Rules Tab for Text Fields

The Rules tab is only available for Interactive Designer templates; this entire article is only applicable to templates that use the Interactive Designer.

The Rules tab allows you to control what your customer can and cannot do with a field. These permissions are set on a per-field basis, so different fields in a template can have different permissions.

The permissions are as follows:

Can delete field: Check this box to allow your client to delete the field during customization of the template.

Can move field: Check this box to allow your client to move the field to a different location on the template during customization.

Can resize field: Check this box to allow your client to change the width and/or height of the field during customization. If you wish to constrain the field to a certain size range, you can enter minimum and maximum widths and heights in the boxes to the right (see more details below).

Can rotate field: Check this box to allow your client to change the field's rotation during customization.

Can change z-order: Check this box to allow your client to change the field's stacking order (i.e. move the field toward the foreground or background) during customization. Please note that checking this box does not allow your client to move this field above any fields set as overlay fields (ones that have a stacking order in the Format tab of between 101 and 110).

Can put behind background: Check this box to allow your client to put the field behind the background during customization. Note that if your background has no area of transparency and your client moves the field behind the background, this field will not be visible in the preview or master PDF.

Can change the opacity: Check this box to allow your client to change the opacity of the text entered in this field.

Minimum field size: If you have checked "Can resize field" but wish to constrain the field to a specific size range, enter a minimum width and height for the field here. Your client will not be able to make the field any smaller than this during customization. The unit of measurement for this option is whatever you have selected from the Define Units dropdown menu at the top right of the page.

Maximum field size: If you have checked "Can resize field" but wish to constrain the field to a specific size range, enter a maximum width and height for the field here. Your client will not be able to make the field any larger than this during customization. The unit of measurement for this option is whatever you have selected from the Define Units dropdown menu at the top right of the page.

Can change font face: Check this box to allow the user to change the font of the field's text.

Can change font size: Check this box to allow the user to change the size of the field's text. If you wish to constrain the font to a certain range of sizes, enter a minimum and maximum in the boxes to the right (see below for more details).

Can change font color: Check this box to allow the user to change the color of the font. If you wish to constrain the font to a certain palette of colors, make sure you have selected it from the Color Palette dropdown menu in the field's Format tab.

Can set text to bold: Check this box to allow the user to make the font bold. Please note that it is almost always best to disallow this option and instead upload the bold version of your font to the template's Assets area, making it available for your client to use.

Can set text to italic: Check this box to allow the user to italicize the field's text.

Can set text to underline: Check this box to allow the user to underline the field's text.

Can change text alignment: Check this box to allow the user to set the field’s horizontal and vertical text alignment.

Can change text direction: Check this box to allow the user to set the field's text direction. The options available to your client would then be:

• Horizontal (standard) text runs in lines from left to right, with successive lines proceeding top to bottom.

• Horizontal (right to left) will properly accept scripts — like Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew, and Urdu — that need to run in lines from right to left, with successive lines proceeding top to bottom. Important: Left-to-right scripts can still be typed in fields with this setting and will not appear incorrectly. However, right-to-left scripts will only work correctly when used in a field with this text setting.

• Vertical text runs in lines from top to bottom, with successive lines proceeding right to left. Important: only fonts that have been embedded in Unicode can use vertical text.

Can change text leading: Check this box to allow your client to control the line spacing of the text field.

Can change text tracking: Check this box to allow your client to control the character spacing of the text field.

Can insert symbols from drop-down: Check this box to allow the user to insert pre-defined symbols from an Insert drop-down menu during customization. The available symbols are: ¢ £ ¥ · © ® ™ ¼ ½ ¾.

Minimum font size: If you have checked "Can change font size" but wish to constrain the font to a specific size range, enter a minimum font size here. Your client will not be able to make the text any smaller than this during customization. The unit of measurement for this option is points, no matter what you have selected from the Define Units dropdown menu at the top right of the page.

Maximum font size: If you have checked "Can change font size" but wish to constrain the font to a specific size range, enter a maximum font size here. Your client will not be able to make the text any larger than this during customization. The unit of measurement for this option is points, no matter what you have selected from the Define Units dropdown menu at the top right of the page.

Previous Chapter: Chapter 18a - Position Tab

Next Chapter:  Chapter 18c - Rules Tab for Image Fields