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Annotations

Commands for the texts, dimensions and leaders already in the drawing: change their wording, alignment and precision, chain dimensions, add or remove leader lines, and mark a line with chainage. Their styles are managed by the Styles plug-in on the Home tab.

Chainage

Marks the selected line at a set step with a short tick across the line and its chainage written beside it. The end of the line gets a tick too.

Where to find it

Draw tab → Draw group → Chainage (in the Annotation drop-down); also in the Frequent group (Texts drop-down).

Before you start

Select exactly one object that draws a single line (a polyline, a road, a section line). Otherwise the command is unavailable with the hint "Select one line first."

How to

1. Select the line.
2. Click Chainage.
3. Fill in the Chainage window and click Place.

Parameters

The ticks and texts use the current text style height and the layer of the line, plus the current object properties. They are ordinary objects: they do not follow the line if it changes. The whole command is one undo step, and the activity log reports "Chainage marks placed: N."

Edit text

Changes the wording of one selected text, multiline text or leader.

Where to find it

Text tab → Edit group → Edit text.

Before you start

Select exactly one text, multiline text or leader on an unlocked layer. If not, the command is unavailable: "Select one text on an unlocked layer first."

How to

1. Select the text.
2. Click Edit text.
3. Change the Text field. For a multiline text the field takes several lines, and Enter starts a new one.
4. Click Apply.

A one-line text keeps to one line: pasted line breaks become spaces. One undo step.

Find and replace

Replaces a piece of wording by another in the selected texts, multiline texts and leaders, or in every one of the drawing.

Where to find it

Text tab → Edit group → Find and replace.

How to

1. Optionally select the texts to work on.
2. Click Find and replace.
3. Fill in the window and click Replace.

Parameters

Texts on locked layers are left alone. All changes are one undo step, and the activity log says "Texts changed: N."

If something goes wrong

Align to line

Turns the selected texts and multiline texts so they run along a line you click.

Where to find it

Text tab → Edit group → Align to line.

Before you start

Select one or more texts or multiline texts. Otherwise the command is unavailable: "Select the texts to align first."

How to

1. Select the texts.
2. Click Align to line. The prompt reads "Click the line to lay the texts along".
3. Move over a polyline or a spline: the leg under the cursor is outlined.
4. Click it.

The texts take the direction of that leg, in plan, turned round when it would read upside down. Texts on locked layers are skipped. One undo step; the tool then ends.

Justify

Sets which point of each selected text or multiline text sits on its insertion point.

Where to find it

Text tab → Format group → Justify (a list).

How to

1. Select texts or multiline texts.
2. Pick a value from the list: the nine combinations of bottom, middle and top with left, centre and right.

The list shows the value the selection shares and is blank when the values differ. The texts stay anchored where they are; their letters move round the anchor. Texts on locked layers are not changed. One undo step.

Precision

Sets how many decimals the selected dimensions show.

Where to find it

Dimension tab → Style group → Precision (a list).

How to

1. Select dimensions.
2. Pick 0, 0.0, 0.00, 0.000 or 0.0000.

The list shows the value the selection shares. A dimension given a precision keeps it over its style's until you use Update to style. Dimensions on locked layers are not changed. One undo step.

Update to style

Makes the selected dimensions and leaders look as their style says again: values set on them alone (a precision, a text height, a line width) are dropped. Each keeps its style.

Where to find it

Dimension tab → Style group → Update to style.

Before you start

Select dimensions or leaders that follow a style, on unlocked layers. Otherwise the command is unavailable: "Select the dimensions first." If none of the selection qualifies, the log says "None of the selected objects is a dimension or a leader with a style."

The result is reported as "Dimensions updated to their style: N." One undo step.

Continue

Adds linear dimensions one after another from the selected one: each starts where the previous ended.

Where to find it

Dimension tab → Chain group → Continue.

Before you start

Select a linear dimension on an unlocked layer. Otherwise the command is unavailable: "Select a linear dimension to go on from first."

How to

1. Select the dimension.
2. Click Continue.
3. Move the cursor: a dashed preview shows the next dimension.
4. Click the next point. The dimension is added and becomes the one to continue from. Repeat.
5. Press Enter or Esc to end.

The chain takes the look of the dimension it started from. A click that would measure nothing adds nothing. Each dimension is one undo step.

Baseline

Stacks linear dimensions from the first point of the selected one, each line standing farther out than the one before.

Where to find it

Dimension tab → Chain group → Baseline.

How to

Select a linear dimension and use it exactly as Continue: click each next point, press Enter or Esc to end. Every new dimension starts at the first point of the last one and is placed at the last one's baseline spacing. Each is one undo step.

Add leader

Gives the selected leader another line, ending at the leader's landing.

Where to find it

Dimension tab → Leader group → Add leader.

Before you start

Select exactly one leader on an unlocked layer. Otherwise the command is unavailable: "Select one leader first."

How to

1. Select the leader.
2. Click Add leader.
3. Click where the new arrow should point. A dashed preview shows the line. Repeat as often as needed.
4. Press Enter or Esc to end.

Each added line is one undo step.

Remove leader

Takes a line away from the selected leader.

Where to find it

Dimension tab → Leader group → Remove leader.

Before you start

Select exactly one leader on an unlocked layer. Otherwise the command is unavailable: "Select one leader first."

How to

1. Select the leader.
2. Click Remove leader. The prompt reads "Click the leader line to remove".
3. Move over a line: it is outlined. Click it.
4. Press Enter or Esc to end.

The last remaining line cannot be removed. Each removal is one undo step.

Text override

Writes a text of your own on the selected dimensions instead of the measured value.

Where to find it

Dimension tab → Text group → Text override.

Before you start

Select dimensions on unlocked layers. Otherwise the command is unavailable: "Select the dimensions first."

How to

1. Select the dimensions.
2. Click Text override.
3. Type the Text. If the selected dimensions share one text, it is offered.
4. Click Apply.

In the text, <> stands for the measured value (for example <> m or Width <>). An empty text gives the measured value back; a single space writes nothing. Line breaks become spaces. The log says "Dimensions given the text: N." One undo step.

Measured value

Makes the selected dimensions write their measured value again by clearing their text overrides.

Where to find it

Dimension tab → Text group → Measured value.

Before you start

At least one selected dimension on an unlocked layer must have a text of its own. Otherwise the command is unavailable: "None of the selected dimensions has a text of its own." See Text override.