Text on Path problem

[Kuttyjoe]

In recent years, I'm finding quite a few problems.  This one is a change in behavior regarding text on a path.

This is how it used to be.  Draw a circle.  Add text to it so you have text on path.  At this point, I could take the Direct Selectio tool and option click just the path, then switch to the Selection Tool. When I switch to the regular selection tool, I would get the handles that would allow me to resize the selected shape.  The difference is that now when you select the regular selection tool, you don't get the editing handles, so you can't resize, or reshape the path that the text is on.  I mean, you can still manipulate the path by using the direct select tool, but I would do something like proportionately stretch the circle horizontally, or vertically.  I can still do it by typing in the transform tab but it's not something I've had to do before.

[Kurt Gold]

Does View > Show Bounding Box cure the issue?

[Kuttyjoe]

No.  I always have show bounding box on.  Just out of curiosity, I checked now and it says "Hide bounding box" because it's already set to show bounding box.  It's likely an accidental change in the way these things work.  Each new update seems to make some subtle unintended changes.  Sometimes Adobe resolves them by the next update.

[Bill Silbert]

I tested this with the latest version of Illustrator (22.1) and found that indeed you cannot get the handles for just the shape that the text is on. You can get the handles if you use the regular selection tool but when you use them to expand the shape the text is also enlarged which I don't think its what you are intending. I don't have an earlier version installed to look at how this worked before but I do have a recollection that what you're saying is correct. I suggest that you report this as a bug/feature request at this address: Feature Request/Bug Report Form .

[Kurt Gold]

In the meantime, I think Option click the path twice with the Direct Selection tool, then switch to the Selection tool could be classified as an acceptable workaround.

[Kuttyjoe]

Option clicking on the path twice is not a workaround because it selects everything, including the Text.  What I mentioned earlier is the workaround.  Option click the path, then use the transform tab to type in sizes.  This will scale just the path and the text will reflow but not distort or resize.

[tromboniator]

Select the path with the Group Selection Tool then resize/reshape using the Scale Tool.

[Kuttyjoe]

That gets closer, but it scales both sides of the shape proportionately.  Either horizontally, vertically, or both.  For example, you can't grab just the bottom of the circle and pull it down, without the top of the circle moving an equal distance up.

Would someone try this for me.  I'm at home and I'm using an older version of Illustrator where this still works correctly so I can't test this.  Try switching to the Free Transform tool after selecting the path and see if it gets the controls so that you can edit the shape independently of the text.  It would still be a workaround because it takes me through an additional tool change for a tool that I don't typically use.

Thanks for all the replies.

[tromboniator]

With the Scale Tool you can set the reference point wherever you want it with a click, so that if you click to set it at the top of the object the top will remain stationary while you scale in any direction. It doesn't have to scale from the center, it can be anywhere.

[Kuttyjoe]

That works.  Just need to hold shift to constrain the movement to keep it from jumping around. That's the best workaround.  But I still wonder if the Free Transform tool works because on my older install, it gives the control handles the way it normally works.

[tromboniator]

No, Free Transform does not work in the current version (22.1) as it did in CS5, if you select just the type path.

[Srishti Bali]

Hi,

We are very sorry for the inconvenience. I was trying to check the same behavior at my end, however, I was unable to do so, would you mind sharing a video with the workflow?

Regards,

Srishti

[Kuttyjoe]

In the past you could use the Group Selection Tool to select just the path, then switch to the Selection Tool to get the handles so you could reshape the path without distorting the text.  The text would reflow along the path, but not distort.