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Use the Auto Fit property page, which is located on the Object Properties dialog for text and barcode objects, to configure the object so that the text within the object is automatically resized to fit within the object's specified dimensions.

This feature is useful when the data that is contained in the object is variable in length but must always fit within a certain area on the template. You can specify the object's dimensions and then configure the adjustments that BarTender makes to the text when the text exceeds the object's dimensions in order for the text to fit in the object. You can also link the adjustments between objects when they are in an object group.

The following options are available:

• Automatically fit text to specified dimensions: Turns on the Auto Fit feature so that you can configure the dimensions that you want the text to fit into and the adjustments that you want to be made to the text when it exceeds those dimensions.

Dimensions

These settings specify the boundaries into which the text must fit.

• Width: Specifies the object's width.

• Height: Specifies the object's height.

The meanings of the width and height values vary depending on the type of text object that you are using, as follows:

• For normal (single-line) text objects:

• The width setting is configurable when you click to select the Automatically fit text to specified dimension check box.

• The height setting is configurable when you click to select the Automatically fit text to specified dimension check box.

• For normal wrapped (multi-line) text objects:

• The width setting is linked to the same value as the paragraph width that is specified on the Wrap tab of the Text Format property page (when you enter the value in one place, you change the value in the other). If the wrap width is set to Automatically size to fit text in the Wrap Width dialog, text wrapping no longer occurs, but you can still specify the fit width manually.

• The height setting is linked to the same value as the height setting that is specified on the Layout tab of the Text Format property page (when you enter the value in one place, you change the value in the other).

• For the human readable text of a barcode:

• The width setting is linked to the same value as the paragraph width that is specified on the Wrap tab of the Text Format property page (when you enter the value in one place, you change the value in the other). If you set the wrap width option to Wrap to barcode width in the Wrap Width dialog, the width of the barcode is used for the human readable text and cannot be modified on the Auto Fit property page.

• The height setting is linked to the same value as the height setting that is specified on the Layout tab of the Text Format property page (when you enter the value in one place, you change the value in the other). If you set the wrap width option to Wrap to barcode width in the Wrap Width dialog, you can specify the height of the human readable text on the Auto Fit property page.

• For arc text objects:

• The width setting is in degrees rather than inches and is linked to the Wrap to Fit angle value on the Arc tab of the Text Format property page (when you enter the value in one place, you change the value in the other). Note that you can change the width setting on the Arc tab of the Text Format property page only when you click to select the Wrap to Fit check box.

• The height setting is measured along the radius and is linked to the same value as the height setting that is specified on the Layout tab of the Text Format property page (when you enter the value in one place, you change the value in the other). Note that you can configure the height to be adjusted automatically by clicking to select the Automatically adjust height check box on the Layout tab of the Text Format property page; this option is available only when the Automatically fit text to specified dimensions check box is not selected on the Auto Fit property page.

Content Alignment

When the object does not fit exactly within the rectangle, these values correspond to the alignment of the text within the bounds. Horizontal content alignment is not available for wrapped text because the paragraph width is always the same as the auto-fit width.

• Horizontal: Specifies the horizontal alignment for the text.

• Vertical: Specifies the vertical alignment for the text.

Adjustments

• Adjust font point size: Specifies the minimum and maximum percentage by which you want the font point size to be adjusted when the text needs to be resized to fit the object. The adjustment is applied to the original point size.

  • Minimum: Specifies the minimum percentage by which you want the font size adjusted.

  • Maximum: Specifies the maximum percentage by which you want the font size adjusted.

  • Preferred: Specifies that Adjust font point size is the adjustment that is used first when the text needs to be resized. Available when more than one adjustment method is selected.

• Adjust font scale width: Specifies the minimum and maximum percentage by which you want the font scale width to be adjusted when the text needs to be resized to fit the object. The adjustment is relative to the scale width that is specified on the Width tab of the Font property page. For example, if the font scale width is set to 50 percent on the Font property page, then an Adjust font scale width range of 80 to 100 percent means the effective values will be from 40 to 50 percent.

  • Minimum: Specifies the minimum percentage by which you want the font scale width adjusted.

  • Maximum: Specifies the maximum percentage by which you want the font scale width adjusted.

  • Preferred: Specifies that Adjust font scale width is the adjustment that is used first when the text needs to be resized. Available when more than one adjustment method is selected.

• Adjust character spacing: Specifies the minimum and maximum percentage by which you want the character spacing adjusted when the text needs to be resized to fit the object. Adjustments to character spacing are added to any adjustment that you previously specified by using the Spacing Adjustment property on the Width tab of the Font property page.

  • Minimum: Specifies the minimum percentage by which you want the character spacing to be adjusted.

  • Maximum: Specifies the maximum percentage by which you want the character spacing to be adjusted.

  • Preferred: Specifies that Adjust character spacing is the adjustment that is used first when the text needs to be resized. Available when more than one adjustment method is selected.

The spacing adjustment percentage on the Width tab of the Font property page can be either positive or negative, which moves characters either father apart or closer together, respectively. This can also be viewed as an offset by 100 percent, where a Spacing Adjustment of 0 percent means "100 percent of the normal width." Therefore, if you specify a minimum and maximum value of 80 percent and 100 percent on the Auto Fit property page, and if the text object is set to have a Spacing Adjustment of +5 percent on the Font property page, BarTender interprets this as 105 percent, and the auto-fit range is therefore 80-100 percent of that, or 84 percent and 105 percent. (Interpreted as relative values, this would be adjusting it from -16 percent to +5 percent).

• Adjust line spacing: Specifies the minimum and maximum percentage by which you want the line spacing between lines of text adjusted when the text needs to be resized to fit the object. The minimum and maximum percentages that you specify here are applied to the line spacing that is specified on the Indentation and Spacing tab of the Text Format property page. For example, if an auto-fit line spacing adjustment of 50 percent is applied to a double-spaced object, the object is resized as single-spaced.

  • Minimum: Specifies the minimum percentage by which you want the line spacing adjusted.

  • Maximum: Specifies the maximum percentage by which you want the line spacing adjusted.

  • Preferred: Specifies that Adjust line spacing is the adjustment that is used first when the text needs to be resized. Available when more than one adjustment method is selected.

Linked Adjustments

When you link adjustments between multiple objects, you provide a consistent font appearance across multiple fields.

For example, consider an address label that has four separate text objects for the separate parts of the address. One of the objects is variable in length and requires that you enable auto-fit with a minimum font scale width of 60 percent that can be applied when the text exceeds the object size. You then want to ensure that the text of the four objects remains the same size when the size adjustment is applied to the variable-length object. To do this, you can group the four text objects and then, by using the Auto Fit property page for each of the objects, select Link adjustments between objects in the same group, making sure to select the required group in the Link Group list. By doing this, the text adjustment that is applied to the one text object is also applied to the others in the group.

• Link adjustments between objects in the same group: Specifies that the text object inherits any text adjustments that are specified for text objects in the selected group.

• Link Group: Specifies the name of the object group that you want to link adjustments for. Select an existing object group from the list. For more information about grouping objects, refer to Creating an Object Group.

Supported Objects

This property page is available for the following types of objects:

• Text Object (template)

• Barcode Object