Text insets

[Combs, Richard]

Stephen O'Brien wrote:
 
> In the Introduction section of each FM guide I
> list related documentation - each description in
> bullet form is a text inset. There may be from 1
> to 5 related docs. Then there follows a line of
> text in Body para format. When I update the text
> insets my double-clicking and pressing Update,
> that line of text is  formatted as bullet...NOT what I want..

Well, I had your problem all figured out and a reply composed when I
realized that it didn't quite fit. I hope your description isn't quite
accurate, because if it is, a bug I've seen in previous versions of FM
is even worse in 7.2 (which I recently moved to). 

A text inset is an object, like a variable or xref, that sits in a
specific location in the text flow. What people usually refer to as the
pgf that "follows" the text inset is actually the "container" pgf in
which it sits. If you have View > Text Symbols on and you click the text
inset to select it, you'll see that the selection extends past the end
of the last pgf in the text inset and down into the "following" pgf. 

Now, the bug that I'm familiar with works like this: If a text inset
sits at the end of its container pgf (immediately adjacent to the
pilcrow), that pgf takes on the format of the first pgf in the text
inset. (It's similar to the bug that causes a pgf format override when a
char tag runs right up to the pilcrow.) 

The solution is simple: Separate the text inset and pilcrow. A space
will do. I use a non-breaking space so that there's a text symbol to see
on the screen. And that solution has always worked for me. 

But according to your description, there's already text between the end
of the text inset and the end of its container pgf, and that container
pgf is _still_ taking on the format of the first pgf in the text inset.
Are you sure? That would be an annoying "escalation" of the bad
behavior. When I get the chance, I'll see if I can duplicate that
problem. 

If that's what's happening, I can think of only one easy answer: Always
use a special pgf format as the text inset container (the "following"
pgf) -- something small to minimize the extra vertical space -- and
start every text inset with that same pgf format. 

HTH!

Richard


Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
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rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
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