Why is my shape text not centered?

[mabeesteve]

Apparently I can only include one image here, but my question really requires more. This is quite a terrible policy. I’ve included links to the other images, hopefully users will be willing to click them to see what I’m describing.

AHHHH!!! And only 2 links?!

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I am trying to create simple, numbered “reference bubbles” on an image. A circle shape with light shading and a numeric text value centered within. I’ve been fighting with Draw to center my text if the size is anything but quite small.

In the below example, the text is being rendered off-center due to the font size, but as you can see the font size is FAR from exceeding the bounds of the circle.

(I’ll try replying to post the rest of the details so I can get my complete question posted)

I’m stumped. I’ve tried different fonts (no change) and poked around every property I can find to see if there is a very high margin or padding value somewhere, something that would explain this odd (and poor) layout behavior.

Version: 24.2.7.2 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 420(Build:2)
CPU threads: 16; OS: Linux 6.8; UI render: default; VCL: gtk3
Locale: en-US (en_US.UTF-8); UI: en-US
Ubuntu package version: 4:24.2.7-0ubuntu0.24.04.4
Calc: threaded

[mabeesteve]

Continuing my question due to hyper-restrictive rules on this site.

If I reduce the font size significantly or make the shape much larger, the text is centered, or at least -more- centered:

[mabeesteve]

Continuing my question due to hyper-restrictive rules on this site.

This shows the position of the text box in the circle and is basically what I would expect:

[mabeesteve]

Continuing my question due to hyper-restrictive rules on this site.

But look what happens when I make the circle smaller:

[Hrbrgr]

@mabeesteve

But look what happens when I make the circle smaller:

And when you exit edit mode, does it look like mine in the right side?

[mabeesteve]

It does not; it stays the same. I received help on a Reddit post and someone suggested I turn off text wrap on the Style and that gave me the results I was looking for. I’m curious if you have text wrap enabled in your example?
Right click > Edit Style > Text > Custom Shape Text > Word wrap text in shape

[ajlittoz]

You didn’t describe exactly what you did, but I fear you created one circle and one text box.

A common misunderstanding is to consider shapes and text boxes are different objects. They are indeed the same. Simply, a text box is a rectangular shape whose area and borders have been made transparent.

If you want centred text inside a circle, create your circle or select an existing one. While it is selected, type your text. By default, text is anchored to the centre of the shape (any shape: rectangle, ellipse, star, even line or connector, …).

Shapes in Draw are intended to be labelled. Centring text in the shape is the easiest alignment. To achieve other alignments, select your text (not the shape itself), right-click and Text Attributes. You can now choose on which characteristic point to set the anchor: centre of shape or edges, corners.

[mabeesteve]

You’re right, I should have included in my message. I simply created the circle and then pressed the 3 key to enter a 3. I’ve also done but by pressing F2 to edit “text edit mode”. I’m not creating separate objects, at least not directly.

[ajlittoz]

If your text does not keep centred when you change font size, you probably have a space at left of your digit.

Unfortunately, there is no option in Draw to display “formatting marks” (spaces, tabs, line breaks, …) like there is in Writer.