How do I use the slider bar above the text when working with a drawing?

[Anonymous]

I just started exploring drawings this evening. After watch a total of four videos on drawing from the Autodesk Fusion 360 channel and playing around with my own drawings for a few hours  I still have no clue how to use the slider bar thing that shows up above the text box. I'm not even sure what it's really called so here is a screencast that shows what I'm trying to explain.

Could someone please explain it's features and how to use them?

Thanks

[cmiller66]

Hi John,

Sorry for the confusion.  I talked to my co-worker in LX (he takes care of the learning content and videos) and he will get some more information on text editing added to Help.  In the meantime, these controls are used to set the formatting for tabs within the text and the indents in paragraph text.  As you found out, a single string of text isn't really enough to exercise these settings:

 

Hope this helps.

Thanks,
Chris

[Anonymous]

HI @cmiller66

Yes, that does help. I understand how to place the tabs on the ruler now.

I see there is a addition pointer at the top like the small pointer at the bottom that you said "can be dragged to control how the text is indent".

Once I place the left, center, right tabs on the ruler how do I get the text placed at them tabs?

I tried the tab button, also tried some possible shortcut keys.

I look forward to reading the addition Help when it's completed. Please share the link to it here when it's done.

Thanks!

[cmiller66]

Hi John,

The tab key should do it.  I just verified here again:

What OS are you on?  Does Tab work in other apps? 

Thanks,
Chris

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Running OS X 10.11.6

Yes, my tab key works with other apps.

Seems like it should be simple enough. 

Thanks,

[cmiller66]

Thanks John.  I just tried here again on my 10.11 macbook and it's working for me - click in the ruler to place the tab, then with the cursor blinking in the editor hit the Tab key on the keyboard and it goes right to the tab.  I will ask some others here in the testing group to give it a try and see if we can track down a reproducible case of this not working in house.

Thanks,

Chris

[Anonymous]

Hi @cmiller66

Did not think to try it from my Windows computer at work. I may get the chance to try it from my work computer running win 10 this weekend otherwise I will try it Monday.

Just tried it again now from my Mac at home and it all most seem worse then before. I did a screencast, but does not look like the keys I press show up in a screencast of a drawing.

Anyway you can see in the screencast once I place the tabs in the ruler at the top I then click inside the text box. After I click inside the text box my mouse pointer goes from a arrow to a line. Once I hit the tab key my line from the mouse turns back into a pointer and the cursor does not tab over. 

What seems worse about it tonight is sometime I have to hit my return key more then one time, like two or three times before it drops the cursor down. Other times I go to change the size of the text window by dragging it over or down and the text box just disappears so then I have to start over. 

My tab and return key work just fine on everything else. 

Guessing if it works for everyone else it will work on my Win 10 computer at work just fine too. Will test it out and report back.

Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

Good I see my screencast does show my keys. Did not think I could see the keys being shown in the preview of the screencast.

Also forgot to mention the mouse pointer seems jumpy on the screen when I go to resize the window.

Thanks,

Edited to add: Maybe I'm just a really slow learner. 😉

I really hope it's not user error, but then again...

[Anonymous]

Got the chance to try it from my computer at work running Windows 10 and it works great!

Now to figure out why it don't work like this at home on my Mac.

At least I know it's not just the operator now haha.

[Anonymous]

I have since switched out my Win 10 work computer with a 2010 Macbook.

Everything works as I would expect it to on the 2010 Macbook.

So this clearly seems to be a problem only when I'm trying to use it at home on my 2012 Macbook Pro.

Anyone have any clues as to why this would be?

Not a big deal. I don't use drawings that much yet, but it would still be satisfying to figure it out. 🙂

Thanks,

[cmiller66]

Hi John,

Thanks for the update. I've still been unable to reproduce the problem here, but I'm expanding my internal search for a possible reason and if/when I find something out I'll let you know.  It definitely looks like a Mac-only bug, especially if the same user (you) are having no issues on Windows.  The issue now is determining why it's only that one (or only certain) mac systems and not all.

Thanks,
Chris