This functionality is only available for certain module packages. Info / Copyright

Tab Format (texts)

On this tab you can edit the display properties of text. Such a text can, e.g., be a text which was freely placed on a project page, or it can be a path function text, a designation text of a hyperlink, a dimensioning, a special text, etc.

Overview of the main dialog elements:

Property / Assignment:

The hierarchy levels Format, Text box, Alignment box, Value / unit, Position and Date / time are available here. These can be opened by clicking the symbol.

Notes:

  • For dimensionings, hyperlinks, and image files, only the Format hierarchy level is available. For image files, only the settings Layer and Invisible can be modified.
  • For QR codes only the QR code hierarchy level is available to you.
  • The settings below the Value / unit hierarchy level can only be modified for special and placeholder texts.
  • The settings below the Date / Time hierarchy level can only be modified for special texts.

Format hierarchy level

Alignment:

Select the desired text alignment from the drop-down list. The alignment defines where the insertion point relative to the text is located.

1: Upper left

2: Middle left

3: Basis left

4: Lower left

9: Upper right

10: Middle right

11: Basis right

12: Lower right

5: Upper center

6: Middle center

7: Basis center

8: Lower center

For texts from imported EPLAN 5 projects, there are additionally the following special orientations:

  • Special left
  • Special right
  • Special center
  • JIC special left
  • JIC special right
  • JIC special centered.

With these settings, the texts are oriented as in EPLAN 5. The texts are moved downwards by 2 mm and – depending on the text direction – 5 mm in the X direction.
Regardless of the font size and angle, the text is moved 5 mm to the left for the Special left setting and 5 mm to the right for the Special right setting.

Note:

The Alignment setting aligns the alignment box at the same time. The alignment box is also rotated by the Angle setting. If the alignment box contains a placeholder or special text for a graphical symbol, this is rotated by the angle specified. Any angle is allowed.

Font:

The drop-down list displays the fonts specified in the project or company settings. Select the desired font.

The fonts are shown here in the same order as assigned to Fonts 1 through 10 in the project or company settings. If a font is changed in the project or company settings, then it is automatically updated here.

Note:

The fonts defined in the project settings have priority over the fonts defined in the company settings.
If a font entered in the project settings is not available on the computer, the appropriate font will be taken from the company settings.

Invisible:

Choose the entry "Yes" from the drop-down list if the text is not supposed to be visible on the page. It is still present in the project, however. Path function texts are present in the properties of each component and can be displayed for it. In the user settings, you define whether or not invisible elements are to be displayed and / or printed (in a different color).

Row spacing:

Enter the vertical distance between text lines in this field, meaning, the distance from the lower edge of a text line to the next lower text line edge. The row spacing will depend on the font chosen. Select an entry from the drop-down list or enter a value manually. Value "1" corresponds to single line spacing, value "2" to double spacing, etc. Single spacing is 1.9 times the font size (height of the upper-case letter "M").

Language:

With this drop-down list you determine in which language the respective property text is to be displayed.

  • All displayed languages (arrange vertically): The translated text is shown in all languages that you have selected in the Display group box in the Languages field (File > Settings > Projects > "Project name" > Translation > General). The translated texts are arranged vertically in the project pages.
  • All displayed languages (arrange horizontally): The translated text is shown in all languages that you have selected in the Display group box in the Languages field (File > Settings > Projects > "Project name" > Translation > General). The translated texts are arranged horizontally in the project pages.

    Note:

    If you have selected an alignment box under the Border hierarchy level, then this setting has priority. This can lead to the situation that no optical difference can be seen between the All displayed languages (arrange horizontally) and All displayed languages (arrange vertically) settings.

  • One language (variable): The translated text is shown in the language that you have selected by means of the commands File > Settings > Projects > "Project name" > Translation > General.
  • Language-neutral: This setting can be used for texts that are entered language-neutral (for example, as numeric values) and are not be translated. If such a text is translated accidentally, an empty entry is shown or the text for a missing translation (if this option is activated in the translation settings).
  • <Language>: The translated text is displayed in the language selected here, regardless of which source language is selected for the project.

Text box hierarchy level

Draw text box:

Use this drop-down list to define whether the text is to be surrounded with a border and the appearance of this border. The following options are available:

  • From layer: The text is surrounded with a border when this is specified in the settings for the layer where the text is located. (I.e., in the Layer management dialog, the Text box check box is selected for the relevant layer.)
  • Rectangle: The text is surrounded with a rectangular border regardless of the settings for the layer.
  • Ellipse: The text is surrounded with an elliptical border regardless of the settings for the layer.
  • Oval: The text is surrounded with an elliptical border regardless of the settings for the layer. In the process the oval is drawn as a rectangle that is extended by two semicircles.
  • No: The text is not surrounded with a border regardless of the settings for the layer.

Size from project setting:

If this check box is selected, the size of the text box is taken from the project-specific setting of the same name (File > Settings > Projects > "Project name" > Graphical editing > General).

If the check box is not selected, the size of the border is based on the text.

Note:

For a text box of the "Oval" type the size specified in the project settings only references the rectangle on which it is based. The semicircles on the sides are not included. Thus an oval has a larger width than a rectangle.

Activate leader line:

If this check box is selected, a leader line is drawn from the text to the associated function.

If the check box is not selected, no leader line is drawn.

Note that when you move property texts by using the Move command, the leader lines are also moved (command path: Tab Home > Command group Text > Move).


Alignment box hierarchy level

Activate alignment box:

If this check box is selected, the text is surrounded with an alignment box. The other fields are active, and you can edit the settings for the alignment box.

If the check box is deselected, no alignment box will be used. The fields for the settings are grayed out and are ignored.

Note:

If the alignment box is selected, then this setting has priority and is also taken into account when the All displayed languages (arrange horizontally) setting is selected for the Language property. This can lead to the situation that no optical difference can be seen between the All displayed languages (arrange horizontally) and All displayed languages (arrange vertically) settings.

Draw alignment box:

If the Activate alignment box check box is activated, you use this drop-down list to specify whether a graphic is displayed and the form of this graphic. If you select "No", the alignment box is invisible.

Width / height:

These fields are used to specify the width and the height of the alignment box. If the values are zero, no alignment box is defined.

Text width fixed:

If this check box is selected, the text is adjusted to the width of the alignment box. This means that the text does not extend beyond the width of the alignment box. If the text is too long, it is extended downwards (or upwards, depending on the alignment of the border), and the line breaks are placed between words. If a word is longer than the border width, it will be split in the middle.

Text height fixed:

If this check box is selected, the text is adjusted to the height of the alignment box. This means that the text does not extend beyond the height of the alignment box. If the text is too long, the lines are extended to the right (or to the left, depending on the alignment of the border). User defined line breaks are replaced with spaces. All spaces before the line break are deleted and spaces after the line break are retained.

Remove breaks:

If this check box is selected then user-defined line-breaks are replaced with spaces. All spaces before the line break are deleted and spaces after the line break are retained.

Never hyphenate words:

If this check box is selected then words which are longer than the alignment box width / height are not hyphenated but protrude outside the border.

Note:

The Alignment field (under the Format property) aligns the alignment box at the same time. The alignment box is also rotated by the Angle field (also under the Format property). If the alignment box contains a placeholder for a graphical symbol, this is rotated by the angle specified. Any angle is allowed.

Fit graphic:

Here, you can select how graphics should be fit into the alignment box. The following options are available in the drop-down list:

  • Do not fit: With this option, the size of graphics is not changed; graphics larger than the alignment box will project out of the border.
  • Always: With this option, graphics are always fitted to alignment boxes.
  • Only when too large: With this option, only the graphics larger than alignment boxes are fitted so that they do not protrude outside the borders.

Text fitting permitted:

If this check box is activated, automatic fitting into the alignment box is permitted for this text. Prerequisite is that, in addition to the alignment box, the two settings Text width fixed and Text height fixed must be active. In the graphical editor and in the form editor the fitting of texts takes place via the command Fit texts in alignment boxes. Concerning placeholder texts in forms, the fitting is automatically done when generating reports.


Value / unit hierarchy level

Displayed measuring unit:

The default setting for this property is "Unchanged". With this setting, the property is displayed exactly as it has been entered in the particular field. The other settings under the Value / unit hierarchy level are then grayed out.

To select a different displayed measuring unit, click in the Assignment column, and then on [...]. An alphabetical list of physical dimensions (such as "Pressure", "Length", "Frame", etc.), is opened in a hierarchical tree structure. Click the character to open the required hierarchy level of a specific dimension (such as "Power"). Double-click in the hierarchy level underneath to select one of the listed units (e.g. "mW"). The other display properties under the Value / unit hierarchy level will then be validated. All the units listed for a dimension are designated a "unit of measurement group" here.

The base units are highlighted in the list by appearing in bold type. The dimensions and units displayed here are managed internally by EPLAN, and you are not able to adapt or extend them. With certain dimensions ("Length", "Frame"), you can also apply the displayed measuring unit from the project or user settings.

Note:

Please note that all units outside the "international unit system" (such as "mile", "feet", "oz", etc.) are based on the US American system!

Display:

Use this drop-down list to specify how the value of the entered string and unit are to be displayed:

  • All (default): Value and unit are displayed.
  • Hide unit: The selected unit is not displayed.
  • Hide value: All the values of the selected unit are hidden. In contrast, the additional texts and units are displayed.
  • Only first value: Only the first value of the selected unit is displayed.
  • Only the unit: Only the selected unit is displayed. Values and additional texts are hidden.

Decimal places:

Select the number of decimal places to be output from this drop-down list.

You can also apply the decimal place setting from the Displayed unit of length user setting. A relevant entry for this is available in the list.

Decimal places, variable:

Activate this check box if the number of decimal places is not to be filled with zeroes. However, rounding is always carried out to the number specified in the Decimal places field.

Notes:

  • If you have entered values with units from two different unit of measurement groups in one data entry field, you can only influence the display of one unit with the settings under the Value / unit hierarchy level.
  • If no unit has been specified in a string, the base unit of the chosen displayed measuring unit is taken as the basis for converting the numeric values.
  • If the displayed measuring unit is selected from a unit of measurement group different from the unit specified in the data entry field, then it will be assumed for all the values that the entry is made in the base unit of the selected displayed measuring unit.

Zero as blank:

Only available for properties with numerical values. If this check box is activated, value "0" is replaced with a blank.

Such a setting can be useful, for example for the property arrangements or for placeholder texts, if these are used in tables in which zero is not supposed to be displayed. This is for example relevant in the pre-planning for the graphical display of automation schemes or for the output of function lists for the Building Automation.


Position hierarchy level

Notes:

  • As long as a text is still used as the main text for docked texts, settings for the two display properties Docking and Centered do not have any meaning.
  • The display properties of the Position hierarchical level are grayed out for the texts docked at a main text and cannot be changed.

Docking:

The specification for the docking behavior of the docked texts are specified at a main text via this drop-down list. The setting is applied to all the texts of a block (i.e. main text + docked texts).

Docking

Meaning

Below

If possible, the texts dock underneath the main text.

Above

If possible, the texts dock above the main text.

Right

If possible, the texts dock to the right of the main text.

Left

If possible, the texts dock to the left of the main text.

Centered:

Through this drop-down list you specify at a main text whether the block (i.e. main text + docked texts) is to be centered. The block is centered relative to the insertion point of the main text. Line spacing is also taken into consideration when centering; only the line spacing after the last text is ignored.

  • No centering: The block of the texts is not centered.
  • All texts: The whole block of the texts is centered. That is, the center of the block is located on the insertion point of the main text.
  • First text: Only the first visible text is centered. The others are attached to it. The center of the first text is on the insertion point of the main text.
  • First two texts: The first two visible texts are centered. The others are attached to them. The center of the first two texts is on the insertion point of the main text.
  • First three texts: The first two visible texts are centered. The others are attached to them. The center of the first three texts is on the insertion point of the main text.

This behavior corresponds to the centering of property texts as described in the section Display Properties: Placed property.

X coordinate / Y coordinate:

These two display properties can be used to specify the position of a text on a project page exactly. The coordinate specifications on the insertion point of a text are relative to the point of origin of the graphical coordinate system.


Date / time hierarchy level

Date format:
Time format:

The default setting for these properties is "From project settings". In this case the format specified in the Project settings is used for a property for date and time display that is placed as special text.

  • Via the Date format drop-down list you can, for example, select an individual date format for the Date project property, for example "YYYY" for a display "2018".
  • With the Time format drop-down list you only select an individual time format for the Time project property.

Hierarchy level QR code

Starting point:

You can specify the starting point of a QR code on a project page exactly by using the two display properties X coordinate and Y coordinate. The coordinate specifications are relative to the point of origin of the graphical coordinate system.

Height / width:

In this field you specify the size of the square for a QR code.

See also