The Edit Label window ( Drawing Editor )
Settings on this window are read-only if you are editing a label that is not on a comment layer and your current drawing is not a crane placement drawing . If your current drawing is a crane placement drawing, you can add or edit objects on non-comment layers as well as on comment layers. Instructions on this page assume you are NOT in a crane placement drawing.
Also see :
- Labels (topic)
- Label character height (sets default for auto detailing)
- Label width/height ratio (sets default for auto detailing)
- Special labels (have special features other labels don't)
page 1 | contents | objects > labels > | objects -- labels | top
" Copy " " Paste " " Save " " Load " buttons :
These buttons appear on this window only if the label (or labels) you are editing are on a comment layer .
You'll find buttons like these at the top of this window. They apply to all user-editable settings that are on this window. Click here for more information.
You can " Copy " (
) the settings on this window, then change the " Label__of " number you are editing using the VCR buttons, then " Paste " (
) those settings to the newly selected label.
" Save " (
) saves a file to the
form/label folder that is used by your current version of this program. Give the file a name that will help users in other Jobs on your network identify its purpose. " Load " (
) changes all settings on this window to those settings that are stored in the file that you select.
" Paste " and " Load " replace mixed entries to a single field with a single entry. " Copy " and " Save " ignore fields with mixed entries, treating them as if they have no entry or do not exist.
page 1 | contents | objects > labels > | objects -- labels | top
------ Settings ------
Material designation type: The field is visible (packed) when you add a Material Callout for a bolt or a material. It is invisible (not available) for Edit Label operations.
For a material callout, the settings are ' Pcmk only ' or ' Mtrl type & pcmk ' or ' Mtrl type, size & pcmk '. The default choice is the " Default designation for user added material callout " specified in Member and Material Piecemarking (setup).
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For a bolt callout, the settings are ' Bolt type only ' or ' Bolt size and type '. The default choice is the " Default designation for user added bolt callout " specified in Member and Material Piecemarking (setup).
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View: A number designating the view that this label is attached to. This applies mainly to member details , since member details are likely to show more views than submaterial details , the only other type of drawing on which you might find multiple views. For instance, a column detail may have a view of face A, face B and face C. It may also have various section views (Section A-A, Section B-B, Section C-C). All graphical objects that are in a particular view are assigned the same number.
Assigning the correct number to an object (line, weld symbol, label, etc.) provides maximum compatibility when the comment layer you add that object to is viewed or printed in a full-featured SDS2 program .
To show a view's number, you can add the X-Y-Z Display to your toolbar.
In the Drawing Editor , the X-Y-Z Display shows the view number that the point location target (
) is over.
Layer: Any drawing layer (any layer given a " Name ") that the label you are adding or editing is placed onto when you press " OK " to close this window. If that layer happens to be hidden (not marked " Show "), the label disappears after the first Redraw .
Assuming that your current drawing is NOT a crane placement drawing :
• If the layer listed here is a non-comment layer, options on this window are read-only.
• If this window is editable, you can only select a comment layer from the list box's selection menu (
).
• For an Label Add operation, the default selection (
Origin: Lower left or Left center or Upper left or Lower center or Center or Upper center or Lower right or Right center or Upper right . The origin ( o ) of a label is highlighted along with the label when the label is selected.
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Examples: To orient the text block so that its origin point is at its lower left, select ' Lower left '. To center the text block over the origin point, select ' Center '.
Tip: Instead of using " Origin " to reposition a label, you can Shift-drag the label to a new position.
Breaks lines: 
or 
. The setup options " Break material lines at label interference " or " Break dimension lines at label interference " must be checked for this option to apply.
| Example of a label breaking a line : | |||
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| A label breaking a dimension leg : | |||
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| A label breaking a polygon side : | |||
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If this box is checked (
If the box is not checked (
Bo rder: None or Rectangle or Cloud or Slot .
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Note: A border is part of the label, not an object that is distinct from the label. This means, for example, that you cannot select cloud borders with the Selection Filter set to ' Clouds '. Nor can you select a rectangular border with the Selection Filter set to ' Lines '. The label and its border are always selected together.
Border line style: A line type . This applies when " Border " is ' Rectangle ' or ' Cloud ' or ' Slot '.
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These line styles are equivalent to the dash patterns that you can select to be the " Line type " for a line. They set the dash pattern for the border aound the ' Rectangle ' or ' Cloud ' or ' Slot ' that is selected to be the " Border " of the label. |
Border gap: A distance (in the primary dimension " Units "). In the example below, the gap is measured using Add Dimension .
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Note: You enter a " Border gap " of '0.5' inches and your " Drawing scale " is ' 1 ' (Base 12). The actual gap on the printed drawing will be 1/12 x 0.5 = 0.04167 inches. This is different than " Font size ," which sets the actual height of characters in the printed drawing.
Border pen: 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 . No button is pressed if you are editing multiple labels whose borders have different pen numbers.
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| If you use the defaults in Line Weights , the choice made here sets the thickness of the border (as well as its on-screen display color). |
Underline: 
or . You can use this button to underline one or more words or letters of the " Label text " that makes up this label.
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If the cursor (text insertion bar) is within a block of " underline " " Label text ," the
If you select a string of " Label text " that is "non-strikethrough" text then press the
If you select a string of " Label text " that is already strikethrough text then press the
Strikethrough: 
or . You can use this button to strikethrough one or more words or letters of the " Label text " that makes up this label.
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If the cursor (text insertion bar) is within a block of " strikethrough " " Label text ," the
If you select a string of " Label text " that is "non-strikethrough" text then press the
If you select a string of " Label text " that is already strikethrough text then press the
Justification: Left or Center or Right . Each line in multi-line " Label text " can have a different justification. Select one or more lines of text, then press the appropriate button to apply the justification that you want.
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A label's bounding box is a rectangle whose height is determined by the number of lines of label text and the maximum character height of each of those lines of text. The width of the bounding box is the length of the longest line of label text. " Justification " has no effect on label text that consists of a single line since the bounding box is the length and maximum character height of that single line.
Also see: To orient an entire text block with respect to its origin, see " Origin ." That option can also be used on a text block that consists of a single line.
Pen: 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 . No button is pressed if you are editing multiple labels that have different pen numbers.
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The button that is pressed sets the on-screen display color of the label and, if you are using the 'SDS2 ' font , it sets the printed thickness (though not the displayed thickness) of that font. |
For a TrueType label font, the " Pen " affects the display color of the text, but does not affect the plotted appearance of the " Font " so long as all pens in Line Weights are set to print in black. By default, all pens in Line Weights are set to print in black.
For the ' SDS2 ' Font, the pen color sets the stroke weight (thickness) of the label characters. Line Weights assigns a particular thickness to each " Pen ."
Font: Any font that is listed can be selected for the label.
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Tip: For a TrueType font , such as any of those shown here, set the " Font aspect ratio " to ' 0.6 ' to have the font rendered at its native width. |
Be sure to also choose the " Font style " that you want. The " Font size " sets the character height. If you select the ' SDS2 ' font, be aware that the " Pen " affects the thickness of the font when it is plotted.
Font style: The style (' Bold ' or ' Bold Italic ' or ' Italic ' or ' Regular ') of the selected " Font ." Different fonts may have different styles available to them.
Available font styles are listed alphabetically in the font style list box , and the first style that is listed for a particular font is the style that is selected by default. You may, instead of using the default, prefer to choose ' Regular ', which is generally the most popular style for a particular font. ' Regular ' is the only choice that is available for the ' SDS2 ' font. To adjust the stroke thickness of the ' SDS2 ' font, you can change the " Pen ."
Font size: The character height (in millimeters) of letters/numbers that make up the label. This value is independent of the " Drawing scale " of this drawing. Assuming that the sheet that this drawing will eventually be placed on has a scale of 1:1 and you do not re-scale the labels and the printer does not adjust the scale, this will be the actual height of characters on the plotted sheet.
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Font dependencies: This applies to whatever font is selected as the label " Font ," regardless of whether that font is a TrueType font or the ' SDS2 ' font.
Setup: Labels added using Objects > Labels > Add are by default assigned the character height of the last-added or last-edited label -- see " OK ."
Font aspect ratio: The width/height of the characters that make up the label.
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Font dependencies: This applies to whatever font is selected as the label " Font ," regardless of whether that font is a TrueType font or the ' SDS2 ' font. For a TrueType font, a ratio of ' 0.6 ' renders that font at its native width. A ratio larger than 0.6 stretches the font. A ratio less than 0.6 compacts the font. For the ' SDS2 ' font, use the ratio that you think looks best -- '0.4' is the default.
Setup: Labels added using Objects > Labels > Add will by default be assigned the ratio of the last-added or last-edited label -- see " OK ."
Rotation: A positive or negative (-) number from 360 to -360 degrees.
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An entry of ' 0 ' (zero degrees) sets the lettering to be horizontal.
A ' positive number ' of degrees rotates the label counterclockwise from horizontal.
A ' negative (-) number ' of degrees rotates the label clockwise from horizontal.
Note: On the drawing itself, you can Ctrl -drag a label to rotate it. The " Rotation " will automatically be updated on this window. Ctrl-Shift-drag does the same, but at 45 degree increments.
Label text: Any text string of up to 1024 alpha/numeric characters. By default, the character string of the last-added or last-edited label is automatically entered to this field during an Label Add operation -- see " OK ." Special characters can be added as " Label text " using Latin 1 characters 0160 to 0255 -- hold down the Alt key and type in the number using your numerical keypad, or copy and paste from the Character Map that can be launched from your operating system's Accessories menu.
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| Key Bindings for Text Entry (when the cursor is in the text-entry area) |
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| key | action bound to key |
| Alt +num |
inserts characters 0160 to 0255 |
| Enter | creates a line break |
| Ctrl +a | selects all text |
| Ctr+Enter | executes " OK " |
| Ctr+c * | copies selected text |
| Ctrl+x * | cuts selected text |
| Ctrl+v * | pastes cut or copied text |
| Tab | moves focus to next widget |
| Esc | executes " Cancel " |
| * = applies to all text entry fields. | |
| Examples of Character Codes | ||
| Alt+num [num lock] |
character | description |
| 0176 | ° | degrees |
| 0177 | ± | plus/minus |
| 0188 | ¼ | one fourth |
| 0247 | ÷ | division sign |
| 0248 | ø | diameter |
| Tip: For a complete list, click here , or see the Character Map on your operating system's Accessories menu. | ||
For a truetype font, " Label text " shows the font at its native aspect (" Aspect ratio " = ' 0.6 ')
For the SDS2 font, " Label text " shows a proxy font. The " Pen " does not affect the thickness of this proxy font, but will affect the thickness of the SDS2 font on the printed drawing.
Change all labels with original text: or . This applies when at least one other label on a comment layer in your current Drawing Editor drawing has the same original " Label text " (including upper and lower case) as the one label you are currently Editing .
If this box is checked (
If the box is not checked (
Note 1: If you check this box, then uncheck it, all fields are Reset back to the state they were in at the time you first opened this window.
Note 2: When "
Note 3: The mixed appearance that is applied to entries when "
page 1 | contents | objects > labels > | objects -- labels | top
For Edit Label operations only :
Label _ of __ ( not applicable to Label Add or multiple edit ): The number of the one label you are editing and the total count of all labels in your current drawing. You can use the VCR buttons to select a different label that is on a comment layer and edit that label's settings while still on this window. When a label on a shown layer is selected, it is displayed in green (cyan if its actual color is green). The selected label must be on a shown layer for it to be shown.
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| VCR buttons (first-previous-next-last) for selecting a label to edit. |
Note: If you change one label, then select a different label, the first label remains changed even if you press " Cancel " on this window.
page 1 | contents | objects > labels > | objects -- labels | top
To close the Edit Label window :
Possibility #1 :
Press the " OK " button if this window is for review only
(if you are editing an object that is not on a comment layer ).Possibility #2 :
If you are adding or editing an object on a comment layer,
the bottom of this window will show the following buttons:
"OK" (or Ctrl + Enter ) closes this window and completes the Label Add or Label Edit operation used to open this window.
Defaults: When you press " OK ," the settings on this window -- except mixed entries -- become the default settings for the next label you Add during this session of the Drawing Editor . Even if all you do is double-click a label that is on a comment layer then press " OK " without making any changes on this window, this window's settings become the defaults for the next-added label. The settings on this window do not become the defaults for new labels if you press " Cancel " to close this window (unless you used the " Label _ of __ " widget).
"Cancel" (or the Esc key or the 
button) closes this window without saving changes you have made. In the case of an Edit Label operation where you have changed more than one label, " Cancel " only applies to the label currently selected in the " Label _ of __ " widget.
Tip 1: Although " Cancel " does not cancel changes made to more than one label, Undo (after you have closed this window) does undo all changes made using this window.
Tip 2: If you double-click a label that is on a comment layer just to review it and don't want to set the defaults for to-be-added labels, the best way to close this window is to press " Cancel. "
"Reset" undoes changes made to the label whose number is currently selected in the " Label _ of __ " widget. The window remains open.
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