Having problems wrapping text around picture

To: Wade

Sorry, I've lost you on the "padding" and "hyphenation". I read in the help section that I am supposed to select the "Area Type Tool". But I keep getting an error message.
Also when I try to go to "Choose Type">Wrap>Release I can't get to it. It is greyed out.

Thanks for getting back to me.

Bill

william,

Make sure the text object is an AreaText object, not a PointText object. AreaText is what you get when you clickDrag with the Text tool; it creates a rectangular container; or what you get when you set type inside a closed path. PointText is what you get when you just click with the Text tool; it's like text without a "container."

Also, make sure the object you want to wrap around is in front of the text object you wish to wrap around it. Apply the Object>Text Wrap>Make Text Wrap command to the object, not to the text.

JET

To: James

When I get the "Text Area Tool" which I think you mean is the "Area Text Obect" When I start to drag I get this message:
"you must click on a non-compound, non-masking path to create text inside a path".

I keep getting that message.

Bill

Oh, that is the problem use the type tool to drag to make a text frame the text area tool is to be use to convert a shape to area text.

You can create both point type and a text frame with the Type tool.

To: Wade

When I am in either RGB layout or CYMK layout I can't "drag" to make a text frame. All I can do is type but not drag a frame.

Thanks for posting.

Bill

You are using the first type tool in the pallet, right? The one that only has a plain T.

If you are, you should be able to hold the mouse button down and drag. Don't click first.

If this still doesn't work, try trashing your AI preferences.

"To: James

When I get the 'Text Area Tool' which I think you mean is the 'Area Text Obect'"

William,
No, when I say Area Text Object, I'm talking about one of the two basic kinds of text objects which AI creates, both of which can be created with the normal Type Tool. The Type Tool (the first one in the flyout) creates an AreaText object (one with a rectangular container so it will wrap) if you clickDrag. The same tool creates a PointText object (one without a container, so it doesn't wrap) if you just click and don't drag.

" When I start to drag I get this message:
'you must click on a non-compound, non-masking path to create text inside a path'."

That's because you have selected the Area Type TOOL, which is used to type text into the fill of a pre-existing path.

Clear as mud, no? ;-)

I do hope Adobe takes note of this kind of frequent and understandable confusion. Five different Text tools. The TypeTool creates AreaText, but the AreaType tool does too--except it has to do so on a pre-existing path. The TypeTool creates PathText, but the PathType tool does too--except it has to do so on a pre-existing path. The Type Tool creates PointText, but in violation of AI's otherwise separate-tool-for-every-little-thing principle, there is no separate PointType tool.

Despite all of this multiple tool "sophistication," you can't do commonly-needed tasks such as converting PointText (non-wrapping) to AreaText (wrapping) or vice-versa; or setting AreaText to auto-expand vertically so as to avoid overset text. As in other areas, other programs do more with a single tool than AI does with several--and they avoid much unnecessary confusion and interface clutter in the process.

I'd really like to see this kind of stuff streamlined and made elegant. Long time AI users have grown accustomed to the tool glut incrementally. But as it continues; and as evidenced by frequent questions in these forums, new users are confronted with a too-confused and cumbersome interface.

JET

To: James

Thanks for posting