What's New in TX Text Control ActiveX 15.0
Multi-column page layouts arrived in TX Text Control ActiveX 15.0, together with archiving in PDF/A format and structured numbered lists. If your application sets list numbering in code, read the update note on the pre and post text of list numbers.
What follows covers the features, the new members, the extended members and the update notes of version 15.0 since version 14.0.
New Features
- Text in columns. The text of a document can be arranged in columns. The number of columns is an attribute of a document section, so one document can use different numbers of columns, and the number can change anywhere on a page, depending on where a section starts. The widths of the columns and the distances between them can be changed individually. By default, an automatic mode calculates the widths of the columns from the page width.
- Columns in the user interface. Users make column settings on an additional tab of the Page Setup dialog box, which the SectionFormatDialog method opens, and the ruler bar shows the widths of the columns and the distances between them. The key combination SHIFT+CTRL+ENTER inserts a break character that continues the text in the next column.
- Columns in code. The Columns and ColumnDistance properties set columns, which are adapted to the page width automatically. To set columns with different widths and distances, use the ColumnWidthsAndDistances property.
- Archiving documents in PDF/A format. A document can be archived in PDF/A format; TX Text Control supports the ISO standard PDF/A-1 Level B. Compared to standard PDF, a PDF/A document differs as follows:
- Only embeddable fonts are saved.
- Document data such as the title or the author is saved in XMP format.
- Additional font data specifies which characters of a font are used.
- A color profile is saved.
- Links that start other applications are not allowed.
- Access restrictions are not allowed. The txDocAccessPermissions attribute of the LoadSaveAttribute property is ignored.
- Saving PDF/A. The Format parameter of the Save method accepts a new value for this format. Before you save PDF/A, set the new FontSettings property to Embeddable Fonts only, so that the document contains only embeddable fonts.
- Structured numbered lists. A structured list displays for each level its own list number and the list numbers of the higher levels. The text in front of and behind the list number is displayed for all higher levels as well, and it can now be longer than one character. The ListType property has the new setting txListStructured for such lists, and the NumberingAttribute property has the new attributes txNumberingPostText and txNumberingPreText for text longer than one character in front of and behind the list numbers. The button bar has a new button that sets a structured numbered list, and the PosListStructured property determines its position.
New Properties, Methods and Events
Properties
| Member | Description |
|---|---|
| TXTextControl.ColumnDistance | Sets the distance, in twips, between the columns on a page for the whole document or for a section of the document. |
| TXTextControl.ColumnLineColor | Returns or sets the color of a dividing line between two page columns, for the whole document or for a section. |
| TXTextControl.ColumnLineWidth | Returns or sets the width, in twips, of a dividing line between two page columns, for the whole document or for a section. |
| TXTextControl.Columns | Returns or sets the number of columns on a page for the whole document or for a section of the document. |
| TXTextControl.ColumnWidthsAndDistances | Returns or sets the number of columns on a page with their widths and distances, for the whole document or for a section of the document. |
| TXTextControl.FontSettings | Determines which kind of fonts can be used in a document. |
Extended Properties, Methods and Events
Properties
| Member | Change |
|---|---|
| ListType property | Extended with the txListStructured setting, which sets a structured list in code. |
| NumberingAttribute property | Extended with the txNumberingPostText and txNumberingPreText attributes for text in front of and behind the number of a numbered list. |
| Style.ListType property | Extended with the txListStructured setting, which sets a structured list with a formatting style in code. |
| Style.NumberingAttribute property | Extended with the txNumberingPostText and txNumberingPreText attributes for text in front of and behind the number of a numbered list with a formatting style. |
Methods
| Member | Change |
|---|---|
| SectionFormatDialog method | Extended with a third tab for the attributes of columns. |
Update Notes
| Member | Update note |
|---|---|
| NumberingAttribute property | The txNumberingPostText and txNumberingPreText attributes replace the txNumberingPostChar and txNumberingPreChar attributes, so that the text in front of and behind the numbers of numbered lists can be longer. The older attributes are still implemented for compatibility, but new applications should not use them. |