireworks things.).

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