Background Mask set as default

[Wish List System]

Summary: Set background masking for all text and dimensions as default.

Description: Set background masking for all text and dimensions as default to on vs having to toggle it on. There are no times when I want to to toggle it off (which is the default) and all the time I want it toggled on. This takes a lot of my time each day. This should carry thru to any command that involves any kind of text including dimensions and multi leaders.

Product and Feature: AutoCAD - MText

Submitted By: Jim Smith on 09/04/2012

[Wish List System]

Text Background Mask set as default

Summary: Set background masking for all text and dimensions to on as default.

Description: Set background masking for all text and dimensions as default to on vs having to toggle it on. There are no times when I want to to toggle it off (which is the default) and all the time I want it toggled on. This takes a lot of my time each day. This should carry thru to any command that involves any kind of text including dimensions and multi leaders.

Product and Feature: AutoCAD - MText

Submitted By: Jim Smith on 09/04/2012

[Wish List System]

Text Background Mask set as default

Summary: Set background masking for all text and dimensions to on as default.

Description: Set background masking for all text and dimensions as default to on vs having to toggle it on. There are no times when I want to to toggle it off (which is the default) and all the time I want it toggled on. This takes a lot of my time each day. This should carry thru to any command that involves any kind of text including dimensions and multi leaders.

Product and Feature: AutoCAD - MText

Submitted By: Jim Smith on 09/04/2012

[cadtag]

While there are many times I want to use background masking, there are just as many where it would be wrong to use it. Especially with Mtext, since the current masking system only pays attention to the bounding box of the mtext object rather than the individual strings or characters.

I could see it as appropriate for dimensions to default to masking on, but that's already possible with the dimension style (Text tab, set Fill Color to Background)

[jaberwok]

Please, no!
You may want masking on at all times but I certainly do not.
It could, perhaps, be something that can be set once per user - in the registry perhaps?

[BlackBox]

CT -

I noticed this thread this morning, and haven't had time to post the link, but if you cull TheSwamp, Jeff H has a text masking utility he was working on that does factor in each line of text. Not sure if he's got a final product, or not, but it might be worth looking into.

... Got to run!

[StDoodle]

Pardon me for stating the obvious (?), but wouldn't toggling the default in the text style be the best place to set it? (As in, if this feature were added, shouldn't that be where it's added.)

[cadtag]

Pardon me for stating the obvious (?), but wouldn't toggling the default in the text style be the best place to set it? (As in, if this feature were added, shouldn't that be where it's added.)

Yes, that would be the place - but not until there's a TEXTUPDATE tool that would revert text to the current/correct style (Like DimUpdate) and more importantly, masking works properly, with a choice of <A> character by character masking (essentially a halo text) <B> masking by individual line length of <C> maskingg by bounding box. all we've got now is the least useful option, <C>

[BlackBox]

FWIW -

At least within the confines of the current (albeit limited) masking option(s)... One could employ a simple Command (or perhaps AcDb?) Reactor to automagically apply a background mask to Text entities upon successful creation ... Or a simple custom Command for same.

One could enhance this functionality by associating a specific Text Style, Color, Width, and also add a 'TextBgAuto' custom System Variable (all stored within the Registry).

When the Reactor is loaded (at drawing open), the code could quickly iterate a selection set of all Text entities that meet the above mentioned criteria, and implement any needed changes then, thus leaving the user with a 'up to date' drawing.

Again, this *should* all be built-in, and Lee has made some progress (http://www.lee-mac.com/mask.html) in his own right, but this would be a viable option (at least internally).



CT -

I noticed this thread this morning, and haven't had time to post the link, but if you cull TheSwamp, Jeff H has a text masking utility he was working on that does factor in each line of text. Not sure if he's got a final product, or not, but it might be worth looking into.


Found it... linky (http://www.theswamp.org/index.php?topic=42157.msg472966#msg472966)

[Wish List System]

Text Background Mask set as default

Summary: Set background masking for all text and dimensions to on as default.

Description: Set background masking for all text and dimensions as default to on vs having to toggle it on. There are no times when I want to to toggle it off (which is the default) and all the time I want it toggled on. This takes a lot of my time each day. This should carry thru to any command that involves any kind of text including dimensions and multi leaders.

Product and Feature: AutoCAD - MText

Submitted By: Jim Smith on 09/04/2012

[Big Al in MA]

I found this thread when searching for a way to do what you had requested. Not sure if you're still wishing for this or if you have found another way, but one thing that came to mind was using the QuickSelect routine to pick all MText objects in a drawing, and then setting the background mask settings for all of them globally rather than 1 at a time. You might already know this, but the QuickSelect tool is a time saver.