White background for text on path

[Etcho]

Hi, I'm trying to draw and label dimension lines.

I create a blue line

Select type on path and write the dimension on the line

Align text to centre

...but the blue line now strikes through my text

How do I get it to be white behind the text?

I've tried applying a new fill in the appearance panel, but because I'm using type on a path it's applying it to the path and not the text.

Thanks in advance

[Luke Jennings]

One way would be to use a dashed line, adjusting the dash and gap size for each dimension size, but I would just use separate lines and text, with the text box set to white, or set the dimensions above the line.

[Etcho]

Thanks - looks right but with so many different lengths it would take an age to set up.

[meganchi]

Another option is selecting your text and on the appearance panel, add a thick stroke of white (just enough to give you the type of white space you need from the blue line, and drag that stroke effect in the appearance panel so that it is ordered beneath the text.

[Etcho]

Thanks, I tried this early on but the option for making the stroke run round the outside of the letters not inside is greyed out and so the white stroke encroaches into the text - am I missing something?

Surely I'm trying to do something a thousand other people have needed to do before?!

[Etcho]

I can add a stroke to the outside of outlined text but not editable text but I need the text to remain editable

Thanks

[Ton Frederiks]

You can keep your text live by adding another fill in the Appearance Panel, apply an Effect > Convert to Shape > Rectangle and drag it below the characters in the panel. You can save it as a Graphic Style.

[Monika Gause]

Did you get that to work when you have path text? I couldn't make that work, but if it does work, I would be interested.

[Ton Frederiks]

No, not with type on a path, just point text and a separate line.

It should be easy to drag the line and the text to the CC Library and Alt drag it to the document.

You need to modify 2 things anyway, the line length an the text.

[Luke Jennings]

Meganchi's technique to add an outside aligned white stroke works well in InDesign (where you can add an outside stroke to live text) and you can copy and paste from InDesign into Illustrator, unfortunately you loose the ability to edit the type and increase the line knock out in Illustrator.

[Etcho]

Thanks all....this is kinda crazy that Illustrator is used for dimensioned artworks and yet seems not to have this feature 😞

I think I'm either going to have to purchase a plugin or stick with my text floating above the line which looks poor.

Any updates, keep me posted

Thanks