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How to Use the Text Formatting Editor (TFE)
(Optional Tool, Moderate Complexity)
Create formatting similar to formatting made with popular word processing programs. You may also copy and paste formatted documents created in word processing programs.
First, Install Sun Microsystems, Inc.'s JVM (opens a new page)
How and When to Turn on the TFE
File Size Limits
Apply Formatting
Control Text Wrapping
Control Line Spacing
Use HTML and TFE Text Boxes Interchangeably
Create Links
Insert an Image (.gif and .jpg)
Create Lists (ordered and unordered)
Link to Documents Stored in WebTycho (Placeholder for Files)
Spell Check
Paste from Word Document or Web Page
Non-English Keyboard (opens a new page)
Save TFE Text on Your Computer's Hard Drive: Easily Create Back-Ups of Your Work
Troubleshoot Problems (opens a new page)
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Install Sun Microsystems, Inc.'s JVM
To use the TFE you must install Sun Microsystem's JVM. If you choose to not install the JVM then you must create text with either Plain Text or HTML
How and When to Turn on the TFE
Go to Account Preferences and click enable beside Text Formatting Editor.
When to Change Account Preferences
Never change Account Preferences Choose the type of text box you want to use before you open a new or existing note. Once a piece of text has been saved or submitted with the Text Formatting Editor, if you make subsequent edits to that text with a Plain Text box (which would happen if you have disabled the TFE with Account Preferences since you last wrote the text), then all formatting will be lost.
File Size Limit in TFE Text Boxes:
Occasionally, when document sizes are very large (~30K-35K or about 30,000 characters of text) text created with the TFE appears to have been erased after you click on Edit. If this happens, CLICK CANCEL IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT CLICK SUBMIT. IF YOU CLICK SUBMIT, THE TEXT CANNOT BE RECOVERED. Then contact WebTycho Support. Anything larger should be attached as a file for submission.
Apply Formatting
Note that because this is an HTML editor, pressing the space bar will result in just one typed space in your text. To create indents please use the indent tool.
- 1. Select a section of text.
- 2. Select Format from the toolbar and apply the styles you wish to use.
 - Styles Available:
- Pre-formatted styles (H1, H2 etc)
- Font typeface
- Font Size
- Bold
- Italic
- Underline
- Align left, right, and center
- Unordered list
- Order List
- Decrease and Increase Indent (use this instead of spacebar)
- Highlight Text
- Color Text
- Superscript, Subscript and Strikethrough
- Remove Formatting
- Format Painter
- Return to top
How to Control Text Wrapping
Long sentences will automatically wrap words. To specify line breaks you must use the Return or Enter key manually when you first create the sentence. Subsequent attempts to change line-breaks will not be saved.
How to Control Line Spacing
Hitting the Enter (Return) key will create double spacing by default. To create a single spaced line, press SHIFT-ENTER on the keyboard.
You Can Use HTML and TFE Text Boxes Interchangeably
You may respond to and edit notes created with HTML and TFE with either type of text box. Formatting will be retained.
Create Links
Insert an Image (.gif and .jpg)
You may include .gif and .jpg files stored locally on your hard drive (Local Image, choice A below) or stored in the classroom (Pre-Loaded Image Library, choice B below).
A. Files on Your Computer: Local Image
These .gif and .jpg images exist on your computer. The image will be embedded and visible within the text box. Once you submit a text box that includes an image, that image becomes stored in the Server Image Library (See Pre-Loaded Image Library below) which is available for use by all class members. Faculty can delete any image from the Server Image Library.
1. Click on the TFE's Insert menu
2. Select Insert Image
3. Browse to your computer's disk drive to select a .jpg or .gif file (no larger than 25 MB)
4. Click Insert
5. Finish composing your text and click Submit.
Steps 1 and 2
Steps 3 and 4
B. Images Already in the Classroom: Image Browser
These images already exist in WebTycho. Images listed here were posted in this class by other faculty and students.
1. Click on the TFE's Insert menu
2. Select Server Library Image
3. Select an image from the list
4. Click OK
5. Finish composing your document and click Submit.
Steps 1 and 2
Steps 3 and 4
Create Lists, Ordered and Unordered
- 1. First, click on Format
- 2. Select Ordered List or Unordered List from the drop down menu
- 3. Begin typing your items beside the bullet or numbers that appear in the text area.
Link to Documents Stored in WebTycho
Faculty may upload a collection of documents in a directory called Place Holder for Files. These files are available to all class members and may be linked to from the TFE.
1. Type text in the text box.
2. Highlight text and click on the hyperlink button.
3. Select a file from the collection and click OK.
Spell Check and Dictionary
- 1. Highlight/Select the text you wish to check
- 2. Click Tools menu and choose Spelling
- If there is an incorrectly spelled word then a dialogue box will appear with recommended substitutions. You may select one of the words, ignore the suggestions, or add your original word to the dictionary.
- Add Your Own Words to the Dictionary
Words added to the dictionary are added locally to the computer you are using and not to the classroom, WebTycho, or your personal WebTycho account. So, if you log in to another computer and want to include words you have added to the dictionary using a different computer, you will not see them in the dictionary. You must add them again for each computer you use.
Delete Your Own Words from the Dictionary
To delete any word from your personal dictionary, you must delete editliveforjava.ini file. Doing so will delete all words you have added to the dictionary, including those you prefer to keep so you will have to add them again next time you use the TFE Spell Check.
1. In Windows click Start > Explore
2. Open C:\Documents and Settings
3. Open your personal directory, usually your name
4. Select and delete editliveforjava.ini
Paste from MicroSoft Word Document or Web Page
Text pasted from any web page or text document often includes extraneous code that can cause problems. To avoid this use Paste Special > Clean HTML.
1. Copy text from a web page or text document.
2. In the TFE, select Edit and then Paste Special
3. Select Clean HTML, even if your word document was not saved as HTML. Clean HTML refers to it's new incarnation in the TFE.
Non-English Keyboard Support
WebTycho's TFE recognizes keyboard strokes created when non-English languages are enabled in your Windows operating system. Instructions...
Save Text on Your Computer's Hard Drive
While typing in the TFE you can save your text as a file on your local hard drive. Because the TFE provides most of the formatting tools available in MicroSoft Word plus the security of saving your files on a hard drive, you can begin and end your work in WebTycho's TFE instead of creating your text in a word processing program and then pasting into WebTycho.
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