How to make text wrap inside an object in OpenOffice.org Draw using the "Word wrap text in shape" option

I'm sitting here doing a site map for a web site. I want to make some shapes with text in it. Some of the text might wrap within the box. That would be nice. But when I draw a shape I just get this with no wrapping.

And when I right-click and choose Text

...and go to the Text tab, the option for wrapping is grayed out. I click everything I know how to click and nothing changes.

I soooooo don't want to hit the Return key every time I need a break in the line.

I googled around a bit and guess what? There are two kinds of rectangles, of course, but the regular ones don't have the wrapping powers and the others do.

Don't make rectangles with the far left tool; make them with the indicated tool.

So now when I draw a rectangle (or other shape) from the palette o'shapes, it starts off the same. But when I right-click and choose Text and go back to that tab, the option is enabled.

and when I type more, it wraps beautifully.

Though if I keep typing and typing it pops out the top and bottom. Which might be what you want.

But if you want the box to expand vertically to hold the text, as with say a big paragraph, then you would want this option.

And the box will expand.

Note: What if you just want a text box and not a colored-fill box? I know that the text box used to have the option to wrap, but I'm a little mystified because it doesn't now. The hack is to create one of those shapes from the palette, type in it first, then take out the fill and make the border invisible.

How to not have to do this every time for every box.

You can change the properties of the Default graphic style by choosing Format > Styles and Formatting. Find the Default style, right-click and choose Modify, and in the Text tab select the option for wrapping, as described above. Click OK. Now all future objects IN THAT DOCUMENT will wrap without your having to modify them.

If you want to not have to do that in every document, make the style change then choose File > Templates > Save, and name the template, noting also the category which is probably My Templates. Click OK. Then chose File > Templates > Organize, open the category in that window, find the template you just created, right-click and choose Set as Default Template.

Comments

[Bh]

Nice find! This seems to be the same for Writer and Impress and Draw in OOo 3.0.1.

I came across another variation, in which the "text" menu was grayed out on the Format menu and missing entirely on the right click context menu.

http://portableapps.com/node/18482

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[Gonzo McFarlane]

Thank you for this epiphany! I've been struggling, cursing, and wasting precious life energy looking for the cause of those greyed boxes for wrapping text inside shapes.

[JoseGMagana]

Thanks :) lifesafer

[mike]

Thanks. Never seen it as a problem then it became one.... now I have the solution

[Russell Smith]

Thank you very very much. Problem solved!

[fred]

Now, if only this worked when multiple objects are selected...

Since I can't seem to enable this as default behavior for all objects, I figured I'd draw a flowchart and then highlight everything and turn on word wrapping. No go. The option is grayed out unless you have just one object selected.

Argh.

[Solveig]

I should put this in the blog post. You can change the properties of the Default graphic style by choosing Format > Styles and Formatting. Find the Default style, right-click and choose Modify, and in the Text tab select the option for wrapping, as described above. Click OK. Now all future objects IN THAT DOCUMENT will wrap without your having to modify them.

If you want to not have to do that in every document, make the style change then choose File > Templates > Save, and name the template, noting also the category which is probably My Templates. Click OK. Then chose File > Templates > Organize, open the category in that window, find the template you just created, right-click and choose Set as Default Template.