When I draw a new text box in calc, the border disapears as soon as I try to insert any text into the box by keying or pasting. Also, so far I see no way to turn the border into a bold line as can be done in Excel by right clicking on the border. Calc does not seem to much resemble Excel for text box creation and use, but I can’t figure out the correct L.O. method yet either. [Windows 11]
After defining the size of the text box, enter some letters directly without any further action. This way it stays live.
You can select with the right mouse button. But it is easier to click on the text, to see the frame, and then right click to modify the line.
A text box will disappear if it has no text inside it and you click elsewhere. Enter the text first and then set the borders
Thank you. I can now create a text box and put a line with chosen features around it. Is there some way to paste into it?
Create Text Box and then paste using the paste icon, menu entry or Ctrl+V
If the text box is already created with text inside, then double click inside the text box to enter edit mode, place the cursor where you want and paste using the paste icon, menu entry or Ctrl+V
In Excel, the characters that have been keyed into a text box are not, if my memory is correct, actually keyed into cells that are framed by the text box border. Rather, the text box is its own independent character area, meaning for example that the text box with all its keyed in contents can be dragged and repositioned anywhere, without affecting any cell contents. But for Calc, it now looks to me that the text box is a dragable rectangle with no direct relationship to its contents, so just a frame really to assist focusing attention. There is no such thing in Calc as keying into the text box itself, instead of keying into a regular cell that might be framed by the box borders? So far, it looks that way to me, but I am not claiming this. Just asking.
It doesn’t sound as if you have a text box.
Using the menu, click Insert > Text box, drag out a rectangle and type some text. Click on the border of the text box and drag it to a different position, the text is in the text box.
Maybe you drew a shape? If you remove the area fill then you would have a frame that you could move around. You can still add text to that shape by double clicking the border and typing (you will see a text cursor). The text can exceed the width or height of the shape so right click the text and select Text and tick the box Word wrap text in shape. It is not as convenient as the text box above.
TextBox_vs_Shape.ods (11.2 KB)
Thanks for your help. This is for sure a text box. My remaining issue for now is adding content to the text box, including pasting. I copy text from a cell outside the text box, but pasting it inside the text box yields nothing. I cannot click in the text box and thereby insert a cursor. There are two lines inside the text box with several characters that I had keyed in earlier. I can now drag the rectangle and the content moves with it, free of cells. There is somewhere an edit command for the text box?
Double click
Thanks, that does work. I also find I can insert a cursor, and with a cursor inserted I can paste. Problem solved.