Using Text Inserters to Insert Text into the Text Editor
You can create a type of text item called a text inserter, which allows you to click on an object to insert text directly into the text editor. You use this feature when you must enter text repeatedly, for example, when creating menus or expressions.
The four types of text inserters are:
Creating and Editing a Text Inserter
You create a text inserter from the New Free Text menu. Once you have created a text inserter, you can edit its text, if necessary.
To create a text inserter:
- Select the following command:
- Choose the type of text inserter.
G2 displays the text editor for entering the text.
- Enter the text to appear in the text inserter, then click the
End button.
- Position the text inserter, and click to place it on the workspace.
To edit the text of a text inserter:
- With the text editor closed, click the text inserter, then click
table.
The text inserter's table appears. Its text appears at the bottom of the table.
- Click the text of the text inserter.
The text editor opens on the text of the text inserter.
- Edit the text of the text inserter, then click the
End button.
Using Text Inserters from the Scrapbook
Whenever you cut or copy text from the text editor, and whenever you drag your cursor over visible text to insert it into the text editor, G2 creates a text inserter and places it in the scrapbook. The scrapbook is a non-KB workspace that G2 creates, which you can access as a named workspace.
You can use the text inserters in the scrapbook directly, to insert text into the text editor, or you can transfer text inserters from the scrapbook to another workspace to make them a permanent part of your KB.
For more information about the scrapbook and about cutting and pasting text, see Using the Clipboard and Scrapbookt.
To use text from the scrapbook as a text inserter:
- Display the scrapbook by selecting:
G2 displays a scrapbook workspace such as the following:
- To insert text from a text inserter:
- Open the text editor.
- Click on a text inserter.
G2 inserts the entire text at the current cursor location in the text editor.
- To transfer the text inserter to another workspace and make it permanent:
- With the text editor closed, click on a text item in the scrapbook to display its menu; or with the text editor open, click on the border of the text item.
- Select the
transfer command to transfer it to another workspace.
The text item from the scrapbook is not a permanent part of your KB.
Using Text Inserters to Insert Text
You can use text inserters to insert text into the text editor when you are editing any type of text. You might want to create a workspace that contains all your text inserters so they are available to you at any time.
If you do not place them on a separate workspace, you may want to label them so that they are not confused with regular text boxes.
To insert text into the text editor by using a text inserter:
- Open the G2 text editor.
For example, you open the text editor when creating a rule or procedure, or when editing the attributes of a table. For more information, see Opening the Text Editor.
- With the text inserter visible, click or select the desired text in the text inserter, depending on the type of text inserter:
G2 inserts the specified text from the text inserter into the text editor at the current cursor position.
You can also drag the cursor over a sequence of characters when inserting text from a text, word, or character inserter. G2 inserts the selected character(s), including the following space if you drag over a word.
Note that when dragging the cursor over a text inserter, however, you must begin selecting from the first character, whereas when dragging the cursor over any other type of inserter, you can begin selecting anywhere.
The character sequence inserter also has the characteristics of a word inserter; you can click on a word to insert it.
Copyright © 1997 Gensym Corporation, Inc.
