How to change the size of text without it disappearing?

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CHEMICALCAT59
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Finale Version: 2014
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Post by CHEMICALCAT59 » Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:54 am

Hey,

I don't know how active this forum is but I have a really frustrating problem and would appreciate some help if anyone could spare a few minutes.

I'm currently writing a brass combo and am trying to put the text "Brass Combo" in the upper left corner of the first page, as one would normally do to indicate the instrumentation of a piece. However, when I created the text, it was 12pt Times New Roman, which is a bit small for what I wanted. I went to the Text editor, clicked on the little pink box that appeared in the top left corner of the text, and selected Text > Size > 18.

When I do this, the text doesn't get bigger but instead disappears. I can still see the little box where the text used to be, as if it is now invisible, but the text is no longer there. If I change the size back to anything less than 14, the text reappears, but if it is any bigger, it will disappear. This is really frustrating because it means I am stuck with small text on my page. Is there any way to get around this issue?


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zuill
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Post by zuill » Wed Jul 31, 2019 4:00 am

I've not seen this behavior. Can you post a sample file for us to evaluate for the trouble?

Zuill

P.S.: Here's a sample to show what I get. It's in Finale 2014 to match your program specs.
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"When all is said and done, more is said than done."

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motet
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Post by motet » Wed Jul 31, 2019 5:19 am

To change the size of existing text, you double-click on it, then Select All (Ctrl-A), and only then change the size using the menu. If you don't select the text to change, the size change won't have any effect. I'm not sure why it's disappearing, though.

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zuill
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Post by zuill » Wed Jul 31, 2019 5:40 am

In my file, I just selected the handle and then changed the size with the menu. I tested that method, as the OP was using that method. I don't usually do it that way, but it worked, and no disappearing.

Zuill
Windows 10, Finale 2011-v26.3.1
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."

CHEMICALCAT59
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Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:48 am
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Post by CHEMICALCAT59 » Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:08 pm

Sure thing, here's the file for anyone asking.

I don't know if it's something weird with the formatting I have or what, but I can't get the text that says "Brass Combo" to get any bigger than it is.

(Also I'm a true beginner at Finale so if there are other rookie mistakes I made while editing my file, please let me know! For some reason I can't get the text to line up the same way on the Full Score page as on the individual pages, and when I change the part names they don't actually change on the full score.)

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michelp
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Post by michelp » Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:52 pm

I saw the problem in your file. It is not normal, but easy to fix.
Delete the text block and recreate one, using Inserts -> Lyricist (that's in your File info). Select the handle and change the size of the text, it will work.
Michel
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zuill
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Post by zuill » Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:53 pm

I see what happened. There are 2 types of Text Blocks. If you double-click, you get a frame that is a single dashed line, which is a frame that automatically expands. That way, if you resize the text, the frame will expand to accommodate the change. It looks like you accidentally created the fixed-frame type, which happens when you double-click, and then while holding down the second click, you drag the frame to the fixed size you want (and the box is now a double dashed line). Unfortunately, if the size of the text gets too big, it appears to disappear. It's actually still there.

You have 2 options. Double click the handle, then drag the double dashed lines to make the box big enough to accommodate the new size of the text. When you see the disappearing text, you've accomplished the task.

The other option is to delete the text block you already created, and this time, just double click and release. Then enter the text. It will now be an automatically expanding frame, so any resizing will expand the frame, and the text won't disappear.

As far as getting each part name to show on it's own part, use a text insert instead of regular text. Choose the insert called Score/Part. When you unlink the text block from the score, I believe you can individually position the blocks.

Zuill
Windows 10, Finale 2011-v26.3.1
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."

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zuill
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Post by zuill » Wed Jul 31, 2019 4:02 pm

michelp wrote:I saw the problem in your file. It is not normal, but easy to fix.
Delete the text block and recreate one, using Inserts -> Lyricist (that's in your File info). Select the handle and change the size of the text, it will work.
You could also resize the text frame and keep the original text block. By deleting the fixed size frame, and recreating, one needs to be sure not to repeat the same mistake and drag while holding the second click.

Zuill
Windows 10, Finale 2011-v26.3.1
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."

CHEMICALCAT59
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Post by CHEMICALCAT59 » Wed Jul 31, 2019 6:09 pm

Thanks for the help! I knew it was probably a simple fix, I just didn't know exactly what to do. The new text box is working fine now, it turns out my mouse was just acting finicky and the left click button was sticking, causing me to click and drag without meaning to.

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