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Cannot move text using bracket along path.

Participant ,
Jul 03, 2019 Jul 03, 2019

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I'm continuing to do a Lynda.com tutorial for Illustrator.  The instructor has us moving the bracket to shift the beginning of the text path. I have followed his instructions exactly, but I cannot move this bracket.  Either nothing happens or I wind up drawing something else with the selection tool.

(For reference, it is the Lynda tutorial "Type on a path vs text as an art brush" lesson in chapter 33 of Illustrator One on One Mastery.)

I have the same exact layers selected, followed the same process. I tried it with smart guides both on and off.

See video.

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

New Here , Jun 15, 2021 Jun 15, 2021

   I think I figured it out, I also had this issue where I coudnt move the white squires for changing the usable space for text on a line, every time I click and hold with direct selection tool on the squires and try to move, it auto switched to text tool and it didn't work not once.

 But I noticed that when hovering around the white squire for moving the text, with the direct selection tool there appeared to be a small black vertical line with an arrow poing right or left the white cursor would

...

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Community Expert ,
Jul 03, 2019 Jul 03, 2019

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You are trying to do this with the Text Tool. Use the Selection Tool (or Direct Selection or Group Selection Tool) instead.

Peter

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Participant ,
Jul 03, 2019 Jul 03, 2019

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No I am not, actually. The selection tool was selected and for some reason when I hover over the point, it is changing on me.

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Community Expert ,
Jul 03, 2019 Jul 03, 2019

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Don't move the cursor over the small box. Move it over the bracket line and see if that works better.

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Participant ,
Jul 04, 2019 Jul 04, 2019

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That did not help. I think this might be a bug. I talked to a friend who uses Illustrator a lot who has run into the same issue. I spent 10 minutes trying to get this to work before going to the forum.

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Community Expert ,
Jul 04, 2019 Jul 04, 2019

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Which version are you using?

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Guide ,
Jul 04, 2019 Jul 04, 2019

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Do you use a Direct Selection tool (White arrow)?

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Community Expert ,
Jul 04, 2019 Jul 04, 2019

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This is what I'm referring to:

textklammern.gif

Latest version of Illustrator.

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Enthusiast ,
Jul 17, 2020 Jul 17, 2020

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...

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Enthusiast ,
Jul 17, 2020 Jul 17, 2020

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The type on path tool is a nightmare. I have always struggled with it in the past years. Once you finally get type on the path, trying to move it with the selection tool is utterly impossible. Half of the time the bracket(s) dont even show up. I am hovering for one hour trying to 1.) first get the bracket, then 2.) the arrow to show up. This is definetly a design flaw.

 

In any other software, you would simply point and click on the text, hold it and then just move it. Hovering to get something to appear is ridiculous. I first need to click on the selection tool (of course you first need to figure out that you need to switch from type tool to selection). Then you need to make the brackets appear (still no idea how thats done - sometimes they appear and most of the time they just disappear). When you finally have the right tool selected and you are lucky enough to see the brackets, then you need to figure out which bracket will actually move the text. Then you need to surpass the patience test of trying to get the arrow on hover to appear. Good luck, if for some reason both brackets are right next to each other or the path is in a cluttered area. 

 

Does Adobe even test these features with its user base?

 

If people need to post in the forums to get such a simple task accomplished, then there must be something wrong. I wish Adobe would spend more ressources on making tools and work flows in Illustrator more intuitive. I am not sure if there is such a thing as an "intuitive-design" - manager, but that is something the illustrator team urgently needs. None of the features should be able to pass the design stage without having been thoroughly testet by actual designers. I am sure it would also diminish support inquiries, so there is certainly something in it for Adobe too.  

 

As it stands, Illustrator feels more like a fiddely and awkward UI / UX from past ages than a modern app. Rather than holding on to cumbersome workflows and focusing on creating new features, I really hope that the Illustrator team will invest more time into making tools and workflows easier, more intuitive and more practical to use. 

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Community Expert ,
Jul 18, 2020 Jul 18, 2020

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"(of course you first need to figure out that you need to switch from type tool to selection)"

 

No, you don't need to figure this out. You just need to read the documentation. It's in there.

If a software just has 5 or 6 functions you can try and "figure things out". But with a complex application that has tons of functionality you better not bet on finding it by yourself.

 

So if the bracktes are vanishing from sight what comes to mind is:

- the selection radius for your cursor in the Preferences is probably too tight

- your graphic card is acting up - does it work better with View > Preview on CPU?

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Enthusiast ,
Jul 18, 2020 Jul 18, 2020

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Thanks for the update.

 

Just as a comparison, I tried out Affinity Designer today. Never took a course or read the manual or anything pertaining to it. Just opened the software, I then drew a cricle. When you select the font tool (no need to select anything else) and hover over the circle, the type tool changes automatically into the "type on path" tool. Then you just click on the circle circumference, then you type. Voila. That's it, done. Then very visible red and green handles appear (you can't miss it - its really in your face!). You turn the green handle to move the text, the red one to flip text. Not once did I need to switch any tools or have to think, how this could work. Also, when I moved the handle, it just worked flawlessly. Never once did I loose control of the handle and not once did the cursor switch the HUD to something I don't need and which just keeps getting into my way. 

 

It took me exactly 20 seconds. That's what I call a great and intuitve UX experience. When I tried the same in Illustrator yesterday, it took me 30 minutes, I then finally gave up and posted here. Understandably quite upset, because I lost an one hour and a half in total (including the time to post here). 

 

When you say that Illustrator is a complex app, you are absolutely right! But not because it is necessarily so, but because it was designed this way! That's exactly my point. It also doesn't help if Adobe keeps ignoring us and doesn't acknkowledge the issues. That's not going to make Illustrator better or more competitive.

 

What Adobe should be doing, is forward this thread to the product manager responsible for the type tool and hope he makes improvements. Using the tool right now is not intuitive or productive to say the least. I personally would even argue, that it doesnt work in certain situations. I will continue to use Illustrator for opening my clients files, but definetly not any longer for creating new things or "Type on Path" for that matter. Not going to waste my time or keep on begging Adobe to look into the matter. 

 

I understand that you want to defend Illustrator... but understanding our concerns and making changes accordingly would finally improve Illustrator and make it more usable. I do have a feeling that stubbornly defending procedures that the user has difficulties with, has gotten AI to were it is now: a complex app with questionabel UX experience. I don't know what the approval ratings of AI are, but what I read online, I am sure they aren't as good as other Adobe apps - but I might be wrong). As an example, it took years just to get the Illustrator team to finally acknowledge the ruler issue and finally make the ruler appear by default, and the list goes on and on and on.

 

Adobe has 22,635 employess, Affinity has 50 employees, yet they seem to have someone in their team that really understands Intuitive UX. To be fair, I am sure not everything works flawlessly in Affinity (cant tell cause I just used it once yesterday). But at least they seem to be on the right track from what I saw so far.

 

Again, I hope Illustrator gets better, I really do. Afterall I have to pay for it every month. I have been watching Illustrator issues now for the past 3 years closely, and it seems there is no real progress. It takes them way to long to react to clients needs, complaints and improvement submissions aso. Inexcusable really given the immense size of their workforce! Maybe Adobe has gotton TOO big and too sluggish or is battling major systemic issues. Or they just make more money elsewhere and have no more desires to cater to the creative community. Who knows.

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Community Expert ,
Jul 18, 2020 Jul 18, 2020

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This is a user forum. Only people marked as "Staff" are actually staff.

If you want to request a feature or report a bug,please do so over there: http://illustrator.uservoice.com

 

 

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Enthusiast ,
Jul 18, 2020 Jul 18, 2020

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Thank you for your time. 

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New Here ,
Dec 13, 2023 Dec 13, 2023

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Agree, it is mind blowing nightmare, I hate Illustrator. Can not move text along circle at all.... tryed everything.

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New Here ,
May 05, 2021 May 05, 2021

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I've had this problem for so long and can't seem to find a solution. It works randomly. But something I just noticed (or maybe just this project I'm working on for instance) is that it seemed to work when "Snap to Grid" was disabled. Maybe you could try that?

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Community Beginner ,
Jun 10, 2021 Jun 10, 2021

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Taken me nearly an hour to do something that would have previously taken minutes thanks to Adobe messing with something that didnt need messing with. Very poor indeed.

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New Here ,
Jun 15, 2021 Jun 15, 2021

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   I think I figured it out, I also had this issue where I coudnt move the white squires for changing the usable space for text on a line, every time I click and hold with direct selection tool on the squires and try to move, it auto switched to text tool and it didn't work not once.

 But I noticed that when hovering around the white squire for moving the text, with the direct selection tool there appeared to be a small black vertical line with an arrow poing right or left the white cursor would turn black. Thats when I clicked and hold LMB and it worked I was able to move the squire freely along the path.

  I hope I've helped!

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New Here ,
Mar 01, 2023 Mar 01, 2023

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Hey, this worked for me!!!

 

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New Here ,
Apr 25, 2022 Apr 25, 2022

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Unfortunately, the UI is confusing and not clear on how to move text along a path. Thankfully, the solution is quite easy: as others pointed out, use the direct selection tool (white arrow). But instead of clicking on the white boxes next to the text along the path, click and hold on the black lines along the white boxes. You can then drag as needed.

 

As there are two black lines lines, you'll often need to move the one furthest away from the text to open up the boundaries of where you can drag the text. Then click on the black line nearest the text and to move it.

 

When doing this for the first time, drag beyond the first black line (you moved) to understand what happens once you cross that line while dragging the second line.

 

I trust this helps.

 

Oink!

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Community Expert ,
Apr 25, 2022 Apr 25, 2022

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The boxes are for threading text. If you have a text that flows from one line to the next (why you are getting new objects). The answer has been given, and it is to click on the line and not the square. (I understad you interpret it as a handle which it is not it is an inport and on the right an out port, similar to what is found in a text frame).

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