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You might consider converting the text box to a frame. IMHO, frames are much more stable in their behavior. The following works in Word 2010 and all previous versions:
1. Right-click the text box and select Format Text Box from the popup menu.
2. Click the Text Box tab.
3. Click Convert to Frame. When you get a warning, click OK.
You can also create a style for future frames, and then you don't have to convert anything. The New Style dialog box has a Format drop-down list, and one of the options is Frame. The resulting dialog box for layout and wrapping is so straightforward, you can't believe it's a Microsoft product.
-----Original Message-----
From: Monique Semp
Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2012 4:55 PM
To: TechWR-L
Subject: "migrating" anchored callouts - Word 2007
Hello, TechWR-L-er Word gurus,
In brief, hereâs the problem (in Word 2007 on a PC, but I believe that this is likely consistent from version to version in Word):
* When callouts (text boxes) are anchored to a paragraph thatâs say, mid-page, and that paragraph then shifts to become the first paragraph on a page, the callout text boxes become misaligned (too low).
* I can then manually realign the callouts (moving them up so that they again point to where theyâre supposed to), and all looks good again.
* But then if the paragraph to which the callout boxes are anchored shifts again so that itâs *not* the first paragraph on the page, the callout boxes are again misaligned (this time, too high), and I have to repeat the manual exercise of moving them down.
Q: How can I fix this so that the text boxes stay in their wished for alignment, even when the paragraph to which theyâre anchored shifts between being the first paragraph on the page and not the first paragraph on the page?
I thought that this might have something to do with the âSuppress extra line spacing at top of pageâ setting(s), but I tried all of them and that doesnât change the situation.
So Iâm assuming that the problem has to do with the layout and/or wrapping options of either the callouts or the inserted figure, and there are so many settings that all interact that I havenât been able to fully debug it.
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More details:
I have a paragraph style for Figure1, and itâs always followed by paragraph style Caption1. (There are several indentation levels for both â e.g., Figure2/Caption2, Figure3/Caption3 â and they all set up and behave the same way as the level1 pairs.)
I use a Quick Parts entry that I created to easily add a Figure#/Caption# pair, and then I use Insert > Image to insert an image right before the Figure# paragraph marker. This works great and I magically never have to bother with formatting the imagesâ layout. That is, Wordâs default insert image behavior where the imageâs text wrapping is set to âinline with textâ is fine because the image is the only thing in the Figure# paragraph.
And then to add callouts, I add a text box thatâs anchored at the start of the Caption# paragraph. This way I can easily move the callout box up/down/left/right as needed so that it points to the part of the image that I want. The callout objectâs Layout options are: Layout In front of text, Advanced Layoutâs Text Wrapping = In front of text, Advanced Layoutâs Picture Position Options are Move Object with Text, Allow Overlap, and Layout in Table Cell. That is, all the Picture Options are selected EXCEPT Lock anchor.
I wish I could say that I know just why I have these settings, but I set my styles up ages ago and have been living with this problem ever since. But Iâm finally tired of having to look for this during every production run, and I want it fixed.
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