Working with Text or Objects - MapInfo_Pro - 2023

MapInfo Pro Help
Product type
Software
Portfolio
Locate
Product family
MapInfo
Product
MapInfo > MapInfo Pro
Version
2023
Language
English
Product name
MapInfo Pro
Title
MapInfo Pro Help
First publish date
1985
Last updated
2023-09-12
Published on
2023-09-12T16:39:16.995549

You can add text to a Map window to add labels or to annotate your map in some way. MapInfo Pro treats the text you enter as an object.

Entering Text

To enter text into the current Map window:

  1. From the Explorer window, click the Editable icon for the layer you want to add the text to.
  2. On the SPATIAL tab, in the Create group, click Insert and Text.
  3. Click the mouse button to place the cursor where you want the text to display. Do not worry about the precise location, you can drag the text to another location later, if necessary.
  4. Type the text you want to display.
  5. Click elsewhere on the map to save this entry.

If you want to change the text or text properties, double-click the text object to display the Text Object dialog box. Here you can change the content, the font size and style, the line spacing, the justification, the rotation, and the label line.

Deleting Text or Objects

To delete objects in a Map window, the text or objects must be editable and selectable. The selection is not placed on the clipboard.

To delete text or objects:

  1. Select the text or object you want to delete.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • Press the Backspace key.
    • Press the Delete key.
    • On the SPATIAL tab, in the Clipboard group, choose Cut.

The selected text or object is deleted. You can use the Undo command immediately after using Cut to reverse the action.

The Clear command clears the selection, not the object or text.

Specifying the Font Styles of Existing Text

The Text Style command on the SPATIAL tab applies to text, text objects, and all text in browsers.

Text Style does not apply to symbols, lines, or closed objects such as rectangles. To change them, on the SPATIAL tab, in the Create group, on the Style list, click Symbol Style, Line Style, and Region Style.

To change the font styles of existing text:

  1. In the Explorer window click the Editable icon for the layer where the text resides.

    If you are changing text objects, make the Cosmetic Layer editable.

  2. Select the text or text objects you want to change.
  3. On the SPATIAL tab, choose Text Style from the list in the Create group. The Text Style dialog box opens.
  4. Choose a font, size, and color.
  5. Choose OK. The text's font, size, and color change according to your selections.
  6. To make your changes permanent, save your table.

Specifying the Font Styles of New Text

The Text Style command applies to text, text objects, and all text in browsers

Text Style does not apply to symbols, lines, or closed objects such as rectangles. To change them, on the SPATIAL tab, in the Create group, click Symbol Style, Line Style, and Region Style.

To specify the font styles of new text:

  1. In the Explorer window click the Editable icon for the layer where the text resides.

    If you are creating text objects, make the Cosmetic Layer editable.

  2. On the SPATIAL tab, choose Text Style from the list in the Create group. The Text Style dialog box opens.
  3. Choose a font, size and color.

    MapInfo Pro honors the use of non-TrueType fonts, but we recommend the use of TrueType fonts wherever possible.

    When you use the Text Style dialog box, you may notice that only TrueType fonts display in the Font list by default. If you have used a non-TrueType font in an old workspace or table, this font appears in the Font list. If you use a non-TrueType font in an existing workspace or .TAB file and begin using the curved labels feature, MapInfo Pro substitutes the font you are using with a TrueType font.

  4. Create the text or text objects. The text displays with the font, size, and color you selected.
  5. Click OK to save your text.

Erasing an Object or a Portion of an Object

You can erase either closed objects (regions, ellipses, rectangles, rounded rectangles) or open objects (polylines, lines and arcs) using the Erase Target command. You cannot use Erase Target on points or text objects.

To erase an object or a portion of an object:

  1. In the Explorer window click the Editable icon for the layer containing the objects to erase.
  2. Select the object(s) to be the target for editing, and on the SPATIAL tab, in the Edit group, click Set Target.
  3. Create and select the erasing object (or use objects from the same or another layer). The erasing object must be closed.
  4. On the SPATIAL tab, in the Edit group, click Erase Target.
  5. At the Data Disaggregation dialog box, set the field functions to be either blank, value or area proportion.
  6. Click OK.

The target object is erased where the erasing object was.

Erasing the Outside of an Object

You can erase either closed polygons (regions, ellipses, rectangles, or rounded rectangles) or open objects (polylines, lines and arcs) using the Erase Outside Target command. You cannot use Erase Outside Target on points or text objects. The erasing object must be selected.

The difference between Erase Outside Target and Erase Target lies in which portion of the map object is removed. Erase Outside Target removes the portion of the target object outside the erasing object while Erase Target removes the portion inside the eraser.

To erase the outside of an object:

  1. In the Explorer window click the Editable icon to make the layer editable.
  2. Set the object(s) to be the target for editing.
  3. Create and select the erasing object (or use objects from the same or another layer). The erasing object must be closed.
  4. On the SPATIAL tab, in the Edit group, click Erase Target, and Erase Outside Target.
  5. At the Data Disaggregation dialog box, set the field values to be either blank, value or area proportion.
  6. Click OK.

The target object is erased except where the erasing object was located.

Removing Associated Data after Using Erase Outside Target

Data disaggregation removes the data associated with the portion of the map object that is eliminated during the Erase Outside Target and Erase Target operations. For instance, if you edit your sales territory using Erase Outside Target to remove all but a 25 mile zone around the home office, you can remove all the data from the target object (your sales territory) except that which is proportional to the zone's area.

The Data Disaggregation dialog box displays after you initiate the Erase Outside Target command. For each field choose whether the data from the target region is maintained (by choosing Value), removed (by choosing Blank) or proportioned (by choosing Area Proportion).

Undoing Your Last Action

If you perform an action that produces an unwanted result, you sometimes can reverse or undo the action.

To undo an action, on the SPATIAL tab, in the Clipboard group, clickUndo.

The Undo feature is affected by the number of undo objects specified in the System Preferences dialog box (on the PRO tab, click Options, and System Settings).

Note: You cannot undo the following: Revert, Save, Save As, or Modify Table, or any operations whose effects are primarily cosmetic.