Why does single line text exist

[modeleader]

Can't multiline do everything that single line does?

[hwalker]

I find single line text can be very helpful

eg. you have two lines of single line text that you want to change to be the same. Just select both of them, go to properties and change the text there and they both change.

However to do that with multine text. You select both of them, BUT you have to edit each one individually. There is no way to do it like single line text.

Also with single line text you can just click on the drawing and start typing, with multiline text you have to set up the box before you even get to the typing.

[modeleader]

Okay, that makes some sense.  

We use Excel for all our schedules.  It seems to work pretty well and it has formulas (if needed) and formatting is usually quicker and easier than drawing the whole table.  The OLE function doesn't seem to work still, but it can be pasted into paperspace very simply and looks nice too and you can edit it right in the drawing by double clicking.  Not sure why it doesn't just go this way.

We often run into old drawings where people have misused single line text for all sorts of things like a list of notes or even 2 lines of text.  This makes it very difficult to edit later.

Thanks for the response.

[modeleader]

Seems like they could add that functionality to multiline, but I guess they would've if it were possible.

[hwalker]

Autocad has a built in table function and you can use formulas in that as well.

[dgorsman]

From the other direction: multi-line text does things that single line text cannot, such as overriding text font and size.  Single line text only has a single text style with very limited formatting options which can be a good thing with users that think they know better (but don't bother confirming it).

[sthompson1021]

My favorite feature of single line text is being able to pick the rotation before I enter the text. Something that I wish I could do with multi-line text.

[modeleader]

Do you find the table feature useful?

[hwalker]

I don't use it a lot in my line of drawing work, but when I do, I do find it useful.

[modeleader]

Okay, because I have not found it to be more restrictive than useful.  Good to know someone thinks differently.  Maybe I need to take a class to learn how to use it.

By the way, I am also left handed lol.

[steve216586 · Accepted solution]

I haven't used single line text since 2004. It is too much of a hassel to edit when you need to fit extra comments in a restrictive area. I start the Qleader command with my text length always set to 0, and then delete the leader. I can move, rotate, and edit in the text editor box. Fomatting/editing/bulleting multiline text anyway you want is too easy in the text edit dialog box. Plus you can always use multiline text in the exact same way as single line text but not so in reverse.

[hwalker]

You can sort of use single line text as multiline text. Just press return when you want a new line. You may need to group them together so they all move at the same time.

[modeleader]

That is exactly what my frustration is.  Drawings with multiple lines of single line text grouped together.  This is very difficult to edit.  When i find this, many times, i will cut and paste text out and into a multiline.

If you want a bunch of multiline texts to match by editing them all at once, you can paste them as a block and copy them where you want, then when you want to change it, just edit the block.

I can see that is still not the same as selecting as many single lines as you want and then changing the text in the properties once for all selected, so I will concede that there is a use for single line as long as there someone who likes the table function in autocad.  Personally I have not enjoyed it, but I know my way is not the only way, but i do hope that single line will be used sparingly.  It's uses are very limited I believe.  That doesn't mean I think it should be eliminated because there is a use, again just very limited.

[hwalker]

Have you got your table set up correctly in Autocad? The Autocad tables act exactly like multiline text