# Text and Paragraph Formatting

> Set fonts, colors, alignment, indents and tab stops in the WPF TextControl with Selection and ParagraphFormat, and open the built-in formatting dialog boxes.

- **Product:** TX Text Control .NET for WPF
- **Section:** Documentation
- **Kind:** Topic
- **Path:** TX Text Control .NET for WPF > Document Editor > Text and Paragraph Formatting
- **4609 words**
- **Web URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/formatting/
- **LLMs URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/formatting/llms.txt
- **LLMs-Full URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/formatting/llms-full.txt

---

Fonts, sizes, colors, alignment, indents and tab stops are what users change most often in a document, and the WPF `TextControl` lets them do it with the ribbon, the mini toolbar and built-in dialog boxes. For your code, the same attributes are properties of `Selection` and `ParagraphFormat`. The sections below show both sides, point out where WPF types get in the way, and keep your own buttons in step with the text. Named styles are covered in [Stylesheets](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/stylesheets/llms-full.txt), and lists in [Bullets and Numbered Lists](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/lists/llms-full.txt).

### How Formatting Works

TX Text Control distinguishes *character formatting*, such as font, size, bold and color, from *paragraph formatting*, such as alignment, indents, spacing and tab stops. Your code sets both through [Selection](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol-wpf/textcontrol/selection-property/llms-full.txt), the selection in the text part that has the input focus:

- **With text selected**, character attributes change the selected characters, and paragraph attributes change all paragraphs the selection touches.
- **Without a selection**, character attributes apply at the input position, to the text typed next, and paragraph attributes to the current paragraph.

Sizes and distances are given in *twips*: 20 twips are 1 point, 1,440 twips 1 inch, and about 567 twips 1 centimeter. The [FontFamily](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol-wpf/textcontrol/fontfamily-property/llms-full.txt), [FontSize](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol-wpf/textcontrol/fontsize-property/llms-full.txt), `FontStyle` and `FontWeight` dependency properties of the WPF `TextControl` itself follow WPF conventions instead: its `FontSize`, for example, is measured in device-independent units of 1/96 inch. Formatting the text of the document goes through `Selection`.

For users, the WPF [RibbonFormattingTab](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol-wpf/ribbonformattingtab/llms-full.txt), connected by name through [RibbonFormattingTab](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol-wpf/textcontrol/ribbonformattingtab-property/llms-full.txt) of the `TextControl`, offers the character and paragraph attributes. The text mini toolbar, turned on with [ShowMiniToolbar](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol-wpf/textcontrol/showminitoolbar-property/llms-full.txt), offers the common ones right next to the selected text:

![The WPF text mini toolbar with font name, font size, bold, italic, underline, text color, list, alignment and styles buttons above a table.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/text-mini-toolbar.0575b9fc.webp)

[Toolbars and Mini Toolbars](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/ribbon-ui/toolbars/llms-full.txt) and [Connecting Ribbon Tabs in XAML](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/ribbon-ui/ribbon-xaml/llms-full.txt) describe both.

### Format Characters

Two buttons in *MainWindow.xaml*, `<Button Content="Bold" Click="boldButton_Click" />` and `<Button Content="Heading" Click="headingButton_Click" />`, call these handlers in *MainWindow.xaml.cs*:

```csharp
private void boldButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    // Toggle bold for the selected text or the input position
    textControl1.Selection.Bold = !textControl1.Selection.Bold;
}

private void headingButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    textControl1.Selection.FontName = "Arial";
    textControl1.Selection.FontSize = 320;   // 16 points, in twips
    textControl1.Selection.ForeColor = System.Drawing.Color.DarkBlue;
    textControl1.Selection.Underline = FontUnderlineStyle.Single;
}
```

The colors are `System.Drawing.Color` values, not the `System.Windows.Media.Color` of WPF, so the sample writes them in full; the file needs `using TXTextControl;`.

A [Selection](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/llms-full.txt) has these character attributes:

| Property | Sets |
|---|---|
| [Bold](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/bold-property/llms-full.txt), [Italic](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/italic-property/llms-full.txt), [Strikeout](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/strikeout-property/llms-full.txt) | Font styles, `true` or `false` |
| [Underline](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/underline-property/llms-full.txt) | `None`, `Single`, `Doubled`, `SingleWordsOnly` or `DoubledWordsOnly` |
| [FontName](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/fontname-property/llms-full.txt) | The font |
| [FontSize](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/fontsize-property/llms-full.txt) | The size in twips, by default 200 twips (10 points) |
| [ForeColor](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/forecolor-property/llms-full.txt), [TextBackColor](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/textbackcolor-property/llms-full.txt) | Text color and text background color |
| [Baseline](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/baseline-property/llms-full.txt) | Raises (positive) or lowers (negative) the text, in twips |
| [AutoBaseline](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/autobaseline-property/llms-full.txt) | Automatic superscript or subscript with a scaled font |
| [Capitals](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/capitals-property/llms-full.txt) | Capitals, small capitals or petite capitals for lowercase letters |
| [CharacterSpacing](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/characterspacing-property/llms-full.txt), [CharacterScaling](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/characterscaling-property/llms-full.txt) | Additional space per character in twips, and character width in percent |

`AutoBaseline`, `Capitals`, `CharacterSpacing` and `CharacterScaling` were added in version 30.0.

### Format a Range Your Code Inserted

A new `Selection` with a start position and a length selects and formats a range in one step when you assign it. In the `Loaded` handler of the control:

```csharp
private void textControl1_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    textControl1.Text = "Quarterly Report";

    // Select characters 0 to 9 ("Quarterly") and format them
    Selection selection = new Selection(0, 9);
    selection.Bold = true;
    selection.Italic = true;
    textControl1.Selection = selection;
}
```

[Text](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol-wpf/textcontrol/text-property/llms-full.txt) replaces the document with plain text. [Selections and Caret Position](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/editing-text/selections/llms-full.txt) explains selections in detail.

### Format Paragraphs

[Selection.ParagraphFormat](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/paragraphformat-property/llms-full.txt) takes a [ParagraphFormat](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/llms-full.txt) object with the paragraph attributes to set:

```csharp
private void paragraphButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    ParagraphFormat format = new ParagraphFormat();
    format.Alignment = TXTextControl.HorizontalAlignment.Justify;
    format.LeftIndent = 567;       // 1 cm, in twips
    format.TopDistance = 120;      // 6 points before the paragraph
    format.BottomDistance = 120;   // 6 points after the paragraph
    format.LineSpacing = 150;      // 150 percent
    format.Frame = TXTextControl.Frame.BottomLine;
    format.FrameLineWidth = 20;
    format.FrameStyle = FrameStyle.Single;

    textControl1.Selection.ParagraphFormat = format;
}
```

Write `TXTextControl.HorizontalAlignment` in full. In a file with `using System.Windows;`, a plain `HorizontalAlignment` is ambiguous with the WPF enumeration of the same name, and the code doesn't compile. Write `TXTextControl.Frame` in full, too: with `using System.Windows.Controls;`, a plain `Frame` is ambiguous with the WPF `Frame` control.

| Property | Sets |
|---|---|
| [Alignment](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/alignment-property/llms-full.txt) | `Left`, `Right`, `Center` or `Justify` |
| [LeftIndent](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/leftindent-property/llms-full.txt), [RightIndent](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/rightindent-property/llms-full.txt) | Indents in twips |
| [HangingIndent](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/hangingindent-property/llms-full.txt) | A hanging indent in twips; negative values indent the first line |
| [TopDistance](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/topdistance-property/llms-full.txt), [BottomDistance](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/bottomdistance-property/llms-full.txt) | Space before and after the paragraph in twips |
| [LineSpacing](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/linespacing-property/llms-full.txt), [AbsoluteLineSpacing](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/absolutelinespacing-property/llms-full.txt) | Line spacing as a percentage of the font size, or in twips |
| [Frame](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/frame-property/llms-full.txt), [FrameStyle](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/framestyle-property/llms-full.txt), [FrameLineWidth](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/framelinewidth-property/llms-full.txt) | Frame lines: `LeftLine`, `RightLine`, `TopLine`, `BottomLine`, `Box` or `MergedBox`, single or double |
| [BackColor](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/backcolor-property/llms-full.txt) | The paragraph background |
| [KeepLinesTogether](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/keeplinestogether-property/llms-full.txt), [KeepWithNext](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/keepwithnext-property/llms-full.txt), [PageBreakBefore](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/pagebreakbefore-property/llms-full.txt), [WidowOrphanLines](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/widoworphanlines-property/llms-full.txt) | Page break rules |
| [Direction](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/direction-property/llms-full.txt) | Left-to-right or right-to-left |
| [StructureLevel](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/structurelevel-property/llms-full.txt) | Level 0 to 10 for tables of contents; 0 is body text |

[Tables of Contents](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/tables-of-contents/llms-full.txt) uses the structure levels, and [Right-to-Left UI](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/ribbon-ui/right-to-left/llms-full.txt) covers the writing direction.

### Set Tab Stops

[TabPositions](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/tabpositions-property/llms-full.txt), [TabTypes](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/tabtypes-property/llms-full.txt) and [TabLeaders](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/tableaders-property/llms-full.txt) are parallel arrays, one entry per tab stop, with positions in twips. [MaxTabs](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/paragraphformat/maxtabs-field/llms-full.txt) limits a paragraph to 14 tabs.

```csharp
private void tabsButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    ParagraphFormat format = new ParagraphFormat();
    format.TabPositions = new int[] { 2835, 5670 };                 // 5 cm and 10 cm
    format.TabTypes = new TabType[] { TabType.LeftTab, TabType.DecimalTab };
    format.TabLeaders = new TabLeader[] { TabLeader.None, TabLeader.Dot };

    textControl1.Selection.ParagraphFormat = format;
    textControl1.Selection.Text = "Item\t\t12.50";
}
```

[TabType](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/tabtype/enumeration/llms-full.txt) values are `LeftTab`, `RightTab`, `CenterTab`, `DecimalTab`, which aligns the decimal sign, and `RightBorderTab`. [TabLeader](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/tableader/enumeration/llms-full.txt) fills the gap with `Period`, `Dot`, `Dash` or `Underline`, or not at all with `None`.

Users set the same values in the **Tabs** dialog box, which [TabDialog](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol-wpf/textcontrol/tabdialog-method/llms-full.txt) opens: a list of the tab stop positions of the paragraph, the alignment and the leader of the selected tab stop, and **Set**, **Clear** and **Clear All** buttons:

![The Tabs dialog box with the tab stop position list, the Leader list open with None and three leader styles, the Right most tab option and the Set, Clear and Clear All buttons.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/tabs-dialog.97f3abd3.webp)

### Use the One-Click Commands

These `Selection` methods do what the corresponding ribbon buttons do, for the selection or at the input position:

- [GrowFont](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/growfont-method/llms-full.txt) and [ShrinkFont](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/shrinkfont-method/llms-full.txt) change the font size in the steps that the button bar and the font dialog box offer.
- [IncreaseIndent](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/increaseindent-method/llms-full.txt) and [DecreaseIndent](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/decreaseindent-method/llms-full.txt) change the left indent, to positions taken from the tab positions and the indents of the surrounding paragraphs.
- [RemoveFormatting](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/removeformatting-method/llms-full.txt) resets the character attributes to their defaults, and also the paragraph attributes when nothing or more than one paragraph is selected.

### Open the Built-In Dialog Boxes

Each formatting dialog box is one method call: [FontDialog](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol-wpf/textcontrol/fontdialog-method/llms-full.txt), [ParagraphFormatDialog](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol-wpf/textcontrol/paragraphformatdialog-method/llms-full.txt), [TabDialog](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol-wpf/textcontrol/tabdialog-method/llms-full.txt), `ForeColorDialog`, `TextBackColorDialog` and `LanguageDialog`. A **Paragraph...** menu item, `<MenuItem Header="Paragraph..." Click="MenuItemParagraph_Click" />`, calls `textControl1.ParagraphFormatDialog();` in its handler. [Built-in Dialog Boxes](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/ribbon-ui/dialog-boxes/llms-full.txt) lists every dialog box of the editor with its return values and the indexes of its tabs.

### Keep Your Own Controls in Step

Your own formatting buttons have to reflect the text at the input position. [CharFormatChanged](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol-wpf/textcontrol/charformatchanged-event/llms-full.txt) occurs when the character attributes of the selection or the input position change, and [ParagraphFormatChanged](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol-wpf/textcontrol/paragraphformatchanged-event/llms-full.txt) when the paragraph attributes do. Connect the handler in XAML with `CharFormatChanged="textControl1_CharFormatChanged"` or in the constructor of the window:

```csharp
private void textControl1_CharFormatChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    // Show the font of the selection in the title bar
    if (textControl1.Selection.IsCommonValueSelected(Selection.Attribute.FontName))
    {
        Title = textControl1.Selection.FontName + ", " + (textControl1.Selection.FontSize / 20) + " pt";
    }
    else
    {
        Title = "Several fonts";
    }
}
```

If the selection mixes values, a `Selection` property returns its default value. [IsCommonValueSelected](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/iscommonvalueselected-method/llms-full.txt) with a [Selection.Attribute](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/selection/attribute-enumeration/llms-full.txt) value says whether the whole selection shares one. [InputFormat](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol-wpf/textcontrol/inputformat-property/llms-full.txt) returns an [InputFormat](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/reference/txtextcontrol/inputformat/llms-full.txt) object with all attributes at the input position as nullable values, such as `bool?` for `Bold`.

### Next Steps

- [Stylesheets](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/stylesheets/llms-full.txt): define formatting once as a named style.
- [Bullets and Numbered Lists](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/lists/llms-full.txt): lists and their numbering.
- [Toolbars and Mini Toolbars](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/ribbon-ui/toolbars/llms-full.txt): the formatting controls of the editor.
- [Text, Paragraphs, and Stylesheets](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-processing/text-paragraphs/llms-full.txt): formatting without an editor.

---

## Nearby

- **Previous:** [Keyboard Shortcuts](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/editing-text/keyboard-shortcuts/llms-full.txt)
- **Next:** [Stylesheets](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-text-control-dotnet-wpf/document-editor/stylesheets/llms-full.txt)