CODEWITHSUNDEEP
actionscript-3flash-cs5
Yevgeny Simkin
Yevgeny Simkin

Reputation: 28389

How do I change the width of a TextField without stretching the text?

I used to know how to do this, so, I KNOW it's possible, but I can't figure it out again. I'm altering the width of my TextField by setting the width property but that warps the text. I want to alter the width of the text field WITHOUT altering the way the font looks (obviously). I believe it has something to do with autoText or some such idiocy (why would I EVER want to warp my text?!) but I just can't recall.

myField.width = 100; // if the original width was 50 this simply stretches the field to 100, rather than adding 50 pixels into which characters can be drawn.

TIA

Upvotes: 0

Views: 6024

Answers (5)

Keith Borders
Keith Borders

Reputation: 1

You could also use a textformat and assign the left and right margin 

myTextFormat.leftMargin = some number

and 

myTextFormat.rightMargin = same number

as left margin.

Upvotes: -1

Philipp Kyeck
Philipp Kyeck

Reputation: 18860

you are in the IDE right? try doubleclicking the textfield and then use the box on the right side of the textfield to resize the whole thing without strechting the text.

** edit **

here is a code example of how resizing a TextField works:
http://wonderfl.net/c/qbDv

but this only works with dynamic TextFields. TF created with code are either DYNAMIC or INPUT but inside the IDE you can create TF that are STATIC and those can't be resized via ActionScript. So you have to change the TextField's type or create the TF via script.

Upvotes: 1

Feltope
Feltope

Reputation: 1098

I am guessing your problem is TextField.defaultTextFormat.

just setup a TextFormat object then on your text field setup the default text format and it should keep the text format no matter what you do to it.

You see when you change pretty much anything about a text field the text formatting gets reset and you have to reapply it. However if you setup the default text format it will take care of that automatically.

Here is a dirty little prototype.

package src 
{
    import flash.display.Sprite;
    import flash.events.Event;
    import flash.events.MouseEvent;
    import flash.text.TextField;
    import flash.text.TextFormat;

    public class Main extends Sprite 
    {
        private var tx:TextField;
        private var txf:TextFormat;

        public function Main() 
        {
            addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, initMain);
        }

        private function initMain(e:Event):void 
        {
            removeEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, initMain);

            // setup a text format so you can keep your text the same all the time.
            txf = new TextFormat('Arial', 12, 0x000000);

            tx = new TextField();
            tx.width = 50;
            tx.text = "I want this text not to wrap so it will be resized at runtime."

            // Turned this on for testing purposes only.
            tx.wordWrap = true;

            tx.defaultTextFormat = txf;     // This line is the x factor most likely.

            tx.x = 100;
            tx.y = 100;

            addChild(tx);

            stage.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, toggleTextFieldSize, false, 0 ,true);
        }

        private function toggleTextFieldSize(e:MouseEvent):void 
        {
            if (tx.width == 50)
            {
                tx.width = 400;
            }
            else
            {
                tx.width = 50;
            }
        }

    }

}

Hope this is what you were looking for.

Upvotes: 1

Romi Halasz
Romi Halasz

Reputation: 2009

Another solution would be to use a wrapper for the text field, like a Group element, and just increase its width.

Upvotes: 0

pho
pho

Reputation: 25490

In the IDE, you need to

a) Double-click on the text-field. This takes you into the editing mode for the text field. Then resize it.

or

b) select the text tool and then resize it.

Resizing it using the transform tool will increase the width as if it were a shape (which is PRETTY useful in some animations, so it isn't really that idiotic)

Upvotes: 2

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