Custom Frame

$image\Custom_Frame.gif$

How to get there

Click the Text Tool $image\Text_Tool.gif$ . Click a text block handle. Choose Custom Frame from the Text Menu.

What it does

The Custom Frame dialog box contains an option where you specify the amount to inset a text block from the custom shape.

Shape • Select. The number in the Shape text box identifies the enclosure shape by number. To select one visually—or to create a new one—click Select. The Shape Select dialog box will appear; if you’ve loaded a Shape Library into your piece, such as the one provided with Finale, the shapes will appear in this selection dialog box. Either double-click on to select it, or click Create to enter the Shape Designer, where you can create your own (see Shape Designer dialog box). In either case, when you return to the Custom Frame dialog box, Finale places the correct shape number in the text box.
View. You can magnify or reduce the view custom frame as you’re working on it by choosing a magnification level from this popup list. (100% is actual size.) Use it if you want to "zoom in" on a very small custom frame, or "zoom out" to see all of a very large custom frame; neither has any effect on the size of the custom frame as it will appear in the score.
Show: Handle • Shape • Text. These checkboxes govern what elements of your custom frame appear in the dialog box. (A selected checkbox means that the object will appear.)
Distance from Handle. These are two small circular handles in the a Custom Frame dialog box display; a black one and white one (but they’re initially superimposed, so that all you can see is the white one). The white circle represents the location of the custom frame’s handle when it appears in the score.

If you want to position the black dot relative to the white dot numerically, you can enter measurement values in the two text boxes. The H: text box sets the horizontal distance from the black dot to the white dot. (a positive number moves the white dot to the right, a negative number moves it to the left); the V: text box sets the vertical distance (a positive number moves the white dot upward, a negative number moves it downward). After entering numbers into these text boxes, drag anywhere in the display area to update the screen image.

Inset Text. Enter the distance, in measurement units, that you want to inset the text block from the shape. Finale always uses this value, even if the frame is hidden.

Although you can edit the text flowing into custom frames on the screen, custom frames cannot be resized on the screen, nor can they be set to expand automatically to accommodate more text. To take advantage of on-score resizing and expanding, see Standard Frame dialog box.

Note: If you create a custom shape, Finale will display the text in a standard editing frame while you’re editing it on-screen. When you’ve finished editing, the text will be shown on-screen, within or surrounding the custom shape you selected.

OK • Cancel. Click OK to confirm the construction of your custom frame and return to the score. Click Cancel if you decide note to create or edit a custom frame.