MORE INFORMATION
To use the ruler, you must begin to edit text by either
double-clicking a shape or by typing while a shape is selected. To display a
text ruler, follow these steps:
- Right-click along the right edge of the text box, away from
any existing text.
- On the shortcut menu, click Text Ruler.
The ruler displays the settings for the indents and
tab stops of the selected paragraph, or the one in which the insertion point
(cursor) is located.
Note After you turn on the text ruler, it appears in each text block
that you work in. Visio also saves the
Text Ruler setting between sessions.
Ruler scale
The ruler scale displays measurements at the scale of the
drawing. Use the ruler scale to define positions of indents and tab stops. The
scale adjusts automatically as you change the zoom factor, page units, or
screen resolution. The unit of measure for the scale is either inches or
centimeters, depending upon the unit of measure as defined by the page drawing
scale.
Default tab stop increments
Directly beneath the ruler scale is a sequence of tick marks that
spans the entire length of the scale and denote default tab stops. The scale
adjusts automatically you change the zoom factor, page units, or screen
resolution.
Ruler adjustable controls
The ruler contains the following controls: tab icon, left indent,
right indent, first indent, and hanging indent. All adjustable controls are
positioned on the scale in units of measure as defined by the ruler
scale.
To change the indentation of the current paragraph, drag the
indent controls. While you drag the indent, Visio displays a shadow image of
the indent at its original position.
Left indent
The left indent specifies the indentation from the left margin
for the second and subsequent lines in a paragraph. You can only move the left
indent control between the left margin and the right indent control.
Right indent
The right indent specifies the indentation from the right margin
for all lines in a paragraph. You can only move the right indent control
between the right margin and either the left indent control or the first indent
control, whichever is farther to the right.
First indent
The first indent specifies the indentation from the left margin
for the first line in a paragraph. You can place this indent either before or
after the left indent. You can only move the first indent control between the
left margin and the right indent control.
Hanging indent
The hanging indent lets you adjust the left and first indents
together, so that they maintain the same relative offset to each other. The
hanging indent control is limited in its movement by rules specified by the
positions of the left and first indent controls.
Tab icon
The tab icon lets you specify the default tab stop style that
Visio uses when you add new tab stops. To change to the next style, click the
tab icon. The style choices are: left, right, centered, and decimal.
Tab stops
Tab stops let you align text as left, centered, right, or along a
decimal point.
- A left tab stop extends text to the right from the tab stop
position.
- A centered tab stop centers text at the tab stop position.
- A right tab stop extends text to the left from the tab stop
position.
- A decimal tab stop aligns a decimal point at the tab stop
position. Text or numbers without a decimal point extend to the left of the tab
stop position.
To add a new tab stop, click underneath the ruler scale. Each
paragraph is limited to 60 tab stops. If you attempt to add a sixty-first tab
stop, Visio beeps.
While you drag a tab stop, Visio displays a
shadow image of the tab stop at its original position.