Text Box Editor

Overview

The Text Box Editor allows Instructors to create professional, vibrant content through a simple editor within the Blackboard Learning System. Using WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), Instructors may format text to create HTML, identify and correct spelling errors, add equations using WebEQ and MathML, and upload different types of files within a text box.

Note: The Text Box editor is only available to Windows Operating System users with Internet Explorer Version 5.x or a later version. System Administrators also have the option of turning off the Text Box editor, Spell Check, Web EQ and MathML for all users. Users without WYSIWYG features enabled have access to alternate Text Box Options.

Text Box Editor

Find this page

The Text Box Editor appears within text boxes in the Blackboard Learning System. Examples include Content Areas, Announcements, Calendar, Tasks, Assessments, and Discussion Boards.

Actions

The Text Box Editor includes three rows of buttons. The first row is required and may not be collapsed. Users have the options of collapsing the second and third rows with the arrows to the left of the row. Some Text Box Editors open with the second and third rows collapsed, users may choose to expand them. These options cannot be reorganized or rearranged by the user. The following table details the tools available in the Text Box Editor by row:

First Row – Basic Actions

Function	Description
Font Style	Select the font for the text, these options correspond to standard HTML Style types.
Font size	Select the size for the text.
Font	Select the type of font for the text.
Bold	Make selected text bold.
Italics	Make selected text italics.
Underline	Underline the selected text.
Align left	Align text to the left of the text area.
Align Center	Align text in the center of the text area.
Align Right	Align text to the right of the text area.
Ordered list	Create a numbered list or add a numbered list item.
Unordered list	Create a bulleted list or add a bullet list item.
Decrease Indent	Move text to the left.
Increase Indent	Move text to the right.

Second Row – Additional Basic Actions

Function	Description
Find	Search for a word or phrase in the text area.
Spell Check	Select the ABC checkmark to open the Spell Check pop-up window. Users use this to check spelling in the text area.
Cut	Cut the selected items
Copy	Copy the selected items
Paste	Paste copied or cut content.
Undo	Select the circular arrow pointing to the left to undo the previous action.
Redo	Select the circular arrow pointing to the right to redo the previous action.
Hyperlink	Add a hyperlink to a URL in the text area.
Create Table	Add a table. Select the number of rows and cells in the table.
Horizontal Line	Add a line to the text box.
Background Color	Add a highlight color to the selected text.
Text Color	Specify the color of the text.
WebEQ Editor	Open the WebEQ Equation Editor icon (x²) to add an equation.
MathML Editor	Open the MathML Equation Editor icon (√x ) to add an equation.
HTML View	View the HTML code that is generated by the Text Box Editor. Users may also edit the HTML in this view.
Preview	Preview the content as it will be seen by the end users.
Help	Select the question mark to launch the Help page.

Third Row – File Attachment Actions

Note: The third row action buttons are not always available in the Text Box Editor of the Blackboard Learning System. The third row is always available with the Text Box Editor if the Blackboard Content System is installed.

Function	Description
Attach file	Add a file to the text area. When selected, the Insert Link to File page will appear.
Attach image	Add an image to the text area. When selected, the Insert Image page will appear.
Attach MPEG/AVI	Add MPEG/AVI media content to the text area. When selected, the Insert MPEG file page will appear.
Add Quick Time file	Add Apple QuickTime media to the text area. When selected, the Insert QuickTime File page will appear.
Add audio	Add an audio file, such as .mp3, .midi or .wav to the text area. When selected, the Insert Audio File page will appear.
Add Flash/Shockwave	Add Macromedia Flash or Shockwave media to the text area. When selected, the Insert SWF File page will appear.

Attaching files

Options in the third row allow users to attach different types of files to a text box. When an option to add a file, for example, Add File or Add Image, is selected from the third row in the Text Box Editor, the page that appears contains a Browse field and a Specify URL field. These options are available when adding or modifying the following items in a Content Area of the Blackboard Learning System:

· Content Item

· Content Folder

· Course Link

· External Link

· Learning Unit

· Assignment

Is the Blackboard Content System is installed, the third row will always be available in the Text Box Editor.

Note: See the File Attachments topic for information on which option is used to upload specific file extensions. For example, a .doc file is uploaded with the Insert link to File option.

Browse: Files should always be uploaded from their original source, for example from the user’s local drive, not from another area where the file has been attached to a course in Blackboard. Users should not copy and paste a file from one text box to another; this will cause errors and the files will not appear properly. When the page is opened, a link to the file will appear. Users may select the link to open the file or save the file.

Specify URL: Enter a URL to create a link to a file outside of the local system. For example, an institution may have a repository where logos or images related to the institution are stored.

Note: Users who are not using the Text Box Editor still have the option of adding media files to Content Areas. For more information see the Displaying media within content topic.

Keyboard shortcuts

The Text Box Editor supports the following keyboard shortcuts:

Note: An absolutely positioned element is an object that has a css style applied to it, so its location is determined by pixels. For example, instead of aligned right or top, the object is located at x=0, y=100 pixels.

Key	Description
Movement
RIGHT ARROW	Move one character to the right. If an absolutely positioned element is selected, the element is moved one pixel to the right.
LEFT ARROW	Move one character to the left. If an absolutely positioned element is selected, the element is moved one pixel to the left.
DOWN ARROW	Move down one line. If an absolutely positioned element is selected, the element is moved down one pixel.
UP ARROW	Move up one line. If an absolutely positioned element is selected, the element is moved up one pixel.
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW	Move right one word.
CTRL+LEFT ARROW	Move left one word.
END	Move to the end of the current line.
HOME	Move to the start of the current line.
CTRL+DOWN ARROW	Move down one paragraph.
CTRL+UP ARROW	Move up one paragraph.
PAGE DOWN	Move down one page.
PAGE UP	Move up one page.
CTRL+HOME	Move to the beginning of the document.
CTRL+END	Move to the end of the document.
Selection
SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW	Extend the selection one character to the right. Users may select characters to cut or copy and paste words, sentences or paragraphs.
SHIFT+LEFT ARROW	Extend the selection one character to the left. Users may select characters to cut or copy and paste words, sentences or paragraphs.
CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW	Extend the selection right one word. Users may select characters to cut or copy and paste words, sentences or paragraphs.
CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW	Extend the selection left one word. Users may select characters to cut or copy and paste words, sentences or paragraphs.
SHIFT+UP ARROW	Extend the selection up one line. Users may select characters to cut or copy and paste words, sentences or paragraphs.
SHIFT+DOWN ARROW	Extend the selection down one line. Users may select characters to cut or copy and paste words, sentences or paragraphs.
SHIFT+END	Extend the selection to the end of the current line. Users may select characters to cut or copy and paste words, sentences or paragraphs.
SHIFT+HOME	Extend the selection to the start of the current line. Users may select characters to cut or copy and paste words, sentences or paragraphs.
SHIFT+PAGE DOWN	Extend the selection down one page. Users may select characters to cut or copy and paste words, sentences or paragraphs.
SHIFT+PAGE UP	Extend the selection up one page. Users may select characters to cut or copy and paste words, sentences or paragraphs.
CTRL+SHIFT+END	Extend the selection to the end of the document. Users may select characters to cut or copy and paste words, sentences or paragraphs.
CTRL+SHIFT+HOME	Extend the selection to the beginning of the document. Users may select characters to cut or copy and paste words, sentences or paragraphs.
CTRL+A	Select all elements in the document. Users may select characters to cut or copy and paste words, sentences or paragraphs.
Editing
BACKSPACE	Delete the selection or, if there is no selection, the character to the left of the insertion point
CTRL+BACKSPACE	Delete all of a word to the left of the insertion pointer, not including the space before.
CTRL+C	Copy the selection to the Clipboard.
CTRL+V	Paste the contents of the Clipboard to the current location.
CTRL+X	Cut the selection to the Clipboard.
DELETE	Delete the selection without placing it on the Clipboard.
INSERT	Toggle between inserting and overwriting text.
CTRL+Z	Undo the most recent formatting commands.
CTRL+Y	Re-do the most recently undone commands .
CTRL+F	Find text .
SHIFT+F10	Display the context menu, if one is available (this is equivalent to right-clicking the document)
Formatting
CTRL+B	Toggle bold formatting.
CTRL+I	Toggle italic formatting.
CTRL+U	Toggle underlining.