User Guide

Chapter 10288
Formatting chunks of text with Lingo
The Director interface lets you format a variety of text characteristics, such as the font, size, style,
and line spacing. Using Lingo, you can format text dynamically as the movie plays. You can also
use Lingo to rapidly format text during authoring.
Formatting text with Lingo
Lingo can format text in an entire cast member or any specific chunk of text using the following
properties. See entries for individual properties in the Lingo Dictionary.
• To select or identify a chunk of text in a field cast member, use the selStart and selEnd cast
member properties. These properties identify the first and last characters of a text selection.
• To refer to a selected chunk of text, use the selection cast member property.
• To specify the font for a text cast member, field cast member, or chunk expression, set the font
cast member property.
• To specify the character size for a text cast member, field cast member, or chunk expression, set
the
fontSize property.
• To specify the line spacing for a field cast member, set the lineHeight property.
• To specify the style for a text cast member, field cast member, or chunk expression, set the
fontStyle property.
• To specify the drop shadow size for the characters in a field cast member, set the
boxDropShadow property.
• To specify additional spacing to be applied to a chunk expression in a text cast member, set the
charSpacing property.
• To specify the foreground color for a field cast member, set the foreColor property.
Applying paragraph formats with Lingo
Lingo can control paragraph formatting such as alignment and indenting for a chunk expression.
See entries for individual properties in the Lingo Dictionary.
• To set text alignment for a text or field cast member, set the alignment property.
• To set line spacing in points for a text cast member, set the fixedLineSpace property.
• To add pixels below paragraphs in a text cast member, set the bottomSpacing property.
• To add pixels above paragraphs in a text cast member, set the topSpacing property.
• To specify line spacing in a field cast member, set the lineHeight property.
• To add pixels to the first indent in a chunk expression in a text cast member, set the
firstIndent property.
• To set the left indent (in pixels) of a chunk expression in a text cast member, set the
leftIndent property.
• To set the right indent (in pixels) of a chunk expression in a text cast member, set the
rightIndent property.
• To specify or obtain a list of tabs that are in a chunk expression in a text cast member, set or test
the
tabs property.