Adding Text to a Schema

Text Tool
You can add descriptive text to a Design Pad G4 schema using the Text Tool. For example, in Figure 2.1, we added the title block "Start Air Cooler Control." To insert text into a schema, select the Text Tool; then, click and hold down the left mouse button. As you move the mouse, a rectangle outline will follow the Text Tool pointer. When you release the mouse button, the Text Block Properties dialog will appear on the screen (see Figure 4.17) containing the default text string: "Place your text here."

In the Text Block Properties dialog, type the text you wish to display in the Text edit box. Select the desired font and text alignment with the Font button and Text Alignment combo, respectively. And, if you would like the text to automatically wrap at the edges of the text rectangle outline, check the Auto Text-Wrapping checkbox. When you press the OK button, the text you entered in the Text edit box will be displayed within the text rectangle outline.

Design Pad G4 provides automatic text substitution for a few select keywords. Available keywords include the module name, company name, author name, and other properties that are associated with the schema and/or hardware interface documents. Whenever those properties are changed, the textbox is automatically updated to reflect the change. To take advantage of this feature, simply select from the available keywords in the drop-down combo-box and click the Insert Keyword button. The keyword will be inserted into the edit box; you can type any text around the keyword to form a phrase or sentence. For instance, the string "Schema to execute in $Module", resolves to "Schema to execute in PCM-1" for the hardware interface and schema document pair shown in Figure 2.4 and Figure 2.5.

 
Figure 4.17. Text block properties dialog.

If you wish to reposition the text, activate the Selection Tool, position the cursor on the text, and drag the block to a new position with the left mouse button. If you wish to resize the text rectangle, activate the Selection Tool and position the pointer on one of the rectangle corners. Click the left mouse button and drag the rectangle corner to a new position. You should notice that the rectangle outline changes as you drag the mouse.