Microsoft Powerpoint 2007 Bible

The difference between a placeholder-inserted object and a manually inserted one is most significant with text boxes. Although you might think that a text box would create consistent results, there are actually some significant differences between placeholder text boxes and manually inserted ones.

Here are some of the characteristics of a text placeholder:

• You cannot create new text placeholder boxes on your own, except in Slide Master view.

  CROSS-REF

  You learn how to use Slide Master view to create your own layouts that contain custom text placeholders in Chapter 5.

• If you delete all of the text from a text placeholder, the placeholder instructions return (in Normal view).

• A text placeholder box has a fixed size on the slide, regardless of the amount or size of text that it contains. You can resize it manually, but if you reapply the layout, the placeholder box snaps back to the original size.

• AutoFit is turned on by default in a text placeholder, so that if you type more text than will fit, or resize the frame so that the existing text no longer fits, the text shrinks in size.

• The text that you type in a text placeholder box appears in the Outline pane.

A manual text box, on the other hand, is one that you create yourself using the Text Box tool on the Insert tab. Here are some characteristics of a manual text box:

• You can create a manual text box anywhere, and you can create as many as you like, regardless of the layout.

• If you delete all of the text from a manual text box, the text box remains empty or disappears completely. No placeholder instructions appear.

• A manual text box starts out small vertically, and expands as you type more text into it.

• A manual text box does not use AutoFit by default; the text box simply becomes larger to make room for more text.

• You cannot resize a manual text box so that the text that it contains no longer fits; PowerPoint refuses to make the text box shorter vertically until you delete some text from it. (However, you can decrease its horizontal width.)

• Text typed in a manual text box does not appear in the Outline pane.

Figure 4.12 shows two text placeholders (one empty) and a text box. Notice that the empty place-holder contains filler text to help you remember that it is there. Notice also that only the text from the placeholder appears in the Outline pane; the text-box text does not. Empty text boxes and placeholders do not show up in Slide Show view, so you do not have to worry about deleting any unneeded ones.

When Should You Use a Manual Text Box?

Graphical content such as photos and charts can work well either in placeholders or as manually inserted objects. However, when it comes to text, you should stick with placeholders as often as possible. Placeholder text appears in the Outline pane, whereas text in a manually inserted text box does not. When the bulk of a presentation's text is in manually created text boxes, the outline becomes less useful because it doesn't contain the presentation text. In addition, when you change to a different formatting theme that includes different positioning for placeholders-for example, to accommodate a graphic on one side-the manual text boxes do not shift. As a result, they might end up overlapping the new background graphic with unattractive results. In a case such as this, you would need to manually go through each slide and adjust the positioning of each text box.

However, there are times when a manually created text box is preferable or even necessary. For example, suppose that you have a schematic diagram of a machine and you need to label some of the parts. Manually placed text boxes are perfect for these little snippets of text that are scattered over the surface of the picture. Manual text boxes are also useful for warnings, tips, and any other information that is tangential to the main discussion. Finally, if you want to vary the placement of the text on each slide (consciously circumventing the consistency provided by layouts), and you want to precisely position each box, then manual text boxes work well because they do not shift their position when you apply different themes or templates to the presentation.

Creating a Manual Text Box

To manually place a text box on a slide, follow these steps:

1. If necessary, reposition the existing placeholders or objects on the slide to make room for the new text box.

2. On the Insert tab, click Text Box. The mouse pointer turns into a vertical line.

3. Do either of the following:

   • To create a text box that automatically enlarges itself horizontally as you type more text, but does not automatically wrap text to the next line, click once where you want the text to start, and begin typing.

   • To create a text box with a width that you specify, and that automatically wraps text to the next line and grows in height as needed, click and drag to draw a box where you want the text box to be. Its height will initially snap back to a single line's height, regardless of the height that you initially draw; however, it will grow in height as you type text into it.

4. Type the text that you want to appear in the text box.